From Toronto to PEI Help | GTAMotorcycle.com

From Toronto to PEI Help

Boots

Well-known member
Hey guys I plan on doing a trek (in the cage, hopefully on a bike in the future) from Toronto all the way to PEI and then back during April or May. I want to go there and get lost, my girlfriend wants an itinerary and I am so bad at planning things. I don't like the standard go to a beach somewhere in the Caribbean as a retreat, I want to do stuff and before I visit anywhere outside of Canada I want to explore my own backyard.

The basics are as follows: I want to spend a day or two in each province (Quebec, New Brunswick, maybe Nova Scotia, and definitely PEI) With a more of an emphasis on the Maritime Provinces. I'm just having difficulty planning the sight seeing. I tried chopping it up province by province but this would be my first real travel experience and it's hard finding things worth doing. Does anyone who has done a tour through the east recommend anything? I don't know what the best thing is in each province. I figure I'd ask here, I tried google but it just seems to be a bunch of "pay this much and go to a museum for 20 minutes" rather than actual sight seeing. I hope no one takes the following as me being lazy, instead, I'd rather take some of the people on this site who have actually done these tours and see what they recommend. Hopefully there's someone out there who can help me plan a decent trip by recommending things that they enjoyed on their tours of the maritimes in the past.


Things I'd be interested in are:

Hiking/Trails
Waterfalls
Scenic, Curvy roads
Mountainous areas (perhaps a tour? I think New Brunswick is mountainous right?)
Old/Historic cities (So far I've got Old Quebec on the list of things to do)
Zip Lining
Coastal views
Good Small Town Restaurants/Pubs
Scenic Beaches
Wildlife
Boat tours
Light House tours
Observatories
Caves

And I'll try to add any more I think of along the way.


All hotels would be planned according to where exactly I'll be in the province. Any input of any of the above would be appreciated. You don't even have to give an explanation as to why I should visit it, if you visited something and would recommend it just list the province and I'll add it to the list and check it out for myself.
 
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Halifax would be a good base for a few days. It has some of the old world city feel to it. Hit Citadel Hill one day, the pubs at night, and a quick trip out to Peggy's Cove. Or a longer day trip would be to Peggy's Cove and then to Lunenburg; it has a proper historic old downtown & harbour. The Cabot Trail would need a day or two by itself if you want mountains and coastal roads.

PEI is pretty, but very quiet. Lots of golf options, or perhaps just relaxing at a cottage on the coast, but the truth is that the East Coast is still very cold in April and May, so that stuff might be a bit chilly. Way too cold to swim, so the beaches won't be much fun.

To me, New Brunswick has always just been an endless stretch of trees to drive though.
 
Halifax would be a good base for a few days. It has some of the old world city feel to it. Hit Citadel Hill one day, the pubs at night, and a quick trip out to Peggy's Cove. Or a longer day trip would be to Peggy's Cove and then to Lunenburg; it has a proper historic old downtown & harbour. The Cabot Trail would need a day or two by itself if you want mountains and coastal roads.

PEI is pretty, but very quiet. Lots of golf options, or perhaps just relaxing at a cottage on the coast, but the truth is that the East Coast is still very cold in April and May, so that stuff might be a bit chilly. Way too cold to swim, so the beaches won't be much fun.

To me, New Brunswick has always just been an endless stretch of trees to drive though.
YEah you know what after posting this I've been looking at attractions and I think ending in nova scotia and staying there for a couple days is the best bet. I saw the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton and I am one hundred percent going to be going there.

Thanks for the recommendation, Using Nova scotia as a the main destination is a lot better than making PEI the main destination.
 
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Hey Boots,
i went to Nova scotia and rode cabot trail last summer, then went to PEI for a couple days and rode the whole island.
Anne of Green Gables is basically the most common thing for tourists there.

if you somehow can manage, tow your bike and do some riding. i absolutely loved riding in PEI. me and my friend got a lot of looks rolling into town in my truck with 2 supersports in the back...cops were eyeing is from the time we got off the ferry.
we ended up with a little bike trouble and spent a few hours at JJ's powersports working on the bike in the back of my truck and borrowing a couple tools. the owner is a awesome guy.

you should join the FB group PEI Biker and Cabot Trail Biker, its the same guy. he is extremely helpful and i was going to try to meet up with him while on the trip but it just didnt work out. he gave some insight as to where to head to to avoid the storms that blew in.
https://www.facebook.com/peibiker/?fref=ts
 
Hey Boots,
i went to Nova scotia and rode cabot trail last summer, then went to PEI for a couple days and rode the whole island.
Anne of Green Gables is basically the most common thing for tourists there.

