Traveling to the east coast of Atlantic Canada

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Traveling to the east coast of Atlantic Canada

Elbows up, time to see what Canada has to offer in the Atlantic provinces, so we headed east from the GTA, through Quebec and into New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Three weeks meant a lot of driving but also a great chance to check out the amazing sights and attractions in the east coast including a few lighthouses, covered bridges and a crap load of lobster traps along with fishing boats, many of them sitting in the front yards while homes were often painted in lovely, bright colours. We were sad that we did not find and moose during the entire trip.

Bright purple, white and pink lupin flowers line many roads in the east coast

We were impressed with the relentless pace of the tides, and the change in water elevation that came with it, especially at the Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy. The area around the free standing rocks get covered with water, then it drifts away and you can walk up and down the beach checking out the many flower pots.

St. Andrews NB with a delicious seafood dinner and deer prancing throughout the town and hiding in the tall grass

Deciding not to drive right into NB before stopping, we split the incoming trip by stopping in Levis, Quebec for the night, then to St. Andrews along the Bay of Fundy where we were delighted with the number of wild deer that make the town their home. The deer eat a lot of stuff so there are plenty of fences trying to keep them out of gardens and away from the shrubbery. It was our first experience with the famous tides in the bay and the mud that gets exposed along the edge of waterways and of course the first time we had some local seafood. St. Andrews was one of our favourite towns to visit.

More of the Hopewell Rocks

The bay is also home to one of the most famous sights in NB - the Hopewell Rocks, which was definitely worth visiting. There are many more of the monolithic rocks sprouting from the sea bed, worn away from the rocks that used to surround the flower pots, as you walk away from the more famous cluster near the steps down to the sea floor.

Bluenose II in Lunenburg

Looking towards the town of Lunenburg

Peggy's Cove lighthouse

See more of the post after the jump.

Peggy's Cove

St. John provided a good base to explore the area before crossing into Nova Scotia and arriving at the east shore city of Halifax. The large city is on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and is close enough to the colourful town of Lunenburg, home to the Bluenose II and nearby Peggy's Cove, home to one of the most famous lighthouses. Peggy's Cove is a perfect little east coast town. A bay with a small fishing village gathered around a hill leading to the lighthouse which stands starkly on a large area of rolling bedrock, stripped of vegetation and turning black and slippery from the effects of the cold, pounding water. Nova Scotia was home to large, rolling hills and mountains with truly imposing vistas.

High above the ocean along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton

Green Gables park in PEI

West Point PEI lighthouse black and white colour scheme

Driving hard we headed to the large island known as Cape Breton, home to the Cabot Trail which winds through and high into the sky along roads that wind along the coast, sometimes a little to high and close to the edge of the coast. Then back to the mainland and over to the NS-PEI ferry to take in the sights of Prince Edward Island with such places to visit like the many lighthouses and attractions around Cavedish with its Anne of Green Gables stuff.

NB-PEI bridge $50.25 toll fee

Umbrellas in Old Quebec

Leaving PEI for NB via the ginormous toll bridge, we stayed in Moncton, then onto Bathurst before leaving the Atlantic Provinces and returning to Levis, QC where we crossed the St. Lawrence to visit old and beautiful Quebec City.