How close is the port to these little towns..

[drpclarke]

Hi all!

Getting ready to do a Canada/New England cruise in a few weeks. Have looked at excursions, but I think we would just like to visit the little towns. That being said - at the following ports, can we walk into town or do we need an uber?

 

- Saguenay (La Baie) Quebec

- Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

- Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

 

Thank you in advance! :0)


Rachel

[tscoffey]

We were just in Halifax a week ago on a cruise.

The port is in the city center. 

Also, Halifax is 500,000 people - so not a “little town”.

Edited September 13 by tscoffey

[shipgeeks]

And I might add, re Halifax, that there are so many nice things to do on one's own (and on one's own two feet) that going out of town is, IMO, missing the best of the port.

[zqvol]

I Sydney you are docked right in town, and it’s also not a small town, though not huge. 

[drpclarke]

On 9/13/2024 at 6:49 PM, tscoffey said:

We were just in Halifax a week ago on a cruise.

The port is in the city center. 

Also, Halifax is 500,000 people - so not a “little town”.

 Thank you! I've been to Halifax before but it was so long ago and we were there for just a few hours....all I remember is the cemetery with the victims of the Titanic and an Irish pub! Thanks!

[drpclarke]

9 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

And I might add, re Halifax, that there are so many nice things to do on one's own (and on one's own two feet) that going out of town is, IMO, missing the best of the port.

Do you have any recommendations? I only remember a cemetery and an Irish pub. What would you recommend? Thanks!

 

[shipgeeks]

9 hours ago, drpclarke said:

Do you have any recommendations? I only remember a cemetery and an Irish pub. What would you recommend? Thanks!

 

The Boardwalk along the harbour, with many attractions along the way, and Maritime Museum at the other end. Historic district just beyond that. Uphill, the Citadel, botanic gardens, a very old cemetery.  Market within the cruise terminal. Harbourfront park to the left of the terminal.

[mexico8]

There are all kinds of different restaurants along the boardwalk where the ship docks so you will have lots to choose from.

 

In Saguenay many years ago there was a big production show put on by the townspeople and it was excellent.   The ship sold the tickets to attend and they provided the bus to go to the theatre and back.   We loved the show.   If it's still on I highly recommend it.  You would still have time to do sightseeing as well.

[maryann ns]

Here are two documents on Trip Advisor which will help cruise visitors to Halifax and Sydney:

Halifax

Sydney

[TS Von]

On 9/15/2024 at 7:00 AM, shipgeeks said:

The Boardwalk along the harbour, with many attractions along the way, and Maritime Museum at the other end. Historic district just beyond that. Uphill, the Citadel, botanic gardens, a very old cemetery.  Market within the cruise terminal. Harbourfront park to the left of the terminal.

I did the maritime museum back around 2016 on a solo road trip to N/S and loved it.  That area is very interesting and worth the time to visit.

[SonuvaBeach]

On 9/14/2024 at 10:31 PM, drpclarke said:

Do you have any recommendations? I only remember a cemetery and an Irish pub. What would you recommend? Thanks!

 

In Halifax, I would recommend the Hop On Hop Off bus.We did this in 2022.  Do the entire loop once, and then pick the sites you would like ( Victorian Garden? The Fort? etc…) and tour them at you leisure. Then take a walk on the really great boardwalk back to the ship. Here is our youtube video of that visit to Halifax. 

 

[SonuvaBeach]

On 9/13/2024 at 6:24 PM, drpclarke said:

Hi all!

Getting ready to do a Canada/New England cruise in a few weeks. Have looked at excursions, but I think we would just like to visit the little towns. That being said - at the following ports, can we walk into town or do we need an uber?

 

- Saguenay (La Baie) Quebec

- Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

- Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

 

Thank you in advance! :0)


Rachel

Sydney is a nice little town, easy to tour/walk through. I had a torn Plantaras tendon in my right leg( painful) and my wife and I walked through the whole town with little difficulty…yes, it hurt, but it was do-able even with an injured leg! Here is our youtube video of our time in  SYDNEY, September, 2024:

 

Edited September 22 by SonuvaBeach

[JoRoy218]

Nice job, enjoyed it. Will be there in two weeks. 

[TS Von]

You may want to consider renting a car in Sydney to go exploring on your own.  That's what I'm planning to do next month.

[Donna S Maryland]

For Saguenay (La Baie) Quebec - yes, you can walk easily on your own. There are displays in the terminal. The town is very friendly -- as we disembarked, they gave us samples of maple and of blueberry juice. And, there was live music and entertainment at the terminal building all day. When we left the terminal to go back to the ship, they were giving out free local chocolates. There is a church, an outdoor market, as well as several shops, a brewery, and restaurants just outside of the terminal.  There is also a pedestrian walk that goes along the shore from the terminal. In addition, the town offers a shuttle bus (CA$25 per person, unlimited rides all day). These are school and coach buses that leave right from the dock on two different loops – one going to the other end of La Baie (10 minute drive) where there is a small but interesting Fjord Museum, a glass blowing gallery and studio, and the Pyramid de Ha! Ha! (which is fun to see and set in a nice little park, but unfortunately, going up into the pyramid where the displays are is no longer permitted).  The other shuttle loop to Chicoutimi takes longer (25 minutes).  We went into the cathedral there and walked down the main street, ate a snack at a nice French café and walked along the river. There were some surprisingly high end clothing & shoe stores there, too.  Seeing the scenery along the bus ride to Chicoutimi was also nice.