Round trips Atlantic Provinces Canada. Nova Scotia – New Brunswick – Prince Edward Island (PEI)
Icebergs, lobsters and following the traces of the Vikings – round trip 3-6 weeks through the Maritimes, 2000 – 6.500 km
If you are interested in the Atlantic Provinces Maritimes, please give yourself 4 weeks time. ´You can also do it in 3 weeks, but many interesting destinations will be left out. The starting point for this trip is Halifax in Nova Scotia, which is served by regular flights from Europe. If time is not an issue, start in Montreal and travel via Quebec to the Gaspé Peninsula. If you want to include Newfoundland, fly to St. John’s and start your journey there. From Halifax through Newfoundland to St. John’s and back it’s 3000 km without side trips. It is definitely advisable to plan an extra holiday for Newfoundland. Plan your route carefully – there is a lot to discover.
Guide book Eastern Canada – The Best of the Great Trail
A guide book for the planning and the backpack is very helpful. Information for planning and preparing an East Canada trip on your own. A guide book about the on the Trans Canada Trail.
Old Town Lunenburg, South Shore, Full Rights Tourism Nova Scotia, Credit: Tourism Nova Scotia
Guidance for route planning
These suggested routes are for orientation and include two ferry passages (to New Brunswick and from PEI to Nova Scotia). The fee for the Confederation Bridge to PEI is currently CAD 47.75 for a two-axle vehicle. The Ligthouse Route to the south and the Cabot Trail to the north of Nova Scotia you should not miss. On Prince Edward Island, there are tours created by the Tourist Board that will take you to the island’s attractions. They are between 200 and 400 km long and extend the trip accordingly. All three routes together add up to about 1000 km.
This tour requires intensive detailed planning work, or you can simply get started. Basically I recommend to enjoy this trip (as every trip) without time pressure, because the coastal roads are of course very interesting but also time consuming. So always following the motto: Less is more!
Track plan Atlantic Provinces Canada – NS-NB-PEI approx. 2,300 – 3,300 km
The track is divided into sections (these are not stage sections). Select a section with the track pictogram on the map. You can scan the distances in the diagram. If you click on the markers, you ‘ll get more information with links. Ok – despite responsive, on a fiddly cell phone this is of course a pesky groping. Plan relaxed on your PC or tablet.
Plan your own round trip here
Links to the round trip Maritimes – Nova Scotia
| Destination | Link | Destination | Link |
| A/N | Halifax | G | Cap Pele |
| Lunenburg | H | Charlottetown PEI | |
| Bridgewater | Trips PEI | ||
| Liverpool | I | Caribou | |
| B | Barrington | New Glasgow | |
| C | Yarmouth | Antigonish | |
| Weymouth | Port Hawkesbury | ||
| D | Digby | J/K | Cabot Trail |
| Ferry passage | L | Sydney | |
| Bay Of Fundy | M | St. Peter’s | |
| E | Saint John | N | Truro-Halifax |
| F | Frédericton | ||
| Fundy Natl. Park | |||
| The Rocks Prov. Park | |||
| Moncton | |||
| Further informations |
| Confederation Bridge PEI |
| Peggy’s Cove |
| Kings Landing (west of Frédéricton) |
| Whale watching Bay of Fundy |
“Be in the loop” Cape Breton – ca. 400 km
Cabot Trail in fall – Cape Breton, Full rights Tourism Nova Scotia, Credit: Tourism Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia without the loop around Cape Breton (Cabot Trail) would be a tourist fiasco that you should definitely avoid. At least this could be a good enough reason to visit this wonderful country again. You have to include this trip in your plans.
The loop around Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, is already included in the route plan above.
Loop around Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
| Destination | Link |
| A | Port Hawkesbury |
| B | Port Hood |
| C | Pleasant Bay |
| D | Neils Harbour |
| E | Victoria, NS |
| F | Sydney, NS |
Round trip Maritimes – Newfoundland
Newfoundland – one way additional 1500 km without side trips.
Please note that the ferry passage from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland takes about 7 hours. Please check the departure times. If you include Newfoundland in your travel itinerary, start the tour in St.John’s. St. John’s is served regularly from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal or Halifax and it should be no problem to get a connecting flight from Europe. Here, depending on your travel plans, be sure to book an open jaw flight.
Generally I recommend to travel separately for Newfoundland. The island is a very large natural region with mountain ranges, fjords and forests. Here, nature lovers and individualists get their money’s worth. You will not find hectic city life, amusement and leisure parks here. Friendly people, small fishing villages, forests rich in game and the magnificent Gros Morne National Park will remain in your memory. This way, several thousand kilometres can easily be travelled here. I do not believe that it does honour to check off this island in a speedy manner. There is simply too much to discover.
Track Newfoundland – from St. John’s toHalifax with side trips, 2.400 – 3.400 km, 3-4 weeks, depending on planning
The track is divided into sections (these are not stage sections). Select a section with the track pictogram on the map. You can scan the distances in the diagram. If you click on the markers, you ‘ll get more information with links. Ok – despite responsive, on a fiddly cell phone this is of course a pesky groping. Plan relaxed on your PC or tablet.
Links to the round trip Maritimes – Newfoundland – Iceberg Alley
| Destination | Link | Destination | Link |
| A | St. John’s | L’Anse aux Meadows | |
| Avalon Wilderness R. | G | Ten Mile Lake | |
| Trinity Bay | Corner Brook | ||
| Placentia | Stephenville | ||
| Bonavista | H | Channel Port aux Basques | |
| Bonavista Bay | Sydney | ||
| Terra Nova Nat. Prk. | I | Port Hawkesbury | |
| B | Gander | J | New Glasgow |
| C | Grand Falls-Windsor | K | Truro |
| D | Springdale | L | Halifax |
| E | Deer Lake | ||
| F | St. Anthony |
| Further Informations |
| Newfoundland |
| Rocky Harbour |
| Baie Verte |
| Bonne Bay |
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