New Brunswick & the Bay of Fundy Road Trip In 2024

Let’s start with a big statement; I absolutely love Canada. I just feel at home here, and I’ve only been to 3 out of 10 provinces (I recently added Nova Scotia to that list).

It’s a combination of factors; the people, mountains, nature and the great open roads. And I couldn’t help myself with this New Brunswick & the Bay of Fundy National Park.

It’s the feeling that I could spend my whole life exploring Canada and still barely scratch the surface. I also make it no secret that I love a road trip. I’ve been driving since I was 15 (on private land, not illegally!). I owned a VW campervan and I plan to buy another one. And I can’t think of many better ways to travel than great music, good company and country roads.

I’ve realised that over the past few years, I’ve been compiling a list of Canadian Bucket List Road trips. Edmonton to Calgary (via Jasper and Banff) is one I’ve completed twice. Calgary to Vancouver is another that I am yet to do. New Brunswick and the Bay of Fundy is now one I’ve just completed, and Cape Breton was recently ticketed off.

This article is a guide to doing it yourself. It’s your day-by-day itinerary for a road trip Nouveau Brunswick.

For me, there were two main reasons I wanted to do this New Brunswick Nova Scotia road trip, two jaw-dropping photos in a magazine that made me say “I’ve got to go there”. The first was Hopewell Rocks, on day one. The second was the Fundy Trail Parkway, which we did on day three. But as I researched and planned it, I couldn’t believe how many other stops I would need!

This New Brunswick road trip itinerary needed to be at least 7 days long (some people do plan a 3-day itinerary New Brunswick, but I think 7 days is more appropriate). So, sit back, make a cuppa, and start planning. Just be ready to want to book your flight to New Brunswick right away.

Planning the New Brunswick Nova Scotia Road Trip

First time around we flew into Moncton via Toronto with Air Canada and stayed one night here. It’s the closest town to our first stop Hopewell Rocks and enables you to do an ‘A to B’ road trip, flying out of Saint John a week later.

However, another way to do this road trip is to combine Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into one trip. Flying in and out of Halifax, driving from Nova Scotia and getting the Saint John to Digby Ferry back.

A week is just about enough time to do it all if you plan it carefully, but like many trips, the more time you have the better for this New Brunswick itinerary. I found there were 3 places I could have stayed a day longer, so if you have 10 days then you won’t regret it.

After this, you can either end the trip going back home or continue your journey to Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador – Two amazing places that I recently visited and I highly recommend.

Car Rental For the New Brunswick Itinerary

Most car hire companies allow you to pick your car up and drop it off at a different location. This usually incurs a fee, but for this trip that is well worth doing. Most cars are automatic in Canada, which is handy if like me you’re used to driving on the other side of the road.

It’s a good idea to check all the timings of the main attractions, as the opening times and availability change depending on the season. Most of the links you need are in this article.

Best Time for a New Brunswick & the Bay of Fundy Road Trip

We travelled at the start of June; which was a brilliant time to travel.

It’s before high season and still pleasantly warm, and fewer people meant lower prices (and better photos). However, there were a handful off things yet to open, and opening times were shorter in certain places.

In addition, there is a chance the whales haven’t made it to the Bay of Fundy New Brunswick yet, so there’s a higher probability of seeing them in July/August. That was when I visited second time around, and we did see whales!

How Many Days in New Brunswick?

While you can cover some highlights on a 3 day itinerary New Brunswick, 7 days is the ideal amount of time to truly experience the province.

With a week, you can explore the Bay of Fundy New Brunswick, visit Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, hike in Fundy National Park, and take your time enjoying the charming coastal towns. In 3 days, you’ll have to stick to major spots, but with 7 days, you’ll have the flexibility to relax and explore at a leisurely pace.

Bay of Fundy and New Brunswick Itinerary

I hope the information above was useful and that you get a better idea to start your New Brunswick itinerary. Now, let’s get into the main topic and cover each day of this Bay of Fundy NB road trip.

