12 Days in the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada (Itinerary & Cost)

Solo Trip Across Atlantic Canada (Plus a Surprise Trip to France)

I kicked off 2025 with a seemingly overly ambitious plan. I wanted to visit all provinces in Canada, starting with the Maritimes/Atlantic Canada. For the non-Canadians, the Maritimes consists of the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edwards Island; Atlantic Canada consists of the Maritime provinces plus the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. All provinces are located in the East Coast of Canada, and I’m not sure if it’s as a result of them being so far far away, but not much is usually said about these provinces. Almost like the abandoned sibling no one likes to talk about. So I wanted to go see for myself.

I work a traditional 9-5 and so I have just 4 weeks of vacation per year. I took a vacation abroad early in the year and wanted to save a week vacation for the Christmas holidays so I knew I had to spend no more than 2 weeks for my Canada east coast trip. As a result, planning this trip took some extra diligence in order to maximize my time there but also visit the major spots. In just 12 days, I traveled across Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, and even had time to make a stop in the French territorial overseas collectivity- Saint Pierre and Miquelon.  

I can drive but I do not enjoy driving so I knew I wasn’t going to do a road trip, especially as I was also doing the trip solo, so my itinerary involved flights and an inter-city coach bus. I got car rental service while in Charlottetown PEI, Moncton, New Brunswick and St. John’s Newfoundland to move around the city easily.

Canada’s East Coast has so much to offer. But if you have limited time and want to see as much as possible, this itinerary will help you make the most of it.

My 12-Day Atlantic Canada Itinerary

Day 1 (Friday): Charlottetown, PEI

• Arrive in PEI (Flight from Toronto YYZ to Charlottetown, PEI YYG)
• Dairy tour and visit to Cow’s Creamery
• Spend the evening at Victoria-by-the-sea

Day 2 (Saturday): Charlottetown, PEI

• Visit to Charlottetown Farmer’s Market (Morning)
• Visit Brackley Beach and Cavendish Beach (Afternoon)
• Visit to Avonlea Village (Evening)
• Visit to Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place (Evening)

Day 3 (Sunday): Charlottetown, PEI & Moncton, NB

• Explore downtown Charlottetown (Morning)
• Explore Victoria’s Row (Afternoon)
• Bus ride from Charlottetown, PEI to Moncton, NB

Day 4 (Monday): Moncton, New Brunswick

• Visit to Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Rocks (All-day)

Day 5 (Tuesday): Moncton, New Brunswick & Halifax, Nova Scotia

• Explore downtown Moncton
• Bus ride from Moncton, New Brunswick to Halifax, Nova Scotia with Maritime Bus

Day 6 (Wednesday): Lunenburg and Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia

• Day trip to Lunenburg and Peggy’s Cove

Day 7 (Thursday): Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

• Day trip for Wine Tasting at Annapolis Valley Wine and Lunch escape at Annapolis Valley

Day 8 (Friday): Halifax, Nova Scotia & Saint Pierre

• Flight from Halifax to Saint Pierre

Day 9 (Saturday): Saint Pierre and Miquelon

• Explore Saint Pierre

Day 10 (Sunday): Saint Pierre and Miquelon & St. John’s, Newfoundland

• Explore Saint Pierre
• Flight from Saint Pierre to St. John’s Newfoundland
• Whale Watching in St. John’s, Newfoundland

Day 11 (Monday): Newfoundland

• Explore St. John’s Newfoundland

Day 12 (Tuesday): Newfoundland

• Explore Bell Island
• Flight from St. John’s Newfoundland to Toronto YYZ

Prince Edward Island: Exploring Charlottetown, and Anne of Green Gables

My trip began with a flight from Toronto YYZ to Charlottetown YYG, the capital of Prince Edward Island. I spent two days here exploring the island’s famous red sand beaches, scenic countryside, and literary landmarks. One highlight was visiting the iconic Green Gables Heritage Place, the inspiration behind the beloved novel Anne of Green Gables. Prince Edward Island has a peaceful, pastoral feel. Between the coastline, farmland views, and quiet small towns, it’s an easy place to slow down and enjoy the scenery. I decided to book a walking tour as I wanted to learn more history about the town and about the places we visited. My tour guide is a local and was very knowledgeable about the town’s history. Here’s the tour I did- Charlottetown Walking Tour.

New Brunswick: Experiencing the Bay of Fundy tides

On the evening of Day 3, I took a bus to Moncton in New Brunswick where I spent two days.  Early on the morning of Day 4, I did a 30 minutes drive from the hotel in Moncton where I was staying to Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park to explore the Bay of Fundy. This place is actually famous for having the highest tides in the world and you can walk on the ocean floor at low tide, watch the water rise dramatically hours later, and then kayak on the same place that was dry land just a few hours before. Such wonder! The changing tides here are truly something you have to see to believe. I got my tickets on TripAdvisor Bay of Fundy Hopewell Rocks which I recommend to help you skip the lines at the gate.

I spent Day 5 walking around downtown Moncton. I must admit I had not heard about Moncton before until I was looking for a place to stay. St. John’s NB and Fredericton, NB are the more popular cities, but this was quite a nice city. There were also so many historical and fun places to check out. I visited the Capitol Theatre, Moncton Public Library, Moncton City Hall, Riverpoint Park, Free Meeting House, Resurgo Museum and Victoria Park.

