Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province and, mile for mile, one of its most captivating. The Island — as locals simply call it — is a place of red sandstone cliffs, emerald-green farmland, covered bridges, and warm shallow seas that turn the colour of amber at sunset. It is the homeland of Anne of Green Gables, the most beloved fictional character in Canadian literature. And it serves the finest lobster suppers on earth. Whatever brought you here, PEI will exceed your expectations.
Why Visit Prince Edward Island
PEI is unlike anywhere else in Canada. It is intimate in scale — you can drive from one tip to the other in about two hours — yet it packs extraordinary diversity into that small space. The north shore offers some of the warmest ocean swimming on Canada's Atlantic coast. The interior is a working agricultural landscape of potato fields and dairy farms that has changed relatively little in a century. The capital, Charlottetown, is a refined Victorian city that served as the birthplace of Canadian Confederation in 1864. And threading it all together, the Confederation Trail cycling route offers 470 kilometres of nearly flat riding through the Island's most beautiful countryside.
Perhaps most importantly, PEI operates at a different pace. Traffic jams are rare. Restaurants serve food grown within a few kilometres of your table. People wave from their porches. It is one of the most genuinely relaxing destinations in all of Canada — and for families travelling with children, it is close to perfect.
The 13-kilometre Confederation Bridge links PEI to New Brunswick and is free to cross eastbound (arriving on the island). Toll collected westbound ($52 per car in 2026). You can also fly into Charlottetown Airport (YYG) from Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax, or take the Northumberland Ferries service from Caribou, NS to Wood Islands, PEI (75 minutes).
Anne of Green Gables: The Literary Pilgrimage
L.M. Montgomery's 1908 novel introduced the world to Anne Shirley, the red-haired orphan girl whose imagination transformed everything she touched. Over a century later, the book remains one of the most-translated Canadian works ever published, with a particular following in Japan, Poland, and across the English-speaking world. For devoted readers, visiting PEI is an act of literary pilgrimage.
Green Gables Heritage Place
The farmhouse that inspired the fictional Green Gables — and that Montgomery herself knew well, as it belonged to her cousins — has been meticulously restored to its late 19th-century appearance. Walk through the bedroom Montgomery imagined as Anne's, explore the Haunted Wood trail, and sit on the porch where a young girl's imagination ran free. The surrounding farm and gardens are beautiful in summer.
- Parks Canada Discovery Pass covers entry — excellent value if visiting multiple national sites
- The adjacent Cavendish National Historic Site includes trails through the dunes to the beach
- The Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown stages the Anne of Green Gables musical every summer — book ahead
L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish Home & Birthplace
The foundations of the home where Montgomery wrote Anne of Green Gables still stand in Cavendish, surrounded by a quiet garden. She is buried in nearby Cavendish Cemetery under a stone that simply reads "Here sleeps Lucy Maud Montgomery." Her birthplace in New London, a 20-minute drive away, contains the original wedding dress she described in her journals and rare first-edition copies of her novels. Together, these three sites form an essential literary circuit.
- Montgomery's journals — displayed at the Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace — are intimate and extraordinary
- The Anne of Green Gables Museum in Park Corner has the most comprehensive collection of Montgomery memorabilia
PEI's Best Beaches
Prince Edward Island National Park protects 65 kilometres of the most beautiful coastline in eastern Canada. The sand is fine and warm — warmed by the shallow Gulf of St. Lawrence, which reaches swimming temperatures of 20°C or more by July — and the red sandstone cliffs provide a dramatic backdrop unlike any other beach in the country.
Cavendish Beach
The most famous beach on the island, Cavendish sits within the national park and offers long stretches of fine sand, supervised swimming areas, and dune boardwalks. It can get busy in July and August; arrive early or visit in the shoulder season (June, September) for a more peaceful experience. The dunes here are ecologically sensitive — stay on the boardwalks to protect the marram grass that holds them together.
Basin Head Provincial Park — the Singing Sands
On the eastern tip of the island, the fine quartz sand at Basin Head produces a distinctive squeaking or "singing" sound when you walk on it — the result of an exceptionally pure, dry sand with a very specific grain size. The shallow tidal lagoon here is perfect for children. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic is steps away and makes for an excellent half-day combination.
