Coastal Treasures of the Canadian Maritimes — Self-Launched

Land at Halifax Stanfield, take the Halifax Transit Route 320 bus downtown (~CAD 4.25 / £2.50) rather than a taxi. Check into a hostel or budget hotel near the waterfront, then walk the Harbourfront Boardwalk, the Citadel National Historic Site lawns (free to walk; ~CAD 9 to go inside) and grab a doner or fish tacos on Argyle Street. If travelling solo, hostels here (e.g. Halifax Backpackers or HI Halifax) are the easy way to meet people.

🚌Halifax Transit bus 320 from airport, ~£2.50

🛏Halifax Backpackers / HI Halifax dorm or budget downtown motel (~£28)

• →Harbourfront Boardwalk
• →Citadel Hill walk
• →Argyle Street evening

Maritime Bus runs Halifax–Antigonish (~3 hrs, CAD 45–55 / £27–33); book ahead on maritimebus.com. Break the journey in Antigonish for the same short hikes the tour does — the Fairmont Ridge trail or the Pomquet Acadian trails are both free, well-marked and 1–2 hrs. Continue on the afternoon bus to Baddeck (~2.5 hrs more, CAD 40). Baddeck is small, so a guesthouse or the local hostel-style rooms are the budget option.

🚌Maritime Bus Halifax–Antigonish–Baddeck, ~£45 total

🛏Baddeck guesthouse or motel (~£45)

• →Antigonish town visit
• →Fairmont Ridge hiking trail
• →Pomquet Acadian trails

The tour uses a private van; independently the practical option is a one-day Cabot Trail minibus/van tour from Baddeck (several local operators, roughly CAD 130–160 / £75–95, bookable a few days ahead or via GetYourGuide/Viator) — this is the single biggest cost of the independent version but it's the only sane way to see the loop without a car. You get Ingonish Beach, the Lakies Head and Skyline-area viewpoints and time in the national park. Park entry for a day is ~CAD 8.60; if you're on a tour it's usually included. Bring a packed lunch — food stops on the trail are pricey and limited.

🚌Locally operated Cabot Trail day van, ~£85 (park entry ~£5)

🛏Baddeck guesthouse or motel (~£45)

• →Cabot Trail drive
• →Cape Breton Highlands National Park viewpoints
• →Ingonish Beach walk
• →Skyline Trail hike if time allows

Bus Baddeck to Truro or New Glasgow, then on to Pictou (~4–5 hrs total, CAD 60–70 / £35–40) — Maritime Bus services this corridor but check current timetables, as some connections are once daily. In Pictou, walk the historic waterfront and optionally the Hector Heritage Quay (~CAD 10 / £6). Cross to PEI on the Confederation Bridge shuttle/connector or the seasonal ferry from Caribou to Woods Islands (May–Oct, ~CAD 20 walk-on); Maritime Bus runs a bridge-connector service to Charlottetown/Summerside, ~CAD 30. Budget guesthouse in Summerside.

🚌Maritime Bus + bridge connector/ferry, ~£50

🛏Summerside motel or guesthouse (~£48)

• →Pictou historic waterfront
• →Hector Heritage Quay (optional, ~£6)
• →Confederation Bridge crossing

Local bus or the seasonal shuttle to Charlottetown (~CAD 10–15). Do the self-guided Charlottetown historic walk with a free/cheap city map or the CAD 25 guided version — Confederation history, Province House and Victoria Row. Rent a bike locally (CAD 35–50 half-day; the tour quotes CAD 80–100 for e-bikes) and ride out to the North Shore beaches for a swim and a picnic, or add the CAD 55–75 kayak tour if you want on the water. Evening: cheap lobster roll or a chowder at a harbour-side spot rather than the CAD 110 lobster feast.

🚌Local bus/shuttle to Charlottetown, ~£9

🛏Summerside motel or guesthouse (~£48)

• →Charlottetown historic walking tour (~£15)
• →North Shore beaches by bike (~£28)
• →Optional kayaking (~£40)

Longer travel day: bridge connector back to the mainland then Maritime Bus to Moncton, continuing to Saint John (~6–7 hrs, CAD 75–90 / £45–52). If you want Hopewell Rocks, the cleanest independent option is a Moncton-based half-day Hopewell Rocks shuttle/tour (CAD 60–90 / £35–52) timed to low tide — check the tide table before you book, because the sea floor walk is only accessible in a ~3 hour window each side of low tide. Hopewell park entry is separate, ~CAD 15. Fundy National Park is best reached with your own wheels or on the tour shuttle; if you're short on time, skip it and put the hours into Hopewell instead. Evening in Saint John's Uptown, and the free AREA 506 Container Village on the waterfront if it's open.

