Day 1: Arrive Halifax — Maritime Welcome
Arrive at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Transfer to your downtown hotel on the historic waterfront. Afternoon orientation walk: the Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk — the world’s longest continuous boardwalk at 4km, past the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, the CSS Acadia historic survey vessel, and Theodore Tugboat. Welcome dinner at a waterfront restaurant: Digby scallops, Nova Scotia lobster, and blueberry grunt (a traditional Maritime dessert). Meet your Travel Director who will bring the Maritimes to life over the next 9 days. Overnight Halifax.
Day 2: Halifax — Citadel, Gardens & Titanic History
Morning: Halifax Citadel National Historic Site — the star-shaped fortress that has guarded Halifax Harbour since 1749. Watch the 78th Highlanders perform their noon gun firing ceremony in full regimental dress (seasonal). Panoramic views of the harbor from the ramparts. Afternoon: Fairview Lawn Cemetery — where 121 Titanic victims rest, including the “Unknown Child” (later identified as Sidney Goodwin). The grave of J. Dawson (inspiration for Jack Dawson in the film, though a different person) draws constant visitors. Continue to the Halifax Public Gardens — a Victorian masterpiece opened in 1867, with exotic trees, ornate fountains, and the bandstand where concerts have played for 150 years. Evening: explore the North End’s craft breweries and seafood restaurants. Overnight Halifax.
Day 3: Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg & Mahone Bay
A day of Maritime icons. First stop: Peggy’s Cove — the red-and-white lighthouse perched on wave-washed granite, the most photographed lighthouse in Canada. Walk the massive granite boulders (the “Peggy’s Cove granite” is 370 million years old), watch waves crash against the shore, and visit the deGarthe monument — a 30-meter granite sculpture carved by artist William deGarthe depicting St. Elmo’s Fire. Continue to Mahone Bay — one of Canada’s prettiest towns, famous for its three waterfront churches reflected in the harbor. Final stop: Lunenburg — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America. Walk the grid of colorful wooden buildings, visit the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic on the waterfront, and see the Bluenose II — the replica of Canada’s most famous racing schooner (the original Bluenose is on the Canadian dime). Lunch at a Lunenburg pub: Solomon Gundy (pickled herring) and Lunenburg sausage. Overnight Halifax.
Day 4: Halifax to Cape Breton Island — The Cabot Trail Awaits
Morning drive northeast, stopping at Millbrook Cultural & Heritage Centre — a Mi’kmaq First Nations interpretive center. Learn about the Mi’kmaq people who have inhabited these lands for over 10,000 years. See traditional quillwork (porcupine quills dyed and woven onto birchbark — a uniquely Mi’kmaq art form), hear creation stories, and understand the role of the Mi’kmaq Grand Council. Continue to Cape Breton Island across the Canso Causeway. Arrive in Baddeck — the charming village on Bras d’Or Lake where Alexander Graham Bell made his summer home. Evening: live Celtic music at a Baddeck pub — Cape Breton’s fiddle tradition, descended from Scottish settlers who arrived in the 18th century. Overnight Baddeck.
Day 5: Cape Breton — Cabot Trail & Skyline Trail
The crown jewel of Atlantic Canada. Begin the Cabot Trail — consistently ranked among the world’s most scenic drives, a 298km loop circling Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Coastal cliffs plunge into the Gulf of St. Lawrence while moose, bald eagles, and whales appear throughout the day. Stop at the Skyline Trail — a 7km return hike along a headland cliff with boardwalks leading to a dramatic viewing platform overlooking the Cabot Trail as it winds along the coast 400 meters below. On a clear day, you can see whales breaching in the Gulf. Lunch at the Rusty Anchor — fresh chowder and lobster rolls with million-dollar views. Continue through the Acadian fishing villages of Cheticamp (vibrant Acadian flags everywhere) and Margaree Valley (world-famous salmon fishing river). Return to Baddeck. Evening: visit the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site — the inventor’s experiments with flight (Silver Dart, first powered flight in Canada), hydrofoils (HD-4 set a world water speed record of 114 km/h on Bras d’Or Lake in 1919), and his work with the deaf. Overnight Baddeck.