if you somehow can manage, tow your bike and do some riding. i absolutely loved riding in PEI. me and my friend got a lot of looks rolling into town in my truck with 2 supersports in the back...cops were eyeing is from the time we got off the ferry.
we ended up with a little bike trouble and spent a few hours at JJ's powersports working on the bike in the back of my truck and borrowing a couple tools. the owner is a awesome guy.

you should join the FB group PEI Biker and Cabot Trail Biker, its the same guy. he is extremely helpful and i was going to try to meet up with him while on the trip but it just didnt work out. he gave some insight as to where to head to to avoid the storms that blew in.
https://www.facebook.com/peibiker/?fref=ts

Which ferry did you use? Im curious because rather than driving all the way back around from Cape Breton to PEI, I'd rather just take a ferry with the car to PEI, visit a couple things and ride it home from there.
 
PM me.

There's plenty to see and do. My wife and I went out east 3 years ago. IMO - of at least what we saw - nothing was like the quintessential east-coast fishing towns of multi-colour homes, etc That disappointed me a bit. Closest to it was Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove. Both in Nova Scotia. I think one needs to venture to NFLD/Labrador to see that. This makes sense, since the fishing industry is not what it used to be.
 
The ferry runs from Wood Islands, PEI to Pictou, NS (near New Glasgow). It is not direct from Cape Breton, but it would be a good choice if just for the novelty. You could then take the bridge off the other end of the island when you are ready to head back homewards, since it pops out at the NS/NB border.

I don't want to harp too much on the weather, but if you are considering the idea of trailering the bike along with you just be sure to pack very warm rain gear. My trip in early July last year was still distinctly cool.
 
The ferry runs from Wood Islands, PEI to Pictou, NS (near New Glasgow). It is not direct from Cape Breton, but it would be a good choice if just for the novelty. You could then take the bridge off the other end of the island when you are ready to head back homewards, since it pops out at the NS/NB border.

I don't want to harp too much on the weather, but if you are considering the idea of trailering the bike along with you just be sure to pack very warm rain gear. My trip in early July last year was still distinctly cool.
Ah okay, that's not that far away from Cape Breton. I'm thinking of heading to Cape Breton first then, then on the way back I'll take the Ferry to PEI and take it from there rather than going to PEI, then going on the ferry, then going north then south again. That might be the better route. Thanks, My guess is this is the ferry you guys are referring to? http://www.ferries.ca/nova-scotia-to-prince-edward-island-ferry/schedule/


Unfortunately I don't have a bike as of now. Though I would have loved to taken my bike to these provinces last year and I seriously regret not being able to. I sold my bike last year after I got my full M. Hoping to get a new, higher CC model once I get a little older (only 21).
 
Something I really want to see are the Northern Lights and observatories. Has anyone been to an observatory in these areas?

Edit: Also, has anyone stayed in any hostels while they were down there? Adding up the hotels would get expensive, I just want a bed to sleep in for the next day.
 
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Which ferry did you use? Im curious because rather than driving all the way back around from Cape Breton to PEI, I'd rather just take a ferry with the car to PEI, visit a couple things and ride it home from there.
i believe there is 1 ferry and 1 bridge. but i cant remember
the ferry is free to get there and both the bridge and the ferry cost to get back.

i can ask my friend in about 2 weeks which ferry we took incase there are 2 locations, hes away on a snowboard trip right now.
 
You can make PEI a base point too.

Did the trip last summer and rented a cottage in Cocagne NB and travelled to PEI and various places around NB. Hopewell Rocks.

We stopped in old Quebec City. Sleep in or walk around during the morning and watch as it wakes up. Great food. Evening has buskers in the streets. Stop in for a late dinner and some local wine.

As for PEI, stop by the travel info just on the other side of the bridge.

We toured along a part of the coast stopping at various light houses. There is a coastal trail/road to follow. We found some great places to eat. Also stopped at some red sand beaches that had some clear and warm water. We just stripped down and went in the water.

Back in NB, there was a small town in Alma that has a great little bakery with sticky buns.

I have some friends in Moncton and they put on a lobster feast. Picked up the lobster right off the boat. Filled the pot with sea water and had a few beers at the Bon fire and had a blast.

Went out and got some clams out front of the cottage. Had to learn how to feel for them with our feet. Boiled them up and ate them right then.

We just winged it. Plenty of things to stumble upon. We could have spent a couple of weeks out there. And didn't have my bike.




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Thanks Nakkers,

Hopewell Rocks looks pretty cool I might add it onto the list of things to see. I love how these places are so close to main cities. I had to drive 3 hours north just to see the Grotto up in Tobermory meanwhile these city guys can drive 40 minutes away to a peaceful place. Must be nice.

And thanks Bagman I'll check it out and respond to you from there.

You guys are all helping out a lot.
 
