Toronto 
Photo Credit: Bay Ferries Ltd
Spectacular rugged coastlines, the unique feel of historic towns, and delectable fresh seafood tempt people from across Canada and around the world to explore the Maritimes. Unlike other parts of Canada, getting around the east coast without your own set of wheels can be challenging, but it is possible. Here are some tips that you can use to visit and explore Atlantic Canada if you do not drive.
Getting to Atlantic Canada:
Each province is home to at least one airport with connecting flights to the other Maritime provinces and the rest of Canada. However, Halifax, Fredericton, St. John’s and Gander are the only four options for international travellers. Halifax is the most popular for those who want to explore the Maritimes, but if you want to start in Newfoundland and Labrador, Gander or St. John’s would be your options.
Travelling into the city from the Halifax airport is fairly easy because there are now Uber services, as well as cabs. However, the MetroX Bus service is much cheaper. There is also the Airport Shuttle. Travelling into St. John’s, NL and Fredericton, NB from the International Airport is similar to Halifax with bus and taxi services that take you to the city’s centre.
Another way to get to the Maritimes is by VIA Rail. It is a more leisurely ride with some sightseeing. However, Halifax is the farthest east you can go on the railway.
Maritime Bus Stops
The last way of getting to Maritimes is by taking the bus. Maritime Bus has scheduled stops across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Getting Around:
Getting to the Maritimes is often seen as the easy part of the trip; however, getting around Nova Scotia without a car can be a challenge at times.
While larger cities like Halifax, Saint John, Fredericton, and others have their own bus systems, many smaller communities are not easily travelled to without some serious planning ahead.
One of the easiest ways to find out how to get around if you don’t drive or do not want to call a cab is to call your hotel and ask them about local tour operators and about the latest options for summer tourist buses available.
There are transit options available in many big cities in the region, but you should remember to plan around the transit schedule and stops.
Nova Scotia
Harbour Hopper
Guided Tours
Ambassatours offers tours from Halifax to Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, and the Annapolis Valley. They also have a Hop-On, Hop-Off tour from Halifax to the Annapolis Valley, that will take you to some of the iconic wineries in the Grand Pre and Wolfville areas. Ambassatours also offers 15 unique Harbour/Sea Tours that allow you to experience Halifax by viewing spectacular coastal scenery while enjoying local craft beers & ciders, superb Nova Scotian wines, and excellent live entertainment.
Anchor Tours is known for its guided tours from Halifax to Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg, Oak Island, Mahone Bay, Annapolis Valley, and The Bay of Fundy. The tours can be round trips or even customized to reach the communities you wish to explore.
Your Cab Bus & Van Tours started out as a private Taxi company in 1991 and has quickly grown into a successful Taxi, Limousine, and Bus Company that has 10 interesting tours that don’t just go to regular tourist attractions. Their unique tours are a Horseback Riding Tour, a Golf Tour, a Black Heritage Tour, a Christian Tour, and a Jewish Tour. Their regular tours are of Historic Halifax, Peggy’s Cove, Halifax – Peggy’s Cove, Chester/Mahone Bay/Lunenburg, and Bay of Fundy/Hall’s Harbour.
The Magic Beer Bus caters to beer lovers with their Hop-On, Hop-Off craft beverage tour of 3 breweries and one cidery in Halifax. At each stop, you will learn interesting facts about the brewing process of modern brews and ciders, as well as have a guided tasting.
The Magic Winery Bus caters to wine aficionados with 2 unique Hop-On, Hop-Off day-long winery bus tours. Their namesake, Magic Winery Bus Tour departs every Thursday and Friday on board a British Double-Decker and visits four fantastic wineries. There are four tastings at each stop and your lunch is included. Their Tidal Bay Express Tour departs every Saturday and Sunday on board a Luxury Coach and visits two incredible wineries and a ‘Field to Glass’ Craft Brewery. You will enjoy tastings and small culinary plates at each stop.
Kings Transit
If you stay in the Annapolis Valley, the best way to get around is via Kings Transit Bus, which connects Grand Pre to Digby.
Kings Transit services the Annapolis Valley, connecting communities from Grand Pre to Digby. There are ten routes that divide up the Annapolis Valley. Each bus completes a route every two hours. There are stops along most main roads, which makes it easy to hop on and hop off the bus at major tourist locations. Kings Transit runs from Monday to Saturday.
Halifax Transit
Getting around HRM is easy since there is Halifax Transit. Halifax Transit connects Lower Sackville, Burnside, Bedford, Dartmouth, Halifax, Sambro, Preston, Beaver Bank, Cole Harbour, Porters Lake and Tantallon. There are a total of 78 bus routes with over 2350 bus stops across the Metro area. Halifax Transit also has two ferries crossing the Halifax Harbour.
