Canadian Travel Bucket List Roundup: Travel To The Maritime Provinces

Planning a Canadian road trip? Here's a roundup of our top travel recommendations for New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.

Please note that some links within this blog post are affiliate links, which means we are paid a small commission should you make a purchase through said link. This post also contains a paid link from one of our supporters.

The period when late spring turns into early summer is one of my favourite times of year and it's not only because of the great weather and the chance to dig in the garden after a long, cold winter. It's also the time when people ask me a lot of questions about traveling to the Canadian Maritime provinces. Longtime readers know that I grew up in Nova Scotia and that Ryan and I make frequent trips to Canada's east coast to visit family and sneak in a little travel of our own. It's always exciting to see that other people are planning their own trips and we're only too happy to help with the process. 

While I hope you peruse all of our Maritime posts at a leisurely pace, I thought it would help you fine folks if I did a round up of some of our favourite destinations, routes, foodie experiences, and Maritime roadtrip tips and tricks. And I've also included links to some inspiring pieces written by other bloggers to help fuel your great Canadian travel adventure!

Whether you're in Halifax for a weekend conference or taking the trip of a lifetime and spending an entire season on the road, I hope you'll come back to dip into this post again and again! 

Travel to New Brunswick: pizza, ice cream, turkey, camping, canine fun

For a long time, we weren't the best people to give advice about New Brunswick travel. We often drove through New Brunswick on route to Nova Scotia, but we didn't take much time to stop and explore. But that's starting to change and we are now much better acquainted!

In Edmundston, we discovered a great hotel (with very helpful services for electric cars), a fantastic place for ice cream (my favourite flavor is Moon Mist!), and tons of great activities and services for our favourite traveling doggo, Oliver. For all you Canadian roadtrip fans, Edmundston is the perfect stop after a long drive through Ontario and Quebec and we've come to associate it with rest, relaxation, and recharging. 

(True story: Every single time we've stayed in New Brunswick, pizza has been on the menu. Don't ask me how it always works out this way! Grecco is a popular Maritime chain that we love and we're especially big fans of the garlic fingers with dipping sauce).

The coastal town of Shediac is equally dog friendly, with gorgeous beaches, perfect for long walks, runs, and swims. Our friend and guest writer Stacy calls the region home and she provides our readers with a great list of the all the favourite local activities you need to check out, plus the best bands from the region. 

Still not convinced? You can see just how gorgeous it is to go camping in New Brunswick through this, our throwback photo from a 2010 camping trip (say hello to our first dog, Chester!). And we REALLY dug into the photo vault for this one: It's low tide at Fundy National Park, where we went camping for our honeymoon!

Throughout the Maritimes, but especially while traveling in New Brunswick, you'll come across Irving service stations. They're not just a convenient place to get gas and use the washroom. Many are also home to the Irving Big Stop restaurant chain. I ADORE Big Stops. They have the finest roast turkey dinner platter in the world and their chocolate cake with sticky, old fashioned boiled icing is irresistible. The Big Stops were originally truck stop restaurants, but today they're packed with local families and hungry tourists. They probably won't top any lists for the best restaurants in New Brunswick, but they're absolutely at the top of mine! I realize I now sound like an unofficial spokesperson for the brand - that should tell you just how much I love their turkey dinner!

PS: The New Brunswick city of Saint John (not to be confused with Newfoundland's St John's), is just a delight. It's one place I would love to know better. If you're headed that way, my friend Becky has a great piece on where to stay, eat, and play in Saint John.

Travel to Prince Edward Island: beaches, bridges, road trips

From New Brunswick, it's an easy drive over Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. I can't tell you how many times Ryan and I have been camping in New Brunswick or Nova Scotia and made a spontaneous trip over to PEI for an afternoon or evening. We've also spent extended time there on vacation. All Canada trips should spend some time here!

For the best of the best, this is our ultimate PEI travel plan, including everything from driving from tip to tip of the Island to checking out the arts scene in Charlottetown. Budget travelers will appreciate our review of ocean front camping at Cabot Beach Provincial Park (complete with photos of one of the strangest things I've ever seen- a camping cat!)

Lobster is the way to go when you're sampling PEI's local food scene but if that's not to your taste, we understand. There is so much more to explore and eat around the island and our fickle foodie guide will leave you wanting a snack - and, of course, we've included ice cream recommendations!

During the peak summer travel season, it's a good practice to arrange your Prince Edward Island golf course reservations well in advance, as well as your accommodations -AND your travel schedule too!  If possible,  avoid taking the last ferry of the day to Nova Scotia (lest it's already full - you can find the PEI to Nova Scotia ferry schedule here). If you have time to kill around the ferry terminal, be sure to check out my favourite section: the homemade fudge counter! While I can't say that this fudge is any different from that sold elsewhere, the colorful swirls and fanciful flavor combinations enthralled me as a child.

