Fast Facts

American Express -- American Express maintains about seven travel offices in the four Maritime Provinces, including in Halifax, Saint John, and St. John's. To report lost or stolen American Express traveler's checks, call tel. 800/221-7282.

Automobile Clubs -- The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) extends member benefits (including maps and road service) to AAA cardholders. If you're a member, bring your membership card. For information about membership in CAA, call the eastern provinces office in Saint John at tel. 800/561-8807. CAA's website is located at www.caa.ca. For emergency road service in a pinch, call CAA's hotline at tel. 800/222-4357.

Business Hours -- Business hours in eastern Canada are generally similar to what you'd find in the United States. Most offices are open from 8 or 9am to 5 or 6pm Monday through Friday and are closed on weekends. Boutiques and souvenir shops typically open up around 10am and stay open until 6pm or so, often later during the peak tourist season. Hours vary widely for general merchandise and grocery stores. In general, you can expect early and late hours in the larger cities (even 24-hr. groceries are cropping up), more limited hours in the smaller towns and villages. Most general merchandise stores are closed on Sundays.

Customs --

What You Can Bring into Canada

Customs regulations allow adult travelers (19 or older) to bring 1.5 liters (1 bottle) of wine or 1.14 liters (40 oz.) of liquor or 24 12-oz. bottles of beer (not all three) into Canada without paying any duties or taxes. Travelers can also bring in 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars without paying duty or tax. If you're bringing gifts for Canadian friends, you're allowed to bring C$60 (US$54/£30) worth duty-free. An automated phone service can answer most of your questions about Customs regulations; call the Canada Border Services Agency at tel. 800/461-9999 (within Canada only), 204/983-3500, or 506/636-5064. Also consult the Canadian Customs website located at www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/visitors-eng.html (go to the "Customs Declaration Card" section) for an updated listing of Customs allowances. Regulations regarding firearms are more complicated; in short, it's best if you don't bring a gun. If you're traveling for hunting and want to bring a rifle into Canada, you should be traveling during hunting season and carry proof of your plans to hunt (a written confirmation from a guide service or hunting lodge should suffice). There are also limits on bringing some forms of ammunition.

What You Can Take Home from Canada

Returning U.S. citizens who have been away for at least 48 hours are allowed to bring back, once every 30 days, US$800 worth of merchandise duty-free. (Inside tip: This allowance can be combined by family members traveling together -- US$1,600 for two family members traveling together, US$4,000 for a family of five, and so on.) You'll be charged a flat rate of 4% duty on the next US$1,000 worth of purchases above your allowance. Be sure to keep receipts handy to expedite the declaration process. On gifts mailed home, the duty-free limit is US$200. If you owe duty, you are required to pay on your arrival in the United States -- either by cash, personal check, government or traveler's check, or money order (and, in some locations, a Visa or MasterCard).

To avoid paying duty on foreign-made personal items you owned before your trip, bring along a bill of sale, insurance policy, jeweler's appraisal, or receipts of purchase. Or you can register items that can be readily identified by a permanently affixed serial number or marking -- think laptop computers, cameras, and CD players -- with Customs before you leave. Take the items to the nearest Customs office or register them with Customs at the airport from which you're departing. You'll receive, at no cost, a Certificate of Registration, which allows duty-free entry for the life of the item.

With some exceptions, you cannot bring fresh fruits and vegetables back into the United States. For specifics on what you can bring back, download the invaluable free pamphlet "Know Before You Go" online at www.cbp.gov. (Click on "Travel"; then click on "Know Before You Go.") Or contact the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/227-5511), and request the same pamphlet.

U.K. citizens returning from a non-EU country have a customs allowance of 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of smoking tobacco; 2 liters of still table wine; 1 liter of spirits or strong liqueurs (over 22% volume) or 2 liters of fortified wine, sparkling wine, or other liqueurs; 60cc (ml) of perfume; 250cc (ml) of toilet water; and £145 worth of all other goods, including gifts and souvenirs. Children under 17 are not allowed the tobacco or alcohol allowances. For more information, contact HM Revenues & Customs at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from inside the U.K. only) or 2920/501-261 (from outside the U.K.). Also consult its website at www.hmce.gov.uk.

The duty-free allowance in Australia is A$900 or, for those under 18, A$450; these allowances can be combined for families traveling together. Travelers 18 and over can bring back 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of loose tobacco, plus up to 2.25 liters of alcohol, without paying any duties. If you're returning with valuables you already own, such as foreign-made cameras, you should file form B263. A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is "Know Before You Go." For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263. Also log on to the Australian Customs website at www.customs.gov.au.

The duty-free allowance for New Zealand is NZ$700. Citizens over 17 can bring in 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco (or a mixture of all three if their combined weight doesn't exceed 250g); plus 4.5 liters of wine or beer and up to three bottles containing up to 1.125 liters of liquor. Fill out a certificate of export, listing the valuables you are taking out of the country; that way, you can bring them back without paying duty. Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: "New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice No. 4." For more information, contact New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 0800/428-786 from within New Zealand or 0064/9300-5399 from overseas). You can also phone the New Zealand embassy in Washington, D.C., at tel. 202/328-4848 with questions. The New Zealand Customs Service website is located on the web at www.customs.govt.nz.

Drugstores -- Chain drugstore and independent pharmacies are located throughout Atlantic Canada. Check the phone book under "Pharmacy." Stores in larger cities and towns are likely to be open later than those in more remote villages. One of the larger national chains is Pharmasave (www.pharmasave.com), with about 70 stores scattered about the four provinces (most are in Nova Scotia).

Electricity -- Canada uses the same electrical current as the United States: 110-115 volts, 60 cycles.

