Prince Edward Island

01 / PEI

PEI National Park Beaches

The national park along PEI's north shore protects some of the finest beaches in eastern Canada — wide, gently sloping red-sand shores on the Gulf of St. Lawrence with warm swimming water by mid-July. The dune systems and barrier beach at Greenwich unit are particularly striking, and the boardwalk trail through the migrating parabolic dunes is unlike anything else in the Atlantic provinces.

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02 / PEI

Green Gables Heritage Place

The farmhouse that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables — a National Historic Site in Cavendish restored to its late 19th-century appearance. The surrounding Green Gables Golf Course occupies land described in the novels, and the adjacent Cavendish Community Cemetery contains Montgomery's grave. The heritage draws particularly strong resonance with Japanese visitors for whom the story has had cultural significance since 1952.

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03 / PEI

The Confederation Trail

A 470-kilometre cycling and walking trail following the old railway bed across the full length of PEI — gentle grade, crushed limestone surface, passing through farmland, forest and coastal sections. Day rides from Charlottetown in either direction are practical without a multi-day commitment. The trail connects the island's communities in a way that drives don't, passing through small towns and farmyards.

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04 / PEI

Province House, Charlottetown

Province House is where the Confederation conferences that created Canada were held in 1864 — one of the most significant buildings in Canadian political history, recently restored and open for tours. Charlottetown is known as the Birthplace of Confederation, and the compact downtown with its Victorian commercial architecture and waterfront restaurants is one of the more pleasant small city centres on the Atlantic coast.

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05 / PEI

PEI Lobster Suppers

The lobster supper tradition — community hall dinners with whole boiled lobster, chowder, mussels and pie — is one of the most distinctly Maritime dining experiences in Canada. New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, operating since 1958, is the best-known. The price for a full lobster dinner is considerably lower than equivalent quality in mainland restaurants, and the setting is warmly communal.

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06 / PEI

Victoria by the Sea

Victoria by the Sea is a small village on PEI's south shore that has developed a quiet reputation for quality: a summer theatre company that produces consistently good work, a chocolate factory worth visiting, a handful of independent shops, and a harbour where fishing boats still go out in the early morning. The village has fewer than 200 permanent residents but the quality of the food and arts infrastructure during summer season is well above its size. It's the kind of place where you stop for lunch and end up staying for the afternoon. The drive along the south shore road from Charlottetown is one of the most pastoral in Atlantic Canada.

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07 / PEI

Charlottetown Food & Market Scene

Charlottetown punches well above its weight for a city of 40,000 people. The Confederation Centre of the Arts hosts the Charlottetown Festival each summer, including the longest-running musical in Canadian history. The Old City Market and the Farmers Market on Saturday mornings are among the best sources of PEI oysters, lobster, and local cheese in the province. Victoria Row pedestrian street has outdoor cafés, live music, and independent restaurants in heritage buildings dating from the 1860s. The city is compact and walkable; the entire downtown can be explored thoroughly in a single afternoon.

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