Planning a Trip

PEI is Canada's smallest province -- just about 193km (120 miles) at its greatest length -- which keeps the scuttling about down to a minimum and makes it very manageable for day explorations from one or two bases. However, traffic on the island roads tends to be slower than you would expect elsewhere, for various reasons -- speed limits, leisurely drivers, terrain -- so don't count on the sort of speedy travel you'd expect in a place like the neighboring U.S. Just enjoy the scenery.

In recent years, a number of PEI hotels and attractions have banded together to market some 80 different vacation packages that offer discounts ranging from moderate to generous. There are some good values hidden within. Call the provincial tourism office at tel. 800-463-4734 or 902/368-4444 to request information on discount packages.

Visitor Information

Tourism PEI publishes a comprehensive free visitor's guide to island attractions and lodgings that's well worth picking up. It is available at all information centers on the island, or in advance by calling tel. 800/463-4734 or 902/368-4444. You can also request it by fax (to tel. 902/368-4438), e-mail (gentleisland@gov.pe.ca), or good old-fashioned mail (P.O. Box 2000, Charlottetown, PEI C1A 7N8). The official PEI website is located at www.gentleisland.com.

PEI's splashy main information center is in something called Gateway Village (tel. 902/437-8570), just as you arrive on the island via the Confederation Bridge . It's a good spot for gathering brochures and asking last-minute questions. There's also a well-laid-out interpretive center featuring nicely designed exhibits about island history and culture. The exhibits on venturing to the mainland by iceboat in winters past are especially intriguing. The whole 12-hectare (30-acre) Gateway development, which features a number of retail shops selling island products, is a little odd, however. As the promoters put it, "Gateway Village portrays a turn-of-the-century PEI streetscape encompassing an exposition pavilion, food and retail services, liquor store, visitor information center, and the Festivals at Gateway." Huh? My suggestion: Stop for brochures, maps, maybe a quick walk through the interpretive center, and then push on. This island's got a lot to offer. Why not experience the real thing rather than this faux version?

When To Go -- PEI's peak tourism season is rather brief, running for 6 or 7 weeks from early July to late August. Most attractions don't open fully until July and a few even close before August is done.

Officials and more serious entrepreneurs are striving to convince shops and attractions to maintain more regular hours during the shoulder seasons, but they still have a way to go. If you do plan to visit in June or September, expect to be disappointed when a few (or more) restaurants and attractions are closed; check the listings in this book carefully for opening seasons. It will behoove you to base yourself in Charlottetown for part of the time if you're making a shoulder-season visit, since the capital city's restaurants all keep year-round hours.

Getting There

If you're coming from the west by car, you'll arrive via the Confederation Bridge, which opened with great fanfare in June 1997. On the island, you'll sometimes hear it referred to instead as the "fixed link," a reference to the guarantee Canada made in 1873 to provide a permanent link from the mainland. Whatever you call it, the dramatic 13km (8-mile) bridge is open 24 hours a day and takes about 10 to 12 minutes to cross. Unless you're high up in a van, a truck, or an RV, however, the views are mostly obstructed by the concrete Jersey barriers that form the guardrails along the sides.

The bridge toll in 2007 was C$41 (US$37/£21) round-trip for cars, more for vehicles with more than two axles. No fare is paid when you travel to the island; the entire toll is collected when you leave. Credit cards are accepted. Call tel. 888/437-6565 for more information.

If you didn't bring wheels to Canada, PEI Express Shuttle (tel. 877/877-1771; www.peishuttle.com) offers transportation by van from Halifax to Charlottetown for C$55 (US$50/£28) one-way for adults, C$50 (US$45/£25) for students and seniors, C$45 (US$41/£23) for children under age 5.

By Ferry -- For those arriving from Cape Breton Island or other points east, Northumberland Ferries Limited (tel. 888/249-7245; www.nfl-bay.com) provides seasonal service between Caribou, Nova Scotia (just north of Pictou) and Woods Island, PEI. Ferries with a 250-car capacity run from May to mid-December. During peak season (June to mid-Oct), ferries depart each port approximately every 90 minutes throughout the day, with the last ferry departing at 7:30pm or 9pm, depending on which direction you are traveling. The crossing takes about 75 minutes.

No reservations are accepted, except for buses; it's best to arrive at least an hour before departure to boost your odds of securing a berth on the next boat. Early-morning ferries tend to be less crowded. Fares are C$12 to C$14 (US$11-US$13/£6-£7) per person and C$59 (US$53/£30) for a regular-size car (more for campers and RVs). Major credit cards are honored.

By Air -- The island's main airport, Charlottetown Airport (call sign YYG; www.flypei.com), is a few miles north of the city. The daily Air Canada Jazz (tel. 888/247-2262; www.flyjazz.com) commuter flights from Halifax take just a half-hour, and Jazz also flies to Toronto and Montréal. In 2007, Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) announced a new direct summertime service from Boston, joining Northwest (tel. 800/447-4747; www.nwa.com), which has flown onto the island from Detroit daily in summer for several years.

Calgary-based WestJet (tel. 888/937-8538; www.westjet.com) also connects Charlottetown with Toronto, where you can fly to Florida, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas without switching airlines.

A taxi ride into the city from the airport costs C$11 (US$9.90/£5.50) for the first passenger, C$3 (US$2.70/£1.50) for additional passengers. There are also limousine firms and four auto-rental outfits represented in the terminal.