Visiting Prince Edward Island: A Small Province with a Big Heart
If you are reading this, there is a strong chance that you, just like me, have grown up with the stories of the orphan Anne Shirley and have this idealized idea about her newfound home, Prince Eduard Island. My love of the books of Lucy Maud Montgomery was the primary incentive for dreaming of visiting this magical land. Still, as you will see, I picked up quite a few additional motivations along the way. So, if you are headed for Canada's smallest province, here is what you must know.
Some boring facts
With its 5,660 km², Prince Edward Island is the smallest province of the country, part of Atlantic Canada. It is located off the eastern coast and connected to the continent by the Confederation Bridge, the longest bridge in the world over ice-covered water (12.9 km). Here are some obligatory general facts about the province:
Capital: Charlottetown
Population: 154,331
Demonyms: Prince Edward Islander, Islander, PEIer
Location: Gulf of St. Lawrence
Airports: Charlottetown Airport, Summerside-Slemon Park-Prince Edward Island Airport
Getting there and getting around
Driving
About 10 minutes on the Trans-Canada Highway will get you across the Confederation Bridge to the southwest coast of Prince Edward Island. Then you can start your journey from the town of Borden-Carleton.
Sailing
A 75-minute-long ferry ride provided by Northumberland Ferries connects the island to Nova Scotia from May until the middle of December. It can be booked online, which is recommended for peak season.
Another ferry line from Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, to the island runs from April until November.
Flying
The Charlottetown airport offers connected and direct flights. Most of the connections are made eighter in Vancouver or Montreal.
Getting around
A trip from one to the other end to the island would take no more than 4 hours, more if you prefer the coastline. You can explore by car even if you have arrived by plane, as at least five rental agencies hold offices at the airport. The island also has its own Uber-like service called Kari. Turo is available, which means you can rent the car of a local and I recommend you to do your tour by car as the best part of the trip for me was discovering nature on our own. Public transport is available in Charlottetown, Cornwall, Stratford, Summerside and the eastern part of the island but using it would be limiting.
Charlottetown
We travelled by plane from Vancouver, so the province's capital was our base. We had to choose between staying in Charlottetown for the whole vacation and planning day trips to other places or moving around. After a short consideration, we decided on the first option as it meant getting a better deal on accommodation and I didn't regret it for a moment.
The "Birthplace of the Confederation" has a lot to offer to history lovers, but that is just a part of its charm. Victorian architecture makes walking the city's streets an experience of its own. There are plenty of boutiques showcasing local artists and unique restaurants where you can have some premium seafood typical for the island, like their famous lobsters.
The history of the Confederation
This charming place is historically significant because here, the Confederation was born. A convention of representatives of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada held in September 1864 at Province House called later the Charlottetown Conference put a start to the discussions of the colonial union. You can visit the majestic neo-classical building that housed this meeting. It still functions as a seat of the province's legislature, making it one of the oldest functioning parliamentary buildings in the world.
Victoria Row
Even if you spend just a few days in Charlottetown, you will return to Victoria Row again and again. This street has everything you may wish for: cosy cafés for your breakfast, farm-to-table restaurants that arrange their tables outside during the summer when the street is pedestrian-only, cute small shops held by locals and life music outdoor stage. It is an excellent place for your day strolling or a fun evening out, and Victorian architecture elevates the atmosphere.
Usually, I avoid tourist traps, but I could not resist The Anne of Green Gables Store, and it turned out I made the right call. Usually, these places are filled with overpriced items, but I could fill the soul in this one, created by true kindred spirits that gathered a unique collection of in-house-made souvenirs.
Prince Edward Island National Park
Less than an hour's drive from Charlottetown will take you to the scenic Prince Edward Island National Park, and there is a ton to do here, like exploring the boardwalks and the red-sand beaches, seeing historical buildings, and even going for a swim.
The park is separated into three parts: Cavendish, Brackley-Dalvay Beach, and Greenwich, each with its unique beauty.
Cavendish
A favourite place of Lucy Mod Montgomery, author of "Anne of Green Gables", the Cavendish beach offers magnificent sights with its tall dunes and the typical wildlife. The unique nature here deserves protection, and some areas will require you to strictly stick to the walking alleys to avoid disturbing the dune ecosystem.
Further west, near North Rustico, the scenery changes as it unfolds the magnificent red rocks before your eyes. Multiple lookout points are spread across the area so you can explore them by car. To see the unique Mackenzie's Brook Sea arch, you will need to take a short walk on the beach, minding the schedule of the tides to be safe.
Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place
In Cavendish and engraved forever in my heart, you will find the Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place. This part of the land and the house that inspired the image of Green Gables were sold to the park by Montgomery's cousins.
The house is turned into a museum where you can see a recreation of Anne's room end even the puffed sleeve dress she dreamed of. I was aware that the place was reworked to look like the fictional one in the book, but it didn't stop my imagination from running wild. I still need to explore Lover's Lane and the Ghost trail that actually exists in the nearby forest. You can even have lunch at Avonlea! My inner child was in seventh heaven.
Brackley – Dalvay Beach Section
In the largest part of the national park, you will find plenty of beaches with beautiful dunes shaping the landscape – from the large, guarded, family-friendly ones to the hidden jams with red sand where you can enjoy the ocean view almost by yourself. Don't miss stopping by the wooden tower of the Covehead Lighthouse and the nearby Harbor, where you can find one of the few places to have lunch on the premise of the park in case you came unprepared as we did. Another option is the Millan Dining Room, where you can marvel at the Queen Anne Revival Victorian architecture of the National Historic Site Dalvay-by-the-Sea.
Greenwich Dunes
The main point of interest in the smallest section of the park is the eponymous walking trail ending with a floating dock. We didn't have much daylight left when we got there, but a lovely lady in the Interpretative centre let us know that it was just a one-hour walk. We managed to enjoy the scenery changing from a forest to a marsh and magnificent dunes.
Points East Coastal Drive
A day trip on the coastline in the eastern end is a journey to the land of lighthouses. The clearly marked drive takes about 4 hours without the stops, and we were determined to do it in one day, so we skipped going to the beach and enjoyed the scenery and our selected stops.
Of all the lighthouses along the way, my favourite is Cape Bear, the first to receive the distress signals from the Titanic. Climbing to the lantern room felt like travelling back in time. Five other lighthouses are open to the public on the drive, along with the Orwell Corner Historic Villa and the Elmira Railway Museum.
Overall
As Anne would say: “Dear old world, you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”
Spending some time on Prince Edward Island was everything I dreamed it would be - romantic, stimulating, and exciting. The island's rugged natural beauty sparks the imagination, and the scenery filled with old buildings provides the perfect decor for exciting adventures. This probably makes the locals we met along the way so calm and friendly, as they live in a different era, away from the stress of the urban jungle. There is a lot more to see and experience there, so I promised myself this would not be my last visit, and I hope I inspired you to plan yours too.