Travel to Nova Scotia: Golf courses, history, scenery. 

If you're driving from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia, you'll have the opportunity to cruise along the tremendously scenic North Shore. It's a fantastic foodie destination not unlike PEI. We have put together a list of all our favourite restaurants along the shore, from take out chip wagons to more elaborate dinners. There's even a retired rail car that's turned into a fine dining establishment! Oh, you can also sleep there too.

​It's called the Train Station Inn and if you're looking for a bed and breakfast, Nova Scotia has a lot of great choices but the food alone puts this inn at the top of our list. If, however, you're more of a budget traveler and are looking for a more economical option, we've stayed at a lot of Nova Scotia campgrounds, especially within the Provincial Park system. They're always clean, friendly, and welcoming. Our personal favourite, by the border of New Brunswick, is Amherst Shores Provincial Park (just bring your bug spray!)

In addition to delicious food, Nova Scotia is famous for its beautiful scenery. These are our favourite, most scenic spots of the province, though a special mention has to go out to the coastal area around Malagash and the colorful harbour of Lunenburg. And in the Annapolis Valley, home to the Digby Pines Resort (one of my favourite places to stay), there's an incredible garden that's home to some delightful secret sculptures. 

For many travelers, a large part of Nova Scotia's appeal is its historic sites. One of my favourite spots is Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. It is home to a spectacular restoration of an early French military fortress and town from the earliest days of French North America (and, in true TurnipseedTravel style, I include lots of details about a secret bakery with unique bread and a really amazing dessert that you don't want to miss).

When exploring Nova Scotia, don't underestimate distances. This is one very long province! And roads that hug the coastlines are filled with small twists and turns, causing you to drive slower than normal. If you're planning a trip to check out Nova Scotia golf courses (basically Ryan's dream itinerary), keep this mind so you don't miss your tee off times. 

PS - Isn't there a city missing here? Halifax! And if you're like most travelers, you want food recommendations for Halifax. My friend Sandy has a blog post about the Halifax foodie scene that will help you out. And while you're there, keep in mind that Nova Scotia breweries are second to none - we love the tour at Keith's!

Travel to Newfoundland and Labrador : summer savory and secret dishes

I know, I know - Newfoundland and Labrador is not technically part of the Maritime provinces. It's part of the Atlantic provinces! However, that doesn't stop most guidebooks from lumping them all together so I'm going to do the same. Plus, I know many Maritime road trips end with a visit to North Sydney to catch the ferry to Newfoundland. In this post (one of our most popular) we outline what you should know if you're considering the pros and cons of the ferry versus flying. (And if you ARE taking the ferry to Newfoundland, you should definitely consider adding a stop at Louisbourg to your route).

What a lot of people don't know is that I actually lived in Newfoundland during my years as a grad student so a trip there always makes me feel like I'm walking down memory lane. These are some of the things I love most about Newfoundland (and, let's be honest, a few things that didn't win me over). It's a destination I look forward to discovering in greater depth now that I'm not agonizing over exams.

While Newfoundland is famous for cod, that's not the main reason you should order fish and chips. What you REALLY want is to upgrade your platter to fish with fries-dressing-and-gravy. Imagine traditional Canadian poutine but instead of cheese curds, the fries are topped with "dressing" - aka stuffing, like what you'd put in your Thanksgiving turkey (there I go with my love of turkey dinner again!) Newfoundland dressing is particularly scrumptious as it's heavily seasoned with summer savory, bags of which are sold in every grocery store and even small corner store. They make the perfect small souvenir to bring back home.

Last but not least: All the gear you need for smooth sailing

Travel to the Maritimes means beaches... and that means sand! You'll want to bring along a travel-friendly towel. You can read our review of different travel towels here. Right now, this large, jaunty blue travel towel from Sea to Summit is winning us over. 

The Maritimes also means a fair bit of rainy weather, especially in Newfoundland. We travel with Tilley brand rain jackets and you can find our review here.

Our camping kit wouldn't be complete without these five different spice mixes. Yes, they were in our kitchen boxes in the camping pics we shared here! If you're too pressed on time to make your own, this 6-in-1  spice kit rings in at about $6. And if you're showering at hostels or campgrounds along the way, here's some helpful information on what you can expect, along with our recommendation for a campground-friendly shower caddy that's under $10.

Last but not least, few things have been so valuable on our trips as a detailed map book of the region's back roads. Ours is similar to this one and it's been with us since day one!​

​
Have you been to the Canadian Maritime provinces?
What recommendations do you have?