Great Atlantic Canadian Experience

DAY 1: Arrive Halifax
Arrive in Halifax and check in to your accommodations which are ideally located in the downtown core of this vibrant and cosmopolitan urban centre on the Atlantic Ocean.  Meet your Tour Director or Driver/Guide and fellow travelers this evening at a Meet & Greet.
Option: You may wish to add additional nights in Halifax to your vacation package.  Bursting with culture and rich history, Nova Scotia’s capital city has much to offer. 

DAY 2: Halifax to Moncton, NB
Explore the Bay of Fundy and learn about the world’s highest tides as you meander its colourful coastline to New Brunswick.  En route, explore the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you will see magnificently exposed layers of rock revealing the world’s most complete fossil record of life in the “Coal Age” of 300 million years ago. After crossing into New Brunswick, an unforgettable culinary experience awaits as you enjoy a scrumptious lobster dinner on a lobster boat.  Continue on to Moncton and check into your downtown hotel for the night. (Continental Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

DAY 3: Moncton to Saint John, NB
Experience a true natural wonder this morning at the Hopewell Rocks on the coast of the Bay of Fundy.  Marvel at these massive flower-pot shaped formations sculpted by the highest tides on the planet. Travel through Fundy National Park on to Canada’s first incorporated city, Saint John, on the southern New Brunswick coast.  Enjoy a city tour, including the Reversing Falls where twice daily the Bay of Fundy tides force the Saint John River to reverse its flow. Check into your Saint John accommodations for a two-night stay. (Breakfast, Lunch)

DAY 4: St. Andrews by-the-Sea
Enjoy a day trip to picturesque St. Andrews by-the-Sea where the quaint charm of this coastal town is sure to captivate. After a Whale Watching Boat Tour (weather permitting), the afternoon is yours to experience the friendly people, beautiful architecture, and rich marine life of this seaside gem at your own pace. (Breakfast, Lunch)

DAY 5: Saint John to Annapolis Valley, NS
Ferry back to Nova Scotia this morning and arrive in Digby, the scallop capital of the world, where the fresh sea air and passionate Acadian culture combine to form an enchanting and historically rich town. Check into the Digby Pines Golf Resort & Spa overlooking the Annapolis Basin on the Bay of Fundy. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 6: Digby to Halifax, NS
Travel the lush Annapolis Valley where the French Acadians of Grand Pre made their first settlement in the early 1600’s. Learn about this landscape’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as fact and fiction blend to reveal the romance of the Land of Evangeline. Visit a local winery for a tour and tasting before returning to Halifax for a two-night stay. (Breakfast)

DAY 7: South Shore Touring
Discover the rustic charm of the renowned fishing village of Peggy’s Cove where you will enjoy breakfast overlooking one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. Travel the South Shore and on to the UNESCO World Heritage Town of Lunenburg, renowned for her fleets of Grand Banks’ fishing schooners.  Take a walking tour to fully experience one of the most remarkably preserved colonial settlements in the New World, and visit the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic to learn about the town’s famous seafaring heritage. (Breakfast)

DAY 8: Halifax to Charlottetown, PE
Learn about the Mi’kmaq people at Millbrook Cultural & Heritage Centre before crossing Confederation Bridge, the world’s longest continuous multi-span bridge, to Prince Edward Island.  Check into your Charlottetown accommodations for a two-night stay and enjoy a theatre performance by local entertainers at the Confederation Centre of the Arts (a substitution may be necessary due to the theatre schedule). (Continental Breakfast)

DAY 9: Prince Edward Island Touring
Enjoy a free morning in Charlottetown, Canada’s birthplace, or join a complimentary walking tour of the city.  This afternoon, tour the scenic North Shore of the island. Drive by red cliffs, white beaches, gently sloping sand dunes and green fields of Prince Edward Island National Park and visit Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place, the alluring inspiration of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic books.  Experience true Maritime hospitality this evening at a traditional hall-style lobster supper. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 10: Charlottetown to Baddeck, NS
Ferry over the Northumberland Strait back to Nova Scotia and proceed to Cape Breton Island, the Scotland of North America, via the Canso Causeway, before checking into your accommodations on the Bras d’Or Lake where you will spend the next two nights. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 11: Cabot Trail Touring
Experience one of the most stunningly picturesque drives in North America today as you tour the Cabot Trail which winds around the rocky splendor of Cape Breton’s northern shore, ascending to the incredible plateaus of Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  Look-offs offer unforgettable vistas of Cape Breton’s rugged coastline so be sure to have your camera on hand. Visit Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck to learn of the many accomplishments of this genius who made his home on the island. (Breakfast, Boxed Lunch, Dinner)

DAY 12: Baddeck to Port aux Basques, NL
The Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site awaits today. This reconstruction of the original French town and fortifications, depicting one-fifth of the settlement of 1744 New France, is the largest of its kind in North America.  At North Sydney, board the Marine Atlantic ferry for a relaxing overnight* crossing to Port aux Basques, your port of entry on the island of Newfoundland. (Breakfast, Dinner)
*The Marine Atlantic ferry schedule changes from year to year. As such, a day crossing may be necessary and we would overnight in Port aux Basques.

