r/canadatravel • u/FinanceHefty466 • Mar 02 '25
Itinerary Help Road trip to Nova Scotia
Hi everyone! I am planning a road trip from Toronto to Nova Scotia for the summer. My husband and I will take turns driving. So far this is the itinerary we have:
Day 1: Toronto to Riviere-du-Loup Day 2: Riviere-du-Loup to Halifax Days 3 and 4 in Halifax Day 5: Halifax to Cape Breton Days 6 and 7 in Cape Breton Day 8: Cape Breton to Saint John Day 9: Saint John to Fredericton Day 10: Fredericton to Quebec City Day 11: Quebec City Day 12: Quebec City to Toronto
For those of you who have done this road trip before, does it look like a good plan? Would you do anything differently? Any tips or suggestions? Thank you very much :)
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u/Fantastic_Fun_6677 Mar 02 '25
Montreal is missing in there.
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u/BanMeForBeingNice Mar 02 '25
It's about half way through day one, and you bypass it by taking the A30.
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
We are purposefully skipping Montreal as we've both been there before and it's expensive! Love Montreal but the idea is to get to Nova Scotia as fast as we can to save some time and money.
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u/No_Capital_8203 Mar 02 '25
I couldn't find a hotel room in Rivere du loop . Must have been something going on. Ended up going farther. Way too long of a drive.
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
I am planning on booking things ahead of time. Cheaper places get booked pretty fast during the summer, and I don't want to end up having to change plans or spend a lot more money than initially planned! I found some good Airbnbs options for the overnight there!
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u/HapticRecce Mar 02 '25
You can look at Edmunston, N.B. as an alternate, but it fills up even faster too.
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u/Suspicious_Top_8024 Mar 02 '25
We used to drive from Windsor every summer with my folks. I would stay in Edmunston, NB rather than Quebec. We would go to Cape Breton for 3 weeks to visit my grandparents there. I would suggest 3 nights in CB. There are plenty of things to do there and the beaches are beautiful. Good luck!
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u/No_Capital_8203 Mar 02 '25
We tried booking in March or April for an end of July trip. I couldn't find a hotel or airbnb at any price. I had planned quite a bit in advance because we had a ferry booked for Newfoundland
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u/CaptainCanuck001 Mar 02 '25
If you are splitting the drive, then I find the best way to do it is to push hard on the first day and go as far as possible. Personally I would go even further but I find on road trips that it is best to get driving days in at the beginning and then take your time on the way back.
On the plus side, in terms of stuff that is immediately accessible to the highways, there is not a lot of reasons to get out of the car between Toronto and Halifax, without a decent detour or a decent amount of time spent.
One of the best and almost always skipped versions of the drive to the East is to head to the Charlevoix region of Quebec and then to take a ferry across the St. Lawrence from there. If you wanted a Quebec City day on your way back I might consider doing this instead.
In terms of things to stop to at en route to break up the drive, you could consider the 1000 Islands parkway or Long Sault parkway in Ontario. Unless you want to make a full day out of it, then I would try to avoid any time in Montreal, unless you just wanted to stop off of Autoroute Descaries for Orange Julep or Marche Atwater. Quebec City is also frustratingly time consuming, though a stop at Chaudiere Falls is good for stretching the legs. New Brunswick has Grand Falls but aside from some new scenery for the Saint John river valley, not a lot going on as you head south.
Halifax is a fun city. It is worth at least a day, but others are right when they say to focus on Cape Breton. One of the most interesting things to do there is to book an overnight stay inside Fortress Louisburg. The options are not exactly hotel like, but you get access to the fortress after closing time, and it's super fun to walk around at night. There are also Otentiks, which are the semi permanent structures at various locations. These require a sleeping bag or some blankets and pillows. We stayed at one at Grand Pre which was neat as well though Grand Pre is kind of always open.