And for SURE not Cape Breton that early ...middle to late June for the entire trip would be much better.
Cape Breton you'd want to go out on one of the whale watching boats out of Meat Cove.

The only area sure to be "okay" at that time of year would be the Annapolis Valley which because of its geography is typically 5c warmer.

The Evangeline Trail is lovely as is Wolfeville...the gastropub on the river is terrific. Lot's of excellent AirBnBs in the area.
Then swing across to Peggy's Cove and up to Halifax and then PEI by Ferry ....come off PEI via the Confederation Bridge
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and head to Cape Breton.

We spent 8 days just in the Annapolis Valley - then did PEI and Cape Breton ( which is lovely ).
You really have to be careful with accommodation in Cape Breton...July fills up very quickly and lots of places are not open earlier.

You've bitten off perhaps 6 months of travel. Gaspe is gorgeous and takes a while to loop but again will be cold that time of year.

Quebec is chock a block with interesting areas....just Mt Tremblant could be a trip. There is an abandoned rail line that people hike and mountain bike with over night stops along the way.

The lists are endless.....
 
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Here was my itinerary last year in August (family of 4 with teenagers)

Day 1 - Stop in Montreal for lunch a Schwartz's Deli, pass Quebec City (if you haven't been it's a must) and drive along the river (rd 132 I think) parallel to the 20, stay overnight at Rivier du Loup - St. Hubert for Dinner :)
Day 2 - Drive to Saint John NB and visit Hartland NB for the infamous covered bridge. Holiday Inn Saint John has free hot breakfast with stay
Day 3 and 4- Tour Saint John, hike/bike the Fundy Trail, and enjoy a seafood boil dinner at one of the restraurants at the Market Wharf
Day 5 & 6 -spent time at a friends cottage in Parrsboro who had an 'extra' Yamaha R6 bike for me to ride - OK you can't add this to your itinerary but Parrsboro has some amazing twisty back roads for you to enjoy, just watch for the odd deer and moose.
Day 7 - 9 - Drive and Stay in Halifax (Delta is right on Purdy's Wharf). So much to see and do...highlights were Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay (these areas are better seen on a motorcycle...)
Day 10 - 12 - (Yurt) Camping in Cape Breton - Bring lots of film/memory for the camera, watch for moose (almost hit a baby and mom crossing the road in broad daylight!), and enjoy the ride on your bike. Cheticamp has some nice restaurants whale watching and a hospital to rent crutches...I had a 24 hour gout attack and couldn't walk...too much lobster I guess
Day 13 - 15 Drive to PEI via ferry (book in advance if you need to be somewhere) - I rented a cottage for 3 nights right by Victoria by the Sea. We played a few rounds of golf, had a fancy dinner in Charlottetown and lazed around in Cavendish Beach.
Day 16 - left at 8am and made the 14 1/2 hour journey home to Burlington (just stopping for gas/food)

One of my regrets was NOT BRINGING MY MOTORCYCLE! The Maritimes has some of the best twisty and scenic roads. So, we're going back again with another family. We're going to trailer our bikes and rented a beach house in Shediac NB for Mid August. This will be our hub for the week.

This is an amazing part of our country, enjoy!
 
wow thank you so much duca I really like your itinerary and thanks for taking the time to post it I'm gonna have a look at everything and plan accordingly.
 
There is a bypass around Montreal that is well worth taking....Montreal traffic is just plain brutal.
The by pass has not been open all that long so someone can chime in with it.

Old Quebec is wonderful....you can eat in a restaurant housed in a building 400 years old and get a meal that was similar to that served at the time.

The road along the riverbank on the south shore is very nice tho don't expect to make time. If you do the itinerary above do try and slip in Annapolis Valley especially if you are early in the year as the weather will be warmer and try and wander the Evangeline down to Bear River.
This is a good guide that is motorcycle oriented.

http://www.novascotia.com/about-nova-scotia/getting-here/land/motorcycle

a more commercial guide to the East Coast by bike
http://www.motorcycletourguidens.com

and Best Biking Roads
http://www.bestbikingroads.com/moto...e-rides-in-canada-/nova-scotia--___59094.html

The neat thing with Cape Breton is you move through three distinct cultures as you take the Cabot Trail....Maritimes,
French Canadian in Cheticamp, Celtic Scot ( the largest Celt speaking community outside Scotland and a Celtic University )

If you master Furkot...it can provide you with hundreds of ideas..the rides are along the right side and you can use those as a base to create your own.



https://trips.furkot.com
 
What are the prices like for accommodation and food? Often times when I price things up in Canada I find I may as well go south although the $ might put paid to that this year. For instance, I found Quebec City to have very high prices for food when I was there a few years ago.
 

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