This fall, I decided to take one of the trips I’d been wanting to do for a very long time: exploring Canada’s east coast. My 5-day trip explored parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The spots I saw on my journey were definitely the maximum that you could see in 5 days. Specific destinations included Halifax, Peggy’s Cove, the Bay of Fundy, Saint John, and Fredericton. I’m here to share a recap and itinerary from my trip, so you can have your own east coast adventure! Read on for your 5-day itinerary to explore Canada’s east coast.

If you want to see even more of the East Coast, you’d need to extend your trip. Unfortunately, 5 days was the longest I was able to go for. I planned to spend about half of my time in Nova Scotia (NS) and half in New Brunswick (NB). I was going to fly in to Halifax and fly out of Fredericton. There are direct flights from Halifax, Fredericton, and Saint John to Toronto – so all of them are great options! I really wanted to have the chance to check out the east coast while I was living in Toronto, since it’s so much closer than coming from the west coast of Canada. I’m really glad I went, so let’s get into it!

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Halifax, NS

I started my journey with a quick flight from Toronto to Halifax. Once I landed, I rented a car to get around. Though I’ve heard of some people exploring these areas without a car, I definitely wanted my own vehicle. My entire first day in Halifax was spent checking out the city. I did a lot of walking around, checking out smaller shops and bookstores. You should definitely visit Agricola Street Books. It is the CUTEST bookstore I’ve ever seen, complete with a book ladder and everything!

In the afternoon, I decided to explore the Halifax Citadel, which had a ton of cool history about the city. After I’d checked into my hotel (booked fully on Marriot points!), I decided to go for a walk near the waterfront, next to where I was staying. I enjoyed seeing the ships, the waterfront, the ocean, and checking out the artwork too! It had been recommended to me to have dinner at The Bicycle Thief, so I decided to check it out. The ravioli I had was delicious but pricey for the portion size – though the other free snacks they gave me were appreciated. It was a packed day 1 but so worth it exploring Halifax!!

Peggy’s Cove, NS

The next day, I was up early to head to nearby Peggy’s Cove. I had heard online to get there as early as you can before the tourist buses arrive – and they were right. Peggy’s Cove was packed with tour buses by 9:30am, and they start showing up at 9:00am. I was also here on a very foggy day in October. The summer crowds must be insane in comparison! I highly recommend visiting early (before 9am) if you want to beat the crowds.

Even though it was foggy, there was something so beautiful about seeing the lighthouse amidst the fog. The waves crashed aggressively along the rocks. I spent more time there than I had expected. Taking many photos of the lighthouse and surrounding area, plus exploring the rocks, was incredible. I actually really enjoyed the experience overall and got to marvel at the beauty of the ocean!

Apart from the lighthouse, Peggy’s Cove itself is pretty tiny. I walked around a bit and checked out a few cute giftshops, which didn’t take long at all. Visiting the lighthouse and surrounding areas of Peggy’s Cove wouldn’t take you more than 2 hours to explore in its entirety. Some people may say Peggy’s Cove is over-rated, but I truly enjoyed exploring the area and I am so glad I went. Highly recommend!

Digby and Bay of Fundy Crossing

Continuing on with my day 2, I drove across Nova Scotia from Peggy’s Cove to Digby. I had originally planned on staying overnight near Digby before I took the ferry crossing from NS to NB. Due to ferry schedules, I had to make some adjustments and come to NB earlier than I had planned. Of course, there’s always the option to fly from NS to NB, but since I had a vehicle I wanted to take the opportunity to cross the bay. I was now scheduled to board the ferry leaving from Digby later in the afternoon, so I had a big day ahead. One of the benefits of exploring the east coast during the fall was the absolutely stunning fall colours! Fall foliage surrounded me on all sides throughout my drive across the province, which was lovely.

