Prince Edward Island, with a coastline offering some of the most stunning vistas in the world and rolling green hills and scenic farmland further inland, will keep your camera busy at every turn.
PEI has eleven hundred kilometres of shoreline, much of it in the form of pristine beaches. Many of us who think of PEI, immediately picture in our minds the smooth warm sand, red sandstone cliffs and the clear blue sky. The island is also home to world-class golf courses; cultural and historic venues; artists, craftspeople and musicians.
PEI’s tremendous local cuisine includes some of the freshest seafood available anywhere in the world, making your mouth water for more. Prince Edward Island is known around the world for its shellfish, from the perfect Malpeque oysters, the fabulous PEI Blue mussels to their most valuable seafood export, lobster, highly regarded for its abundance in the clean, cold Atlantic waters surrounding the island province. When visiting Prince Edward Island, a lobster dinner in one of their many fabulous restaurants is the quintessential experience!
PEI’s capital, Charlottetown, located on the south shore is a fun and vibrant seaside city full of historic charm, numerous festivals and events, artisan shops and an abundance of world-class restaurants. Referred to as the “Birthplace of Confederation” after the historic 1864 Charlottetown Conference, led to Canada’s Confederation.
One of the best ways to discover PEI is through their amazing coastal drives. There are three main drives, the North Cape Coastal Drive, the Central Coastal Drive and the Points East Coastal Drive. All of these drives are clearly marked with colourful signage, but don’t worry, there is literally no wrong turn on PEI as each road just heads to a brand-new adventure.
Getting to Prince Edward Island
Getting to Prince Edward Island is quite easy; you can fly directly to Charlottetown or fly into Halifax, Nova Scotia to take advantage of exploring that area as part of your trip. If visiting either Nova Scotia or New Brunswick prior to PEI, then you’ll be able to drive across the Confederation Bridge, a 12.9 km (9 mile) bridge, which connects Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick to the town of Borden-Carleton, PEI. Open 24 hours, the Confederation Bridge is quite the engineering marvel, and has really made travel throughout the Maritimes easy and convenient.
Note: There is a toll to use the Confederation Bridge. Tolls are charged based on a vehicle’s axle-count and are calculated for the round-trip, regardless of the user’s initial point of entry to Prince Edward Island. Bridge tolls are collected when leaving Prince Edward Island at the toll plaza in Borden-Carleton. Cash, Interac, and all major credit cards are accepted and at the time of this writing in 2019, the toll is $47.75 CDN.