DAY 13: Port aux Basques to Port au Choix, NL
Drive through the Codroy Valley and through Gros Morne National Park – to be enjoyed later on during your tour – to the fishing community of Port au Choix to learn of ancient cultures.  The Port au Choix Peninsula juts slightly out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Newfoundland’s northwest coast and people have lived here for 5,500 years. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

DAY 14: Port au Choix to L’Anse au Clair, NL
Board the ferry from St. Barbe to cross the Strait of Belle Isle to Labrador. Continue to Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the Basques had a whaling station in the 16^th century. This mystical place takes the essence of Labrador coastal living and transposes it onto a tapestry of rich culture and history. Spend the night in Labrador. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 15: L’Anse au Clair to St. Anthony, NL
Return to Newfoundland and travel to L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, the first cultural discovery in the world to receive recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Hear of the Vikings who walked here over a thousand years ago. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 16: St. Anthony to Cow Head, NL
Enjoy a morning whale watching boat tour (weather permitting) in St. Anthony before traveling to Cow Head in Gros Morne National Park for a two-night stay. (Breakfast, Dinner)
*June and early July are the best times to see Titanic-sized icebergs!

DAY 17: Gros Morne Local Touring
Discover why Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is truly one of the highlights of your trip with a scenic boat tour on Bonne Bay; be on the look-out for the bald eagles that frequent the deep waters of the fjord. Also visit the Tablelands; this mountain of flat-topped rock of a kind usually found only deep in the earth’s mantle is an awe-inspiring sight. Today will be an unforgettable experience; some say the scenery that Gros Morne offers is unequaled in Eastern Canada. (Breakfast, Boxed Lunch, Dinner)

Option: Passengers may request on booking to take a scenic boat tour on Western Brook Pond and visit the Broom Point Fishing Premises in lieu of the scenic boat tour on Bonne Bay and visit the Tablelands.  While some may consider the boat tour on Western Brook Pond to be a superior outing, please note that there is a 45-minute walk (3 km/2 miles) from the parking lot to the dock and a 45-minute walk back.  This option must be requested on booking.

DAY 18: Cow Head to Gander, NL
Have your camera ready as your time in Gros Morne National Park draws to a close.  Travel through Central Newfoundland on to Gander, famous as the basis of the hit Broadway Musical, Come From Away; learn about the hospitality and generosity of the local residents during the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks when 38 airplanes unexpectedly landed there.  Also visit the North Atlantic Aviation Museum which hosts a variety of artifacts and displays chronicling Gander’s role in the development of transatlantic aviation.  (Breakfast)

DAY 19: Gander to Clarenville, NL
A scenic drive along the rocky coast of Notre Dame Bay leads to the beautiful outport of Twillingate where you will visit Long Point Lighthouse and the Prime Berth Fishery & Heritage Centre. Keep your camera close at hand for wildlife as you drive through Terra Nova National Park and on to Clarenville, your home for the next two nights. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

DAY 20: Bonavista & Trinity Touring
Today you will experience two quaint, historic towns. First, visit Bonavista, where John Cabot first arrived in North America in 1497. Learn about the hard life of the light keepers at Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site before continuing on to charming Trinity. Stroll the lanes and explore the many historic buildings preserved from the 18th century. (Breakfast, Lunch)

DAY 21: Clarenville to St. John’s, NL
Continue on to the intriguing old seaport of St. John’s, your home for the next two nights.  North America’s oldest city and Newfoundland’s capital boosts a stunning location in the granite cliffs and slopes of the Avalon Peninsula. Enjoy a city tour featuring the Victorian architecture of the downtown area, the busy modern waterfront, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Confederation Building, and the panoramic view from Signal Hill. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 22: St. John’s Touring
This morning, visit Bay Bulls for one of the highlights of your trip, a boat tour (weather permitting) in the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve to search for puffins and other seabirds. Next is a visit to the most easterly point in North America, Cape Spear National Historic Site.  The afternoon is yours to explore St. John’s at your leisure. (Breakfast)

DAY 23: Depart St. John’s
Depart St. John’s for your flight home. Atlantic Tours’ arrangements end on check-out from the hotel.  (Breakfast)