Charlottetown and Sydney tours

[CB750A]

We are 1st time visitors to both ports early October on the NCL Jewel. 3 of us would like to know of some sights to see in or in the vicinity of both ports. Should we rent a car on both or any recommended tour guides / companies. Car rental suggestions and itineraries ? Looking for some nice scenery and maybe a lobster lunch in a picturesque area. Any sights worth seeing in the port cities?

Thanks much !

Ted

[maryann ns]

October in Cape Breton - you lucky people! Do a search on this site and you will get ideas. I live in Nova Scotia so am not experienced in what tours are available, but some have been mentioned here.

 

If it were me, from Sydney I would rent a car. Then I would face my biggest dilemma: should I drive around the very scenic Cabot Trail or should I visit Fortress Louisbourg which is the only attraction in North America to receive three stars in the Michelin Guide.

Do a google search and you will learn a lot.

 

Also visit:

http://novascotia.com/en/home/default.aspx#

 

http://novascotia.com/en/home/whattodo/touring/searchresults.aspx?mode=3&key=cabot%20trail

 

http://novascotia.com/en/home/whattodo/attractions/listingdetails.aspx?mode=4&id=T1011&pg=1&key=louisbourg

[Sugar67]

Driving in PEI is very easy. We are a province of about 140,000 people so the roads are rarely congested, unless of course there is road construction going on (don't even get me started on that lol). If I was going to do a driving tour, I would head out to New Glasgow and try the preserve company. It is the most quaint little place.

http://www.preservecompany.com/

 

If I was going to stay around Charlottetown, I would come off the ship and turn left. About a 5 minute walk away on the waterfront is Flex Mussels. This place is awesome and we head there quite often if we are in the mood for seafood. The service is some of the best we have ever seen.

http://www.flexmussels.com/resources/Flex_Mussels_Menu.pdf

 

Not in the mood for seafood? I would suggest The Gahan House

http://www.gahan.ca/. This is a nice little pub and if you like beer this is THE place to go. They have a brewery right on sight that supplies the restaurant.

 

Hope this info helps

[maryann ns]

In PEI if you drive you'll want to head to the north shore. The drive along the coast, some of it in the National Park, is fabulous. They have great lobster suppers in Rustico with whole steamed lobster and all you can eat mussels.

http://www.fishermanswharf.ca/

 

Another wonderful shop is The Dunes on the north shore near Brackley.

http://www.dunesgallery.com/

[Pink Lady One]

We had a wonderful day with Tartan Tours. Diane was friendly, informative, and flexible. During our tour my 70 year old mother broke her leg and Diane was excellent during this crisis. I can highly recommend her.

[trophy_23]

I have not been to Sydney, but this September we were in Charlottetown off the Eurodam and we had no plans until we got to the pier, where finding out taxi's were $50/hr, and a car was not much more for the whole day, we opted for that. We headed north to the top of the island towards Rustico, a beautiful little fishing village. We headed across and down to New Glasgow and then to the Anne of Green Gables house. After a tour of the property we headed along the coast towards the Confederation Bridge and then back towards Charlottetown. We covered a lot of ground in our brief stay, but we saw almost everything we wanted, which would not have been possible on any of HAL's tours, and would have cost about 4x as much in a taxi. I would highly recommend renting a car, it is a very easy place to navigate!

[cjcruises]

I have not been to Sydney, but this September we were in Charlottetown off the Eurodam and we had no plans until we got to the pier, where finding out taxi's were $50/hr, and a car was not much more for the whole day, we opted for that. We headed north to the top of the island towards Rustico, a beautiful little fishing village. We headed across and down to New Glasgow and then to the Anne of Green Gables house. After a tour of the property we headed along the coast towards the Confederation Bridge and then back towards Charlottetown. We covered a lot of ground in our brief stay, but we saw almost everything we wanted, which would not have been possible on any of HAL's tours, and would have cost about 4x as much in a taxi. I would highly recommend renting a car, it is a very easy place to navigate!

 

sounds like you did very well & got a fair taste of "The Island". You certainly hit a lot of the "must sees".

There is lots to do right in Charlottetown -- lots of lovely little shops & great places to eat. PEI is wonderful (I grew up there & lived there again for a couple of yrs as an adult). No matter how you spend the day, I'm sure you'll love it.

[SusanaM]

Hello,

We are going to be in Sydney at the end of this month and based on your comments, we thought renting a car for a day would be the best option. The tours offer by the cruiseline are too expensive. Do you know of any car rental offices near the pier?

Thank you!