I was hoping to have more time to explore Digby, but unfortunately I needed to be at the ferry in advance to board. The ferry departed from Digby, NS and was arriving in Saint John, NB. We’d be sailing right across the Bay of Fundy. The cost of the ferry was quite expensive with a vehicle, but it was a really cool experience. The crossing is about 2.5hours and is quite nice. You must be on the upper decks for the duration of the sailing. You have the option to be outside or inside, and I actually spent most of the sailing outside. I forgot that ferries make me a bit nauseous and the cold air was very refreshing!

We came in to Saint John right as the sun was setting, an absolutely spectacular site to witness. After checking in to my hotel – which was also booked with points and upgraded to a full suite – I was pretty exhausted and decided to stay in. My room at The Delta was absolutely stunning. With a soaker tub and a fireplace, I wanted to make the most of it while I was there! I ordered room service and had a nice soak in the tub, along with a glass of wine. Then, I watched some TV in bed with the fireplace going to end my evening. Pretty fantastic start to a vacation, if you ask me!!

Saint John, NB

For Day 3, I started off in Saint John. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. It was a Sunday morning, and most things were either completely closed or didn’t open until noon. Generally, I got the vibe it was very seasonal, and the vast majority of spots were closed (it was the end of October, after all). It felt like a very industrial city, with a cruise port. Perhaps Saint John is better to visit on a different day than Sunday. Keep that in mind if you’re planning your own trip!

In my opinion, the waterfront container village was the only redeeming spot: a cute area with little shops in containers. However, it seemed to be designed for passengers coming from the cruises, as it is located right at the port. The other great spot to check out in Saint John is Reversing Falls, where you can see the tides in the water changing directions. There’s a foot bridge you can go on to see the views from above, which doesn’t cost anything. There is a skywalk that I believe you have to pay for if you want to walk onto the glass overhang. I think it’s best to just go on your own, I believe the sites would be just as good.

Fundy Trail and Fundy National Park

Day 3 continued with my journey from Saint John up towards the Fundy Trail Parkway. The Fundy Trail Parkway connects from St. Martins to Alma, at the edge of Fundy National Park. The park and trail are only open seasonally, and I lucked out to get through just in time before they closed for the season. Keep this in mind when you’re booking!! St. Martins is the starting point to the journey, where they have the sea caves. I believe you might be able to do excursions to explore the sea caves in more detail, but you can see them from shore too.

Once you enter the Fundy Trail Parkway (which is paid entry), they will give you a map outlining the many sites along the way. They have a TON of great viewpoints that are well-marked and easy to access from the road. I didn’t stop at all of them, but I did see quite a few. There’s a few other cool spots along the way, including waterfalls, suspension bridges, and a hike into a gorge. I did all of these options and truly spent the majority of my day exploring along this trail route! You should definitely take this route if you’re exploring the Fundy area.

After a day of exploring, I made it to Alma. Thankfully, they had an open restaurant for me to grab dinner in. Most places in Alma were already closed for the season. I definitely recommend visiting this area earlier in October or September, or in summer if you want to be amongst tourists! Overnight, I camped in Fundy National Park in an oTENTik, a structure similar to a yurt that was heated, and very cute! I liked it even more than I expected. The campground site near Alma is really nice, and I definitely recommend considering staying here if you are planning to visit the Fundy area.

Fundy Trail to Hopewell Rocks

It was a cold wake up on day 4, and though it hadn’t quite snowed yet, I knew it was coming. I grabbed some coffee and breakfast in Alma, and then headed off to journey north along the bay. I’d be exploring between Cape Enrage and Hopewell Cape. I stopped briefly at Waterside, and then made my way on to Cape Enrage. The area is essentially a park, where you can explore the lighthouse via stairs and check out the views below. It was pretty neat to check out, and was very quiet at this time of year. If you’re into lighthouses, though, I’d still recommend the iconic Peggy’s Cove over Cape Enrage.

After a short stay in the cape, I headed onwards, continuing to stop along the drive to take in the gorgeous views. A quick note that there aren’t really any places to eat along this portion of the route, so you should bring food/drinks with you, or be prepared to wait. Eventually, I arrived at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, with the road to enter marked by the park name. It seemed like a super popular place to visit, as the parking lot is absolutely massive. Shortly after my arrival, the snow finally hit, which wound up being really cool! It was so spectacular seeing it all in the snow.

