Prince Edward Island, located off Canada’s east coast and connected to Nova Scotia by a bridge since 1997, still carries the secluded charm of an island. Its capital, Charlottetown, is a favored port of call for cruise lines such as Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Silversea and Seabourn, which dock close to the city center and let visitors step ashore right into its compact downtown.
Walkable and historic, Charlottetown is characterized by streets of 19th-century homes and a strong sense of heritage. Often called the Birthplace of Canada, the city hosted the 1864 Charlottetown Conference where the Articles of Confederation were discussed—the gathering that helped lead to Canadian confederation. A stroll through the six blocks of stately houses in the Great George Street Historic District evokes the Victorian-era atmosphere that defined the city during that period.
For independent visitors, a free walking tour map highlights the city’s main attractions; guided two-hour walking tours are also widely available. Most island excursions begin with a brief introduction to Charlottetown before moving out into the scenic inland countryside, offering context that enhances the rest of the day’s discoveries.
Charlottetown © Darryl Brooks | Dreamstime.com
The most popular half-day outings travel along the island’s northern coast, where Prince Edward Island National Park preserves long stretches of sandy beaches, dunes and striking red sandstone cliffs. These coastal landscapes are broken by sheltered bays, small harbors and traditional fishing villages. The gentle hills and farmland around Cavendish inspired L.M. Montgomery’s 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables and the later series; virtually every tour includes a stop at Green Gables Heritage Place to visit the farmhouse that appears in the books. Full-day itineraries typically add visits to rustic harbors, local galleries and well-tended gardens, and usually feature a chance to taste the island’s celebrated shellfish at a seaside lunch.
Other popular half-day options head west, where several of the island’s 63 lighthouses stand sentinel along the shore. Travelers often pause for photos of these beacons and of the impressive 8-mile Confederation Bridge, then continue to explore the quaint shops, cafés and tea rooms of the seaside village of Victoria.
The island’s quieter eastern end receives fewer organized tours, but most port schedules permit a longer, seven-hour excursion to the Greenwich section of Prince Edward Island National Park. There, dune-backed beaches, one of the island’s tallest lighthouses and the unusual “singing sands” at Basin Head Beach make for memorable stops. After a stroll along the Souris Harbour boardwalk and browsing local shops, beachcombers can hunt for colorful pieces of sea-polished glass and other shoreline finds.