Nova Scotia: Halifax, Peggy’s Cove and Annapolis Wine Country

On the evening of Day 5, I continued my journey to Halifax, which became my base for the next three days.

From Halifax, I explored some of the most scenic parts of Nova Scotia, including the colorful waterfront town of Lunenburg and the iconic lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove. I did both locations on the same day (Day 6) and I actually had sufficient time to spend in both towns. The tour I took was with Anchor Tours and I recommend them.

On Day 7, I did a day trip to one of Canada’s wine country- Annapolis Valley.I have a post planned for very soon that I will dedicate to my time wine tasting at Annapolis Valley and Canada’s other wine countries. The group tour I booked was via Viator Wine and Lunch Escape at Annapolis Valley and I highly recommend them.

Quick Trip to France: Weekend in Saint Pierre and Miquelon

On Day 8, I made my way to the airport in Halifax to board my flight to Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Technically, it’s part of France.

These small islands are officially a French territory located just off the coast of Newfoundland. Visiting feels like stepping into a tiny piece of Europe without the long international flight or jet lag. I spent two days exploring the colorful streets of Saint-Pierre and the historic abandoned island of Île aux Marins

Everything here runs on French time, from the language to the food to the early-closing shops. Prices are also in euros, so be prepared for a little currency conversion. Even though it was one of the pricier parts of the trip, it was absolutely worth it. I talked more about my experience in SPM in this post here

Newfoundland and Labrador: Wildlife and Coastal Views

After two days in France, I flew back to Canada and landed in St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Newfoundland has a completely different feel from the rest of Atlantic Canada. The landscape is more rugged, dramatic, and wild.

During my time here, I went puffin and whale watching, visited Signal Hill, explored downtown St. John’s, and visited the by The Rooms museum. It was the perfect final stop before flying back to Toronto after an incredible 12 days.

How I Traveled Between Provinces (Without a Road Trip)

Driving across Atlantic Canada is popular (not by choice, flights and train options are limited), but renting a car for the entire trip can be expensive. Instead, I mixed different transportation options. Here’s what I did:

Flights

• Toronto → Charlottetown
• Halifax → Saint Pierre
• Saint Pierre → St. John’s
• St. John’s → Toronto

Buses

• Charlottetown → Moncton
• Moncton → Halifax

I used Maritime Bus, which turned out to be affordable, comfortable, and surprisingly convenient. For exploring locally, I rented a car for just one day in each location, which kept transportation costs manageable while still giving me flexibility.

Full Cost Breakdown of the Trip

After, I told a couple of friends about my trip, one recurring question was about how much it cost. I didn’t have a ballpark number while planning my trip so I made sure to track my expenses so I could know what the total would be. So here’s the full breakdown of what I spent during the trip. All prices are in CAD.

Prince Edward Island expenses

• Flight from Toronto: $292
• Accommodation (2 nights at an AirBnB): $327
• Local transportation: $240
• Activities: $27
• Food: $119
• Souvenirs: $63

Total: $1,069

New Brunswick expenses

• Bus from Charlottetown: $55
• Accommodation (2 nights at Crowne Plaza Hotel Moncton): $309
• Local transportation: $92
• Activities: $16
• Food: $96
• Souvenirs: $6

Total: $573

Nova Scotia expenses

• Bus from Moncton: $71
• Accommodation (3 nights at the Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites): $872
• Tours and activities: $417
• Food: $140
• Souvenirs: $25
• Local transportation: $81

Total: $1,609

Saint Pierre and Miquelon expenses

• Flights: $621
• Accommodation (2 nights at an AirBnB): $398
• Tours: $173
• Food: $123
• Souvenirs: $0

Total: $1,331

Newfoundland and Labrador expenses

• Accommodation (2 nights at Hilton Hotel St. John’s): $511
• Whale and puffin cruise: $160
• Museum entry: $14
• Local transportation: $247
• Food: $145
• Souvenirs: $4
• Flight to Toronto: $240

Total: $1,320

Total Cost of the 12-Day Trip

Here’s the final breakdown across all destinations.

• Flights and buses: $1,279.05
• Accommodation: $2,417.26
• Local transportation: $675.89
• Food and drinks: $622.50
• Activities: $810.53
• Souvenirs: $97.51

Grand Total: $5,902.75

Whew! That’s definitely the equivalent of 2 or more all-inclusive trips to Mexico or DR. But I think it’s common knowledge by now that travelling within Canada is VERY expensive.

The experience was well worth it for me though. It was quite interesting to see how different all the provinces were even though they were in the same region. Prince Edward Island felt peaceful and pastoral, New Brunswick delivered dramatic tides and natural wonders with Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia combined culture, food, and coastal beauty, Newfoundland offered rugged landscapes and wildlife; and Saint Pierre and Miquelon added a completely unexpected French twist.

Also, as at Q1 2026, I have visited 8 of Canada’s 10 provinces. I have just Manitoba and Saskatchewan left on my list now. Need to plan for that this summer maybe *fingers crossed*