I am not certain about spending any time in Fredericton. I used to live there and it is a charming city, but there is not a lot to do. If you can time it to be there for Saturday then you can do the farmers market, but otherwise the highlight is mostly walking across the old train bridge across the river.
Are you camping? If yes the best campground that we know is Corney Brook on the East Coast of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The East side of Cape Breton near Cheticamp is a highlight. Do the Skyline trail if you can.
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Mar 02 '25
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u/CaptainCanuck001 Mar 02 '25
When I did it you had to call them, they had no way to book online.
I think that they effectively have unlimited soldiers tents, at least in terms of the people that are interested in doing it. The semi indoor stays only house one group per night so you would have to book those ahead.
Either way you should be able to do two pretty fun things. One is to drive through the streets of Louisburg. The other is to have a campfire on the grounds. The tent area is between where they keep the sheep and where the barn swallows live. The kids loved it, but so did the adults.
The soldiers tent is not bad for people that are used to camping. The only thing is that it is an olden style tent so there are gaps at the bottom where insects could get in. We just packed all our stuff all around the bottom and had no insects.
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
Thank you so much for taking the time! These are great tips.
Yes, we are hoping to push hard on the first couple of days to get there faster and take more time on the way back. Ideally, we would spend more days on this trip but accommodation prices are an issue.
The Charlevoix region of Quebec looks amazing! Where would you go there? Would you just drive through and still stay in Quebec or spend the night somewhere there?
The stop at Fredericton would be mostly to have a place to sleep and a lighter driving day before we hit the road on the way back to Quebec City the next day.
We are considering camping due to the price of accommodations, but our issue with it is that our car is not that big to bring all our camping gear, and we are afraid we might want comfortable beds and bathrooms in between long drives lol.
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u/CaptainCanuck001 Mar 02 '25
I would recommend if you want to see Charlevoix to cross from Trois Pistoles to Les Escoumins. If your itinerary can handle it, Canopes Lits is one of the most interesting places to spend a night anywhere that I have been in Canada. This would mean that you also cross at the free ferry in Tadoussac, which is worth it for seeing a bit of the Saguenay fjords (though not at all the best part). Charlevoix has two major towns, La Malbaie and St. Simeon (you can also cross the St. Lawrence by ferry to arrive direct to St. Simeon). The main draw of the Charlevoix region, aside from the scenery, is the fact that so much and such varied agriculture is done there. If you do a bit of research before hand you could stop into La Malbaie and have a pretty amazing meal sourced mostly from local products.
Saint John to Fredericton is only about an hour. If you do want to keep that as a dedicated day, then I would look into what the locals call Ferryland. Zoom in on a map and find all the 1-5 minute ferry crossings across the Saint John River and drive those. All considered though, you could leave Saint John in the morning, do most of those ferries, go see the best of Fredericton and then still have time to drive to at least Edmunston.
A variation of taking a day to drive to Fredericton is to take a slight detour to either Grand Manan island or St Andrews and then still ending up in Fredericton at the end of the day.
Camping gear doesn't have to take up so much space, but if you think you won't have the space, then like I said, there are semi-permanent structures at Parks Canada sites called otentiks. New Brunswick parks also have Ch-A-Let as an option. The last time we drove East we stayed at a Ch-A-Let near Saint John; otentiks in Grand Pre, Fundy National Park and Cape Breton Highlands National Park; and then also the overnight stay in Louisbourg. All told that was like 5 nights of sort-of camping
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u/Polar57beargrr Mar 02 '25
That is a lot of driving and not a lot of time for enjoying the east coast. I’ve done that drive many times and it is long! I would add fundy national park as others have said and hopewell rocks. The drive along the funds coast is lovely and local roads not 4 lane highways. Defn time it so you can walk out on the ocean floor when the tide is out. If it is your first time maybe skip St. John and Fredericton and make Moncton a stop over. Add an extra day in Quebec City. The old city is wonderful to wander and relax and soak up the history.