Embassies & Consulates -- All embassies are in Ottawa, the national capital. The Australian High Commission is at 50 O'Connor St., Room 710, Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 (tel. 613/236-0841). The British High Commission is at 80 Elgin St., Ottawa, ON K1P 5K7 (tel. 613/237-1530). The Irish Embassy is at 130 Albert St., Suite 1105, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4 (tel. 613/233-6281). The New Zealand High Commission is at 99 Bank St., Suite 727, Ottawa, ON K1P 6B9 (tel. 613/238-5991). The South African High Commission is at 15 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, ON K1M 1M8 (tel. 613/744-0330). The U.S. embassy is at 490 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, ON K1N 1G8 (tel. 613/238-5335). In the Maritimes, there's a U.S. Consulate General in Purdy's Wharf Tower 2, Suite 904, 1969 Upper Water St., Halifax, NS B3J 3R7 (tel. 902/429-2480).

Emergencies -- In life-threatening situations, dial tel. 911.

Liquor Laws -- The legal drinking age is 19 years of age in all provinces. Restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages are said to be "licensed." If you want to tipple with dinner, look for a sign or ask whether the establishment is licensed. Do not drink and drive. Canadian law takes drunken driving seriously.

Lost & Found -- Be sure to tell all your credit card companies the minute you discover your wallet has been lost or stolen, and file a report at the nearest police precinct. Your credit card company or insurer may require a police report number or record of the loss. Most credit card companies have an emergency toll-free number to call if your card is lost or stolen; they may be able to wire you a cash advance immediately or deliver an emergency credit card in a day or two. Visa's U.S. emergency number is tel. 800/847-2911. American Express cardholders and traveler's check holders should call tel. 905/474-9280. MasterCard holders should call tel. 800/307-7309 or 636/722-7111. For other credit cards, try calling the toll-free number directory at tel. 800/555-1212.

If you need emergency cash over the weekend when all banks and American Express offices are closed, you can have money wired to you via Western Union (tel. 800/325-6000; www.westernunion.com).

Identity theft and fraud are potential complications of losing your wallet, especially if you've lost your driver's license along with your cash and credit cards. Notify the major credit-reporting bureaus immediately; placing a fraud alert on your records may protect you against liability for criminal activity. The three major U.S. credit-reporting agencies are Equifax (tel. 800/766-0008; www.equifax.com), Experian (tel. 888/397-3742; www.experian.com), and TransUnion (tel. 800/680-7289; www.transunion.com). Finally, if you've lost all forms of photo ID, call your airline and explain the situation; it might allow you to board the plane if you have a copy of your passport or birth certificate and a copy of the police report you've filed.

Mail -- Letters (up to 30g) mailed within Canada cost C52¢ (US47¢/26p) in postage. Letters up to 30 grams mailed to the United States cost C93¢ (US84¢/47p). For other international destinations, a letter weighing less than 30 grams costs C$1.55 (US$1.40/78p). More detailed information on heavier documents, packages, and other items can be found online at www.canadapost.ca.

Maps -- Excellent road maps are available from the provincial tourism authorities (ask at welcome centers).

Newspapers & Magazines -- Publishers in the major cities of the province -- including Halifax, Saint John, Fredericton, Charlottetown, and St. John's -- all produce very decent daily newspapers filled with information about goings-on around the town and province. Most also maintain websites, so you can scout out happenings before your departure. Canada's two national newspapers -- The Globe and Mail and the National Post -- are also widely available in most cities and many larger towns. U.S. papers such as the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times can be found in larger cities, but you shouldn't count on it. When available, they often sell out early. Newsmagazines such as Time and Newsweek are not difficult to find on newsstands.

Pets -- Traveling into Canada with your pet dog or cat should pose no difficulties. Be sure to have with you a certificate from your veterinarian certifying that your pet is currently vaccinated against rabies. (Puppies and kittens under 3 months are exempt.)

Police -- For police, call tel. 911.

Taxes -- Canada's high national and regional taxes offset some of the price advantages you gain when paying in Canadian dollars. Three of the four Maritime Provinces -- New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland -- adopted the Harmonized Sales Tax, also known as the HST, in 1997. HST combines provincial and federal sales taxes into one flat rate of 13%; this tax is charged on all goods and services. On Prince Edward Island, you'll be charged the national sales tax (also known as the GST) of 5%, plus a hefty PEI provincial tax of 10% -- the highest in Canada -- on most items (including a tax on the federal sales tax!). Footwear, clothing, books, and groceries are exempt from the PEI tax.

Until very recently, non-Canadians could apply for a refund of their entire HST (or the GST only, on Prince Edward Island) upon leaving the country. That is no longer true: Canada's legislature made the Visitor Rebate Program go poof in June of 2007. Tear up those rebate forms. The website www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/visitors has more answers on Canada's national and provincial taxes.

Time Zone -- Most of Atlantic Canada is on Atlantic Standard Time, 1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time (as observed in New England and the U.S. East Coast). The exceptions are Newfoundland and southeast Labrador, which are a half-hour ahead of Atlantic Standard Time.

Tipping -- As in the United States, tips provide a significant portion of the income for waiters, bellhops, and chambermaids. It's standard to leave 15% of the pre-sales tax total for basic service at a restaurant; more if the service is exceptional. Plan to tip around C$1 (US90¢/50p) per bag for assistance at your hotel and C$1 to C$2 (US90¢-US$1.80/50p-£1) per day to your chambermaid.

Toilets -- Generally called "washrooms" in Canada, public bathrooms are typically abundant and clean. Many towns have a visitor information center, and most of these have washrooms for visitors. In larger cities, washrooms can be found in public buildings, major hotels, some larger shops, and restaurants.