Ultimate East Coast Canada Road Trip
This post may contain affiliate links where I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. If you purchase anything through the linked website you will be supporting my small blog. Thanks!
If you’ve been following along on my Instagram you know that I just went on a two week trip across the east coast of Canada and the US. I’ve received a lot of questions for recommendations and information about where we visited.
We basically did a big loop from Michigan, going up into Canada and then back through the East coast of the US.
Our first stop was Toronto to visit Kensington Market. I love vintage clothing which is what Kensington Market is known for. The clothes were a bit out of my price range so I didn’t buy anything. Vintage dresses started at $50 but went up to hundreds of dollars. I’ve never seen such a huge selection of vintage clothing before. From men’s 1970s bell bottoms to women’s 1950s prom dresses, it’s definitely worth a visit if you love seeing retro clothing!
Montreal was next and oh my word did we love Montreal! It’s absolutely gorgeous and full of history. In case you didn’t know, the province of Quebec speaks French as the primary language. So be sure to brush up on your French before you visit. We didn’t know that about Quebec (Oops!) but we got around just fine.
We mostly walked around in Old Montreal since we were just there for the day. This photo was taken at Le Petit Dep which is super cute cafe to walk around in.
Chinatown was one of my favorite parts of Montreal! We were planning on visiting a dumpling place but it was closed on the day we went. Instead, we spontaneously ate at the Patisserie Cocobun Hong Kong bakery which was delicious. A local was in the bakery with us and he recommended the cheese bun and wow was it good! It’s like a portable cheesecake in bun form. I highly recommend stopping there!
We walked around the Underground City which was awesome. There’s a huge fountain that reminded me a lot of the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter. It’s free to visit and a great place to walk off your Chinatown baked goods.
If historic Montreal sounds good to you, be sure to visit Quebec City. It’s even more French than Montreal, we ran into a few people that barely spoke English so it was a little bit of a struggle but still lots of fun! We stayed at Manoir Sur le Cap hotel and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s full of old charm and with a multi level spiral staircase. We had a huge tub and fireplace in our room and it was the highlight of our stay. Quebec City itself is fantastic, always in the shadow of the fabulous Chateau Frontenac hotel. We actually walked into the hotel and visited a bunch of the floors, including the top floor and the basement. I’m not sure if you’re allowed to do that if you’re not staying there (haha!) but we did it anyway.
We walked all over Quebec City and tried poutine here for the first time. There’s a few different parks here with nice shady trees which were wonderful for resting and people watching. Be sure to visit the lower level of Quebec City too, not just the main level. This is where there are the gorgeous old homes with vibrant flowers spilling out of window boxes. Bring good walking shoes for Quebec City since you’ll be on your feet most of the day.
Nova Scotia was next and we stayed in a (really nice and really cheap) Hampton Inn in Truro because of its central location. We visited Lunenburg and Halifax on our first day. Lunenburg was high on my list because it’s an old port town that’s a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s an adorable old town with lots of colorful houses which is shown below. We had a spontaneous meal at a shrilankin restaurant called Lamprai & Spice Cafe that was delicious! We also stopped at a vintage mid century shop called The Cormorant's Eye that was really great. I bought some vintage photographs and a postcard.
Next in Nova Scotia was the fantastic Cabot Trail! The best part of Nova Scotia for sure. The national park was phenominal, it felt like we were in Ireland or Hawaii or New Zeeland… it was out of this world! The drive by itself was breathtaking. We saw this adorable motel called the Cornerstone Motel on the way. It actually has really good reviews and I love its color, I wish I would have stayed here. Before starting our hiking we stopped at the Aucoin Bakery patisserie. We bought a package of carrot cake and brownies and they were the best brownies I’ve ever had. We also got sandwiches to take with us on the hike.
We walked the Skyline Trail at the national park. It’s a 5 mile loop that’s on top of a giant “hill” but really it feels like a mountain. It leads you out to being high above the Atlantic Ocean where you get awe inspiring views of the lush forests and ocean waters. Most of the hike is flat and a little uninspiring, but the view was worth it.
While we were in Truro we hiked at Victoria Park. There were great hiking trails in the forest that we loved! We went on a Saturday so the main trails were a little busy, but if you walk up the stairs into the forest it was pretty secluded. There are some waterfalls there and an adorable wishing well. We loved hiking there!
Our last destination in Canada was Prince Edward Island and it was the cherry on top of our vacation. PEI far exceeded my expectations! Most of the island is made up of great, rolling hills and adorable farm houses. We first stopped at the Greenwich Dunes Park which was fantastic. You walk out on a floating boardwalk through wetlands and climb up a dune to the ocean. There’s a beautiful secluded beach there if you’re looking to swim.
On the way to our motel we stopped in Charlottetown to try beaver tails. They are basically elephant ears and you can get all kinds of toppings. I got Nutella, brownie bites and white chocolate, Cally got Nutella, reeces pieces and peanut butter. Wow they are filling and will give you a sugar fix for a while. We were planning on getting Cows ice cream the next day but we were both still full from the beaver tails haha! Charlottetown is very charming and the Notre Dame Basilica is beautiful. We went on a Sunday and there was a farmers market with live music which we enjoyed.
We stayed in a motel in Summerside which is a small town with a charming little boardwalk. There was a Salvation Army there that we visited that had a lot of vintage stuff but it was a bit pricey. That night at sunset we visited Cape Tryon at sunset. You have to drive a really bumpy dirt road to get here (I was afraid our car wouldn’t make it!) but the views were breathtaking. The red cliffs are awe inspiring and there’s even a little lighthouse.
The next day was our visit to Green Gables Heritage Place. The Green Gables house is here along with the trails that inspired L.M. Montgomery to write her novels. If you’ve read the books or enjoyed the movie/TV show then you have to stop here. The house is adorable and it’s wonderful walking the same trails of an author I admire.
We spent a lot of time driving around PEI admiring all the little towns and the rolling hills. We only had two days here but I wish we had stayed longer. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited.
We drove back to the U.S. through Maine and stopped at Acadia National Park. It was my first time visiting a national park in the summer and WOW was it insanely busy in August. There was almost no parking even though the park is huge. We walked the Great Head trail and it was pretty challenging and beautiful. Be sure to wear grippy hiking boots because you are walking up some steep rocks.
Next we visited Boston, MA which is one of our favorite places in the whole world. Boston’s North End (or Little Italy) has incredible food. Dino’s Cafe has the best pasta and Italian sandwiches I’ve ever had. Right across the street from Dino’s is Bova’s Bakery which has the most addictive canolli’s.
On our way home to Michigan we stopped at Chittenango Falls State Park in Cazenovia, NY. It was one of the most impressive waterfalls I’ve ever seen!
Then we drove 12 hours home. We knocked a bunch of places off our bucket list with this trip. I’ll definitely be visiting Prince Edward Island again. I hope this blog post will inspire you to visit Canada!
