Need help with 1-Day itinerary in Halifax...

[CruiseTraveler101]

Hello. A group of 11 people will be arriving, by cruise ship in late September. We would like to see some beautiful nature and local culture. Our thoughts were to rent two cars or vans and do a day trip. Would love to have help with an itinerary. We saw a lot of postings on Peggy's Cove. But some people thought it was too far out of the way. I don't think we want to drive more than 1.5 hours (one-way) outside of Halifax, if it's possible. Thanks in advance for your help.

[fideauxdon]

They tell me that Peggy's Cove is well worth seeing. Unfortunately, we were there a few years ago in the Spring, and got within ten feet of the lighthouse, and we couldn't see it....or each other! Fog can be brutal. We were in our own car, so it didn't cost us much, but we would have been upset if we paid for an excursion.

[nosmothj]

Going to Peggy's Cove is do able. It is basically driving in a circle and the whole trip may be 1.5 hour. However as the above post mentioned it could easily be foggy. Most fog burns of by lunch time so timing around that would be good.

Also going just past Peggy's cove in a clockwise direction is a Memorial to the Swiss Air crash of a few years ago.

In a different direction toward the Annapolis Valley is Grande Pre. The setting for Longfellow's "Evangeline". This is also quit nice. It would be an hours drive down and an hour back.

[pjlee3333]

Any idea how much a trip like this would cost for 3 people and how much time would be spent at Peggy's cove? We're trying to decide if it's better to spend the money to do the ship tour or do it on our own and maybe get more time at the cove.

[lannp]

If you moniter this website:

www.peggyscovewebcam.ca

you will see what it looks like and also how obscured it can be due to fog.

[mewshady]

Hello. A group of 11 people will be arriving, by cruise ship in late September. We would like to see some beautiful nature and local culture. Our thoughts were to rent two cars or vans and do a day trip. Would love to have help with an itinerary. We saw a lot of postings on Peggy's Cove. But some people thought it was too far out of the way. I don't think we want to drive more than 1.5 hours (one-way) outside of Halifax, if it's possible. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

 

I live in Nova Scotia and highly Recommend Peggy's cove as a site to see. It takes about 45 min at least to travel there (with a good road map), you have to pay a small fee to park once you get there but it's well worth it. The drive there alone is beautiful and you will not regret it. Point of interest on the way is the memorial to the Swiss Air victims it is a poignant place to stop. There is a great restaurant on the way called Candleriggs otherwise any road side fish and chips is great don't pay over $10 or you will be ripped off.

[Snookum]

We were there September 2007 and it was beautiful. It was highly recommended to us and there were nine of us. We took the excursion booked through the ship and it was great and informative. There is a little more than just the light house to see and again was a beautiful place and a great place to take pictures. Never knew anything about the areas the ship visited but we had great weather. Have a great trip!

[simpsojp]

Peggy's Cove is a must see spot here in NS for first time visitors... Fog/Rain/etc. can be an issue, but in my opinion well worth the risk if you have not been before. It is basically the trademark of Nova Scotia!

 

Afterwards, if you have time (and since you will have your own transportation) take a drive to Lunenburg along "the old highway". It is a very scenic drive with many great places to stop and check out the sights. The trip from Peggy's Cove to Lunenburg is about 60 miles and can take 2hrs on a "Sunday Drivers" pace. Return via the highway is just over an hour back into Halifax. If you can not commit that much time, you could always turn back at Mahone Bay or Chester (both of which you will drive by on the way to Lunenburg).

Map to Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg

 

Enjoy!

[NS-Cruiser]

Another nice trip to take while in NS is to travel through the Annapolis Valley (where I live) and go to Annapolis Royal, and Port Royal. One of the first settlements in Canada. Port Royal is where Champlain settled when the french first came to Canada, you can also vist Grand Pre along the way, that is the setting for the "Evangeline" story as mentioned by someone else earlier, and is also the site from which the french (Acadians) were expelled from Nova Scotia and later fled to New Orleans (now called Cajuns) (About 400 years ago). There are several other sites to visit along the "Evangeline Trail" through the Valley. The trip (one way) from Halifax to Annapolis will take approximately 2 hours (one hour to Grand Pre)... so allow enough time so that you don't miss your ship's departure from Halifax. Enjoy!