Three Maritime provinces, one RV trip — each one distinct, each one worth the journey, and all of them together forming one of the best travel experiences we've had.
New Brunswick: The Gateway Province
New Brunswick is where most Maritimes road trips begin, and it earns its place as the gateway. The province is larger than it looks on a map, with a rugged interior, a dramatic Bay of Fundy coastline, and a bilingual culture that reflects its French and English roots in equal measure. The tides on the Bay of Fundy are the highest in the world — a fact that sounds like a tourism slogan until you actually stand at the water's edge at low tide and see the ocean floor stretching out before you.
"PEI has a quality that larger places rarely achieve: it feels complete."
Prince Edward Island: Small, Beautiful, and Worth It
PEI is the smallest province in Canada, and it has a quality that larger places rarely achieve: it feels complete. The red soil, the green fields, the lobster suppers, the Anne of Green Gables heritage — it all fits together into something coherent and genuinely lovely. Traveling by RV on PEI requires some planning, as the roads are narrower than you'd expect and some campgrounds fill up fast in summer. But the island rewards the effort. The clamming, the seafood, the quiet beaches — it's a place that stays with you.
Nova Scotia: The Grand Finale
Nova Scotia was the last province on our Maritimes loop, and it felt like a fitting conclusion. Halifax is a proper city with excellent food and a deep maritime history. The Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island is one of the most spectacular drives in North America. And the smaller towns along the South Shore — Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, Chester — have a charm that's hard to find anywhere else. We left Nova Scotia already planning the next visit.
