Originally Posted by
tomatogrower
Hello,
I am planning a trip to the Maritimes in early June, and have my flights booked. How would you recommend I split my time between the 3 provinces? This is what I'm currently thinking:
Day 1: travel, arrive in Halifax (YHZ) late night.
Night 1: Halifax
Day 2: Halifax area
Night 2: Halifax
Day 3: Nova Scotia (Cape Breton/Cabot Trail)
Night 3: Halifax
Day 4: Nova Scotia (South of Halifax)
Night 4: Halifax
Day 5: New Brunswick (Hopewell Cape, maybe Fundy National Park)
Night 5: Moncton
Day 6: New Brunswick (St. Martins, Saint John, Saint George)
Night 6: Saint John
Day 7: NB/Prince Edward Island
Night 7: Charlottetown
Day 8: Prince Edward Island
Night 8: Charlottetown
Day 9: PEI/NB/NS?
Night 9: Dartmouth
Day 10: travel, depart YHZ in the morning
I'm sitting on a boatload of points and free night certificates for Marriott and Hyatt, so I would need a compelling reason to stay at a smaller town that doesn't have one of these chains.
Would you recommend I allocate my time differently? If we want a slower paced, more relaxing trip, which area should I drop?
Drop New Brunswick. Moncton and Saint John are not for tourists.
Replace Hopewell Rocks with Burntcoat Head in Nova Scotia. Same idea, but higher tides, more spectactular view, fewer tourists.
Note that you have to time your visit with the tides. Check the timetable. Ideally, you want to get there a little before the lowest point int he tide, go for a walk on the ocean floor, then come back at the highest tide (the same day or another day).
Personally, I wouldn't go to PEI either. There is so much to see in Nova Scotia. You could drive to Brier Island - needs two ferries which are very cheap and operate 24/7 - and stay a night there.
Grand Pre (National historic site) is very nice and has a good musem.
The immigration musem at Pier 21 in Halifax is splendid.
Peggy's Cove is best when the weather is NOT perfect. Fewer tourists and much better scenery. Make sure you drive the loop to Peggy's Cove instead of just driving back the way you came. If you can, take a side tour to the end of the road in Prospect Bay.