You walk through different areas of the woods in the park to see the Hopewell Rocks from various viewpoints. Normally, they have access to the “ocean floor” as well, but it was closed at the time I visited due to the weather. I’m really glad I had the chance to check it out, and had the park essentially all to myself! Along with other areas in Fundy, this park is only open seasonally, typically closing at the end of October. It’s best to visit in the summer if you’re okay with the crowds. Otherwise, May or September may be ideal as there would be less crowds, but still good weather. I definitely don’t think they plan for having snow in the park normally, so it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me!

Fredericton, NB

After exploring the park, I was starving, and wanted to find somewhere to eat. The next place I could find that was actually open was over half an hour out in Riverview (near Moncton). Make sure to note that there are very limited options in terms of food – again this is seasonal, if you came in the summer there would be a lot more open. However, I did stop at Homestead Restaurant, which was so cute and had delicious food. At this time, it was snowing pretty hard and I had to get to Fredericton. I decided to drive straight the rest of the way for about 2 hours.

My hotel was on the outskirts of Fredericton (again booked with points), and I was glad to make it in one piece. If the weather was better I would have gone into downtown Fredericton. Unfortunately, it was snowing heavily and foggy, so wasn’t the best time for me to go exploring. I opted to stay in and grab some takeout. I stayed safe in my hotel, and packed my things to get ready for my flight the next day. The next morning I was flying back to Toronto, the snow had mostly cleared up which was perfect, and I was on my way home!

Recommendations

Overall, I’m really satisfied with the way I built my itinerary and all of the spots I was able to see. I’m still shocked that I was able to fit that much in a 5-day period! If you have more time for your own trip, there’s a few different options you could do:

• In Halifax, you could spend 2 or even 3 days in total. There’s a ton to do and I only got a small taste of the area.
• Peggy’s Cove will still only take a few hours at the max. It would be a half-day trip at most.
• The ferry from Digby to Saint John is 2.5hrs. You can structure the rest of your day around this journey.
• You could spend possibly a day in Saint John at most. I would advise visiting on a Saturday so you can check out the City Market (closed when I went).
• The Fundy Trail area includes: St Martins caves, many viewpoints, Fundy National Park, Alma, Cape Enrage, and Hopewell Rocks. The actual drive itself isn’t very long and depending how much hiking you are wanting to do for different trails, you could do this section in anywhere from 2-4 days.
• Driving up from the Cape towards Fredericton is a couple of hours. You could likely spend the rest of the day exploring in Fredericton once you arrive.

With that being said, you can tailor your trip to your focus. If your focus is the Bay of Fundy, you’ll want to focus on the NB side. Or if cities and lighthouses are your interest, NS might be more your vibe. If you want to see them all, you could spend up to 10 days in this area.

Steal my itinerary!

If you’re wanting to get a full experience of these two provinces in 5 days like I did, I recommend following my itinerary. Here’s my full itinerary if you wanna steal it:

• Day 1 – Fly into Halifax early and explore the city. Check out the shops, Halifax Citadel, waterfront, and grab dinner at The Bicycle Thief.
• Day 2 – Check out Peggy’s Cove in the morning. In the afternoon, drive across NS and take the ferry across the Bay of Fundy to NB. Spend the night in Saint John.
• Day 3 – Explore downtown Saint John, including the waterfront container village and Reversing Falls. Then, begin taking the Fundy Trail and overnight in Fundy National Park.
• Day 4 – Continue along the Fundy Trail for more Bay of Fundy adventures, including Cape Enrage and Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. End the day with a big dinner in Fredericton before crashing for the night.
• Day 5 – Explore Fredericton and fly out later that day!

Make sure to tag me @chiaragoesglobal if you follow my itinerary, so I can see what you’re up to. I hope you have an amazing time!!! If there is anything I missed from this itinerary, let me know in the comments! ♥️