- Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
- Peggys Cove and Mahone Bay
- Lunenburg Fisheries Museum
- Grand Pre National Historic Site
- Reversing Falls and Kingsbrae Gardens
- Fundy Discovery Aquarium
- Ministers Island
- Kingsbrae Gardens
- World famous tides in Bay of Fundy
- Hopewell Rocks
- Shediac Bay Lobster Cruise
- Joggings Fossil Cliffs
- 11 nights of accommodation
- a professional Tour Leader
- 11 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 10 dinners
AVAILABILITY
START DATE
END DATE
PRICE
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
DEPOSIT
AVAILABLE
Sun, 24 Sep 2023
Thu, 05 Oct 2023
$1,220 USD
$500 USD
Welcome to the East Coast of Canada and the beautiful harbour city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the first stop on our in-depth cultural tour through the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Our Tour Leader will join you for an evening pre-tour briefing and you will meet your fellow travellers at dinnertime.
Overnight: Halifax
Meals: Dinner
Today we take a city tour of Halifax, which includes the Victorian Public Gardens, the Titanic Grave Site, and several historic sites in and around the city. We will also visit the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Pier 21, a former ocean liner terminal and Canada's last remaining immigration shed, showcasing some of Canada’s immigration history. This afternoon, we visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic which is rich with maritime history and stories of the people that define Nova Scotia. The evening is at leisure to explore Halifax's harbourfront, walk along the promenade, or sample local cuisine at a city centre restaurant.
Overnight: Halifax
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning we travel the rugged south shore of Nova Scotia, to the well-known town of Peggy's Cove to visit Peggy's Point Lighthouse, which sits high upon the smooth wave-worn granite of the coast. This is the most photographed lighthouse in Canada. Before departing Peggy's Cove, we will visit the Acadian Maple Products shop, a family-owned business that is the largest producer of maple syrup in Nova Scotia. Continuing along Nova Scotia's rugged coast, we visit picturesque Mahone Bay, showcasing three elegant churches on the sheltered harbour of this quaint village. We then visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lunenburg, one of Nova Scotia's most historic towns and home of the famed fishing schooner Bluenose II. Here we visit the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic to learn the history of commercial fishing in Atlantic Canada.
Overnight: Halifax
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Today we visit Grand-Pré National Historic Site and World UNESCO Heritage Site, where we learn about the tragic upheaval of the Acadians, descendants of French settlers, who were expelled from this area. The Grand-Pré site commemorates the area as a centre of Acadian settlement from 1682 to 1755 and the Deportation of the Acadians, which began in 1755 and continued until 1762. We then travel to Annapolis Royal, on the Evangeline Trail, with over 150 heritage buildings including the oldest wooden house in Canada. We have some free time to explore the area and enjoy local cuisine before continuing our journey to New Brunswick on board the Digby ferry for a scenic crossing on the Bay of Fundy, the 27 km stretch of water that separates Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and is home to the world's highest tides. Later today we will arrive in the quaint village of St. Andrews by-the-Sea, with a treasure trove of beautiful architecture, scenery, and rich marine life. Everything about this seaside resort town is special, including its status as a National Historic District and as one of the oldest and loveliest small towns in the Maritime Provinces. We visit the 27-acre Kingsbrae Gardens, with over 50,000 perennials in many themed gardens, before enjoying the rest of our evening at leisure.
Overnight: St. Andrews by-the-Sea
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning, we tour the Fundy Discovery Aquarium showcasing the local marine life in the Bay of Fundy. We will see harbour seals through an underwater viewing area’s window and some more in the gigantic touch pool. Our marine life tour continues as we enjoy an afternoon excursion of Whale watching. Possible whale sightings include the Minke, Finback, and majestic Humpback. Keep your eyes peeled and cameras ready as you will be able to encounter other marine life such as seals, porpoises, and eagles. After a full day of wildlife and nature, tonight you will have some time at your leisure.
