How many days should I plan for Nova Scotia?
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Original post
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Hi everyone,

I’m planning a trip to Canada this fall. I have 19 days total. The trip will start in Quebec, then continue to Gaspésie, New Brunswick, and finally Nova Scotia. I’ve already mapped out my itinerary, and it only leaves me with 3 days (including the departure day) in Nova Scotia. We’ll be flying out of Halifax for the return. That’s really not much time—just enough to see Halifax and the surrounding area.

I’d love to hear your thoughts: would it be better to cut some days from Gaspésie or New Brunswick to have more time in Nova Scotia? Do you think I’d be missing out by not spending more time in the region?

Thanks in advance to anyone who’s visited these parts and takes the time to reply.
VI Victorfds Regular ·
Hi Joelle, You should share the full itinerary so we can suggest what might be skipped to add more days in N-S. Also, let us know what your main interests are. We actually did NB, N-S, and PEI last year.
"On n'a jamais autant besoin de vacances que lorsqu'on en revient" Ann Landers
KI Kimy6791 Globetrotter ·
Do you think it’d be better if I cut some days in Gaspésie and New Brunswick to have more time for Nova Scotia?

Hi there,

When planning your days in New Brunswick, did you take the tide schedules into account? As mentioned earlier, it’d be great to see your full itinerary.

A few photos from our trip to NB: https://www.flickr.com/photos/146006524@N05/albums/72157678197975425/
Quelques Voyages en Photos
AP Apolloroux Veteran ·
Good evening Michèle, good evening Victor

As mentioned earlier, it would be great to include the full itinerary.

Here’s my plan in summary, of course. I’ve already made some cuts myself since the trip is coming up fast. I also looked at Michèle’s photos—thanks! They give a little preview of what’s in store for us.

Here’s my route: Day 1: Travel from Brussels to Montréal, then Montréal to Québec City Night in Québec City

Day 2: Québec City to Rimouski with stops along the way Night in Rimouski

Day 3: I had originally planned a day at Parc du Bic, but I removed it since we love the park but have already visited it. What’s planned: Canyon des Portes de l’Enfer and Jardins de Métis Night in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts

Day 4: Parc national de la Gaspésie Night in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts

Day 5: Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to Mont-Saint-Pierre - L’Odyssée, the hidden face of Mont-Saint-Pierre - Second experience: La Salle du Clocher Night near Mont-Saint-Pierre

Day 6: Mont-Saint-Pierre to Cap des Rosiers - Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine - Parc Forillon - Interpretation center near Cap Rosier Night in this area

Day 7: - Hiking in Parc Forillon Night in this area

Day 8: Drive to Percé - Rivière Émeraude - The glass platform and hiking Night in Percé

Day 9: - Île Bonaventure Night in Percé

Day 10: Percé to Carleton-sur-Mer - Mont-Saint-Joseph - Parc national de Miguasha Night in Carleton-sur-Mer

Day 11: Carleton-sur-Mer to Kouchibouguac National Park Originally, I had planned a stop in Bathurst, but I removed it to save a day. Night near Kouchibouguac National Park

Day 12: Drive to Cap Enragé or Fundy National Park - Along the way: Hopewell Rocks, Cap Enragé Night in the area

Day 13: - Fundy National Park or Fundy Trail Parkway I’m not sure which one yet. I had originally planned both, but I’ll cut one to save a day. Night in the area

Day 14: Drive to Chéticamp Stay in Chéticamp Even though we don’t usually like long driving days, this one will be an exception because we really want to visit Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.

Day 15: Highlands National Park Stay in Chéticamp

Day 16: Highlands National Park Stay in Baddeck

Day 17: Drive to Halifax Rest of the day in Halifax Stay in Halifax

Day 18: Visit Peggy’s Cove Visit Lunenburg Night in Halifax

Day 19: Return
LE Lescaribous Globetrotter ·
hi, I won’t say too much about the ‘Nova Scotia’ part since I only know Halifax, Peggy’s Cove, and Lunenburg! For the Reford Gardens, I don’t know when you’re arriving, but if it’s after late autumn (like early October), there won’t be many flowers left to see ;-) On the Gaspésie route, don’t miss Atkins et Frères in Mont-Louis Atkins et Frères - Accueil (that melt-in-your-mouth Atlantic salmon pave.... I’m just saying 😏) For Bonaventure Island, I usually recommend spending 2 nights in Percé to maximize your chances of visiting the island in the sun!! Let’s just say that if it rains on your 9th day..... but we’ll keep our fingers crossed 😏

Happy trip planning!
"Homme libre, toujours tu chériras la mer" (Baudelaire)
AP Apolloroux Veteran ·
Good evening,

Pour les jardins de Métis je ne sais pas quand tu arrives

It’ll be at the end of September. Yeah, I know, flower season is winding down, but I’ve seen some photos of the gardens at this time of year, and they still look pretty nice.

sur la route de la Gaspésie ne manque pas Atkins et Freres à Mont Louis

Thanks for the tip! I’ll jot down the address. It looks really good.

