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, take note: Island roads tend to be slower than you would expect elsewhere, so don't count on speedy travel despite the short distances.

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 tel. 888/734-7529 or 902/368-4444 to request information on discount packages.

Visitor Information

Tourism PEI publishes a comprehensive free guide to island attractions and lodgings that's well worth picking up. The Visitors Guide is available at all information centers on the island, or in advance by calling tel. 888/734-7529 or 902/368-4444. You can also request it by fax (tel. 902/368-4438), e-mail (peiplay@gov.pe.ca), or mail (P.O. Box 940, Charlottetown, PEI C1A 7M5). The official PEI website is located at www.peiplay.com.

PEI's splashy information center 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. After zipping across the bridge, the exhibits on venturing to the mainland by iceboat in winters past are especially intriguing.

Yet the whole 12-hectare (29-acre) Gateway development, which features a number of retail shops selling island products, is a little odd. 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." My suggestion: Stop for brochures, maps, and a quick walk through the interpretive center. But then push on. Why not experience the real thing rather than this fussy, faux version?

When to Go

PEI's tourism season is rather brief, running for 6 or 7 weeks from early July to mid-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 some restaurants and attractions are closed. It may also behoove you to base out of Charlottetown for much of your shoulder-season visit, since the city's restaurants 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.

Sometimes you'll hear it referred to as the "fixed link," a reference to the guarantee Canada made in 1873 to provide a permanent link from the mainland. 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, the views are mostly obstructed by the concrete Jersey barriers that form the guardrails along the sides.

The bridge toll is C$40 (US$32) round-trip for cars, C$45 (US$36) for campers and RVs. 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.

PEI Express Shuttle (tel. 877/877-1771) offers transportation via seven-person vans 4 days weekly between Charlottetown and Halifax for C$45 to C$50 (US$36-US$40) one-way, C$90 to C$95 (US$72-US$76) round-trip. Square One Shuttle (tel. 877/675-3830 or 902/436-3830) also makes runs from Charlottetown to Moncton and Halifax for C$50 (US$40) per person, C$45 (US$36) seniors and students.

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, NS (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 8pm. The crossing takes about 75 minutes.

No reservations are accepted; 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$55 (US$44) for a car and all its passengers. Major credit cards are honored. As with the bridge, fares are paid upon exiting the island; the ferry to the island is free.

By Air -- The island's main airport (www.flypei.com) is a few miles north of Charlottetown. Air Canada Jazz (tel. 888/247-2262; www.flyjazz.com) commuter flights to Halifax take just a half-hour, and Jazz also flies to Toronto and Montréal. Calgary-based WestJet (tel. 888/937-8538; www.westjet.com) almost daily connects Charlottetown with Toronto, which can then be connected onward to Florida, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas without switching airlines; Northwest (tel. 800/447-4747; www.nwa.com) flies from Detroit daily in summer.