A Prince Edward Island road trip itinerary
4-Day Coastal Drive — Beaches, Lighthouses, Lobster & Anne of Green Gables
Quick Summary
At just 5,180 square kilometres, Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province — easy to reach by plane, via the 12.9 km Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick, or by ferry from Nova Scotia. Soon you'll be cruising roads through pastoral landscapes alongside sandstone cliffs and windswept beaches. You're never more than 16 km from the ocean, meaning sumptuous seafood (lobster, oysters, clams) has earned PEI the nickname "Canada's Food Island."
Route Overview
| Day | Route | Highlights |
| Day 1 | Charlottetown | Capital city, lobster tours, Irish pubs, heritage inns |
| Day 2 | North Cape (2 hrs) | Acadian culture, Potato Museum, Confederation Trail, West Point Lighthouse |
| Day 3 | Points East (5 hrs) | More than 50 beaches, PEI National Park dunes, moonshine distillery, Point Prim Lighthouse |
| Day 4 | Central Coast | Anne of Green Gables, Cavendish Beach, Victoria-by-the-Sea, Confederation Bridge |
Day 1: Charlottetown — Starting Point
PEI's urban hub where three rivers meet the harbour. Thriving arts community, lively music scene, cool shops with local crafts. Learn about Irish/Scottish roots and Anne of Green Gables.
Must-Stops:
- Confederation Centre Art Gallery: 16,500-item permanent collection, 20+ annual exhibitions, outdoor sculpture plaza
- Top Notch Lobster Tours: Hands-on tour with Captain Mark (4th-generation lobster family) — haul traps, fresh lobster dinner on board
- Old Triangle Irish Alehouse: "House of music" with live acts, Old Triangle Irish Red Ale, Connemara Shepherd's pie
Where to Eat:
- Water Prince Corner Shop: 1850s blue building temple to seafood — chowder, lobster rolls, ship fresh lobster home
- Terre Rouge: Farm-to-table organic — tempura mushroom tacos, fried cod tongues, lentil-beet burger
- Lobster on the Wharf: Malpeque oysters, Prince Edward Island mussels, build-your-own seafood platter
Where to Stay:
- Elmwood Heritage Inn: 5-star 1889 B&B, antique mahogany sleigh beds
- The Great George: Boutique hotel, 54 rooms across 17 heritage buildings
- Shipwright Inn: 1865 nautical-themed 5-star B&B — Crow's Nest, Captain's Quarters suites
Top Notch Lobster Tours, Charlottetown
Day 2: North Cape — 2 Hours
Drive from Summerside to Tignish discovering windswept beaches and Acadian culture.
Must-Stops:
- Spinnaker's Landing (Summerside): Seafront marketplace — artisan studios, live performances, homemade fudge
- Village Musical Acadien: Free fiddler performances, local art gallery, V'nez Veillez dinner theatre
- Bottle Houses (Cap-Egmont): 25,000+ glass bottles forming buildings — started as 1980 recycling project
- Canadian Potato Museum (O'Leary): World's largest potato sculpture, antique farm machinery, lobster-topped baked potato at PEI Country Kitchen
- Confederation Trail: 435 km (270 miles) across island — former railway, mostly flat, accessible
Where to Eat:
- Holman's Ice Cream Parlour: 1850s building with authentic 80-year-old soda fountain
- Wind and Reef Restaurant: Take a well-deserved break from driving and dine on ultra-fresh seafood at this award-winning restaurant on the wild and windy western tip of the island. Marvel at North Cape's rusty red cliffs, the longest natural rock reef in North America and the white turbines of the North Cape Wind Farm whose towers stretch 30 to 250 feet.
Where to Stay:
- West Point Lighthouse Inn: Sleep in PEI's tallest lighthouse (69 ft) — 13 suites, panoramic Northumberland Strait views
Westpoint Lighthouse
Day 3: Points East — 5 Hours (475 km)
Red cliffs and more than 50 beaches along coastal drive from Charlottetown north to East Point, looping back along the east coast.
Must-stops:
- PEI National Park — Greenwich Section: Large mobile parabolic dunes (rare in North America), 10,000-year archaeological site
- Myriad View Artisan Distillery (Rollo Bay): PEI's first distillery — legal moonshine tradition, small-batch gin/rum/vodka/whisky, Strait Shine aged with dandelions
- Point Prim Lighthouse: Prince Edward Island's oldest (1845) — guiding beacon to Charlottetown Harbour
Where to Eat
- FireWorks at Inn at Bay Fortune: Celebrity Chef Michael Smith — organic farm ingredients, fireworks feast, all-day oysters
- Windows on the Water (Montague): 1850s historic home overlooking Montague River
Where to Stay
- Inn at Bay Fortune: PEI's only 5-star country inn, run by Celebrity Chef Michael Smith, 1913 property
- Rodd Crowbush Golf & Beach Resort: 5-star after a day at The Links at Crowbush Cove
Prince Edward Island National Park
Day 4: Central Coast — 250 km
Green Gables Shore (north) with golf courses and Anne of Green Gables heritage; Red Sands Shore (south) with farming communities and red beaches.
Must-stops:
- Brackley Drive-In Theatre: 1950s nostalgia, 5-storey screen, poutine and cotton candy
- Green Gables Heritage Place (Cavendish): Lucy Maud Montgomery's inspiration for 1908 classic novel
- Cavendish Beach: White-sand beaches, red sandstone cliffs, PEI National Park, boardwalk
- Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst National Historic Site: PEI's first permanent European settlement (1720), Mi'kmaq Grand Alliance
- Victoria-by-the-Sea: Kayaking Northumberland Strait at sunrise/sunset, Confederation Bridge silhouette
Where to Eat
- The Dunes Studio Gallery & Cafe (Brackley Breach): PEI lamb burger, brie and pear pizza, watch potters at work
- Cows Ice Cream (Confederation Bridge): PEI institution since 1983 — PEI strawberry, Cowconut Cream Pie
Where to Stay
- The Orient Hotel (Victoria-by-the-Sea): 1900 sunshine yellow heritage hotel with sky-blue doors
Confederation Bridge
With so many hidden coves, historic sites ,and heritage roads to discover, you’ll want to take your time and spend a couple of extra days driving Prince Edward Island’s diverse coastlines and communities.