Best Maritime City and Region to visit (houses, campground)
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Does it make sense to rent a car if going to Halifax or St. John? I'm coming from NYC and trying to decide among renting a car and driving up (for Halifax), flying and renting a car (for either), or flying in and not renting a car at all.
It's a 4.5 hour drive from Saint John to Halifax (roughly). Two hours to Moncton (be sure to stop at the Irving Big Stop diner for lunch), then another 2 and a half hours to get from there to Halifax. With that being said, it's an incredibly beautiful, scenic drive. You go past hilly farms and winding rivers going up to Moncton, through some marsh land as you cross into Nova Scotia, and through some lovely, picturesque 19th century villages going down to Halifax. I strongly recommend you fly up to Saint John then rent the car and do it. Do the drive to Halifax.... You'll feel your blood pressure plummet as you enjoy the ocean breeze. Turn off the air conditioning, and roll down the windows. Ahhh.
Rather than Charlottetown, I'd say Summerside for PEI... and it's too bad, but Moncton, Fredericton, and Caraquet are all worth a mention too.
Other than the water park, zoo and mall (stuff not unique at all to the Maritimes), what does Moncton really have as a draw?
Caraquet is very small and way out of the way. It would be a separate trip to itself.
I agree Fredericton would be a good afternoon stop en route to or from. Provincial capitol, some attractions, beautiful downtown and riverfront with parks and bike/walking paths.
Does it make sense to rent a car if going to Halifax or St. John? I'm coming from NYC and trying to decide among renting a car and driving up (for Halifax), flying and renting a car (for either), or flying in and not renting a car at all.
Unless you are just spending 3-4 days in a single city you definitely need a car for a trip to anywhere in the Maritimes.
Other than the water park, zoo and mall (stuff not unique at all to the Maritimes), what does Moncton really have as a draw?
Caraquet is very small and way out of the way. It would be a separate trip to itself.
I agree Fredericton would be a good afternoon stop en route to or from. Provincial capitol, some attractions, beautiful downtown and riverfront with parks and bike/walking paths.
I agree with this. Moncton is mostly a family destination as opposed to a place for more adult pursuits. It does have a great beach nearby at Shediac.
Saint John as mentioned and Fredericton are the best urban destinations in NB.
Caraquet and region is culturally interesting but out of the way as noted.
I have been to all the places you mentioned and I think Cape Breton is by far the most interesting and scenically beautiful. It is definitely worth the trip there. The locals are friendly, culture is unique and scenery is excellent... I really love Atlantic Canada and I would go back again in a heartbeat
Thinking of road tripping ... three nights which would give me one full day to explore a city and one full day to explore nearby coastline.
3 nights/4 days? Are you travelling by car? The distances alone will take time/energy. Saint John to Cape Breton, for example, 300kms, then perimeter of Cape Breton 250 kms, then back to Saint John 300kms = 850 kms. And you have to get to Saint John first.
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Originally Posted by Shane73
Saint John / Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick - seems like a nice old port city with some historic charm. Would be the most accessible place, but I may want to travel beyond it. Is Saint John fairly vibrant or is it relatively quiet?
All places in the Maritimes are quaint. Mostly it is a lot of driving amidst forests, (long drives) between quaint towns. The Bay of Fundy would be good for a 3-day trip, with its "natural wonder" of huge tides Bay of Fundy - Discover Canada's Natural Wonder For some reason, I remember St. Andrews (a nearby town) with incredibly beautiful yachts, rather than St. John.
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Originally Posted by Shane73
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island - Though Charlottetown itself seems small, it looks very cute and seems like a nice base to explore the island.
200 kms one way from St John. The bridge that connects the mainland to the island is huge. All of Maritime towns have Maritime charm, Charlottetown as well. The soil is red, the beaches have reddish sand. Lots of potato farms.
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Originally Posted by Shane73
Halifax, Nova Scotia - Halifax is the big hub city of the Maritimes, no problems finding things to do in town. Outside of the famous lighthouse (Peggy's Cove) how is the nearby area in terms of exploring the coastline for a day or so?
I'm just back from Halifax, it has tourist waterfront with restaurants (oysters, lobsters, chowders). But it is small. There is one roundabout on Northwest arm that I passed probably 7 times (going in and out of downtown). It is not that big, 300,000 population. To me it looks quaint, as well. But it depends on where a tourist is coming from. To explore beaches, you would have to drive out of Halifax a bit. I would take highway 103 to Upper Tantallon (25 kms from Halifax), and from that point on scenic route 3. There is a beach in Queensland, with waves, then there is a town called Chester, - a posh one with yachts, and further down Mahone Bay with 3 churches and funky market on weekends, and still further Lunenburg - UNESCO town.
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Originally Posted by Shane73
Sidney / Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia - Of the pictures I've seen, Cape Breton appears to have the most impressive scenery to take in. Are there interesting towns to explore? Sidney on google streetview appeared rather ordinary, not a lot of character to take in, though I could be wrong.
The beauty of Cape Breton is in the breathtaking views (mountains-ocean) when you drive around the perimeter (Cabot trail), especially in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. (All park entrances are free this year btw, if you have a tent). But 850-1000kms in 3 days....
Halifax 4 days ago. Botanical Garden on Spring Garden Road downtown. The hanging pirate is in the Museum of the Atlantic - they used to hang pirates like this in olden times, to scare other pirates. Halifax waterfront. View from the plane on Annapolis river in NS - the red soil also (it is closer to PEI).
The Maritimes are intriguing. I'm curious about whether major Maritime cities like Halifax will start receiving more new immigrants to Canada in the future.
PEI if you like warm red sand beautiful beaches, fantastic seafood, great live music, friendly locals, NOT CROWDED, with fantastic views. We typically stay in the North Rustico and or Cavendish areas, close to everything including the national park and beaches. We visit Charlottetown once or twice during our 2 week stay. Not a very big place but has many restaurants and bars.
PEI is a beautiful place we have been visiting since 1985 and spent a month on the island in 2015 and will be back in 2017 for 2 weeks. We have been to 49 of the 50 states and 8 of the 13 Provinces but still find time to get back to PEI we love it. It takes us 2 days to get to PEI from Pa.
PEI is not a big place you can get to most of the island in about 2 hours.
Whether you're looking for fresh produce, baked goodies, or works of art, the Charlottetown Farmers' Market is a wonderful place to visit. Every Saturday 9am - 2pm. Open seasonally on Wednesday’s. 100 Belvedere Avenue, Charlottetown PEI
Victoria Row
Nice shops and restaurants adjacent to the government center and performance arts facility.
Beaconsfield Historic House is a very fine example of Victorian architecture with many original features intact. Next to Victoria Park and the governors mansion.
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I really love Atlantic Canada and I would go back again in a heartbeat 
