Visit Halifax, Eastern Shore, Ingonish Beach, Cabot Trail, Baddeck, Truro, Wolfville, Annapolis Royal, Lunenburg & Peggy’s Cove.
Discover the province of Nova Scotia on the East Coast of Canada, also known as Atlantic Canada. This gorgeous coastal road trip starts and ends in Halifax and includes lighthouses, UNESCO sites and fresh local seafood along the circular route. If you’re looking for a short and relaxing road trip away from the crowds and any hustle and bustle, our Nova Scotia itinerary could be the one for you.
Key road trip highlights:
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We’ll suggest properties to match your preferred budget, be it low-cost, mid-range or high-end luxury that you’re looking for. We can also mix it up so you’ll experience a range of standards and experiences along your road trip.
All of our road trips can be tailored to meet your requirements. Do you have more or less than 10 days for your road trip? No problem, we can bolt on extra nights to allow more time to explore or shorten the number of destinations as required.
After a relatively short flight from the UK, you’ll settle into your chosen Halifax accommodation before enjoying dinner on the waterfront or in your hotel.
Halifax is dominated by a citadel that sits above the town; this former fort is a National Historic Site of Canada and a must-see for anyone visiting. Next, we recommend you work your way down to the waterfront boardwalk via points of interest like the Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax Public Library and the Canadian Museum of Immigration. We suggest you finish the day with a cruise on the water or a meal on the boardwalk.
It’s time to get behind the wheel and set out on a calming road trip around coastal Nova Scotia. The amount of coastal driving on this particular holiday is astounding, and the first leg of this route along the eastern shore is a great place to start.
Today, you’ll continue east to Cape Breton. Technically an island, Cape Breton is linked to the rest of Nova Scotia by the Canso Causeway. Once you’ve crossed the bridge, you’ll head up the northern side of the UNESCO-protected Bras d’Or Lake before joining the world-famous Cabot Trail route in the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia.
The Cabot Trail is considered one of the best drives in North America. Today, you’ll spend the whole day completing this awesome loop past Cape Breton Highlands National Park and mile upon mile of epic coastal scenery. Once you’ve completed the drive and maybe a hike or two, you’ll finish off the day with a well-deserved beer or glass of wine on the shores of Bras d’Or Lake.
Explore Gaelic History along the Ceilidh Trail in the highlands of Cape Breton. Truro’s handy central location makes it the ideal place to base yourself en route to the Annapolis Valley. Explore the historic downtown and take in the Salmon River, a great place to view the twice-daily Bay of Fundy tidal bore.
Today, you can ride a tidal bore along the Shubenacadie River, visit the Bay of Fundy “flower pot” formations in Burntcoat Head Park before stepping back in time at Fort Edward National Historic Site and the UNESCO world heritage site Grand Pre National Historic Site. Learn about Nova Scotia’s rich Acadian, Scottish and First Nations heritage.
The pretty town of Wolfville overlooks beautiful Cape Blomidon on the Bay of Fundy. It is home to a gorgeous landscape made up of gardens, farmland and vineyards. Take a tour of one of the many wineries in the area, such as Domaine de Grand Pre Winery and Gaspereau Vineyards. Or take the Magic Winery Bus for a tour of local wineries on a British double-decker.
Spend a leisurely morning in delightful Wolfville and neighbouring Grand Pre, before taking the short drive over to the history-laden small town of Annapolis Royal. Today is another relaxing day, so find yourself a nice chair somewhere to finish off your holiday reading, catch up on your holiday diary writing or to post those all-important social media updates.
At The American Road Trip Company, we like to finish our itineraries with a bang. Kejimkujik National Park, the Unesco-protected town of Lunenburg and nearby Peggys Cove Lighthouse will leave a lasting impression. The numerous photo opportunities will soon wipe out any remaining memory space on your camera or phone. Tomorrow, you’ll return to Halifax for your flight home.
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You’ll find answers to most of your questions right here. If you still need assistance, Feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be sure to get back to you promptly!
Not a problem. If you are lucky enough to have extra time to explore more places or add more rest days, then just let us know and we’ll adjust your trip to match your preferred timescale.
We strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance for your holiday to cover you against medical expenses, theft and other financial costs. Should you need to cancel before travelling, some insurance policies may pay out for any loss of funds that have been paid to us and which cannot be refunded under our cancellation policy.
Many of our trips have a different end destination than the starting point, so this is not a problem. Please note a fee sometimes applies for one-way rentals between other regions or states, which will be paid to the supplier directly when collecting the vehicle. We’ll endeavour to inform you of this charge within your quote.
No, far from it. We work with a range of properties from 3* to 5*, so we can adapt the trip to match most budgets. We have access to rooms in more than 800 hotels, motels, lodges and B&Bs across North America.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 in the United States or Canada, although, in addition, any drivers under 25 years of age will generally incur a surcharge.
Please use the form below to request a quote from our team. Fields marked with an * are mandatory. Please note that we currently only serve customers based in the UK & The EU.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Get in touch to discuss your Bespoke Road Trip plans, or check out these similar road trip itineraries…
ARTCo customers can be confident that we only work with the very best service providers, such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Alamo. Any payments made to us are fully protected via the government’s ATOL scheme (Flight packages) or Financial Failure Insurance (Non-Flight Packages).
