How you can drive, fly, float, cycle and more around Nova Scotia

29.04.2024 - 11:37 / lonelyplanet.com / Nova Scotia

On the shores of the blustery North Atlantic, Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s trio of Maritime Provinces. But you don’t (necessarily) need a boat to get around.

Exploring the beautiful province is easiest if you have your own set of wheels. Yet plenty of other transport options can add spice to your journey, including scenic ferry rides, once-in-a-lifetime helicopter charters and world-class bicycle routes.

Here’s our guide to traversing this wonderful, wild region on Canada’s east coast.

Known to the Indigenous Mi’kmaq people as “K’jipuktuk” (Great Harbor), Halifax is the largest Canadian city east of Montréal, with daily flight connections to major cities across Canada and the eastern USA, as well as direct service to Europe (London is roughly 5 hours away). The main air hub, Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), is a major full-service airport that offers car-rental facilities, restaurants, hotels and a helpful tourist information desk.

It’s easy to get from the airport to downtown Halifax if you don’t have a car. Ask for help at the ground transportation desk located just after the arrivals area. Your choices are a taxi or airport limousine (the same standard flat rate applies for both); a public bus (Metro X Route 320), Driver Dave’s (a reliable door-to-door rideshare service popular with students and budget travelers); and Uber.

It sounds extravagant – and it is. If you have a group of friends and a few loonies to spare, a helicopter ride is an unforgettable way to experience the drama of Nova Scotia’s coastline and islands. Halifax airport–based Vision Air Services offers a “heli-picnic” island-escape package (C$650 per person) in addition to private charters, while Breton Air, based at JA Douglas McCurdy airport in Sydney, provides private charters and transport to Cape Breton Island’s most exclusive lodges, retreats and golf courses.

There is one way to reach Nova Scotia by train: a VIA Rail Halifax–Montréal service called the Ocean, which takes approximately 21 hours. Many of the former rail beds in Maritime Canada have been replaced as part of a “rails to trails” project. A walk or bike ride along these trails is one of the best free things to do in Nova Scotia.

Halifax has a good selection of taxi operators who use an old-fashioned meter system and accept credit and debit cards, as well as old-fashioned cash. Although rideshare services are popular in other world cities, heavily regulated Halifax was slow to embrace the trend. Finally, in November 2020, rideshare services got the green light, despite protests from traditional taxi firms. You may notice that “grabbing an Uber” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue in Halifax as easily as in other cities.

One of the nicest ways to arrive in or