Halifax and Dartmouth are great places to spend a few days when you’re looking for a laid-back, slow-paced getaway that isn’t far off-the-beaten-path. I visited back in August, and wanted to share with you some of my tips of things to do and see while you’re visiting, so here is my sample two day itinerary for a fantastic two days!
Day One: Halifax
Start your first day in Halifax with an easy, and inexpensive breakfast at Bird’s Nest or Steve-O-Reno’s. Bird’s Nest has great breakfast sandwiches, and Steve-O-Reno’s has basic breakfasts that are inexpensive and tasty.
After breakfast, head for a stroll in the Public Gardens. The gardens are free and open from 7am-7:30pm. These gardens are from the Victorian Era and are located centrally downtown Halifax.
Stroll out of the gardens and down the main strip to pop in and out of some of the cute locals shops that line the main drag. One of my fav is on a side street called Black Market and is full of cute, boho, hippie-esque items from all over the world.
Head to Fortune Donuts or Dee Dee’s Ice Cream if you’re looking for a locally made sweet treat.
After some shopping, head for lunch at Dave’s Lobster along the waterfront. Originated in PEI, Dave’s has some of the best lobster rolls around and are a must try on any East Coast trip.
While you’re down at the waterfront, take some time to enjoy it. There are a ton of little restaurants (The Bicycle Thief also came highly recommended), bars (I recommend the Stubborn Goat), and even hammocks to lounge in and enjoy the views. Opt to do the famous Alexander Keith’s Brewery Tour or one of the Harbour Hopper tours that go on land and in-water. To me, these sounded cheesy but they came highly recommended by all the locals!
You can also do some brewery hopping because there are a ton in Halifax that are easily accessible. Here are some to choose from:
The famous donair is a must-try while in Halifax, I didn’t have time to visit, but make sure you stop for a quick snack to try out the Halifax classic.
Finish off your day with an amazing meal at Bar Kismet. Make sure to arrive early or expect to wait if you’re heading there on a busy night like the weekend. Bar Kismet has incredible food, and is also incredibly cute decor!
Day Two: Dartmouth
Spend your second day in Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax. You can easily hop on the ferry if you are staying in Halifax or vice versa. Dartmouth also has a lot to offer and is a great place to spend a half, or full day. Here are some of my recommendations…
Start your day with breakfast at Two If By Sea where you can get delicious and gigantic croissants. My day in Dartmouth was incredibly low-key and chill but you can obviously decide to make it more active if you wish. I only had a half day here so I brewery hopped then went for an amazing lunch. Here are some of the breweries I would recommend that you visit:
- Nine Locks
- New Scotland Brewery
- Lake City Cider
- Brightwood Brewery
- Spindrift Brewery
- North Brewing Company
I also highly recommend you pop-in the store Kept, it has super cute gifts to take home with you.
Lastly, stop for lunch (or dinner) at the amazing Canteen restaurant.
The Canteen is right across the road from Lake City Cider and has some amazing food. I went not once, but twice. The first night I had the mussels & frites, and the second time I went back for lunch and tried their lobster roll. Super yummy, with a great vibe.
Halifax had a very slow-paced vibe that was the perfect place to explore without feeling like you needed to rush through to see everything. It totally has that laidback East Coast vibe, and it was an awesome inexpensive getaway for me from Toronto.
What are some of your recommendations for Halifax? Comment below!
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