New Brunswick and PEI

Overview

New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are the two Maritime provinces Americans most often drive through on the way to somewhere else, and both reward slowing down. New Brunswick is big, forested and rural, with the Fundy tides in the south and Acadian French culture in the north and east. PEI, Canada's smallest province, is a gentle island of red cliffs, farms, beaches and superb shellfish.

For Americans, New Brunswick is also the front door to the region: the main crossings from Maine land you here. PEI connects to New Brunswick by the 8-mile Confederation Bridge and to Nova Scotia by ferry, which makes a loop of all three provinces easy. See Nova Scotia for Halifax and the Cabot Trail.

Getting there from the US

By car

Driving is how most Americans arrive. The busiest crossing for this region is Calais, Maine, into St. Stephen, New Brunswick, reached from Bangor by Route 9 in about two hours. From Boston it is about 6.5 hours to St. Andrews and 9 hours to Moncton. The I-95 crossing at Houlton into Woodstock is the all-highway route toward Fredericton. Check live waits on the CBSA border wait times page and read our border guide and entry requirements.

By air

Moncton's Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc airport (YQM) and Charlottetown (YYG) are the most useful airports, with Saint John (YSJ) and Fredericton (YFC) as alternatives. US nonstops to these smaller airports are scarce and often seasonal, so most Americans connect through Toronto, Montreal or Ottawa. Many fly into Halifax instead, for more nonstops and US preclearance on the way home; Moncton and Charlottetown are about 3 hours' drive from there. See flights.

By ferry

From Maine, The CAT sails from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (May to mid-October), and the year-round Fundy Rose links Digby, Nova Scotia, with Saint John, New Brunswick, in a little over two hours. Details are on our Nova Scotia page and getting around.

Hopewell Rocks and the Fundy tides

The Hopewell Rocks are the best place to see the Fundy tides, the biggest on Earth. At low tide you walk on the muddy ocean floor among sandstone "flowerpot" sea stacks topped with trees. At high tide, about six hours later, the same stacks are small islands and the water around them is deep enough to kayak. The difference can top 40 feet (12 m).

The rocks are in a New Brunswick provincial park at Hopewell Cape, about 25 miles (40 km) and 35 minutes south of Moncton. Your ticket is good for two consecutive days, which is the whole trick: you can come back to see both tides without paying again.

Timing your visit

1. Look up the Hopewell Rocks tide table for your dates on the park website or the Fisheries and Oceans Canada tide site. Tides shift about 50 minutes later each day.
2. Aim to be on the ocean floor within an hour or two either side of low tide. Staff post the hours the floor is open each day and close the stairs before the water returns.
3. Allow 2 to 3 hours, including the walk or shuttle from the interpretive center to the stairs.
4. Come back at or near high tide, the same day or the next, for the view from the lookouts or a guided kayak tour among the stacks.
5. Wear shoes you do not mind getting muddy. The floor is slick red mud and seaweed in places.

Admission in 2026 was C$19.23 for adults, C$16.49 for seniors and students, C$10.99 for children 5 to 18 and C$48.09 for a family, with children 4 and under free. Those prices are before 15% HST, so a family pays about C$55 (about $40). The shuttle to the lower site is a small extra fee. The park runs from mid-May to late October, with the longest hours in midsummer (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from late June through late August in the posted schedule).

Fundy National Park, Saint John and St. Andrews

Fundy National Park

Fundy National Park sits on the coast at Alma, about 30 minutes past the Hopewell Rocks. Steep forested hills, waterfalls and more than 60 miles (100 km) of trails meet the sea here; short highlights include Dickson Falls, the Point Wolfe covered bridge and Herring Cove. In tiny Alma you can buy lobster off the boats and watch the harbor drain to mud.

Daily admission is C$10 (about $7) per adult, C$8.75 for seniors, free for anyone 17 and under, or C$19.50 (about $14) per family or group in one vehicle. Campsites start around C$25 to C$32 a night (about $18 to $23), and oTENTiks and yurts run C$147.50 (about $105). In summer 2026, admission to all national parks was free from June 19 to September 7 under the federal Canada Strong Pass, with 25% off camping; check whether a similar offer returns in 2027. See national parks.

Nearby, the cliff-top road and trails of Fundy Trail Provincial Park near St. Martins are among the finest coastal scenery in the province (seasonal, separate fee), and the Cape Enrage lighthouse sits on a headland between Alma and Hopewell.

Saint John

Saint John is New Brunswick's oldest city, a working port with a hilly brick Uptown rebuilt after the 1877 fire. The City Market, in an 1876 building with a roof like an upturned ship's hull, is the best lunch stop. The Reversing Falls Rapids, where the Fundy tide pushes back against the Saint John River at a narrow gorge, are best seen near high or low tide; in between they can look like ordinary rapids. Saint John is about 1.5 hours from Moncton and 1 hour 15 minutes from the Calais border.

St. Andrews by-the-Sea

St. Andrews, 20 minutes from the Calais–St. Stephen crossing, is an old resort town on Passamaquoddy Bay and the natural first night for Americans driving in. The grand Algonquin Resort dates from 1889, Kingsbrae Garden is superb, and the Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium suits kids.

