15 beautiful beaches in Nova Scotia

With almost as many bays and calas (coves) as days in the year, Mallorca is, for many, all about the coastline and its glorious sandy beaches and rocky coves.

Daphné is the author of the Brittany chapter for our latest France guidebook. Here she shares the best beaches along its epic coastline.

Halifax is a harbor town. A narrow neck opens up to the protected waters of Bedford Basin, making it ideal as a naval and shipping port. Before Europeans arrived, this body of water was a sanctuary and home to Indigenous Mi’kmaq for millennia.

Dog-friendly year-round but with an on-leads rule between 1 April and 31 August to protect ground-nesting birds, Holkham beach is a brilliant family destination. The walk down to the golden sand is enchanting – along boardwalks and through pine forest – and there’s a cafe serving homemade sandwiches and cakes. Lots of great local walks too. Stay pet-friendly Sueda Cottage, with its own walled garden, is a minute’s walk from the harbour and pub. From £89a night (sleeps 4, plus two dogs)

Nova Scotia, Canada’s second smallest province, offers a surprising variety of landscapes. Rocky headlands end in sweeping crescents of white sand, and the ancient mountains of Cape Breton Island add another dimension. Mammoth tides pick fishing boats up and set them down again in the Bay of Fundy, and rivers stitch together small lakes across the interior. The capital, Halifax – home to a third of Nova Scotia’s population – its walkable waterfront is a beehive of bars, restaurants and attractions. The key to visiting Nova Scotia on a budget? Get outside and explore all these beautiful places.

Myrtle Beach is a popular vacation destination known for a number of longstanding attractions, from beaches, to family-friendly activities, to golfing. Now, it has a new offering based upon another longtime pastime – miniature golf.

I pried open the blinds, letting dawn’s filigreed light into the cabin. Outside my window, wild forest zoomed past. All night the train had barreled up the “jungle rails,” a historic set of tracks that spans the length of peninsular Malaysia, from its southernmost tip to its border with Thailand in the northeast. Those tracks would lead us to Taman Negara, one of the world’s oldest rainforests and the last refuge of the Malayan tiger.

“Canada’s Ocean Playground” – the phrase emblazoned on every Nova Scotia license plate – is a call to action to get out and explore this magical province.

With summer just around the corner, beach lovers are eager to find the best sandy spots in the U.S. The person with the answers: Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach.

The newest and most luxurious hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia is the chic, five star Muir hotel, located in the Queen’s Marque district, a newly regenerated waterfront neighborhood in the heart of the city. Owned by local businessman Scott McCrea, the Muir (gaelic for “the sea”) is a gorgeous property, a worthy addition to Marriot’s exclusive Autograph Collection, a select group of unique, independent hotels around the world.

On a map, Nova Scotia resembles a duck or a lobster – both fitting references for a province defined by its proximity to the North Atlantic.

There’s no better way to enjoy a summer’s day in Nova Scotia than poking along a quiet, rural road with the windows down just to see what’s around the next corner.