Photo: A beer flight with my ex-coworker at the Good Robot brewery in Halifax

I’ve just returned from a week in Nova Scotia, one of Canada’s maritime provinces (on the east coast), so I’d like to share a little information about this beautiful place!

The flight from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Halifax Stanfield International Airport is about 2 hours, and there is a 1 hour time difference between Toronto (Ontario) and Halifax (Nova Scotia). Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia and the largest city and biggest economic center in Atlantic Canada, with a population of about 480,000. Halifax is also a very old city, dating back to 1749 (for reference, Canada didn’t become a country until 1867). 

I spent about 3 days in downtown Halifax, and fortunately the weather was fantastic! While it’s convenient to have a car, it’s not necessary because downtown Halifax is very “walkable” (meaning “suitable or safe for walking”). I stayed across from Dalhousie University, which is within walking distance of attractions such as the Halifax Public Gardens, the Halifax Citadel, and, of course, the waterfront. It was also great to meet up with two of my former coworkers who moved to Halifax (as many Ontarians did) during the pandemic.

Halifax is fairly diverse when compared with other parts of Atlantic Canada, and I was able to find all kinds of restaurants there as well. On the final day, I enjoyed a classic Canadian cocktail, the Caesar, with brunch, teriyaki salmon and Asahi for lunch at a small Japanese place, and a beer flight at a great craft brewery called Good Robot (a “beer flight” usually consists of 3-5 small samples of different beers).      

Although I didn’t have nearly enough time to visit them all, there are many sightseeing and cultural attractions that might interest visitors, including the Museum of Natural History, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, the trails through Point Pleasant Park, or perhaps a brief cruise on one of the many sailing ships in the harbour! The Halifax Explosion in 1917 was a major event in the city’s history, so you can also find plenty of historical reminders of this event throughout the areas that were affected by that massive blast. 

However, I didn’t spend all of my time in Halifax, and in Part 2, I’d like to introduce some of the smaller towns I visited, including Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site!