The Maritime Provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island

In 1917, the Mont-Blanc, a French munitions ship, collided with the Norwegian vessel Imo in Halifax Harbour while the Mont-Blanc was carrying the largest cargo of wartime explosives transported by a single ship to that point. The explosion killed approximately 2,000 people, injured 9,000 more, and levelled two square kilometres of Halifax’s north end. It remains one of the largest non-nuclear man-made explosions in history and was the primary large-scale disaster driving advances in emergency response across North America. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax has the most comprehensive account of this event available anywhere, and it is genuinely one of the better history museums in Canada.

Canada’s Maritime provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, occupy the northeastern corner of North America, covering 94,000 square kilometres between them. They are connected by the Bay of Fundy (between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) and the Northumberland Strait (between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI). The culture is a mix of Indigenous Mi’kmaq history, Acadian French settlement from the 17th century, British arrival after the 1755 expulsion of the Acadians, and Scottish and Irish immigration in the 19th century.

Most international visitors arrive through Halifax or Charlottetown airports, or increasingly by cruise ship to Halifax or Saint John. A complete circuit by road takes about a week.

New Brunswick

Hopewell Rocks (Bay of Fundy, Albert County): the most visited single attraction in the Maritimes. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world - up to 16 metres at peak in Minas Basin. At high tide, the Hopewell Rocks are islands. At low tide, the tide retreats to expose 15-metre columns of red sandstone sculpted over thousands of years. Visitors walk on the ocean floor, circling the formations. At high tide, kayak tours paddle among the tops of the same columns. Timing your visit around the tide schedule is essential: consult tide tables at pc.gc.ca.

Entry around CAD 10 per adult, kayak tours around CAD 65-80 per person. The park is 40km south of Moncton.

Fundy National Park (near Alma): 206 square kilometres of Acadian highland forest, with coastal trails dropping to the Bay of Fundy shore. The Dickson Falls trail (3km return) and the Coastal Trail sections near Alma village are the best for a day visit. The park has 120km of maintained hiking trails. Camping available (Parks Canada reservation system at reservation.pc.gc.ca), from CAD 30-40 per night.

Saint John: New Brunswick’s largest city and a working industrial port. The Reversing Falls (bridge over the Saint John River gorge where tidal flow reverses direction twice daily) are more interesting in person than photographs suggest. The City Market (209 Charlotte Street), operating since 1876 in the original building, has local produce, dulse (dried edible seaweed, a regional speciality), and prepared food stalls.

The Acadian Coast: the eastern shore of New Brunswick facing the Northumberland Strait has Acadian French communities with distinct food, music (the violin-based fiddle tradition is active), and architecture. The Acadian Historical Village (near Caraquet) reconstructs 1770-1890 Acadian life with costumed interpreters. Entry around CAD 28.

Nova Scotia

Halifax: the provincial capital and the largest city in Atlantic Canada (population around 450,000). The waterfront boardwalk runs along the harbour from the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to the Historic Properties wharf district. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (1675 Lower Water Street) has permanent exhibitions on the Halifax Explosion (1917, when two ships collided in the harbour carrying ammunition, killing approximately 2,000 people and injuring 9,000 - one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history) and on the Titanic (Halifax was the primary recovery port; 150 victims are buried in Halifax cemeteries). Entry around CAD 12.

The Halifax Citadel (hilltop above the waterfront): a 19th-century star-shaped earthwork fortification. The noon gun fires daily. Parks Canada site, entry around CAD 13.

Peggys Cove: a small fishing village 45km west of Halifax on a granite headland. The red-and-white lighthouse sitting on the bare rock is the most photographed structure in Atlantic Canada. The village has around 35 permanent residents. Arrive before 09:00 or after 17:00 to avoid the concentrated tour bus traffic. The rocks around the lighthouse are genuinely slippery; yellow warning lines mark the safe zones.

Cape Breton Island: the northern part of Nova Scotia, connected by the Canso Causeway. The Cabot Trail, a 298km circular highway around the northern tip of the island, passes through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The coastal scenery on the west side of the trail (looking into the Gulf of St. Lawrence) is significant: cliff sections, beach coves, and highlands above 500 metres. The trail takes a full day to drive without stops; two days with stops. Whale watching boats operate from Pleasant Bay on the west coast (minke, pilot, finback whales, with humpbacks in season).

Lunenburg: a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an 18th-century planned British settlement on the south shore with well-preserved painted wooden architecture in a grid of streets. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic (the Bluenose II, the famous Nova Scotia schooner, is moored here) is the main attraction. About 100km southwest of Halifax.

Prince Edward Island

PEI is the smallest Canadian province: 5,660 square kilometres, roughly the size of an English county. It is connected to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge (12.9km, the longest bridge over ice-covered water in the world).

Charlottetown: the island’s capital, population 40,000. The Confederation Centre of the Arts and Province House (where Confederation was discussed in 1864) are the historical focus. The downtown waterfront has a concentration of restaurants. Confederation Trail (370km, former railway converted to cycling and walking path) starts in Charlottetown.

Green Gables Heritage Place (Cavendish, Parks Canada): the farm that inspired the setting of “Anne of Green Gables,” Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1908 novel. The farmhouse is furnished as it might have appeared in the novel’s period. Entry around CAD 9. Montgomery’s grave is nearby at Cavendish Cemetery. The novel remains enormously popular in Japan; Japanese visitors are disproportionately represented in the visitor demographic.

Beaches: PEI’s north shore beaches (Cavendish, Thunder Cove, Brackley Beach) have reddish sand from iron-rich sandstone and relatively warm water (reaching 20°C in July and August). The warmest ocean water in Atlantic Canada.

Food

Lobster: PEI and Nova Scotia lobster fishing seasons run spring (April-June) and fall (September-December). The spring season produces larger, harder-shelled lobsters; the fall produces softer shells and arguably sweeter meat. Community lobster suppers (church halls and community centres, particularly in PEI) serve full lobster meals for CAD 35-50 including chowder and dessert. This is significantly cheaper than restaurant lobster. Check local listings for specific locations.

Dulse: dried red seaweed harvested around the Bay of Fundy, particularly at Dark Harbour on Grand Manan Island (New Brunswick). Sold in bags at markets throughout the region. Eaten as a snack or crumbled into soups.

Rappie pie (Acadian pâté rapé): grated potatoes with the starch squeezed out, combined with chicken or clam broth, layered with meat or seafood and baked. A dense, specific taste acquired from Acadian cooking. Found in New Brunswick Acadian restaurants and home kitchens.

Halifax donair: a local variant of the Greek gyro - spiced beef on pita with tomatoes, onions, and a sweet evaporated-milk-based sauce. The official food of Halifax (municipal designation 2015). Available at many takeaways open until 04:00.

Getting There and Around

Halifax Stanfield International Airport receives direct flights from London Heathrow (Air Transat, seasonal, around 7 hours), New York, Toronto, and Montreal. PEI’s Charlottetown Airport connects to Toronto and Montreal. Saint John, NB has limited direct connections.

A rental car is essential outside of Charlottetown and Halifax. Distances are manageable; the road network is well-maintained. The scenic Cabot Trail in particular requires a car.

The Confederation Bridge to PEI charges a toll westbound (to the mainland) only: CAD 50 for a standard vehicle (2024 rates). Eastbound crossing (to PEI) is free.