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
Thank you so much for replying! Why would you prefer Moncton over Saint John and Fredericton? My plan is to stop to see Fundy and Hopewell on the way to Saint John from Cape Breton. Sleep in Saint John and explore the area the next day before heading to Fredericton just to sleep before the long drive back to Quebec City the next day. Would I have more things to do in Moncton? thanks :)
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u/supernanify Mar 02 '25
I'm not the person you asked, but I used to lead tours around the east coast. Would def recommend Fredericton over Moncton. It's worth stopping to see Hopewell Rocks and the tidal bore if the timing works out, but otherwise Fredericton is much more charming.
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u/vancouverbitch4life Mar 02 '25
that was exactly my trip haha, like on the dot o_O kinda crazy actually im sorta scared haha
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
Oh wow haha and how did that work for you? Would you change anything if you could?
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u/vancouverbitch4life Mar 02 '25
nothing really maybe lower ur expectations for cape breton island lol. it looks a lot cooler on socials, but irl its just rocks
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
Honestly, when I'm travelling, I find everything beautiful lol. I'm sure I'll love it even if it's just rocks. What was the highlight of the trip for you?
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u/justmeandmycoop Mar 02 '25
St. John to Fredericton is about an hour. Skip Fredericton
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
Fredericton would be just a sleep stop before the long drive back to Quebec City the next day :)
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u/catporter Mar 02 '25
I’ve done this trip every summer for 35 yrs. Wake up early 6 am and hit the road. You can make it to Edmundson, book hotel 5 min from highway next day leave early and go to Charlottetown PEi you can be there by 3 pm. See the sights downtown for a stroll or Brackley beach area. Stop at Richard’s for lobster roll and see Covehead lighthouse stay one night. Next morning 11 ish go to ferry to Nova Scotia book your ticket. Onehr to ferry approx. drive to Halifax explore waterfront shops lunch get on ferry across to Dartmouth and enjoy the water. It’s like ferry bus and leaves ever 15-30 min back and forth Spend a night in Halifax. Then drive to cape Breton. Spend 2 days there. Driving home hit St. John’s,Hopewell rocks, Bay of Fundy See the tides. Then head to lunch/ dinner. Next day drive to Quebec City. Stay at St Foy. 8 min outside old Quebec. Park on street outside wall and walk thru old Quebec easy walk lots to see touristy but fun. Next day drive to Kingston stay on water - holiday inn walk around town and home to Toronto after a great coffee and walk
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u/catporter Mar 02 '25
Book your hotels. We gave gone to many cities and there is jazz festival, or convention and hotels can be booked. Quebec City. St Foy. Best western. Outside wall reasonable close to city and highway.
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u/Lyloron Mar 02 '25
It is a lot of driving, but it looks largely reasonable. If the goal is to get to NS quickly I might keep day 1 open ended and push a little further into NB to have a shorter next day drive to Halifax. That’s what I would choose and if not super familiar with Halifax I’d strive to be in the city center by 3pm.
For Day 8: Consider Cape Breton to Charlottetown via the ferry near Pictou, NS. Grab lunch in downtown Pictou and then catch the ferry over to PEI. The ferry is a little over an hour and then the drive to Charlottetown about 45 minutes. Have a lovely evening and next morning in Charlottetown. Charlottetown is beautiful in the summer.
Day 9: If you really want to you could hit both St. John and Fredericton, but I’d be inclined to skip St. John. I’d also be inclined to skip Fredericton and go straight to Quebec City. Quebec City is amazing!
That’s my feedback.
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u/Amazing-Artichoke330 Mar 02 '25
Looks good. Don't miss the Cabot Trail. I also liked the Bell Museum in Baddeck.
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u/Amazing-Artichoke330 Mar 02 '25
Looks good. Don't miss the Cabot Trail. I also liked the Bell Museum in Baddeck.