Cape Breton
Heading to Cape Breton is easily done by taking Maritime Bus. There are also short flights from Halifax International Airport to Sydney Airport. You can also take the Ceilidh Shuttle, which is a daily shuttle round trip from Cape Breton to Halifax.
Nova Shuttle is another shuttle service that connects Halifax to Sydney.
Once in Cape Breton, you can get around the island via Transit Cape Breton. There are 13 routes connecting Sydney, New Aberdeen, New Waterfront, Whitney Pier and Steele’s Hill. The buses operate seven days a week; however, on Sundays, there is limited service.
South Shore to Lunenburg
Travelling from Digby to Lunenburg can only be done by car since there are no tours or other forms of transportation available. But, you can check with the hotel you stay in to see whether there are any small tour operators to help you get around.
Prince Edward Island
The Island Walk
PEI is one of the easiest provinces to get around without having to drive. Being the smallest province and home to the Confederation Trail, bicycling is a popular option to explore the island. There are bike rental companies located in Summerside and Charlottetown.
If you prefer the feeling of the ground under your feet, PEI is a walker’s paradise. The Island Walk trail which circumnavigates the Island is made up of 32 sections and is 700 kilometres long. You can walk the entire Island at your own leisure and there are plenty of hotels and B&B’s dotted along the trail.
T3 Transit
Another option to get around the Island is T3 Transit. Running from Monday to Friday, T3 Transit offers service in both Charlottetown and Summerside. It also connects the locations of Georgetown, Montague, Souris, St. Peter’s, Borden, O’Leary, Alberton, and Tignish to Charlottetown and Summerside. The buses are equipped with a bicycle rack.
Guided Tours
Prince Edward Tours offers daily tours from Charlottetown to Green Gables. They also offer shuttles to events like the Cavendish Beach Music Fest.
Another option is to go on guided tours with PEI Experience. They offer a variety of experiences from food tours to clam fishing. You can also find guided tours on Viator.
New Brunswick
Along with Maritime Bus, railways, and airports, you can also get to New Brunswick on a ferry from Nova Scotia. Bay Ferries connect Digby, NS to Saint John, NB, There are also a number of ferries that connect towns and cities along the Saint John River.
To reach Northern New Brunswick, travelling by Via Rail is the only option. Maritime Bus offers stops across Southern New Brunswick and close to the Confederation Bridge.
Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint John are home to their own public transit systems, which makes it easy to explore these cities. These transit systems are connected to the airports, so you can easily get into the city.
Ride-sharing apps like Uber are allowed in New Brunswick, but they are limited to the major cities.
Codiac Transpo
Moncton, Dieppe, and Riverview are connected by Codiac Transpo. There are 19 routes with 9 being wheelchair accessible. Buses run Monday to Saturday, with Saturday having a different schedule to weekday buses.
Moncton is also home to the Magic Winery Bus, which runs from Thursday to Sunday. The Magic Winery Bus visits two to four incredible local wineries with tastings and small culinary plates at each stop.
Saint John Transit
Getting around Saint John is no problem since the city has its own bus system. There are 3 main lines and 14 lines that connect to other parts of the city. Buses operate seven days a week, with limited service on weekends. They also offer two-hour bus tours through the city on cruise ship days from April to October.
Fredericton Transit
Fredericton Transit makes getting around the city easier. There are 10 routes that connect several key destinations around Fredericton like Regent Mall, Corbett Centre, UNB, and Kings Place.
Guided Tours
An easy but costlier way to explore New Brunswick is to take a guided tour or opt for a package. You can find various packages on the New Brunswick Tourism website and Viator.
Newfoundland & Labrador
From Cape Breton, you can reach ‘The Rock’ via the ferry. The ferries land in Port aux Basques and Argentia and you can catch the DRL Bus to St. John’s, Fogo Island and other major locations. If you are coming from Labrador, you can take the ferry from Blanc-Sablon, QC (very close to the Labrador border) to St. Barbe.
Metrobus
Being one of the oldest cities in Canada, St. John’s is an easy city to explore on foot. There is also the Metrobus which connects St. John’s, Mount Pearl and Paradise. The Metrobus is the cheapest way into the city from the airport.
Travelling around St. John’s, Mount Pearl and Paradise is easy as catching a bus. There are a total of 30 routes that connect the three communities. Metrobus operates 7 days a week, with limited times on the weekend.
Pre-pandemic, Metrobus offered a hop-on hop-off bus during summer which visited all the famous attractions in St. John’s. The 2022 schedule of the bus is yet to be announced.
Guided Tours
McCarthy’s Party offers a number of day and multi-day trips that are perfect for those looking to explore Newfoundland. All the tours leave from St. John’s. Along with set tours, they also have customizable day and multi-day tours.
When heading out of St. John’s, there are a number of tour providers who offer customizable tours that are perfect for day trips.