🚌Maritime Bus ~£48 + Moncton shuttle/Hopewell tour ~£42

🛏Saint John hostel or budget motel (~£42)

• →Hopewell Rocks at low tide (~£10 entry)
• →Fundy National Park (if time)
• →Reversing Falls lookout
• →AREA 506 Container Village

Take the Saint John–Digby ferry (Bay Ferries 'Fundy Rose', ~3 hrs, walk-on adult CAD 50–60 / £30–36 — book online; it runs roughly twice daily and is seasonal in shoulder months, so check dates). The crossing itself is the highlight — keep an eye out for whales and seabirds. In Digby, walk the scallop-fleet wharf and catch the free Reversing Falls lookout before you leave Saint John. For the Indigenous storytelling element, look for Mi'kmaq cultural experiences and guided walks run seasonally in the Annapolis Valley/Bear River area and book direct (many are small family operations, so email ahead).

🚌Bay Ferries Fundy Rose walk-on crossing, ~£33

🛏Digby motel or guesthouse (~£45)

• →Bay of Fundy ferry crossing
• →Digby scallop wharf walk
• →Reversing Falls lookout (Saint John)

The Bay of Fundy whale-watching trip (local operators, CAD 85–110 / £50–65, book direct or via GetYourGuide) is the stand-out day here — humpbacks, minkes and finbacks peak July–September. Alternatives if the weather's poor: Fort Anne National Historic Site in Annapolis Royal (~CAD 8), or the quirky floating village of Bear River with its artist studios. Getting around without a car is the weak link — a local taxi (~CAD 30–40 each way to Annapolis Royal) or a Digby-based tour is the realistic option; ask your guesthouse about shared shuttles.

🚌Local taxi/shuttle to Annapolis Royal & Bear River, ~£18

🛏Digby motel or guesthouse (~£45)

• →Bay of Fundy whale watching (~£58)
• →Fort Anne National Historic Site (~£5)
• →Bear River artist studios

Travel Digby to Halifax/Bridgewater by Maritime Bus (~4 hrs, CAD 45–55 / £27–33), then local bus or taxi to Lunenburg (~CAD 15). Lunenburg's UNESCO-listed old town is genuinely walkable — do the self-guided walk with the town map, or join the CAD 20 guided historic walk if one's running. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic is ~CAD 12 and worth an hour. Stay in Lunenburg itself or out at Western Shore; a hostel bed or a small B&B is the budget choice (Lunenburg hostels fill fast in summer).

🚌Maritime Bus ~£30 + local transport ~£10

🛏Lunenburg hostel/B&B or Western Shore motel (~£48)

• →Lunenburg historic walk
• →Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic (~£7)
• →Old Town harbour evening

Peggy's Cove is 43 km from Halifax on the Lighthouse Route and has no useful public transport — the practical independent option is a half-day Peggy's Cove tour from Halifax (CAD 75–100 / £45–58, GetYourGuide/Viator, several departures daily), or hiring a car for the day if you're travelling with others. Walk the granite rocks (stay off the black rocks in rough weather — people are swept off every year), see the lighthouse and grab a lobster roll at the Sou'Wester. Back in Halifax, do your own orientation walk: the Citadel, the Victorian Public Gardens (free) and the waterfront. Evening pints on Barrington Street.

🚌Peggy's Cove half-day tour ~£50

🛏Halifax Backpackers / HI Halifax dorm or budget downtown motel (~£28)

• →Peggy's Cove lighthouse and rocks
• →Halifax Citadel and Public Gardens
• →Barrington Street pubs

Slow breakfast, last walk along the waterfront or the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market (open daily, great for provisions), then bus 320 back to the airport (~£2.50). If your flight is later, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 (~CAD 16) is excellent and right by the waterfront.

🚌Halifax Transit bus 320 to airport, ~£2.50

🛏N/A — depart

• →Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market
• →Optional Pier 21 museum (~£9)