Halifax

Halifax, Nova Scotia, is Canada's gateway to the Atlantic — a compact, walkable city of 440,000 on a magnificent natural harbour that has been one of the most strategically important ports in the North Atlantic for three centuries. The city has a genuine maritime character expressed in its wooden architecture, excellent seafood, lively pub culture and the extraordinary Citadel that commands the harbour. The Citadel National Historic Site, a star-shaped 19th-century British fort on a hill above the city, fires the noon gun daily and offers costumed interpretation of military life. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on the harbour holds the finest collection of maritime artefacts in Canada, including genuine objects from the RMS Titanic (Halifax was the closest port and received many recovered bodies and artefacts). The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 (Canada's Ellis Island) is moving and well-executed. Halifax's pub culture is excellent and genuine — the Lower Water Street and Argyle Street areas are good. The Seaport Farmers Market (one of Canada's largest and oldest) is excellent on weekends. The North End neighbourhood has developed into the best food and bar destination in the city. The South Shore of Nova Scotia (Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site of wooden colonial architecture, is 90 minutes away) is superb for day trips. Peggy's Cove (45 minutes) is the iconic Nova Scotian lighthouse. Fresh lobster from the Atlantic is the essential Halifax meal.