Prince Edward Island in Canada: 9 Things To Explore

Prince Edward Island in Canada is an unspoiled charming island with rolling farms, red cliffs, white lighthouses, golden dunes, and sparkling lakes.

It’s a distinctive Canadian journey. The most frequent name for PEI is Prince Edward Island, and it is one of the three Maritime provinces on Canada’s east coast.

Prince Edward Island, which is the only island province in Canada and is only 139 miles long and 40 miles wide, manages to fit a lot of activities into its little territory.

Many people associate Anne of Green Gables with Prince Edward Island. Although Anne is the novel’s main character, PEI is a stunning co-star with delicious descriptions that will make you want to go for a walk in the woods or sit by a lake yourself.

The island offers many hidden gems, stunning green gables shore, coastal trails, green pastoral landscapes, delectable cuisine, and intriguing history in addition to Green Gables.

9 Things to Explore on Prince Edward Island in Canada

Here are some of the things that you can do in Prince Edward Island in Canada.

1. Lighthouse Spotting

A white and red lighthouse set amidst sand dunes is the epitome of Maritime Canada. Spotting lighthouses is a popular activity on Prince Edward Island and is high on many people’s lists of things to do in Canada.

On Prince Edward Island, there are 63 lighthouses. Whether they are round, square, plain, tall, or striped, all of them were built in the middle of the 19th century to protect passing ships from the hazardous seas.

Six lighthouses along Eastern PEI’s Points East Coastal Drive are open to tourists in the summer. Among these are Cape Bear, where the first Titanic distress signal was heard, East Point, which had to be moved twice due to coastal erosion and Point Prim lighthouse, PEI’s first, oldest, and only round brick lighthouse.

In the West Point lighthouse, located in the western part of the island, you can even spend the night in a lighthouse if you’re a big admirer.

2. Red Sandstone Cliffs

As you travel the island, you’ll catch glimpses of Prince Edward Island’s distinctive beautiful red soil.

Significant amounts of iron are present in the island’s sandstone, which oxidizes and rusts when exposed to air, giving the rock its characteristic color.

Sandstone is excellent for farming and creates stunning views, especially when combined with PEI’s lush fields or azure ocean.

With strange and fascinating rock formations that shine at dusk, the red sandstone cliffs of Cape Tryon and Prince Edward Island National Park are found along the island’s north shore.

More stunning sandstone views may be found on the south shore at Argyle Shore Provincial Park and Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst National Historic Site.

3. Charming Small Towns

The capital city of Charlottetown is a convenient area to base oneself if you’re just in Prince Edward Island for a short while.

Prince Edward Island is a small island, so seeing a few of its charming small towns in a single day is not difficult.

Visit the Victoria Seaport Museum to learn about the area’s nautical past, explore the artist studios in Victoria by the Sea, and shop for handmade jewels, pottery, and fabrics by the Prince Edward Islanders.

Take a stroll along the boardwalk to the beach at North Rustico in time for sunset after seeing the fishing boats arrive with the day’s haul.

Drink some wine from the Newman Estate Winery and keep an eye out for animals while strolling along the Beck Trail in Murray River.

4. Story of Confederation

Despite being a small island, Prince Edward Island has had a significant impact on Canada’s fascinating history.

The Charlottetown Conference, which resulted in the creation of Canada, was held at Charlottetown in September 1864. Representatives from the former British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario were gathered.

Follow Great George Street, one of only two Canadian streets designated a National Historic District, in their footsteps.

While Province House is undergoing renovations, you can visit the Confederation Center of the Arts to see a recreation of the old Confederation Chamber, which is also highly recommended for its collection of Canadian artwork.

5. Beaches

Prince Edward Island features 500 miles of sandy beaches, with sand that ranges from white to red and some of the warmest waters north of Florida if you feel like spending the day at the shore.

Singing Sands in Basin Head Provincial Park, one of the island’s most well-known attractions, gets its name from the silica-rich sand that makes noise as you walk on it.

For the 37-mile expanse of red sand on Cavendish Beach or the more sedate Greenwich Beach with its golden dunes, visit Prince Edward Island National Park.

The eccentric Dunes Gallery is located on Brackley Beach, which is about a 25-minute drive from Charlottetown, the island’s capital.