Overnight: St. Andrews by-the-Sea
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Today we visit Ministers Island, Canada's largest tidal island and a National Historic Site of Canada. As we drive across the ocean floor to the island, be ready to immerse yourself in a time when the rich and famous of the post-Victorian era came to play in Saint Andrews by-the-Sea. Upon return to the mainland, we visit the award-winning Kingsbrae Garden. The magnificent 27-acre garden has over 50,000 perennials, ponds, streams, and an old-growth Acadian Forest, all in many themed areas. Kingsbrae is also home to peacocks that roam the grounds adding to the majestic experience.
Overnight: St. Andrews by-the-Sea
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Today we travel from St. Andrews to the city of Saint John and begin with a city tour including time at the City Market, the oldest market in North America. Here you can find local eats from butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers, and bakers. After some free time to explore and have lunch, we will take a scenic walk through Rockwood Park, one of the largest urban parks in Canada. Recorded in the rock formations found here are billion years of history, making this a UNESCO Geopark. Our last stop of the day takes us to see the natural phenomenon of the Reversing Falls, a series of rapids and whirlpools on the Saint John River that empties into the Bay of Fundy. The extreme tides of the Bay of Fundy reverse the flow of the falls as the waters rise and fall.
Overnight: Saint John, NB
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning we depart from Saint John and begin our journey along the Funday Trail. Our first stop brings us to St. Martin to explore the iconic Sea Caves. These sandstone caves have been shaped by the rise and fall of the tide. As we continue along the trail, we make out way to the Fundy Trail Heritage Cookhouse. This building is a replica style to cookhouse buildings of the late 1800s and the most important building in lumbering villages of that time. Here we will learn about the history of lumberjacks and enjoy a picnic-style lunch.
After visiting this incredible area, we continue to Moncton, located in southeastern New Brunswick, where we have the evening at leisure. Moncton boasts over 32 large-scale contemporary murals in and around the heart of the city, a wonderful outdoor gallery, created by a mix of international and local muralists. This evening you will have time at leisure.
Overnight: Moncton
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
This morning we drive to the Fundy National Park to the incredible Hopewell Rocks, home of the Flowerpots, peculiar rock formations that are shaped by tidal erosion and stand some 40-70 feet tall. These rocks are forested islands at high tide and resemble flowerpots at low tide. Depending on the tide, we will be able to take photos of the islands or walk on the sea floor. (We will return later to see the difference in the tide.)
This afternoon we will spend time in the village of Alma, home to the highest tides in the world and known for lobster and scallop fishing. Take some time to walk around this picturesque village and sample local delights. On our way back we will make a stop at Hopewell Rocks to see the difference in the tides.
Overnight: Moncton
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning we visit the world-famous Magnetic Hill, a natural phenomenon unique to this area that completely defies the laws of gravity. We will see our own coach coasting uphill with no power at all. We will stop in Cap-Pelé. The area is North America’s largest exporter of smoked herring, and we visit the Smokehouse Museum and later stop at a working smokehouse where you will not only smell the smoked herring but get to taste some. We will visit a fishermen’s workshop to see how lobster traps are made, then the Aboiteau wharf lobster pound and see Sainte-Thérèse-d’Avila Church, built in the shape of a boat. We then continue to the town of Shediac, known as the "Lobster Capital of the World", where we see the World's Largest Lobster before embarking on a lobster cruise to learn about lobsters and the local fishery while we savour a freshly cooked lobster lunch.
Overnight: Moncton
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning we head south across the border to Nova Scotia, in route to Halifax. Along the way will be to explore the Joggings Fossil Cliffs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you will see magnificently exposed layers of rock revealing the world's most complete fossil record of life in the "Coal Age" of 300 million years ago.
Upon arrival at Halifax, we will do a quick city tour before having the rest of the day at leisure. As Nova Scotia's provincial capital, this attractive city is a bustling hub of art galleries, shops, museums, restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and vibrant nightlife centred around the picturesque waterfront.
Overnight: Halifax
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning after breakfast, we bid farewell to the Bay of Fundy as your trip comes to an end.
Meals: Breakfast