Covid is still here, and if you follow me you already know that it had 'forced' us to take an epic road trip to Quebec last summer. We were all optimistic then and thought that in the summer of 2021 we'll be able to get on a plane and visit our family in Israel, but as the old Yiddish saying goes: “We plan, God laughs", and this year he laughed really hard to the point where we decided to take a 15 days road trip from Toronto to the Canadian Maritimes, with 2 kids.
The Canadian Maritimes is made up of four provinces: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Sometimes, parts of Quebec, especially the eastern portions can be included in the broad term of “Maritimes”. We covered all of the above except for Newfoundland and Labrador.
15 days
1 car
4 provinces
9 hotels
60 hours drive
and
4,600 kilometers later,
Here I am sharing the itinerary and highlights of this breathtaking trip!
Day 1: Toronto >> Big Apple >> Kingston
We left Toronto on the Friday before a long weekend, in the afternoon. Although we planned to drive past Kingston, we ended up being stuck in traffic for 5 hours, so decided to spend the night in Kingston, but not before we stopped at The Big Apple, for the kids (ok, and for the apple pie). The petting zoo is always fun, and my kids love to take pictures beside the Big Apple., like the tourists that they are.
The first day of this road trip was exciting but also tiring, we were mostly happy to find a place to stay during this busy weekend.
Day 2: Kingston >> Montreal >> Quebec City
Oh, Montreal. The only place that combines all the good things about Europe and America, with none of the bad. We're always so happy to visit this city.
We arrived in Montreal in the late morning and spent a couple of hours in the Old Port of Montreal. Took a ride on the Ferris wheel, had lunch, and continued to drive to Quebec City, which was PACKED, more than usual. We ended up spending the night outside the city, but it was fine because we had to leave early the next morning.
Day 3: Quebec City >> Riviere Du Loup >> Fredericton
There really isn't a lot to see between Quebec City and Fredericton, New Brunswick, so we spent most of the day driving and only stopped at Parc des Chutes (Riviere de loup) for a small hike and a view of the beautiful waterfalls.
In Fredericton, we had a lovely dinner at Isaac's Way, which is located in the historic York County Court House. If you're into seafood, their signature Maritime Seafood Chowder would be your best bet.
Day 4: Fredericton >> Halifax
Halifax, the provincial capital of Nova Scotia and home to one of the world's longest and most-visited downtown boardwalks (and countless lighthouses).
Our hotel was perfectly located just where the boardwalk begins, so it allowed us to stroll around museums, boutique shops, and waterfront restaurants easily, and watch the sun set over the harbor. Not a lot of planning is needed when visiting downtown Halifax, so after 3 long days of driving, we were finally able to relax and enjoy some good food with the kids.
Day 5: Peggy's Cove and downtown Halifax
Peggy's Cove is a small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay in Halifax, which is the site of Peggy's Cove Lighthouse, definitely one of the most beautiful places I've been to in my life. Built in 1915, Peggy’s Point Lighthouse still keeps watch over surging ocean waves and working lobster boats, and the number of pictures we took there was ridiculous :)
We had lunch at a cute hotdog stand across the street from Tom's lobster and then drove back to downtown Halifax to enjoy dinner and drinks by the water.
Day 6: Mahone Bay and Blue Rocks
Mahone Bay is a town on the northwest shore of Mahone Bay along the South Shore of Nova Scotia in Lunenburg County, and it has it all: history, unique shops, artisans, and colorful streets. We had lunch by the water and then strolled around Old Town Lunenberg, another rainbowy town full of colors and interesting buildings.
Before heading back to Halifax, we visited Blue Rocks, a small village just outside the Town of Lunenberg. this little community is advertised as "Lunenberg's answer to Peggy's Cove", with its blue slate rocks on the edge of the ocean, making it photographers' muse.
Day 7: Halifax >> Charlottetown
Time to say goodbye to Nova Scotia. We took the ferry from Caribu to Prince Edward Island, and after long 2 hours and a Covid test, we arrived at the #1 destination of our trip: PEI! Not to be mistaken with the gorgeous Prince Edward Island in Ontario, PEI is a place we've been wanting to visit since we moved to Canada. The large island is marked by red-sand beaches, lighthouses, and fertile farmland, and is renowned for seafood like lobster and mussels. We stayed in the capital, Charlottetown, and were surprised to learn that this small city with big energy and island vibes has so much to offer! It's got the charm and hospitality PEI is famous for, plus arts and culture scene that took us by surprise. Our hotel was also conveniently located near the fire station, providing the kids with an attraction like no other :)
Hotel: Rodd Charlottetown Day 8: Greenwich and Brudenell
Greenwich Beach is part of PEI National Park and is one of those star attractions that Islanders try to keep for themselves. It has the largest sand dunes on the Island with boardwalks and trails that roll across the marshes and grass-like something out of a storybook. We spent a couple of hours there and then visited Brudenell Miniatures, the cutest petting zoo you will visit in your life! The kids made sure to pet and feed every single animal, to justify the entrance fee :)
From there we drove back to Charlottetown, not before we quickly stopped at Kings Castle Provincial Park to allow the kids to burn some energy in the endless playgrounds this place has to offer.
