From national parks to seafood feasts, Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada offer terrific experiences that should be on every traveler’s list. Here are Fodor’s top picks for a memorable trip.
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
“Timeless” is a word that’s justifiably applied to the South Shore’s signature port town. Hundreds of colorful eighteenth- and nineteenth-century buildings line the steep streets of its historic core, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s South Shore and Annapolis Valley Travel Guide
Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
The stellar scenery encompasses a fjord, glacier-carved Western Brook Pond, and the Tablelands, a rock massif created millions of years ago.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Western Newfoundland Travel Guide
Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick
Fundy’s phenomenal tides—the highest in the world—rise and fall twice daily with dramatic results. For proof, you can watch the waters peak and ebb at the Hopewell Rocks.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s The Fundy Coast Travel Guide
Anne’s Land,
Prince Edward Island
On PEI it’s hard to avoid a certain redheaded orphan. For fans of the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables, the sites around Cavendish are much-loved ground.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Central Coastal Drive Travel Guide
Beaches,
Prince Edward Island
Lapped by the warmest waters north of the Carolinas, PEI’s pebbly shores and sandy crescents attract swimmers, sun worshippers, and bird-watchers.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Prince Edward Island Travel Guide
Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia
Cape Breton’s winding highway by the ocean proves the journey is more important than the destination: It’s often called one of the most gorgeous roads on earth.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Cape Breton Island Travel Guide
Seafood Feasts
Lobster, scallops, oysters, salmon, and more: Whether you dine at casual waterfront shacks or in fine dining rooms, sublime fresh seafood tops the menu.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Canada Travel Guide
Halifax, Nova Scotia
The province’s capital manages to feel at once traditional and trendy. Atlantic Canada’s largest city is built around the world’s second-largest natural harbor.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Halifax Travel Guide
Confederation Trail, Prince Edward Island
Following a former railroad bed, this gently graded bike path crosses the island, winding past green fields, red clay cliffs, sandy beaches, and the blue sea.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Prince Edward Island Travel Guide
Golf Courses,
Prince Edward Island
PEI is said to have more golfing options per square mile than anywhere else in Canada, with thirty-plus courses, some quite scenic, open from May through October.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Prince Edward Island Travel Guide
Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland
Spectacular icebergs weighing 100,000 to 200,000 tons serenely float offshore from June through early July. Humpback whales frolic near Twillingate until September.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Gander and Around Travel Guide
St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick
Century-old homes and manicured gardens give this resort village a genteel vibe, but proximity to the Bay of Fundy means there are options for outdoor adventure as well.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s The Fundy Coast Travel Guide