Matthew Lui

Sep 78 min read

7 Day Guide in HALIFAX, Nova Scotia and surrounding areas!!

Updated: Sep 23

Photos are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

Geography: Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia, Canada
Population: Approx. 518,00 people
Currency: Canadian Dollar; Currency Converter
Best Time to Visit: No bad time

Travelling to the east coast has always been a bucket list item for us. Mostly because the Maritimes are a different world and different culture even though we are not leaving Canada. Since this was where some of the early settlers landed, things that are old here, are truly older than the rest of Canada. Some of the buildings and houses here are older than the cities of Western Canada.

Heading to Halifax, we travelled with our entire family which consisted of 12 people, some kids, adults and toddlers. We ended up staying about half an hour outside of Halifax in Upper Tantallon, where were able to find a large enough AirBnB to fit us all comfortably, giving us all a little space to breath. We were also able to travel to a few sites outside of Halifax and explore more of the culture around the Maritimes area.

Queensland Beach Provincial Park

On one of the hottest days of our trip, where it was 32 degrees Celsius, we headed to Queensland Beach to cool down a bit. This seems like a popular beach for most as there was some nice white sand to lay a blanket on, some rocks to take a seat and lifeguards on duty to keep the kids safe. The beach here was not as clear as the ones we have seen in other parts of the world like Hawaii, with lots of seaweed floating around. Though we only went into the water to cool off and hangout, there were people on paddle boards and tubes just hanging out.

Make sure to get there early as there are limited parking spots in the lot and you may have to park on the shoulder of the roads. There are porta potties and changing facilities there and if you forget to bring food, there is a concession across the street called Comeau’s Take Out, serving beach favorites like burgers, fries, fish and chips, ice cream and more.

Peggy’s Cove

Heading out early, we arrived at Peggy’s Cove in the morning around 9AM. Already hustling and bustling, we were lucky to grab one of the last few spots in the parking lot, which became a hot commodity when we were leaving in the afternoon. Famous for the iconic lighthouse, we wandered in that direction over to the rocks to check it out and take in the ocean view from the rocks. One warning is that the rocks could get quite slippery with the smoothness and wetness of the ocean so do not wander too far out for those selfies. There is plenty of signage all over to warn you though as well as guards wandering the rocks so if you are heading out too far, you will hear them whistle at you.

Once done, we headed down to Peggy’s Cove town area which was a cute, picturesque fishing town. There were many cute mom and pop shops, selling souvenirs, artwork, decorations made from items in the area like refurbished lobster traps, paintings of the lighthouse and the views and more.

Bluenose II Ship

The Bluenose I ship was a shipping and racing schooner that has a lot of history behind it. Having won multiple International Fishermen’s Cup, the ship was built in 1921 and eventually retired after the cup was retired in 1937. The ship was then sold to the West Indies Trading company in 1942, and sadly met its demise and sank in 1946. The ship had become an iconic part of Canada so much so that it has been featured on a postage stamp, appears on the Nova Scotia license plate and is on the Canadian 10 cent coin.

To honor the legacy of the Bluenose ship, in 1963 a replica was built in Lunenberg, where the first ship was built, and named the Bluenose II. It was originally used to market the Oland Brewery Schooner Lager beer before being sold to the government of Nova Scotia for $1.

Today, the Bluenose II makes port in Lunenberg and sails up and down the coast of Nova Scotia to different towns and cities, where for a donation, you can step foot on it and explore it. There are also some days that you can book a harbour cruise and sail on the Bluenose II, which is what we did.

We arrived an hour before we were scheduled to set sail to check in. Once checked in, we climbed aboard and were able to explore and walk around the ship. We then left the dock as the boat used its motor to get us out into the Halifax Harbour. After getting out into the open seas, we were able to watch the crew raise the sails as the old crew would have back in the day, pulling on the lines and more. The ship they sailed around the harbour for about an hour as the crew performed their tasks and allowed up to ask questions, before the sails were taken down and we made our way back to the dock.

This was an amazing experience as we got to see how the sails would have been raised almost 100 years ago from the original Bluenose ship and the crew was knowledgeable on the history of the ship and how it works now. The one thing we learned that the kids loved was that the crew lives on the boat for the 4 months they sail up and down the coast. The price is $95/adult and $45/child for the harbour cruise but make sure to check out the website to see where the ship will be and what day there is a harbour cruise, since they don’t run everyday. Also, try to book well in advance as these cruises fill up fast.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Located by the water in Halifax, the Maritime Museum is the oldest and largest Maritime Museum in Canada. We found that there was a trove of nautical knowledge and history here. The different exhibits included small ships on display through the years, story and items from the Titanic, the Halifax explosion and more. This was an educational stop along the way. With 2 floors of the museum, we found we were able to explore it all within 2 hours.