Hotel: Rodd Charlottetown Day 9: Cavendish >> Moncton
If you vacation in PEI, but don't Cavendish Beach and park, were you ever really there? We took advantage of the park's walking, the sandy beach, and the warm water, and after spending nearly a full day there, we said goodbye to PEI, not before we stopped at Carr's Oyster bar for lunch by the water. We then headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, through the Confederation Bridge, an attraction of itself. 12,900m of a bridge, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the province of New Brunswick on the mainland.
Hotel: Delta Hotels by Marriott Beausejour, Moncton Day 10: Bay of Fundy and Dickson Falls
The phenomenal Bay of Fundy is one of the 7 wonders of North America and it has the highest tides on earth, the rarest whales in the world, and precious minerals and dinosaur fossils.
The Hopewell Rocks are located at the bay and have the highest tides, twice a day, every day! We visited the rocks twice on the same day, allowing us to view it from the top at around noontime, and then walk all the way to the rocks and stand on the ocean floor just 4 hours later.
In between the two visits, we drove to Dickson Falls and stopped for lunch in the cutest town called Alma, where we had the yummiest sticky buns (yes, it's considered lunch!).
Hotel: Delta Hotels by Marriott Beausejour, Moncton Day 11: Moncton >> Grand Falls >> Quebec City
You know how sometimes you just want to get to the next destination and don't care how long it's gonna take? so day 11! We didn't want to stop in Fredericton again as there wasn't anything interesting left to see there (that we haven't seen), so day 11 was all about driving. Like 8 hours drive, with a single stop at the town of Grand Falls for lunch and a view of the...falls! By dinner time we arrived at Quebec City again but for a bit longer this time.
Hotel: Hotel Palace Royal, Quebec City Day 12: Quebec City
Quebec City is one of our favorite cities, and we just had to spend a couple of days there on this trip. Staying in the old city allowed us to walk everywhere and enjoy its history, friendly vibe, and food. Oh, the food! Every season brings its own special activities and stunning sights in Quebec, but summer is for sure the top one. Day 12 was extremely hot, so when the kids weren't splashing each other at the splash pads, we went to La Cour arrière du Festibière, an amazing bar right on the riverfront by the main port where the ships come in. The place has set up seats and tables in a shallow pool so you can really cool off, and most importantly, have a beer while the kids are playing in the water. Don't forget to take a swimsuit if you plan on going there. For dinner, we enjoyed lovely Moroccan food.
Hotel: Delta by Marriott, Quebec City Day 13: Quebec City >> Montreal
Whenever we visit Quebec we opt for staying in the old city. This time, we had to switch hotels after 1 night and ended up staying very close to Rue Saint-Jean, a lovely street filled with cute French coffee shops and nice stores. We only had a chance to have breakfast there, but will definitely go back next time we visit the city. After spending the rest of the day driving to Montreal, we checked in at the hotel and went straight to the bar to get a glass of wine, because, KIDS! Le Saint Sulpice Hotel is where we stayed last year, and we loved it so much that we didn't even look at other options. Also, if you're looking for a really good pizza, Slice and Soda has huge slices.
Hotel: Le Saint Sulpice, Montreal Day 14: Montreal
We made the most out of our last day before returning home and explored some of Montreal's most interesting neighborhoods like Chinatown and Le Plateau-Mont-Royal and after hearing so much about it, we finally tried Schwartz's Deli's finger-lickin' smoked meat sandwich (and then had bubble tea, and fresh lemonade, and a crepe, and ice-cream...). Since our hotel was located near the Old Port of Montreal, we walked down the beautiful historical streets one more time, taking in every minute of this crazy adventure we took upon ourselves.
Hotel: Le Saint Sulpice, Montreal Day 15: Montreal >> Toronto
It's a wrap! One last coffee, one last 'Bonjour!' - and off we go back home, tired but happy.
The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories, and we sure had a lot of those on this trip.