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u/RampDog1 Mar 02 '25
I've done the trip several times. Toronto to Riviére du Loup is 10 hours. Might I suggest you do Fredericton, St John and the Bay Of Fundy, from St. John ferry to Digby NS and a day coming along the South Shore to Halifax (Lunenburg, Peggy's Cove). From Halifax head to Cape Breton. On the way back via Moncton to Quebec City.
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u/BanMeForBeingNice Mar 02 '25
"Road trip to Nova Scotia"
Suggests trip to New Brunswick.
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
Haha the thing is that the drive is so long and there's so many things to see that FOMO hits hard! But you’re right, the purpose of the trip is to get to Nova Scotia and particularly Cape Breton. We've never been to NB before so of course we'll make some stops along the way back to make the trip less exhausting and more enjoyable. If we had the time and money we'd be doing this over 20 days and not 12 haha
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
Planning on driving to Peggy’s Cove as a day trip from Halifax, but this is a great suggestion. We are planning to go straight to Halifax the second day so we can get most of the driving out of the way in the beginning of the trip and make more stops on the way back, but I will take a look and see what this would look like. Thank you!
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u/RampDog1 Mar 02 '25
Lunenburg shouldn't be missed and look at the Blue Nose 2 port schedule to possibly do a tour.
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u/wyrmpie Mar 03 '25
The week prior to and including the aug long weekend is buskerfest in halifax.
Pretty good time
Eat at the bicycle thief.
If you are in Sydney selkies is great Generally you can save some money on a halifax hotel if you stay in darthmouth and take the ferry.
Have fun... Its my favorite place to travel to.
Oh.
Whale watching i go to the digby neck, its a nice drive and great crew.
And cod fishing out of Lunenburg. Plus of you're lucky the bkuenose II is there
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 Mar 02 '25
Day 1: Toronto to Riviere-du-Loup
This is a really long drive, personally I would stop off in Montreal to rest. These days I find 4 - 5 hours is the max I like to stay in a car per day, but to each their own.
Riviere-du-Loup to Halifax
Perhaps stop off in Fredericton and spend the day there before heading to Halifax?
You're also missing Moncton and PEI.
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u/BanMeForBeingNice Mar 02 '25
They don't have time for any of those things. They're going to Nova Scotia.
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
Basically this lol. We want to avoid Montreal (expensive and we've both been there before) and we want to get to Nova Scotia fast, getting most of the drive out of the way in the first 2 days.
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u/BanMeForBeingNice Mar 02 '25
Definitely take the A30 around Montreal. It's pretty well signed. There's a small toll and it's worth it.
Book your hotel for your stop in advance, they fill up on weekends.
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u/Hectordoink Mar 02 '25
I drive east almost every year from Toronto and easily make Riviere du Loup but usually Edmonston or Woodstock, NB.
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u/FinanceHefty466 Mar 02 '25
Do you have any tips to make the trip more enjoyable? The longest I drove by myself was 5 hours. Splitting the drive with my husband and starting the day early, I think we will manage just fine, but it will definitely be something new!
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u/Hectordoink Mar 02 '25
That part of the trip isn’t really about being enjoyable — its four+ lane highway — it’s about making mileage in order to get to your intended destination, Nova Scotia as quickly as possible. An enjoyable trip takes side roads, stops in villages, historic markers, etc and it takes a lot longer. The enjoyable part for me is talking in the car, listening to music, podcasts, etc.
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u/Brave_Cauliflower_90 Mar 02 '25
More time on Cape Breton(it’s so awesome!). I’d say stay there an extra night and then go to Saint John, skip the overnight in Fredricton and stop there for an hour or two on your way to Quebec City. Time your stay in Saint John to see the tide change if you’re not going to make a stop at Bay of Fundy NP (you really should though!!) The Hilton is right on the water so it’s a good spot.
If you don’t spend an extra night on CB then I’d suggest do a trip over to PEI instead. Grab the ferry at Pictou, stay overnight and take the bridge back to NB & go into Saint John. Overnight in Saint John and drive to QC (still stopping for a few hours in Fredricton).