Known as Canada’s ocean playground, Nova Scotia earns its nickname by being nearly surrounded by the Atlantic. But coastal fun is just the beginning of the adventures you can have on a road trip that knits together Nova Scotia’s natural and cultural heritage at three UNSECO World Heritage sites and a fourth that should be.
Spend six to eight days exploring the fishing town of Lunenburg, the French Acadian homeland of Grand-Pré, the world class archaeological shoreline at Joggins Fossil Cliffs and the Fortress of Louisbourg. You’ll also enjoy stops along the rural routes in between. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
When to arrive: Seasonal hours at many attractions narrow the window for the best visiting time from mid-May to mid-October.
Where to fly into: Flying into and out of Halifax Stanfield International Airport, begin with a short stay in downtown Halifax before launching your Nova Scotia road trip in Lunenburg.
How to rent a car: Pick up your rental car right at the airport, but book it well ahead of arrival.
What to pack: Aside from your favorite casuals, pack comfortable walking shoes, a hat and windbreaker. Bring something smart casual for a night of fine dining. Shorts and dresses will be more comfortable in summer, but wear light layers in spring and fall.
If flying, start your Nova Scotia road trip in Halifax. Lunenburg is the starting point if you arrive on the CAT Ferry from Maine to Yarmouth. If you’re driving into the province from New Brunswick, begin at Joggins, continue to Louisbourg and finish at Lunenburg and Grand-Pré.
Stop 1: Halifax
Vibes: Busy, walkable waterfront in an historic port city that is Nova Scotia’s capital.
Do: Stroll the boardwalk on the Halifax waterfront. Stop in at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, which reveals a Halifax that was the equivalent of Ellis Island as a major port of entry for immigrants. Next, explore the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, where you can see artifacts from the Titanic disaster and learn more about Halifax’s seafaring history. Uphill from the waterfront, past the town clock — a Halifax icon — check out the fortress atop Citadel Hill. Take one of the daytime walking tours, or better yet, book a creepy nighttime ghost tour that really brings the past to life. Also worth a stop is the Victorian-style Halifax Public Gardens, where the noise and bustle of the city center magically fade away.
Eat: Hit the French bistro Café Lunette on the waterfront for a cappuccino and pastries or classics like baked Camembert and French onion soup. For the seafood aficionado, Shuck Seafood + Raw Bar the 4–6pm oyster and drink happy hour hits the spot. The Sea Smoke Restaurant & Bar raises the flavor bar with Asian fusion dishes like the Nova Scotia sunset sushi roll of lobster, scallop and avocado drizzled with pungent sauces.
Stay: Accommodation choices abound. High-end rooms go for $450–600 (US$325–434) a night with handmade furnishing and original art at the waterfront Muir. Dalhousie University rents dorm rooms starting at $56 (US$41). Midrange downtown hotels like the Courtyard Halifax Downtown go for $230–350 (US$166–253) a night.
The drive: Next morning, take the scenic route to Lunenburg. Hwy 103 gets you there in an hour, but this is Nova Scotia, the province with the serrated coastline. Wander out to Peggy’s Cove, then back to Tantallon. Follow Rte 3, the Lighthouse Route, through Chester and Mahone Bay to Lunenburg. For an even more leisurely and scenic coastal drive, detour at Hubbards around the Aspotogan Peninsula.
Stop 2: Lunenburg
Vibes: Unique but sleepy fishing port with an artsy soul.
Do: It’s the grid, the layout of the steep streets studded with colorful 19th-century wood clad houses, shops, restaurants and inns that earned Lunenburg UNESCO status as the best example of a British colonial town in North America. So, the top thing to do in Lunenburg is to walk the streets, stepping into a small art gallery here, pausing for a coffee there, shopping for craft spirits like Heart Iron Whisky and Rum Boat Rum at Ironworks Distillery. It’s in a converted blacksmith shop that once forged the metal hardware for the once thriving shipbuilding trade. At the docks, if your timing is right, the Bluenose II, Canada’s famous tall ship, will be in its home port. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic includes two more historic ships and a former fish factory building where Lunenburg’s fishing heritage is told. Spend the evening on the 90-minute Haunted Lunenburg nighttime tour by lantern light with Lunenburg Walking Tours.
Eat: It’s no surprise that seafood is the top choice in Lunenburg. You can’t miss fresh fried haddock and chips at the South Shore Fish Shack. Seafood takes on Mediterranean dimensions as in calamari with tzatziki at the Beach Pea Kitchen & Bar. For something completely different, check out the tiny takeout Lamprai & Spice Café where Suni Ferreira prepares authentic Sri Lankan, Indian and Thai dishes like banana leaf chicken.
Stay: Checking into a stately captain’s house converted to an inn is one of the highlights of a visit to Lunenburg. The Rum Runner Inn with balcony views of the waterfront is named for the romanticized, but illegal prohibition era booze trade. The Lunenburg Inn, a grand Victorian B&B, claims to be the oldest in town, and to celebrate its centennial, it underwent extensive renovations. Campers will enjoy their perch over the low cliffs at Ovens Natural Park, named for its sea caves carved out by waves that boom like canons inside.