The price of admission is reasonable being $9.55/ adults and $5.15/ youth during peak season or $24.75/ family. During the summer though, starting at 5PM, there is free admission to the museum where they also have live musicians playing.

The Halifax Ghost Walk

Joining the tour in the evening, the weather was perfect as it was just as the sun was setting and the wind was starting to pick up. We met at the clock tower just outside of Citadel Hill. Our tour guide arrived dressed for the part in a black suit and with the look of someone who would tell ghost stories

From there, we began to walk down to the harbour and along the way, would stop at key locations where he would regale us with some ghost stories from centuries past. Some included ones from the old courthouses, ghosts that followed the bricks from Europe and some from the Halifax explosions.

This was a fairly family friendly tour without a lot of gruesome deaths but not one I would bring very young kids to. One tip if you have time would be to park near the harbor. That way you don't have to walk all the way up hill again after the tour is complete.

Hope for Wildlife

Hope for Wildlife is a rehabilitation and educational organization that rescues, rehabilitates and releases wild animals. When they cannot release animals back into the wild due to any issues, the animals stay there for educational purposes and are taken care of, for the remainder of their lives.

This hidden gem only opens to the public a few hours a week. We got there right when it opened and found it was the best time to go because when we left about 2 hours later, that’s when we noticed people were pouring in. When we got there, we made it just in time for the tour which took us to the different cages to show us the animals they had there from owls to eagles to even squirrels.

Checking out the place, there were so many interesting animals and reasons for them to be brought in and how they were cared for. So interesting in fact that this place has their own featured TV series.

Outside of the animals, the also had some educational murals to check out, a scaffold tower to climb get a view of the area, pelts for teaching with that were obtained from illegal poachers and more. This was a fun stop on our trip and just a neat organization to check out and support.

Town of Lunenberg

Old town Lunenberg’s biggest claim to fame is being a UNESCO World Heritage site for its example of how a British Colonial settlement looked back in the day. The town offers a walking tour, taking you through the town. You can learn all about the history of the town, how it has all been preserved, the history of all the churches, some key buildings and just so much fascinating trivia of the small fishing town through the Lunenberg Walking tour. We took the tour that starts at the top of the hill at the “Academy Grounds”, which took about 1.5 hours as we ended up at the docks. Our guide turns out was a volunteer who has lived here all her life and was knowledgeable about everything this town has to offer. The old architecture, history and just small town feel of an old fishing town emanates everywhere we look, from the houses that were originally built in the 1700s, to the fishing docks, the rocky slopes and how everything is walkable.

Afterwards, we wandered the main street of the town where there were plenty of restaurants with fresh seafood, as expected, and shops with artwork and knick knacks. Though we checked out the Bluenose in Halifax, this is where it was originally built and where the boat calls home so we bumped into it here. The old town sensation transports you back in time and even had a familiar feel to it. It took me a few moments though where I realized that this town has been used in so many movies due to that feel and look. The one that stood out to me that I recognized was the 2020 Netflix series “Locke and Key”, which after some research, I learned most of the outdoor scenes were filmed here.

This small historic town has so much to offer and check out from the small local artisan shops, delicious food, classic architecture, robust history and a friendly feel. This was a place that we could spend a whole day checking out that we regretfully only got to spend a few hours in that we missed the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. This is one of those places on earth where time has stood still and given us a glimpse of the past.

Joggins Fossil Cliffs

Located on one side of the Bay of Fundy, we set out for a visit to the Joggins Fossil Cliffs. The Cliffs were designated as a UNESCO heritage site in 2008 for its fossils that pre-date even the dinosaurs. Here you can book a tour that will take you through their gallery and guide you on a walking tour of the cliffs or there is free access to the cliffs if you just want to head down and explore on your own.

We went down the stairs and were able to explore ourselves and even found some fossils of different ferns and tiny creatures from millions and millions of years ago. One of the cool features of this place though is how the tide quickly comes and goes. When we arrived in the early afternoon, there was sign telling us when the tide would come in. We were able to head down and walk out 500m or so but by the time we were ready to leave, the tide had almost made its way to the stairs.