Whale-watching boats leave from the town wharf in summer and early fall in search of humpback, finback and minke whales; the endangered North Atlantic right whale also feeds in the outer bay. At low tide you can drive across a sandbar to Minister's Island, the summer estate of railway builder William Van Horne. Cross only within the posted tide window, since the road floods completely at high tide.

Moncton and Acadian New Brunswick

A bilingual province

New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province: provincial services are offered in both English and French, and about a third of residents speak French as their first language. Most are Acadians, descendants of the French settlers deported by the British in the 1750s, some of whom later returned. Staff almost always switch to English, but a "bonjour" first is appreciated. Our French page covers the basics and notes how Acadian French differs from Quebec's.

Moncton

Moncton, with its twin city Dieppe, is the largest and most bilingual metro area, and a practical base: Hopewell, Fundy and the Confederation Bridge are all within about an hour. Magnetic Hill, where your car appears to roll uphill in neutral, is pure kitsch but a classic. At Bore Park downtown, posted times tell you when the tidal bore will push up the Petitcodiac River; it has grown since the river's causeway gates were opened in 2010.

Shediac, Bouctouche and Kouchibouguac

Northeast of Moncton, the warm, shallow Northumberland Strait shoreline is the province's beach country. Shediac calls itself the lobster capital of the world and has a giant lobster sculpture to prove it; nearby Parlee Beach is one of the warmest saltwater beaches in Canada in August. Bouctouche has Le Pays de la Sagouine, a theatrical Acadian village on an island, and the Irving Eco-Centre's boardwalk along a long sand dune. Kouchibouguac National Park, an hour north of Moncton, has lagoons, dunes and bike paths.

Caraquet and the Acadian Peninsula

Caraquet, about 2 hours 45 minutes north of Moncton, is the cultural heart of Acadia. The Village Historique Acadien recreates Acadian life from the 1770s to the mid-1900s with costumed interpreters, period buildings and food (summer season). The Festival acadien de Caraquet builds through early August to the Tintamarre on August 15, National Acadian Day, when thousands of people in the colors of the Acadian flag parade through town making as much noise as they can. Try Acadian dishes such as poutine râpée (a boiled potato dumpling filled with pork, unrelated to Quebec poutine) and chicken fricot (stew).

Getting onto Prince Edward Island

PEI has two road links, and both work on the same principle: you pay only when you leave the island, and only for the link you leave by. Arriving is free unless you prebook the ferry. Most people enter one way and leave the other to avoid backtracking.

Both got much cheaper in 2025. On August 1, 2025, the federal government cut the bridge toll from C$50.25 to C$20 and halved fares on the Wood Islands ferry and other federally supported Atlantic ferries. On windy days, check the Confederation Bridge site for restrictions on RVs and trailers. Walkers and cyclists must use the bridge shuttle (C$4.75 and C$9.50).

Reserve the ferry on ferries.ca for summer and long weekends, or wait standby and risk a later boat. Off-peak there are four sailings a day each way, more in summer. Check in at least 40 minutes before departure, and read the operator's travel advisories first, since vessel problems have cut capacity in recent seasons.

Charlottetown

Charlottetown, the provincial capital, is a small, walkable city of about 40,000 with brick storefronts, church spires and a busy waterfront. The 1864 conference that led to Canada's creation met here. Province House, where it happened, has been closed for a long conservation project with no reopening date announced as of 2026. The Confederation Centre of the Arts next door has a gallery and, in summer, the Charlottetown Festival's musical theater, which has staged Anne of Green Gables for decades; check this season's lineup.

Stroll Victoria Row and Great George Street, eat on the waterfront at Peake's Wharf, browse the Founders' Food Hall, and get an ice cream at Cows, the island's beloved creamery. Central and 35 minutes from Cavendish, it makes a good base for the whole island.

Cavendish, Green Gables and the national park

Green Gables and L.M. Montgomery

Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables made Cavendish famous worldwide. Green Gables Heritage Place, run by Parks Canada, is the farmhouse of Montgomery's cousins that inspired the book, with period rooms, a visitor center, and the Haunted Wood and Balsam Hollow trails. Admission is C$10 (about $7) for adults in peak season (July 1 to Labour Day), C$8.25 in May, June, September and October, and free for anyone 17 and under. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours.

Fans can add her birthplace in New London and the Anne of Green Gables Museum at Park Corner. Cavendish itself is a strip of mini golf, amusement parks and motels that suits families.

Prince Edward Island National Park

The national park runs along much of the north shore in three sections: Cavendish, Brackley–Dalvay in the middle and Greenwich in the east. It protects red sandstone cliffs, dunes, saltmarsh and long sand beaches with lifeguards in midsummer. Hurricane Fiona hit the park hard in September 2022, and some dunes, trails and forests still show the damage.

In the regular season, daily admission is C$10 (about $7) per adult, C$19.50 (about $14) per family, and free for anyone 17 and under; reduced shoulder-season rates apply in spring and fall. Campgrounds at Cavendish and Stanhope run about C$34 to C$43.75 (about $24 to $31) a night, with oTENTiks at C$147.50 (about $105). Reserve early for July and August.

