Day 1

Stop 1: Victoriaville, QC
Drive Time: ~ 8 hours

Stop in Montreal or Quebec City for the first night since it’s around the halfway point. If the Airbnb selections are few and the prices are high, choose the downtown location of a town between the two cities so you have plenty of things to do within walking distance.

Day 2

Stop 2: Tête D’Allumette – Microbrasserie, QC
Drive Time: ~4 hours from Victoriaville

A nice rest spot between Quebec City and New Brunswick. The brewery has beautiful scenery plus a trail on the property, so even if you are not big on craft beers, you’ll have something to do. They only offer finger food in tiny portions; make sure to bring something to munch on if you are anything like me, unable to enjoy a drink (lemonade) without any food.

Day 2

Stop 3: Grand Falls, New Brunswick
Drive Time: ~2 hours

The waterfall is situated right in the middle of downtown, so you can spend some time walking around and stretch out your legs. The whole attraction would only take two hours max

Day 2

Stop 4: Hartland Covered Bridge, New Brunswick
Drive Time: ~ 1 hour

The bridge itself only takes about 30 minutes. If you’re interested in exploring the town and shops, try getting there during the day, preferably not on Sundays, as most stores will close early. I know it’s obvious, but it’s something to consider if you are a meticulous planner.

Day 2/3

Stop 5: Fredericton, New Brunswick
Drive Time: ~ 1.5 hours

Find an Airbnb central to the downtown core in Fredericton. You’ll be able to leave the car without worrying about paying for parking and explore on foot. For reference, we stayed at this Airbnb. Fredericton is a neat town to explore, even better if you have secondary transportation such as bikes, rollerblades, or longboards.

Day x

Hopewell Rocks, NB

I totally messed up and missed Hopewell Rocks and Bay of Fundy in my planning.

Day x

Bay of Fundy, NB

If we had the extra time, I would slot them both either at the beginning or the return trip.

Day 3

Stop 6: Magnetic Hill & Magnetic Hill Zoo, New Brunswick
Drive Time: ~ 2 hours from Fredericton

Magnetic Hill is about halfway between NB and PEI. The hill only takes 15 minutes, whereas the zoo can take up to half a day. If you’ve been to a large city zoo, you’re not missing out much. Also, if your gas tank is half full and the gas price seems outrageously high in NB, just fill your tank. The price will only increase as we travel further East.

Day 3/4

Stop 7: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Drive Time: ~ 2 hours

No fees are required upon entering the island, but on your way out, there is a toll fee of $50.25. If your vehicle has more than 2 axles, each additional axle is $8.50.We booked this Airbnb that is a 10-minute walk to the downtown core of Charlottetown. For food options, if you’re feeling fancy, check out Slaymaker & Nichols Gastro House. It’s quite popular, so make sure to book a reservation if you’re set on trying this place out for dinner. We also had breakfast at Receiver Vic Row by the harbour and lunch at Water Prince Corner Shop for the best lobster roll in town. Water Prince Corner Shop is also quite popular, so you may want to book a reservation.

Day 4

Stop 8: Cavendish Beach, Prince Edward Island
Drive Time: ~ 1 hour from Charlottetown

Beach with a nice area to hike around, it’s all within the Cavendish National Park. There is also the Cavendish boardwalk with tons of souvenir shops.

Day 4

Stop 9: New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, Prince Edward Island
Drive Time: ~ 12 minutes

A good spot that serves fixed-price lobster meals, this is where we got our seafood fix.

Day 5

Stop 10: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Drive Time: ~ 4 hours from Charlottetown

I couldn’t find any good Airbnb options in Halifax at the time, so I booked one in downtown Dartmouth instead. It’s a 30-minute walk to Halifax via the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge. $1.25 toll fee for cars each way.

Day 6

Stop 11: Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
Drive Time: ~ 1 hour from Dartmouth

Try to get to Peggy’s Cove early; even 10 or 11 A.M. is fine. Show up past noon, and you will have difficulty finding parking and navigating the pedestrian-filled streets. If The SchoolHouse is in session, give it a try!

