Prince Edward Island Circuit

Home of Anne of Green Gables and birthplace of Canadian Confederation, with red shores, lighthouses, dunes, lobster suppers and mussels.

Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province, lying in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and stretching about 224 km from east to west; red soil, rolling farmland, lighthouses and sand dunes give it a pastoral island landscape. The capital, Charlottetown, hosted the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 and is known as the "Birthplace of Confederation", while Cavendish on the north shore is the setting of Anne of Green Gables. The island splits into three areas. In Charlottetown, everything centres on walkable Victoria Row, the Confederation Centre of the Arts (home to Anne of Green Gables – The Musical in summer), St. Dunstan's Basilica and the waterfront at Peake's Wharf. In the central north are Prince Edward Island National Park and the Anne-themed area around Cavendish, including Green Gables Heritage Place, L. M. Montgomery's Birthplace and the Anne of Green Gables Museum at Park Corner, plus Cavendish and Brackley beaches and lobster suppers. To the east are the Greenwich dunes, Point Prim, Panmure Island Lighthouse and the "singing sands" of Basin Head, while the southwest offers Victoria-by-the-Sea and the Confederation Bridge. The best season is June–Sep; July–Aug has the warmest water and the most festivals, and September brings the Fall Flavours food festival. Winters are cold and many sights close. You can fly into Charlottetown Airport, drive over the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick (toll charged when leaving the island) or take the ferry from Nova Scotia. Public transport on the island is limited, so a car is recommended; 3–4 days covers the main sights.

Top sights

• Green Gables Heritage Place – The green-roofed white farmhouse that inspired Anne of Green Gables, furnished to match the novel, with Lover's Lane and Haunted Wood trail…
• Cavendish Beach – The most popular beach in Prince Edward Island National Park, with golden sand backed by red sandstone cliffs and dunes.
• New Glasgow Lobster Suppers – A traditional lobster supper hall in operation since 1958, serving whole lobster with unlimited seafood chowder, mussels, and lemon meringu…
• Brackley Beach – A long sandy beach in the middle of Prince Edward Island National Park, the closest park beach to Charlottetown, with red dunes and bay sce…
• Greenwich Dunes (PEI National Park) – Parabolic moving dunes in the eastern section of the national park, with a floating boardwalk crossing the wetlands to the sea.
• Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace – The small house where the author of Anne of Green Gables was born in 1874, displaying her wedding dress and scrapbooks.
• Anne of Green Gables Museum (Silver Bush) – The farmhouse of Montgomery's aunt and cousins, where the author held her wedding in 1911, with rides on a horse-drawn carriage around the…
• Avonlea Village – A nostalgic village modeled on the fictional town of Avonlea, with historic buildings, shops, and Anne-themed performances.
• North Rustico – An Acadian fishing village beside the national park, with a harbor boardwalk, seafood restaurants, and departure points for deep-sea fishin…
• Victoria Row – A 19th-century red-brick pedestrian street in old Charlottetown, filled with summer restaurant patios, galleries, and street music.
• Confederation Centre of the Arts – A national arts centre commemorating Canadian Confederation, where the world's longest-running annual musical, Anne of Green Gables, is sta…
• Province House National Historic Site – The site of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference, regarded as the "birthplace of Canadian Confederation," a neoclassical sandstone building.
• St. Dunstan's Basilica – A Gothic Revival church with twin spires on the Charlottetown skyline, with marble and stained glass inside.
• Peake's Wharf – A waterfront area converted from Charlottetown's historic wharf, with wooden-cabin shops, seafood restaurants, the famous COWS ice cream sh…
• Victoria Park – A large waterfront park on Charlottetown's headland, with a seaside boardwalk offering views of the harbour and the ruins of a historic for…
• Beaconsfield Historic House – A Victorian Italianate mansion completed in 1877, offering a glimpse into the life of a Charlottetown shipbuilding tycoon.
• Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst National Historic Site – The site of France's first settlement and a British fortress, with grassy slopes overlooking the entrance to Charlottetown Harbour.
• Victoria-by-the-Sea – A miniature fishing village on the south shore, with colourful cottages, chocolate shops, a theatre and wharfside seafood, ideal for a leis…
• Confederation Bridge – Spanning 12.9 km across the Northumberland Strait, which freezes in winter, linking Prince Edward Island with New Brunswick.
• Point Prim Lighthouse – The oldest lighthouse on Prince Edward Island, a rare round brick lighthouse in Canada standing on a red headland.
• Orwell Corner Historic Village – An open-air historic village recreating rural life in the 19th century, with farmhouses, a blacksmith's shop, a schoolhouse and farm animal…
• Panmure Island Lighthouse & Beach – A wooden octagonal lighthouse on the east coast and white-sand beaches, with ocean waves on one side of the sandbar road and a calm lagoon…
• Basin Head Provincial Park – The 'singing sands' beach at the island's eastern tip, where the sand squeaks underfoot and you can jump off a bridge into the channel.
• Dalvay-by-the-Sea – A Queen Anne Revival seaside villa hotel built in 1895 inside a national park; a Canadian National Historic Site where you can take afterno…

Where to eat

• New Glasgow Lobster Suppers – A family-run lobster supper operating since 1958, serving a main course alongside mussels, chowder, and dessert for a t…
• Blue Mussel Cafe – A popular North Shore seafood restaurant that moved from North Rustico Harbour to a new location on Route 6 in 2026, fa…
• Water Prince Corner Shop – A cozy seafood eatery and lobster shop on Water Street in Charlottetown, popular for its lobster rolls, seafood chowder…
• The Fireworks Feast at The Inn at Bay Fortune – A four-hour farm-to-table wood-fired feast created by Chef Michael Smith, featuring Oyster Hour and a shared long-table…
• Claddagh Oyster House – A year-round oyster restaurant in Charlottetown's historic district, featuring a live shucking station and in-house dry…

Itineraries

• Maritime Provinces Clockwise Grand Loop – A grand loop through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, connecting the South Shore, the Bay of Fundy…
• Prince Edward Island Self-Drive Loop – Based in Charlottetown and the North Shore, loop around the eastern lighthouses, dunes, Green Gables, and southwestern…
• Quebec to Maritimes by Ocean Train – Explore Montreal and Quebec City, take the overnight train to Moncton, then drive to the Hopewell Rocks, PEI, and Halif…