Most people head to Canada’s west coast, the majestic Rocky Mountains, pristine glacier lakes and endless fir forests. Not us. We went straight for the opposite coast, where Acadian culture reigns and colourful clapboard houses line the coast.
While we were tight on time during our visit to Canada’s Maritimes, everything on our Nova Scotia bucket list was actually outside, but drivable from, the capital and largest city, Halifax. So we hired a car and went on our way to explore this stunning playground on Canada’s east coast.
Peggy’s Cove
Where is it? 43km from Halifax (45 minute drive)
How to get there: No public transport is available, so you’ll need to either join a tour or rent a car. Once out of Halifax, you’ll be taking Prospect Road/Route 333.
The quintessential Nova Scotian town, this picture-perfect cove is home to Canada’s most iconic lighthouse. But the town itself is well worth a wander. Colourful clapboard homes dot the landscape and fishing boats dot the harbours.
We were lucky enough to visit on a day where the sun quickly burned off the morning fog, and the weather was comfortable and warm.
Peckish? We treated ourselves to easily the most scenic lobster roll of the trip at Tom’s Lobster Shack. It was a bit pricey, but certainly worth it.
Mahone Bay
Where is it? 85km from Halifax (55 minute drive)
How to get there: You can take a Maritimebus right from Halifax to Mahone Bay. It does only go once per day, so it’s not possible to use it for a day trip. If you’re driving, take Highway 103 from the city to Old Tr 3 Road, then follow Lighthouse Road into town.
Often skipped for Peggy’s Cove and Lunenburg, Mahone Bay is well worth a visit, even if it is a quick one. The colourful village is just 15 minutes down the road from Lunenburg, yet felt less touristy and had just as much charm.
On the way into town, you’ll pass by three neighbouring churches before getting a great view of the colourful buildings across the small bay. Here, there’s a good amount of car parking so we opted to leave the car and walk along the waterfront path into town.
Each building we passed was more colourful than the next. The main street here houses a few restaurants, shops and some very cosy-looking B&Bs we’d love to try out sometime.
Lunenburg
Where is it? 98km from Halifax (1 hour drive)
How to get there: You can take a Maritimebus right from Halifax to Lunenburg. It’s the same bus that goes to Mahone Bay, so it’s also only available once per day, so it’s not possible to use it for a day trip. If you’re driving, take Highway 103 to Northwest Road, which you can follow into town.
Established in 1753, almost 100 years before Canada even became a country, Lunenburg is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
It’s often the final destination on many Nova Scotia coastal day trips, including ours, and is by far the largest of the three towns. Here, there’s small museums and galleries, historic ships docked in the harbour and plenty of restaurants with harbour views.
Once you’ve strolled the rainbow-hued streets and waterfront, we recommend heading around to Lightship Brewing. Not only are there some creative beers and ciders on tap here, but you’ll get some of the best views of Lunenburg from across the bay. (In fact, it’s where the above picture was taken from!)
You sure can! And we did. They’re all within a few hours of Halifax and in the same direction along Nova Scotia’s southern coast. We enjoyed the drive just as much as we enjoyed the towns. The scenery along the lakes and ocean are simply magical.
While you can technically start in either direction, Peggy’s Cove is the closest to Halifax. We started there, and then went to Mahone Bay and ended the day in Lunenburg.
Whichever way you go, we recommend either starting in Peggy’s Cove or Lunenburg to avoid backtracking as Mahone Bay sits between the two.
If you want to visit these spots on your own, you will need a car. Only Mahone Bay and Lunenburg are accessible by public transport, but buses only go once per day, rendering day trips impossible.
A day tour will set you back about $150-$200, so it’ll cost much less to go on your own. However, tours will come with commentary and, sometimes, lunch.
