Downtown Halifax from Ferry — **Halifax Waterfront from Alderney Ferry**

Family, History, and Fun in the Canadian Maritimes

Plan Your Visit | Destinations | Cities and Towns

At 40 hours of actual drive time, Halifax is the farthest I have driven from home. Located near the Atlantic Ocean, you must drive through Maine and New Brunswick to get there. This road trip took me through New England and the Atlantic Provinces as the famous fall foliage was starting to make its way west.

Halifax is the Nova Scotia provincial capital and largest city in the Canadian Maritimes. It was a stop on my final road trip of 2023, and the second city where I would meet my cousins, who arrived there as the final port of call on their East Coast cruise.

Titanic enthusiasts will recognize Halifax as the city closest to the shipwreck. The graves of victims and museum exhibits make Halifax a priority stop.

Arrival in Dartmouth

Located across the harbor from downtown Halifax, Dartmouth is a good place to stay; it’s drivable with big-box stores for a dose of familiarity and easy shopping.

It was here I was introduced to the joys of Real Atlantic Superstore, which is a supermarket chain in the Maritimes. When I was there, it was just Atlantic Superstore; they rebranded after my visit to align with the Real Canadian Superstore chain in Ontario. I was unable to confirm if this was a challenge to “Fake Atlantic Superstores” vying for market share, and my neighbor from Toronto could not confirm, either.

Ferry from Dartmouth

On my first full day in Halifax, I arrived downtown via Halifax-Alderney Ferry from Dartmouth. It is a 15-minute ride and arrives the Halifax Ferry Terminal, right on the Halifax Waterfront.

The view of Downtown Halifax from the ferry is unbeatable. The amazing photos I took of downtown were on the approach from this ferry.

Halifax On My Own

Knowing my cousins would not arrive until 2 p.m. (rather late for a cruise port-of-call), I had several hours to explore Downtown Halifax on my own. Thanks to downtown’s compactness, I covered a lot of ground before meeting my cousins at the port:

Nova Scotia Province House: The Nova Scotia Province House (or the Canadian equivalent of U.S. state capitols) is a block from the Halifax Waterfront. Make sure to catch the throne room; it’s not something you see in the U.S. state capitols.
Halifax Citadel National Historic Site: A few blocks (and burned quads) later, the Old Town Clock lets you know you have arrived at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site and can stop climbing. From the Citadel, you can enjoy some amazing views of Halifax and Halifax Harbour.
Halifax Public Gardens: The amazing September weather made a stroll through the Halifax Public Gardens a lift to the soul. Stop by the café on the Spring Garden side for a leisurely lunch and coffee.
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic: Located on the Waterfront, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic features a permanent Titanic exhibit. You can also learn more about the Halifax Explosion, a devastating explosion in December 1917 that leveled Halifax and Dartmouth and killed nearly 2,000 people.

My Cousins Arrive

After meeting my cousins at the cruise port, we began our afternoon visit on the Waterfront with a ride on the amphibious Harbour Hopper Tour. While I prioritize exercise, it was nice to revisit the places I had already been from the comfort of a retrofitted, street-legal boat before heading to the water to enjoy another view of downtown from Halifax Harbour.

After the Harbour Hopper, we returned to the Waterfront to eat, shop, and make a late-day visit to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which admitted my cousins for free since we arrived after 5 p.m. (my ticket was good all day). Since I had already visited earlier in the afternoon, I was able to quickly take them to the Titanic and Halifax Explosion exhibits.

After some shopping and a wonderful meal at an Italian restaurant, I said my goodbyes and headed back to the ferry.

Leaving Halifax

Before heading back west the next day, I made two important stops:

Fairview Lawn Cemetery: The Titanic grave site at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery is the final resting place for about 200 victims. Some of the victims are identified; efforts to identify the unknown continue to this day. The remains of unknown Halifax Explosion victims are buried here as well.
Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower: Located in Fort Needham Memorial Park (one of the highest points in Halifax), the Bell Tower is the site of a memorial every 6 December to remember those who died.