Day 6: Cape Breton to Prince Edward Island
Morning scenic drive along Bras d’Or Lake — a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the largest inland sea in eastern North America, where bald eagles nest along the shores. Cross the Canso Causeway back to mainland Nova Scotia. En route: visit a classic Maritime fishing village — weathered wharves, stacks of lobster traps, and the distinct scent of salt air and sea. Afternoon: cross the Confederation Bridge — an engineering marvel at 12.9 km, the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered water, linking New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island. Arrive on PEI — Canada’s smallest province, a patchwork of red soil, green potato fields, and golden beaches. Drive to Charlottetown — the “Birthplace of Confederation” where Canada was first conceived in 1864. Evening: PEI lobster supper — a Maritime institution. Fresh Atlantic lobster, steamed mussels, seafood chowder, homemade rolls, and strawberry shortcake. Overnight Charlottetown.
Day 7: Prince Edward Island — Anne of Green Gables & Red Sand Beaches
Morning: Green Gables Heritage Place in Cavendish — the farmhouse that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery’s beloved “Anne of Green Gables” (1908), translated into 36 languages and read by over 50 million people worldwide. Walk through the Haunted Wood and Lover’s Lane trails as described in the books. Visit Montgomery’s gravesite in Cavendish Cemetery. Afternoon: Prince Edward Island National Park — the island’s famous red sandstone cliffs and beaches, formed by iron-rich sandstone eroding over millions of years. Walk Brackley Beach and the sand dunes, keep an eye out for piping plovers (endangered shorebirds). Visit the fishing village of North Rustico — a working harbor with colorful dories and the best fish and chips on the island. Late afternoon: Cow’s Creamery — voted Canada’s best ice cream, with flavors like “Wowie Cowie” and “Gooey Mooey” made from PEI dairy. Evening: Anne of Green Gables musical at the Confederation Centre (seasonal). Overnight Charlottetown.
Day 8: PEI to Saint John — Bay of Fundy Magic
Morning: farewell to Prince Edward Island, crossing back via the Confederation Bridge. Drive through New Brunswick’s Fundy Coast. Stop at Shediac — the self-proclaimed “Lobster Capital of the World,” home to the world’s largest lobster sculpture (11 meters long, 5 meters tall, and yes, you must take the photo). Continue to Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park — the Flowerpot Rocks, tree-topped sandstone pillars carved by the Bay of Fundy’s massive tides (the highest in the world at up to 16 meters). Walk the ocean floor at low tide among the “flowerpots,” then watch the tide race in — 100 billion tonnes of seawater flow in and out of the bay twice daily, more than the combined flow of all the world’s rivers. Arrive in Saint John. Visit the Reversing Falls Rapids — where the Bay of Fundy’s incoming tide forces the Saint John River to reverse direction, creating rapids that flow upstream. Evening: farewell dinner at a Saint John restaurant overlooking the harbor. Overnight Saint John.
Day 9: Saint John to Digby & Halifax Departure
Morning ferry across the Bay of Fundy from Saint John to Digby, Nova Scotia (3 hrs) — watch for fin whales, humpbacks, and seabirds on this scenic crossing. Arrive in Digby — the scallop capital of the world. Visit a scallop shucking demonstration and taste the sweetest scallops you’ll ever eat. Continue to Halifax Airport across the Annapolis Valley — Nova Scotia’s wine country. En route, stop at Grand-Pré National Historic Site — a UNESCO World Heritage Site commemorating the Acadian deportation (Le Grand Dérangement) of 1755, immortalized in Longfellow’s poem “Evangeline.” Arrive Halifax Airport for departure.