Day 1 – Hopewell Rocks & Broadleaf Ranch

If you want to kayak it at high tide, you can do that early afternoon. The tides here are fascinating, you really can’t appreciate how much they change without seeing it for yourself.

I could have spent the whole day here, saw it a low tide, kayaked it at high tide and then photographed it at night with Kevin Snair, a former park guide. The photos speak for themselves.

Note: There’s an entry ticket to get to Hopewell Rocks, and I recommend booking it ahead of time not to waste any time on the road trip.

Hopewell Rocks is one of those must-see spots that should be on everyone’s bucket list. Just a quick 40-minute drive from Moncton, this place will blow your mind with its epic tides.

The best times to visit? Early morning and late afternoon, when the tide’s out, and you can stroll along the beach, practically hugging those wild rock formations.

I was so hooked that I went both in the morning and afternoon. Spoiler alert: I loved it so much that I’ve got a whole article about Hopewell Rocks!

If kayaking is more your speed, hit it up in the early afternoon when the tide’s high. Watching the tides here is like witnessing nature’s magic trick—you’ve gotta see it to believe it.

Honestly, I could’ve spent the entire day there. Low tide, high tide kayaking, and then snapping some nighttime photos with Kevin Snair, a former park guide. The pictures say it all.

Quick tip: There’s an entry fee for Hopewell Rocks, so book your tickets ahead of time to keep your road trip smooth.

Next up we headed to Broadleaf Ranch, only 20 minutes up the road from Hopewell Rocks. The ranch has a great restaurant to get your first taste of the abundance of fresh lobster you can find in New Brunswick.

The ranch has some fantastic horse-riding and hiking trails, and you can also canoe to one of the iconic covered bridges. You can also stay here overnight (although we didn’t), with a choice of chalets, glamping and camping. They have electrical and waste hook-ups for campervan and RV’s too.

Horse-riding at Broadleaf Ranch starts at $30 for 30-minutes, and a country cabin costs $180 per night. They also have dormitory cabins, please check for availability.

Eat: Lobster or steak at Broadleaf Ranch restaurant.
Sleep: I recommend the Residence Inn in Moncton, which is one of the best properties around!
Drink: Tide & Boar Gastropub (Moncton), fantastic local craft beers and amazing food too. Try the wild boar poutine and the ‘Maybe’ craft beer by Schwars (from Fredericton).

Where to Stay Near Hopewell Rocks

Here are a few hotels near Hopewell Rocks to make the most of your time here:

Luxury: Chateau Moncton by Wyndham

Mid-Range: Residence Inn by Marriott Moncton

Budget: Motel 6-Moncton

Day 2 – Cape Enrage & the Fundy National Park

From Riverside-Albert and Broadleaf Ranch, Cape Enrage is only a short 30-minute scenic drive along the 915. You might want to allow a little longer though for photos!

Unfortunately for us the weather came in during the morning, so we didn’t get the best views of Cape Enrage, or a chance to try the zip-line. However, it was clear to see how beautiful this spot is.

There’s also no shortage of things to do here when the park is fully open. You can abseil (or rappel) down to the beach, try the zip-line, walk along the beach looking for fossils, visit the lighthouse and even try a moonshine experience! We also stayed here for lunch, another delicious meal I can recommend.

These are the prices you can expect:

• Zipline: $53.90 + tax
• Rappel: $99.95 + tax
• Rappel and Zipline: $139.95 + tax

After that, from Cape Enrage we drove to Alma and the Fundy National Park, another short 25-minute drive. Youneed to stop by the visitor centre to buy your pass and quiz the guides about the best places to visit.

My first tip; try to allow plenty of time here. The park is massive, and if you like your hiking then you could spend weeks without repeating a trail.

We didn’t have all that much time, but the good news was the weather had improved! Our first stop, which is a quick and easy one was the Dickson Falls. Dickson Falls is a short trail of 45 minutes, and the falls are pretty.

