Explore Canada’s Atlantic seacoast on this wonderful, scenic vacation to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Québec. Your trip begins in Halifax with a sightseeing tour and an excursion to one of Canada’s most photographed locations, picturesque Peggy’s Cove. From Baddeck on Cape Breton Island, keep your camera ready as you drive along the Cabot Trail, one of the most scenic drives in the world, and travel to Cape Breton Highlands National Park, a landscape that strikingly resembles Scottish coastal regions. Spend two nights on Prince Edward Island with a sightseeing tour, time in the provincial capital of Charlottetown, and visits to Prince Edward Island National Park—with its sand dunes, salt marshes, freshwater ponds, and fine beaches—and Green Gables farmhouse, setting for the popular Anne of Green Gables novel. Travel through scenic Fundy National Park, with the world’s highest and most dramatic tides. Finally, board the overnight Ocean train from Halifax to Montréal, and enjoy two nights in Montréal. You’ll also visit some of the areas’ interesting sites, such as the Alexander Graham Bell Museum and Fairlawn Cemetery, final resting place for more than 100 people who perished on the Titanic. Picturesque scenery, charming fishing villages, and historical sites—this trip has it all.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Halifax. Enjoy time at leisure to relax or to do some independent exploring. Your Tour Director is on hand this evening to answer any questions.
Day #2 Halifax. The day begins with a visit to one of the most photographed locations in Canada—PEGGY’S COVE. Spend time exploring and allow this picturesque area to enchant you with its beauty, mystery, and charm. Before our return to Halifax, stop in Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to Nova Scotia’s largest fishing fleet, extraordinary architecture, supreme shops, and more. While there, take a self-guided walking tour of the town and visit the FISHERIES MUSEUM. In Halifax, a sightseeing tour with a local expert focuses on the major sights: CITADEL HILL with its early 19th-century star-shaped fort; the tree-shaded walks; beautiful residential neighborhoods; and the harbor area, which shows the port’s military heritage. See Fairlawn Cemetery, final resting place for more than 100 people who perished on the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic. The evening is yours to relax or explore further, so why not head to the waterfront, where you can savor some delicious traditional dishes?
Day #3 Halifax–Baddeck. Early morning departure for rugged Cape Breton Island, one of the earliest European settlements in North America. Visit a true Nova Scotia FISHERMAN’S LIFE MUSEUM from the early 1900s. From the crackle of wood in the summer kitchen’s cook stove to the smell of the saltwater breeze at Navy Pool by the ocean, you’ll experience the life of a typical coastal village family. Arrive in Baddeck, the summer home of Alexander Graham Bell, and visit the ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL MUSEUM. Trace the achievements of the great inventor who spent his last years on Cape Breton.
Day #4 Baddeck. Excursion To Cape Breton Highlands National Park. This morning, drive along the famous Cabot Trail, an area first explored by John Cabot just five years after Columbus landed in the New World. Travel through CAPE BRETON HIGHLANDS NATIONAL PARK, climb 1,500-foot capes, skirt rugged coastal headlands, and pass through villages where ancient dialects can still be heard. Before leaving the Cabot Trail, stop at the Acadian fishing village of Cheticamp.
Day #5 Baddeck–Charlottetown. Head back to the peninsula and continue north to Caribou, where a ferry whisks you across NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT to Prince Edward Island. For the next two nights you are in Charlottetown, the provincial capital. A late-afternoon arrival allows you to see more of this colonial town and its restored waterfront.
Day #6 Charlottetown. Begin the day with guided sightseeing that includes the coastal route through PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND NATIONAL PARK. View sand dunes, salt marshes, freshwater ponds, and some of the finest beaches in eastern Canada. Visit the ANNE OF GREEN GABLES FARMHOUSE, setting of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s famous novel. (CB)
Day #7 Charlottetown–Fundy National Park–Hopewell Rocks–Moncton. Leave Charlottetown for New Brunswick by way of the 8-mile Confederation Bridge. Connect with the land, ocean, and wide-open sky as we travel through FUNDY NATIONAL PARK. Along the way, stop at HOPEWELL ROCKS and learn about the highest and wildest tides in the world, which rise and fall up to 52 feet! Time and tide have carved from the cliffs and coves distinctive sandstone formations topped with trees. Many of the formations have nicknames inspired by their appearance. Look for Lover’s Arch, Dinosaur Rock, Mother-in-Law, and ET, just to name a few. Tonight, it’s the ultimate lobster experience on an included LOBSTER CRUISE, where you haul in a lobster trap, learn cooking techniques, observe a cracking demonstration, and savor a complete lobster dinner on board your sailing vessel. (CB,D)
Day #8 Moncton–Halifax. Today, return to the modern port of Halifax, where the remainder of the day is free. Why not head to the Halifax waterfront, where you can visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and a myriad of traditional pubs that serve up local ales and Gaelic tunes?
Day #9 Halifax. Today is a leisure, why not enjoy a visit to the Maritimes Museum of the Atlantic, which explains the area’s sea seafaring past, and the deep connection that Halifax had in the maiden voyage of the Titanic.
Day #10 Halifax–VIA Rail Ocean Train To Montréal. This afternoon, board VIA Rail’s Ocean train. Travel while sleeping in comfort and awaken in a different region of Canada! Ride across New Brunswick to Québec’s largest city, Montréal. Accommodation on the train is in private sleeper car. (L,D)
Day #11 Montréal. Morning arrival and transfer to your hotel for the next two nights. Enjoy free time in Montréal, a city that combines vibrant and modern shopping, financial districts, and historic architecture. Discover excellent restaurants, lively nightspots, and festivals. Visit Notre Dame Basilica and Olympic Park, or try your luck at the Casino de Montréal. (CB on Day 11)
Day #12 Montréal. Morning arrival and transfer to your hotel for the next two nights. Enjoy free time in Montréal, a city that combines vibrant and modern shopping, financial districts, and historic architecture. Discover excellent restaurants, lively nightspots, and festivals. Visit Notre Dame Basilica and Olympic Park, or try your luck at the Casino de Montréal. (CB on Day 11)
Day #13 Montréal. The trip ends today with guests departing on individual schedules. Transfers are provided to Montréal International Airport.