6. Enjoying Fabulous Seafood Cuisine

Prince Edward Island, Canada’s food island, is well-known for its seafood, which includes some of the best oysters, lobster supper, and most delicious clams, scallops, and mussels in the world.

You’ll understand why if you enjoy a buttery lobster roll with a squeeze of lemon while sitting by the water.

Both the Malpeque Oyster Barn and the Claddagh Oyster House in Charlottetown provide mouthwatering oysters.

You may experience the clams at the Clam Diggers Beach House and Restaurant in Georgetown and the mussels at the Blue Mussel Cafe in North Rustico. You can dine on crispy fish and chips on the Covehead restaurant’s terrace, Richard’s Fresh Seafood.

If you like seafood, fall is the best time to attend the PEI International Shellfish Festival. September is the month for taste tests, musical performances, cooking demonstrations, and a record attempt for the longest lobster roll ever made. Additionally, you can go fishing, clamming and oyster shelling, or both if you wish to catch your own.

At the weekly Charlottetown Farmers’ Market, which is held every Saturday plus Wednesday from July to October, you can sample some of the delectable regional flavours. Along with gift, craft, and art stalls, there are food and beverage stands.

Alternatively, you might tour Prince Edward Island’s food and beverage manufacturers while there.

Our favourites include the PEI Brewing Company for craft beer, the Rossignol Winery for fruit and maple wines, the Myriad View Distillery for spirits, the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company for jam and chutney, and Island Chocolates for handcrafted chocolates.

7. Broadwalks

One of the tourists’ favourite activities on Prince Edward Island is to stroll along the boardwalk while taking in the sea air.

The 2.7 km Greenwich Dunes Trail in the Prince Edward Island National Park features a boardwalk with a floating part that takes you through marshland, over meadows, and past the region’s protected parabolic dunes to the ocean.

It’s a flat, simple walk that’s great for the whole family to enjoy. You can also participate in the early-evening procession of runners, walkers, and bikers in Charlottetown’s Victoria Park, where a boardwalk extends past the ruins of a former fort and beside rows of boats to Peake’s Wharf and the Harbour.

8. Victoria Row

Victoria Row, also referred to as The Row, is one of Charlottetown’s most charming streets with its Victorian red brick structures, cobblestone streets, and shaded trees.

The street is lined with a selection of pubs, eateries, coffee shops, galleries, and independent businesses selling gifts, antiques, and art. Of course, there are also a few artifacts connected to Anne of Green Gables there.

From May through October, Victoria Row is pedestrianized, allowing you to have a drink outside as the sun sets and listen to street entertainers. For views of the city’s rooftops, reach up to the rooftop terrace bar at Fishies on the Roof.

9. Confederation Bridge and Confederation Trail

The 12.9-kilometre-long Confederation Bridge, constructed in 1997, connects New Brunswick on Canada’s mainland with Prince Edward Island.

This spectacular technical accomplishment must resist the severe weather conditions in the Northumberland Strait since it is the longest bridge in the world over ice-covered waters. Cruise ships can navigate it since it is tall enough.

Even if you don’t cross the Confederation Bridge to go to Prince Edward Island, as many people do, it is still worthwhile to go and take a look around. Excellent views of the bridge can be enjoyed from Borden-Carlton Historical Park, and if you don’t have a car, a half-day tour that leaves from Charlottetown includes a stop at the bridge.

Wrapping Up

Despite Prince Edward Island’s diminutive size, there is a surprising amount of adventure and action to be found there. Discover booming urban centers, quaint rural towns, expansive farmland settlements, and fishing villages.

Due to its proximity to water, Prince Edward Island in Canada experiences a temperate climate that is rarely humid. The majority of companies are open from May to October, but summer is unquestionably the finest season for going out on the ocean and enjoying the beaches because of the comfortable temperatures between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Enjoy moderate days in the spring, when the lupines blossom, as well as the beginning of the lobster and theatre seasons. Similar temperatures are experienced in the fall, which is often a beautiful season on the island as the leaves begin to change colour.

Prince Edward Island is a wonder of a destination in Canada and truly fulfils every travel interest of tourists.