The drive: Several routes cross the province from Lunenburg to Grand-Pré. Though slightly longer than others at 113km (70 miles), Rte 12 is the most scenic, passing through woodlands and the village of New Ross. Don’t miss the Ross Farm Museum, especially if traveling with kids who will get a thrill out of meeting the farm animals, taking a hay ride or watching a blacksmith hammering out a horseshoe.
Stop 3: Grand-Pré
Vibes: Pastoral serenity beside a smart, vibrant town in wine country.
Do: If it’s coffee break time, stop at Just Us Coffee where fair trade established this as Nova Scotia’s premier roaster. There’s even a little coffee museum on-site. It’s a short drive to the main attraction, the UNESCO landscape at Grand-Pré National Historic Site where an excellent interpretation center, grassy grounds and memorial church tell the story of the French Acadians. Using a centuries-old technology, they diked off shallow shorelines to create rich land and farmed it for a century before British forces expelled nearly the entire population in the mid-18th century. Once known for apples, this farming region has become eastern Canada’s premier wine growing region. Wineries attract crowds for tours and tastings of award-winning Brut at Benjamin Bridge, Lucie Kuhlmann red at Gaspereau and rosé at L’Acadie Vineyards. Lunch on the airy patio at Luckett Vineyards is matched only by the sweeping vineyard views.
Eat: Head into Wolfville, the busy university town 5km (3 miles) west, humming with busy restaurants. The Church Brewery is such a popular taproom for its craft beer and elevated pub grub like the porter bacon and cheddar burger, you’ll want to book ahead. For homemade pasta, continue on to Port Williams where the Noodle Guy whips up ravioli, Japanese soba and tagliatelle.
Stay: Within walking distance of the interpretation center and grounds at Grand-Pré, the Evangeline has a choice between updated motel rooms and suites at three houses. At the other end of the spectrum, the luxurious Inn at Grand Pré Winery pairs the same advantage of walking distance from the interpretation center with a room in a winery setting. At the on-site Le Caveau restaurant, well-known chef Jason Lynch consistently turns out fine cuisine and sells housemade products like bacon jam and plum chutney.
The drive: From Grand-Pré to Joggins, the 346km (215 mile), five-hour drive along the Bay of Fundy coastline is truly special with unique views of the world’s highest tides. Stick to the Noel shore, then the Parrsboro shore all the way to Advocate before turning north to Joggins. Much of the Parrsboro shore recently received UNESCO designation as the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark.
Stop 4: Joggins Fossil Cliffs
Vibes: Rural coastline washed by the world’s highest tides.
Do: Known as the “coal age Galapagos” for the richness of prehistoric life preserved in its 350 million year old fossil record, the Joggins shoreline has attracted archaeologists for centuries and became a UNESCO site in 2008. Guides at the Joggins Fossil Centre tell the story on tours where fossils are scattered beneath the eroding cliffs. In Parrsboro, the Fundy Geological Museum recreates scenes of life 100 million years before dinosaurs when Nova Scotia was a steamy swamp dominated by giant amphibians.
Eat: In Advocate Harbour between Parrsboro and Joggins, the Wild Caraway — named Nova Scotia’s Restaurant of the Year in 2023 — builds original dishes of foraged and garden-grown ingredients that star on the ever-changing five-course menu.
Stay: The Wild Caraway also offers three B&B rooms above the restaurant and three on-site cottages. The historic Parrsboro Mansion Inn dates from 1880. For campers, Five Islands Provincial Park — named for the Indigenous Mi’kmaq legend of the god Kluskap who threw huge clumps of mud at a pesky, giant beaver — has sites in a grassy field or wooded area overlooking the namesake islands.
The drive: The direct route via the Trans-Canada Highway from Parrsboro to Louisbourg is a five-hour, 460km (286 mile) drive with limited scenery. If you can break the driving into a couple of days, take the coastal Sunrise Trail, detour around Cape George and take the Fleur-de-Lis Trail on Cape Breton Island. That’s a total of 761km (473 miles) and ten hours of driving, but it’s the most rewarding route.
Stop 5: Fortress of Louisbourg
Vibes: Time travel back to the 18th century.
Do: On a fog-bound point at the edge of the continent stands the Fortress of Louisbourg, the largest historical reconstruction in North America and a treasure as a Canadian National Historic Site. The fortress and 80 rebuilt structures inside are certainly worthy of UNESCO status. Dozens of costumed interpreters guarding the entrance, caring for animals or cooking and serving meals, take visitors back in time to daily life in a French colonial outpost.
Eat: Dine on a hearty meal that a soldier or a sailor might have ordered at Hotel de la Marine or Grandchamp House. For something more contemporary, head into the modern day town of Louisbourg where the Spoondrift Café and Gift Shop makes salads, burgers and chowders.
Stay: Book an overnight stay at the fortress in the relatively posh Latrigue House, the tolerable guardhouse or the spooky, damp prison. If your interest in history doesn’t include sacrifices in personal comfort, the nearby Cranberry Cove Inn is a charming Victorian style inn with a harbor view.
Tips for EV drivers
Via a series of recharging stations established by the Nova Scotia Power utility and others, it’s possible to make this road trip in an electric vehicle, but some rural roads might have to be given up in favor of more traveled routes. The grid certainly needs more stations, so use caution when planning your itinerary.
This article was first published Nov 15, 2022 and updated Oct 23, 2024.