Red Point Provincial Park
One of PEI's best-kept secrets, Red Point offers brilliant red sandstone cliffs, fewer crowds, and a lovely campground right on the shore. The contrast of the red cliffs, the green dune grass, and the blue water is the quintessential PEI palette — and this is one of the best places on the island to photograph it.
The PEI Lobster Supper Experience
No visit to Prince Edward Island is complete without attending a traditional lobster supper. These community-hall events — originally organized by church groups as fundraisers — have evolved into one of the great culinary institutions of Atlantic Canada. For a fixed price (typically $55–$75 per person in 2026), you receive a whole steamed lobster, unlimited chowder, mussels, fresh rolls, and dessert. The setting is communal, the portions are enormous, and the lobster is the freshest you will ever eat.
New Glasgow Lobster Suppers (operating since 1958) and St. Ann's Church Lobster Suppers in Hope River are the most celebrated. Both are seasonal (June–October) and fill up fast — reserve in advance. For a more casual experience, the Fisherman's Wharf in North Rustico serves lobster suppers with harbour views.
Beyond lobster, PEI's food scene punches well above its weight. Malpeque oysters — grown in the protected bays of the island's north shore — are among the most prized oysters in North America, served raw in virtually every restaurant. Anne of Green Gables chocolates and PEI potato chips (the island produces 25% of Canada's potato crop) are the local souvenirs most worth eating. Charlottetown's restaurant scene, concentrated around Victoria Row and the waterfront, has grown remarkably sophisticated and now includes some of the finest seafood restaurants in the country.
Cycling the Confederation Trail
The Confederation Trail is one of Canada's great cycling routes — a 470-kilometre rail trail converted from the decommissioned CN Rail line that once crossed the island. The trail is almost entirely flat (the original railway grades were gentle), surfaced with packed crushed gravel, and passes through farmland, forests, and small communities the entire length of PEI. Most cyclists do not attempt the full trail end-to-end; instead, sections of 30–80 kilometres make ideal day rides or two-day overnight trips.
The most scenic segment runs through the central island between Kensington and Charlottetown (approximately 60 km), passing through several small communities where you can stop for coffee, fresh berry pies, and views across the patchwork farmland. Bicycles can be rented in Charlottetown, Summerside, and Cavendish. For families, the 45-kilometre segment between Charlottetown and Mount Stewart is particularly welcoming, passing through the Hillborough River estuary — an important habitat for great blue herons and osprey.
Charlottetown: The Cradle of Confederation
Canada's most historic small city deserves more time than most visitors give it. In September 1864, the Fathers of Confederation gathered here — in what is now Province House National Historic Site — to begin drafting the agreement that would create Canada three years later. Province House, a supremely elegant Italianate sandstone building completed in 1847, has been meticulously restored and is the most important political building in Canadian history still in regular use.
Beyond history, Charlottetown is a genuinely lovely city of Victorian architecture, independent bookshops, excellent restaurants, and a vibrant arts scene centred on the Confederation Centre of the Arts. Victoria Row — a pedestrian street of heritage buildings — buzzes with life in summer. The city is compact and entirely walkable. Plan at least a full day here, more if you can manage it. For help building your full PEI and Maritime Canada itinerary, see our complete Canada trip planning guide.
Practical Information
Suggested 5-Day PEI Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive via Confederation Bridge or Charlottetown Airport. Check in and explore Victoria Row, Province House, and the waterfront. Dinner at one of Charlottetown's seafood restaurants.
Day 2: Drive the north shore. Morning at Green Gables Heritage Place and L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish home. Afternoon at Cavendish Beach. Evening lobster supper at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers.
Day 3: Cycling day on the Confederation Trail between Kensington and Cavendish (or Charlottetown to Mount Stewart). Pack a picnic from a local bakery.
Day 4: Eastern PEI. Basin Head Singing Sands Beach in the morning. Afternoon at the Fisheries Museum and Red Point Provincial Park. Fresh oysters at a north shore restaurant for dinner.
Day 5: Summerside and western PEI. Visit the Eptek Art & Culture Centre, explore the waterfront boardwalk, and stop at a farm stand before heading home via the Confederation Bridge.
Plan Your PEI Adventure
Ready to explore Canada's Island Province? Build your complete Maritime Canada itinerary — PEI, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick — with our trip planning tools.
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