Beaches

Driving and cycling the island

PEI is about 140 miles (225 km) from tip to tip, and three signed coastal drives cover most of it. The Confederation Trail, a rail trail of crushed gravel, runs about 170 miles (273 km) tip to tip with branches to Charlottetown and other towns, and is one of the easiest long-distance bike rides in Canada.

Lobster suppers, oysters and island food

The lobster supper is the island's signature: a big communal meal with chowder or mussels, salads, rolls, a whole boiled lobster and pie, served family style in a hall. New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, running since 1958, is the classic, with full table service and famous lemon meringue pie. Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers in North Rustico is known for a salad and mussel bar about 60 feet long. Both are seasonal, generally late spring to early fall; check hours before you drive out, and expect the $$$ tier with lobster.

Island oysters are some of the best in the world. Malpeque, named for the bay on the north shore, became the general name for PEI oysters, and you will also see farm names such as Raspberry Point and Colville Bay on menus. PEI mussels, sold across North America, are farmed in the island's bays.

September is food month. The Fall Flavours festival runs dinners and events islandwide, and the PEI International Shellfish Festival brings shucking contests and chowder to Charlottetown for a weekend. For a splurge, the Inn at Bay Fortune in eastern PEI serves a long, fire-cooked tasting dinner in season ($$$$, book far ahead). See food.

Combining with Nova Scotia

The three Maritime provinces make a natural loop. The classic route from the US enters New Brunswick from Maine, runs along the Fundy coast to the Hopewell Rocks, crosses the bridge to PEI, takes the ferry to Nova Scotia for Cape Breton and Halifax, and returns via Digby and the Fundy Rose ferry to Saint John, or by the CAT from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor in season. Flying, you can arrive in Halifax and leave from Moncton or Charlottetown, but one-way rental fees between provinces can be steep. See road trips and Nova Scotia.

Distances and driving times

Times assume no stops; add time for summer traffic, ferry lines and the border.

Where to stay

Outside a few hotels in Moncton, Saint John and Charlottetown, lodging here means inns, motels, B&Bs, cottages and campgrounds, many of them family run and open only from late May to mid-October. Summer weekends on PEI fill early; book by spring for July and August. Rates are per night for two before 15% HST.

For short-term rental rules, booking windows and cottage tips, see where to stay.

When to go

The season here is short and sweet. For month-by-month detail nationwide, see when to go.

Practical notes

• Sales tax: 15% HST in both provinces, added to posted prices. A C$30 dinner is C$34.50 before tip. Tip 15–20%, as at home. See money.
• Health: As a visitor you pay non-resident rates for any care. Carry travel medical insurance; see health.
• Driving: Speed limits are posted in km/h. New Brunswick's divided highways are mostly 100 km/h (62 mph) or 110 km/h (68 mph); PEI's roads top out lower, generally 80–90 km/h (50–56 mph). Gas is sold by the liter. See driving.

Itineraries

PEI long weekend from Halifax (4 days)

1. Day 1

   Halifax to Charlottetown

   Drive to Caribou (1 hr 45 min) for a late-morning ferry to Wood Islands, then 45 minutes to Charlottetown. Evening on the waterfront and oysters for dinner.

2. Day 2

   North shore

   Green Gables in the morning, Cavendish Beach in the afternoon, lobster supper in New Glasgow or North Rustico.

3. Day 3

   Points East

   Drive the eastern coast to Basin Head's singing sands, Souris and the East Point lighthouse; back to Charlottetown or a night in the east.

4. Day 4

   Out by the bridge

   Leave over the Confederation Bridge (C$20) and drive back to Halifax via Amherst (about 3 hours), or continue to Moncton and the Hopewell Rocks.

New Brunswick and PEI from Maine (7 days)

1. Day 1

   Into Canada

   Cross at Calais–St. Stephen and settle into St. Andrews; evening walk on Water Street.

2. Day 2

   St. Andrews

   Whale watch in the morning, Kingsbrae Garden in the afternoon, Minister's Island at low tide if it fits.

3. Day 3

   Saint John and Fundy

   City Market lunch in Saint John, then the coast road to Alma and Fundy National Park.

4. Day 4

   Hopewell Rocks

   Hike in Fundy in the morning, then catch low tide at the Hopewell Rocks and stay in Moncton; return for high tide the next morning on the same ticket if the timing works.

5. Day 5

   Onto PEI

   Shediac for lunch, then the Confederation Bridge to Charlottetown.

6. Day 6

   North shore

   Green Gables, the national park beaches and a lobster supper.

7. Day 7

   Head home

   Pay the bridge toll leaving PEI and drive back toward Maine (about 5 hours to the Calais border), or add Nova Scotia by ferry.

For a 12-day loop of all three provinces, add the Cape Breton and Halifax legs from our Nova Scotia itineraries after PEI, leaving the island by ferry.

Want help with timing tides, ferries and bookings? Try the trip builder or our trip planning service.