how much of your home country have you seen? As Canadians who have been travelling abroad for around 11 years, we’ve explored very little of our home country — and I indicate very little. prior to our recent Nova Scotia travels, Nick had only been as far east as Edmonton, and I went to Montreal once when I was young!
We were overdue to experience a lot more of Canada, and what better place to start with than one of the furthest eastern points in the country?
Our 15-day journey through the second smallest province in Canada gave us a taste of the Maritimes and left us wanting more. Each of the seven main areas of Nova Scotia used a different feel — in terms of landscapes, cuisine, and heritage. There are many interesting and picturesque places to visit in Nova Scotia, give yourself some time to explore here.
Check out this post and video below to find out a lot more about Nova Scotia travel, including our top highlights and travel tips.
Table of Contents
The Invitation to Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Travel: The road trip Route
Travel Nova Scotia: history & Culture
Highlights From Our Nova Scotia Travels
What’s Next?
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The Invitation to Nova Scotia
It had been a while considering that we’d been on a press trip. In fact, the last one was when we were invited to visit Chicago — in 2018. earlier this year we had backpacked around Ecuador and Peru, and took pleasure in a digital detox along the way, complimentary of work and campaigns.
We were ready for another partnership that suited our interests, and the Nova Scotia tourism board was the best match.
Once we received the proposed itinerary, we asked to make a couple of changes to better fit our travel style, and they were delighted to accommodate our requests.
We knew ideal away that the tourism board was going to be great to work with. They understood the value of online media and the value of matching excursions and excursions with our interests (and the interests of our readers). The trip was a great fit!
What a view!
Our Nova Scotia travels were 15 days, but only 10 days were planned with the tourism board, the rest of the time we were on our own — so, we had lots of time to see the in-between bits of the province (Although, we could’ve stayed double that time).
Nova Scotia Travel: The road trip Route
“Don’t forget to drive on the righthand side of the road!”
Those were my first words to Nick when we picked up our car at the Halifax airport. Living in Grenada, we drive on the left. Plus, it’s practically impossible to drive a lot more than 65 kilometers/hour as our windy roads have obstacles to dodge like people, goats, dogs, and potholes (to name a few).
Driving in Nova Scotia with its paved roads, lane dividers and traffic lights was going to be a breeze…provided Nick remembered to stay on the right side of the road.
After loading Google Maps on our phone, we set off to downtown Halifax. The sun was shining, our Dodge charger was purring, and we were so ecstatic for the start of the journey!
Having your own wheels is a need to in Nova Scotia. Our Dodge charger was a great ride!
With so lots of epic viewpoints, tasty restaurants, and offtrack spots to explore, having your own wheels in Nova Scotia is essential. Not only that, but considering that it’s such a compact province, driving around here is pretty straightforward — it’s generally impossible to get lost.
The only thing you need to decide is where you want to go, and which picturesque route you want to take.
If you look at a map of Nova Scotia, you’ll see a very jagged coastline with a bunch of “fingers”, many bays and coves, and an uncountable amount of lakes (well, over 3,000), rivers, and streams. Needless to say, the drives here are stunning.
Our road trip route in Nova Scotia looked like this:
Halifax ⇢ Peggy’s Cove ⇢ Mahone Bay ⇢ Lunenburg ⇢ Blue Rocks ⇢ Liverpool ⇢ White point ⇢ Shelburne ⇢ Barrington ⇢ Yarmouth ⇢ White point ⇢ Kejimkujik national Park ⇢ Digby ⇢ Annapolis royal ⇢ Wolfville ⇢ Urbania ⇢ Pictou.
We then crossed the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton Island.
Pictou ⇢ Mabou ⇢ Ingonish ⇢ Baddeck ⇢ Margaree Forks ⇢ Inverness ⇢ Halifax
Travel Nova Scotia: history & Culture
We travel the world to learn about other cultures, customs and ways of life. By simply checking out the eastern coast of Canada, we found ourselves in our home country, but with new cultures and cuisines to experience.
With just 15 days to travel around Nova Scotia, it was a bit tough to learn everything about the history and people here (and to visit all the historical sites, and sample all of the standard cuisines). But, we did our best and had nothing but positive experiences with the welcoming people of the province.
From the Mi’kmaq, the French Acadians, and the Africans, to the English, Irish and Scottish — as well as the lots of who have immigrated here a lot more recently, Nova Scotia is a melting pot of cultures and people.
The Mi’kmaq have called Nova Scotia home for over 13,000 years. during our trip, we checked out the Kejimikujik national park which is home to ancient petroglyphs, and the waterways here were used by the Mi’kmaq as travel routes to step them between the Bay Of Fundy and the Atlantic ocean — by indicates of a dugout, wooden canoe.
Loved this tree at the Kejimikujik national Park
In Latin, Nova Scotia translates to “New Scotland”, and there’s still a strong Scottish influence in the province, especially on Cape Breton Island and the town of Pictou. From Ceilidhs (get-togethers) and fiddle music to their accent and cuisine, the Scottish roots are famous here.
We spent some time in the town of Pictou, which is where the first Scottish settlers arrived aboard the Hector ship in 1773. Here, lamp articles are decorated with Scottish tartans, a replica of the Hector sits in the bay, and there’s a yearly festival Of The Tartans (in Pictou County) which celebrates all things Scottish — bagpipes, standard games, food, highland dancing, and more.
Pictou was a beautiful little town!