Day 6

Stop 12: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Drive Time: ~ 1.5 hours

Lunenburg is a walkable town with lots of novelty shops and art galleries. You can easily spend a good chunk of the day there, but we only stayed for a few hours before returning to Halifax. If you have the extra time, sure, have a visit. Why not.

Day 6/7

Stop 13: Downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia
Drive Time: ~ 1 hour

A great city with lots of places to roam around, it’s also got a bumping night scene. This is also where we got our Asian food fix with Buta Ramen and Broth House.

Day 7

Stop 14: Baddeck, Nova Scotia
Drive Time: ~ 3.5 hours from Halifax

On the way to Baddeck, there is an antique shop that we stopped by called The Curious Collector, if you’re into treasure hunting, give this spot a try! The Airbnb we stayed in is right in the center of the little town. I thought this location would give us easy access to the Cape Breton National Park, but realistically it’s still a good 1-2 hours drive, depending on which portion of the national park you want to explore. Nonetheless, it’s a cute little town that we enjoyed staying in.

Day 8

Stop 15: Cape Clear, Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Drive Time: ~ 1.5 hours

Cape Clear is beautiful; I highly recommend it. Bring physical maps and pre-load your Google/digital maps. There are no cell services, and be prepared for a bumpy ride. By bumpy, I literally mean you will be driving on rocks. If you are in a sedan, skip this or pay for a tour. 

Day x

Trails in Cape Breton

If I could re-plan this portion of the trip, instead of trying to time the weather forecast (highly unreliable) by driving back and forth between attractions, I recommend spending one whole day at the park by doing different trails. Remember to pack food and bug spray!

Day 8

Stop 16: Glenora Inn & Distillery
Drive Time: ~ 1.5 hours

I wouldn’t recommend this place unless you’re already in the area, or if you’re into distilleries. If we packed our own food, we would have stayed in Cape Breton.

Day 8

Stop 17: Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park

We wanted to visit the Skyline Trail during sunset, but couldn’t quite make it. The scenic drive of Cabot Trail swooped in and saved the day.

Day 9

Stop 18: Fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia 
Drive Time: ~ 1.5 hours from Baddeck

A National Historic Site with a partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress. Make sure to go to the visitor center instead of following Google Maps. They have shuttle buses running that will take you to the historical site. If you follow Google Maps, you will find yourself lost without a signal! The fortress is open until 5 in the afternoon, and you can easily spend the whole day there if you want to look through everything.

Day x

Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site

Would have visited if we had the time!

Day 10

Stop 19: Skyline Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Drive Time: ~ 1.5 hours from Baddeck

Absolutely beautiful, would highly recommend it. I imagine it would be even more beautiful during sunset.

Day 10

Stop 20: Harvey, New Brunswick
Drive Time: ~ 8 hours from Skyline Trail

We tried to get the bulk of the driving out of the way since we’re on a deadline to get back. We stumbled across an Airbnb right next to a lake that provided kayaks. The host generously set the check-out time at noon and allowed us to get our rows in before leaving for the day. +1 for squeezing in more activities!

Day 10

Stop 21: Potato World, New Brunswick
Drive Time: ~ 1 hour from Harvey

The Potato World museum is not necessary unless you are extremely interested in the makings of potat and the various farm tools required, but the food? So. Many. Ways. Of. Making. Delicious. Potats.

Day 10

Stop 22: Downtown Montreal, QC
Drive Time: ~ 8 hours

I cannot in good conscience recommend the Downtown Montreal Airbnb we stayed at. I will link it in case you are in a similar situation where there aren’t many good options available, and you want to visit attractions like the Olympic Skatepark, Biodome, and Botanical Garden which is a 20-minute walk away. All I will say is, if you’re just looking for a place to rest for the night, it’s a little sketchy, our car didn’t get smashed, so I guess it was…fine.

Day 10

Stop 23: Downtown Kingston, Ontario
Drive Time: ~ 4 hours from Montreal

Just to stretch out the trip a little longer, we stopped by Kingston for lunch which was a nice final stop to end our trip.

Food & Drinks: $1,721
Accommodations: $1,619
Gas: $976
Miscellaneous: $246
Attractions: $161

Total: $4,723