Concernant l'Ile Bonaventure, je recommande généralement de passer 2 nuits à Percé histoire d'avoir le maximum de chance d'aller sur l'Ile sous le soleil!!

Yep, that’s exactly what we’ve planned—2 nights in Percé. That means, depending on the weather, we can visit the island on the 8th day if we hurry the drive between Forillon Park and Percé. We could also do it on the 9th day, or even the 10th before heading to Carleton-sur-Mer. I’m not booking any hotels in advance, so we can still adjust on the spot if needed. Later!
LE Lescaribous Globetrotter ·
hi, At the end of September, you can still see the architectural creations as part of the Gardens Festival. You’ll also still catch some flowers (and definitely some colors ;-)) Perfect if you’ve planned "a fairly wide window" for Bonaventure.

Happy trip planning and safe travels!

Here are two more little spots: La Vieille Usine in Anse à Beaufils and La Poissonnerie du Pêcheur in Bonaventure (the village by the island ;-))
"Homme libre, toujours tu chériras la mer" (Baudelaire)
BA Barneyg Regular ·
Your itinerary is generally very good, though the pace is okay or even slow at the beginning and gets faster toward the end.

It’s a good idea to set aside 2 full days for Cape Breton Island because the Cabot Trail in the rain is less interesting. I might have focused everything around Baddeck—if it rains a lot, you’ll be closer to activities that are less weather-dependent (the Alexander Graham Bell site, Louisbourg, the Scottish Museum in Iona, Sydney). There isn’t much to do in Chéticamp.

To do it right, I would’ve added an extra day around Halifax and the South Shore (Chester, the ‘seaside’ section of Kejimkujik Park).

On the way to/from Cape Breton, there’s Antigonish, a small town with a beautiful North American university campus.

I second Lescaribous’ suggestion about the tides. For Hopewell Rocks, for example, you have to see it at low tide.

On another note, near Rimouski (Pointe-au-Père), there’s a really great museum about the wreck of the *Empress of Ireland* (1914—over 1,000 deaths), a nuclear submarine to visit, and a lighthouse you can climb. At the Maritime Museum of Halifax, there’s also a major exhibit on the Halifax Explosion (1917), which destroyed about 25% of the city. (I swear I don’t have a fixation on maritime disasters—these are two of the most important events in Eastern Canada in the 20th century.)
AP Apolloroux Veteran ·
Hi Jean-Yves,

Thanks for the great tips. I’m jotting them down because it’s often hard to find nice spots when you’re on vacation.

See you soon! !
AP Apolloroux Veteran ·
Hi Carl,

Thanks so much for all these great tips and museum ideas—they sound really interesting. I’m especially noting the rainy-day activities because if the weather’s nice, we’ll always find something to do no matter where we are. We love wandering around in nature.

If the weather’s bad when we’re in Chéticamp, we’ll head to Baddeck instead. I’m not booking anything in advance, so I can always adjust. (Thanks for the tip—I’ll keep it in mind!)

See you later,
VI Victorfds Regular ·
hello,

For the night near Kouchibouguac, unfortunately for you, Le Pays de la Sagouine (Bouctouche) has ended its season, but there’s still an illuminated night trail there if you're looking for a fun evening activity. Bouctouche also has a beautiful dune where you can dip your feet in the saltwater. For Hopewell Rocks, you’ll easily find hikes that let you pass the time and see the tidal effects. Just check when the low tide is so you can go down. From the 14th to the 16th day, I’d personally stay in one place (Baddeck), as Carl suggested, and use it as a base to explore Cape Breton. And if you can add the Fortress of Louisbourg to the itinerary, I think it’s a great historic site. Happy travels in the Maritimes!
"On n'a jamais autant besoin de vacances que lorsqu'on en revient" Ann Landers
AP Apolloroux Veteran ·
Good evening!

For Hopewell Rocks, you can easily find hikes that let you pass the time and see the tide effects.

That’s awesome! Because I haven’t checked the tide times for the day we’re visiting yet. And I really want to see the site at low tide. When you say there are hikes, I assume it’s in that area?

From the 14th to the 16th day, personally I’d stay in one place (Baddeck) as Carl suggested and use it as a base to explore Cape Breton.

Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. I’d considered two nights in Chéticamp and one in Baddeck to have a place on each side of the park. The first day for the long drive. Second day: first part of the park Chéticamp / Cape North, and the third day the other part of the park Baddeck / Cape North. I’m still thinking a lot about your suggestion to do everything from Baddeck. The downside in that case is that I’d have to drive the Baddeck / Cape North stretch twice. Anyway, a big thanks to you and Carl for your ideas! See you later
VI Victorfds Regular ·
We chose Baddeck because it’s on Route 30, which loops around the Park, and it also let us visit Louisbourg. The full loop took us 4 hours of driving, and we did it all in one long, full day, which gave us time to make several stops for viewpoints, picnics, and hikes.

At Hopwell Rock, there are a few trails to reach different viewpoints or descend to sea level from the visitor center.
"On n'a jamais autant besoin de vacances que lorsqu'on en revient" Ann Landers

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