We also checked out some of the Acadian communities in the southwest part of the province, as well as Cheticamp on Cape Breton Island. The French were the first Europeans to arrive in Nova Scotia in the 1600s, and they set up their base in Annapolis royal — a charming little community that we stopped in on our way to Wolfville. From there, the Acadians spread out around the province.
During our road trip, we saw Acadian flags with signs informing us that we’ve arrived in an Acadian community. The Acadian influence is famous in Nova Scotia and it reveals itself in the food, language, and architecture.
No matter which town or community we were in, it seemed each had some sort of historical significance. The next time we travel Nova Scotia, we want to immerse ourselves additionally in the culture and learn a lot more about the Acadians, Africans, and Mi’kmaq people and maybe give a lot more time to camping, national parks and the outdoors.
Highlights From Our Nova Scotia Travels
Many of the places we visited, and the things we did stick out in our minds as highlights from our journey. during our brief visit, we were able to get a taste of what each area of Nova Scotia has to offer. here are just a few of our highlights:
Halifax
This city of around 430,000 people is set on the second-largest natural harbour in the world… as you can imagine, it’s an exceptionally picturesque place. Not to mention, there are limitless things to do in Halifax.
We wandered up and down the Waterfront (a pedestrian-only walkway) while stopping in for poutine, beaver tails, and craft beers along the way. We popped into the Atlantic Maritime Museum, wandered through the Farmer’s Market, and rode an amphibious automobile (Harbour Hopper) through the streets of Halifax…and directly into the Ocean.
The Waterfront in Halifax is a great place to walk
Across the bay, just a 5-minute ferry ride away, is the community of Dartmouth. colourful buildings, street art, little cafes and a great walking path are all reasons to visit here. Plus, you’ll get a great view of Halifax from across the water.
With many international cuisines to dine on, historical sites to visit, limitless events to attend (we were there for the annual Halifax Jazz Festival!), and a chilled-out vibe, Halifax was a great first stop on our Nova Scotia trip.
Taking the 5-minute ferry from Halifax to Dartmouth
Where To Stay
We stayed at two different places in Halifax.
The Westin Nova Scotian (in the newly renovated rooms). The view across the harbour was spectacular, the breakfast buffet was excellent, the staff were friendly and the location was great.
A cute Airbnb in one of the historic homes in the city. Again, a great location, just steps from the waterfront.
Don’t forget to get hold of your Airbnb voucher to receive up to $55 off your booking.
Where To Eat:
There are many options for local and international cuisine. some of our favourites include:
The Bicycle Thief – great location, tasty food, and friendly staff. try the lobster roll and the rigatoni ragu.
Johnny K’s – Donair is the official food of Halifax, and they say that you haven’t genuinely been to the city until you’ve eaten one. These aren’t the same as the standard middle Eastern doner kebab or shawarma, there’s a twist. (we personally like the standard ones, but hey, when in Halifax!)
The five fishermen – exceptional restaurant serving delicious cuisine. try the lobster and the tenderloin steak.
Food Stalls – located on the waterfront, there’s a cluster of food stalls. try the beaver tail, poutine, and ice cream. Plus, the Stubborn Goat beer garden is a great option for cold beers on a sunny day. (The only downside is they serve drinks in plastic cups. Bring your own reusable cup to help with the excessive use of plastic).
This was a tasty lobster roll!
Lunenburg
Located on the South shore is the UNESCO provided (fish obsessed) town of Lunenburg. The town revolves around fishing and is obvious as soon as you arrive — fishing boats in port, fish ornaments on shops and churches, shipbuilding and fisheries museum, and fish on the restaurant menus!
We were told by our walking excursion guide that the people of Lunenburg lived and died by the sea — as in the past, fishing was the major source of income for the residents, but many fishermen sadly lost their lives while enduring treacherous ocean conditions.
With its location ideal on the water, and the Georgian, Victorian and Colonial-style homes, this is a very picturesque place. besides wandering around and enjoying the port town, don’t miss the Ironworks Distillery which produces dangerously delicious fruit liqueurs, plus harder booze such as rum, vodka, and gin. even if you’re not a drinker, the building it’s set in is worth a visit.
We really took pleasure in Lunenburg and would’ve stayed an extra night if we had time
Where to Stay: We stayed at the Bagintine Inn, which had a great view of the water. even though there’s a bar and restaurant down below, we didn’t have any issues with it being too loud. The location is excellent.
Where to Eat: The savvy Sailor has tasty (filling) breakfast, with a great view. For dinner, we ate at the Salt Shaker, and while the food was good, it didn’t blow us away. staff were great and the location was excellent. We heard good things about the Grand Banker Bar and Grill…but didn’t have a chance to try the food, only the beers.
Kayaking at Blue Rocks
The community of Blue Rocks is a quick drive from Lunenburg and is a popular place for photographers. But, we weren’t there to photograph the blue shale rocks, we were there to do some kayaking!
As we pulled in, the Atlantic ocean was rough and the white caps were pretty big. I was nervous and thought the water was too choppy to kayak. Nick (with his common sense) assured me that the guide wouldn’t take us somewhere dangerous.
And, he was right.
As soon as I voiced my worries to the guide, he said there was no way he’d take clients out in that water. Where we were going was protected by little islands and rocks. The company was called pleasurable Paddling, and it was absolutely pleasant.
Even though the Atlantic was rough, where we kayaked was great and calm
We paddled through narrow channels while spotting bald eagles, many black ducks, and other sea birds. We even had some curious seals swim towards us. getting on the water and learning about Bl