Halifax to St John's - 18 Days

Arrive in Halifax and check in to our accommodation, conveniently located in the heart of this lively and cosmopolitan city on the Atlantic Ocean. This evening, join your tour guide and fellow travellers at a welcome meeting, to discuss our upcoming adventure.

Please note: This is a modular tour, meaning it is comprised of several shorter tours. This means that some members of your tour group may not accompany you for the whole tour, and other travellers may join the group part way through. Your tour guide and vehicle may also change. However, the maximum group size will never be exceeded.

Halifax - Peggy's Cove - Lunenberg - Halifax. Today, we experience the rustic charm of the famous fishing village of Peggy's Cove, where we enjoy breakfast with a view of one of the world’s most photographed lighthouses. We then journey along the south shore to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg, renowned for its Grand Banks fishing schooners. An included walking tour allows us to explore one of the best-preserved colonial settlements in the New World, and we visit the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic to discover the town’s rich seafaring heritage.

Halifax - Charlottetown. We can learn about the indigenous Mi'kmaq people at the Millbrook Cultural & Heritage Centre this morning, before we cross the Confederation Bridge. This is the world’s longest continuous multi-span bridge, taking us to Prince Edward Island. We settle into our Charlottetown accommodation for a two-night stay and enjoy a theatre performance featuring local talent at the Confederation Centre of the Arts (subject to change based on the theatre schedule).

This morning is at leisure - you can enjoy a lie in, or head out to explore the capital of Prince Edward Island at your own pace. A complimentary walking tour of the city is offered too.

In the afternoon, we tour the picturesque north shore of the island, passing by stunning red cliffs, pristine white beaches, gently sloping sand dunes, and lush green fields within Prince Edward Island National Park. We also visit the Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place, which inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery’s beloved novels. In the evening, we enjoy true Maritime hospitality at an included traditional hall-style lobster supper. The freshest of the fresh, guaranteed!

Charlottetown - Baddeck. We take the ferry across the Northumberland Strait to Nova Scotia and continue to Cape Breton Island, often called the Scotland of North America, via the Canso Causeway.

Upon arrival, we enjoy an included sightseeing boat tour on the the beautiful Bras d’Or Lake. We are staying in the charming village of Baddeck for the next two nights.

Baddeck - Cape Breton Highlands National Park - Baddeck. Today, we embark on one of North America’s most breathtaking drives as we explore the Cabot Trail. This route winds around the rocky beauty of Cape Breton’s northern shore and ascends to the remarkable plateaus of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Scenic lookouts offer unforgettable views of the island’s rugged coastline, so we’ll keep our cameras ready.

We also visit the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site, where we can learn of the many accomplishments of the genius who made his home on the island.

Baddeck - North Sydney - Port aux Basques. The Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site stands ready to welcome us, offering an impressive reconstruction representing one-fifth of the 1744 New France settlement. Continuing to North Sydney, we embark the Marine Atlantic ferry for a leisurely overnight crossing to Port aux Basques, our entry point to Newfoundland Island.

Please note: The Marine Atlantic ferry schedule varies annually, so a daytime crossing may be required, which could necessitate an overnight stay in Port aux Basques. This accommodation will be included in your tour price, if required.

Port aux Basques - Port au Choix. Disembarking the ferry in Newfoundland this morning, we head through the Codroy Valley and the stunning Gros Morne National Park, which we will have the opportunity to explore later on during our tour.

Our destination today is the fishing community of Port au Choix, where we will learn about the ancient cultures that have inhabited the Port au Choix Peninsula. This area, which juts slightly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Newfoundland’s northwest coast, has been home to people for 5,500 years.

Port au Choix - L'Anse au Clair. We board the ferry from St. Barbe across the Strait of Belle Isle to reach Labrador this morning. Our next stop is Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the Basques operated a whaling station in the 16th century. We're spending the night in Labrador.

L'Anse au Clair -L'Anse aux Meadows - St. Anthony. We’ll travel back to Newfoundland and visit the L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, the first cultural discovery in the world to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll learn about the Vikings who inhabited this area over a thousand years ago.

St Anthony - Cow Head. We begin our day with a morning whale-watching boat tour off the coast of St. Anthony (weather permitting). We will enjoy wonderful views of the coastline and hope to spot species including minke whales, humpbacks and white-sided dolphins.

Afterwards, we will head to Cow Head in Gros Morne National Park, where we will stay for two nights. The months of June and early July offer the best opportunities to see icebergs as large as the Titanic!

Today we are exploring UNESCO-listed Gros Morne National Park, beginning with a scenic boat tour on Bonne Bay. We’ll be on the lookout for bald eagles that are frequently spotted near the deep waters of the fjord.

Additionally, we will visit the Tablelands, an impressive flat-topped mountain made of rock typically found deep within the Earth’s mantle, which offers a truly awe-inspiring sight. Today promises to be unforgettable, as many believe the scenery in Gros Morne is unparalleled in Eastern Canada. We spend a second night in Cow Head.

Please note: You may request when booking that instead of today's included Bonne Bay boat tour and Tablelands visit, you take a scenic boat tour on Western Brook Pond and visit the Broom Point Fishing Premises instead. 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.

Cow Head - Gander. As our visit to Gros Morne National Park comes to an end, we keep our cameras at the ready. We journey through Central Newfoundland to Gander, a town renowned as the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical "Come From Away."

We can discover the remarkable hospitality and kindness shown by local residents in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, when 38 airplanes made unexpected landings in the town. We also make sure to explore the North Atlantic Aviation Museum, which features a variety of artefacts and exhibits highlighting Gander's significant role in the evolution of transatlantic aviation.

Gander - Twillingate - Terra Nova National Park - Clarenville. We’ll take a picturesque drive along the rocky coast of Notre Dame Bay to the charming outport of Twillingate, where we can explore the Long Point Lighthouse and the Prime Berth Fishery & Heritage Centre.

Keep your camera ready for potential wildlife sightings as we travel through Terra Nova National Park, continuing to Clarenville, where we’ll stay for the next two nights.

Clarenville - Bonavista - Trinity - Clarenville. Today, we’ll explore two charming and historic towns. First, we’ll head to Bonavista, the site of John Cabot's 1497 arrival in North America. Here, we can discover the challenging lives of the lighthouse keepers at the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site.

Afterwards, we’ll continue to the lovely town of Trinity, where we can wander the quaint lanes and admire the numerous well-preserved historic buildings dating back to the 18th century. Then it's back to Clarenville for the night.

Clarenville - St. John's. We’ll head to the fascinating historic seaport of St. John's, where we’ll stay for the next two nights. Recognised as North America's oldest city and the capital of Newfoundland, St. John's is beautifully situated among the granite cliffs and slopes of the Avalon Peninsula.

During our included city tour, we’ll explore the Victorian architecture of the downtown area, the vibrant modern waterfront, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and Confederation Building. We’ll also enjoy the breathtaking views from Signal Hill.

This morning, we head to Bay Bulls for a memorable highlight of our trip: a boat tour (weather permitting) through the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, where we can look for puffins and other seabirds. Afterwards, we visit Cape Spear National Historic Site, the most easterly point in North America. The afternoon is free for you to further explore St. John's at your own pace.

Our tour comes to an end today, after a final breakfast at the hotel and check out.