Canadian Maritimes

The Canadian Maritimes: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island

The Maritime provinces occupy the northeastern corner of North America with a combined population of under two million people, several thousand kilometres of coastline, and lobster fishing as a serious industry rather than a tourist gimmick. The region is overlooked by most international visitors in favour of Quebec and Ontario, which makes it quieter and often more rewarding.

Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Island is the dominant draw. The Cabot Trail, a 298km loop around the northern tip of the island, runs along sea cliffs, through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and past fishing villages where Gaelic is still occasionally spoken. The Highlands have moose, bald eagles, and some of the most technically demanding hiking in eastern Canada. The section from Chéticamp to Pleasant Bay covers the steepest coastal terrain. The whole loop takes two to three days to drive properly, longer if you hike.

Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the South Shore, is a working fishing town with 18th-century German colonial architecture painted in impractical colours that have become part of the town’s identity. The Bluenose II schooner is based here. The town is small enough to walk in an afternoon but has good restaurants, particularly for seafood.

Halifax is the regional capital and the only city in the Maritimes with a significant nightlife and restaurant scene. The Citadel Hill fortification has a daily noon cannon firing. The Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market is one of the oldest in North America (operating since 1750).

New Brunswick

The Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world — up to 16 metres at Burntcoat Head in the Minas Basin. The Hopewell Rocks, on the New Brunswick coast, are sea stacks that you can walk around at low tide and kayak around at high tide, the difference between these two states being about 12 metres. This requires careful timing and checking the tide tables, which the park provides.

Saint John, on the Bay of Fundy, has the Reversing Falls Rapids where the tidal differential forces the river current to reverse direction; this is visible from a bridge in the city centre and is genuinely unusual.

Prince Edward Island

PEI is the smallest province — roughly 280km by 60km at its widest — with an agricultural landscape of red-soiled fields, beaches, and communities that are quieter than the island’s summer tourism suggests. Charlottetown is the provincial capital and has some reasonable restaurants and the Confederation Centre of the Arts. Cavendish on the north shore is the beach resort area, associated with Anne of Green Gables; the beaches are good even without the literary connection.

PEI lobster is the primary food reason to visit: the lobster season runs roughly May through June and again in August through October, with prices that are considerably lower than on the mainland. Lobster suppers — communal meals at church halls or grange halls — are a local tradition that operates during summer throughout the province.

The Confederation Bridge connects PEI to New Brunswick (12.9km, the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world). Ferry service also runs to Nova Scotia.