We then headed to the Point Wolfe Covered Bridge, there’s a beautiful estuary here and some stunning birdlife. My next tip is Bennett Lake, but we made the mistake of leaving that to the next morning (as you drive right past it on the way to St Martins). Unfortunately, the weather was once again terrible, with fog and rain preventing us getting a nice photo. That’s just one of many lakes here.

The next highly recommended trail is Matthew’s Head, which takes 1-2 hours and has stunning coastal views. You could definitely squeeze in both Matthew’s Head and Dickson Falls in half a day. Finally, there’s a variety of fantastic hikes along the Upper Salmon river, passing some stunning waterfalls. For this you’d need a bit longer here.

Entry to Fundy national Park is $8.50 for adults, or if you’re spending more time in Canada check out the Discovery Pass which includes 12 months entry to over 80 parks from $72.25.

Eat: We loved the Tides Restaurant at the Parkland Village Inn and Tipsy Tails.

Sleep: For fantastic views, stay at the Alpine Motor Inn. There are only a few properties around and this is the best option in terms of location and convenience!

Drink: Fantastic craft beer at the Holy Whale, go and get a flight here! I mean, I bought the hoodie that’s how much I loved it.

Where to Stay Near Fundy National Park

The best place to stay here is Alpine Motor Inn, which offers great location, comfortable beds, and friendly service, among plenty of services and amenities!

Alpine Motor Inn

Day 3 – St Martins Sea Caves & the Fundy Trail Parkway

Whilst the next drive to St Martins Sea Caves doesn’t look that far on the map, it takes around 1.5 hours, and more if you allow some time to stop.

Today we have kayaking booked for around lunchtime, as the tide starts to come in. If you have time, head to the restaurants on the beach (we went to Caves Restaurant) to see it when the tide is out. It puts the tide change into perspective, as you can see the caves and even walk out to them at low tide.

Allow some time to walk around St Martins too, the covered bridge and harbour are beautiful. Even if you saw the caves on foot, nothing beats seeing them from a kayak.

Our excursion with Red Rock Adventure took around 2.5 hours, kayaking out from the harbour to the caves, and stopping for a salmon lunch on a private beach. Red Rock also offer boat trips and shuttles and hiking gear for the Fundy Trail, below.

The Fundy Trail Parkway is incredible. When they say it’s a Bucket List road trip, they weren’t lying. If you like your driving as I do, you must add this to your list.

Therefore, if you have the time, please allow at least a whole day to explore the Parkway. It’s an 18-mile drive (30km) with 20 lookouts, beaches and 4 waterfalls. If you like your hiking there is also a 10km hike. It’s another great way to experience the tides.

On my second visit, I decided to focus on hiking and picked 3 waterfall hikes. We entered the part at the new entrance closer to Alma, and started with the Eye of the Needle trail. This one is 1.2km and a there and back hike with some steep climes. But look at the waterfall halfway down.

From there we went straight into the Mcloed Brook Falls loop (3.8km), before driving to the Long Beach Brook Falls (2.2km). All three were great and I even had a swim at the last one.

The kayaking starts at $65. Entrance to the parkway is only $11.50 per adult and it’s usually open from 9am-5pm, apart from in peak season when it’s open 8am-8pm.

Eat: We ate at Fiori’s restaurant at Salmon River B&B. They have a mix of seafood and Mexican! Just beware at the start of the season most restaurants are only open from 5-7pm.
Sleep: We stayed at St Martins Country Inn (nicknamed by locals as the Castle!), there are a mix of rooms including a two-bedroom apartment like we had. Alternatively, you can sleep in Saint Johns – read more below.
Drink: There really aren’t any bars in St Martins, so we popped into the off-license (liquor store) and had beers in our apartment!

Where to Stay in Saint Johns, NB

Here are a few hotels in Saint Johns to make the most of your time here:

Luxury: Chateau Saint John by Wyndham

Mid-Range: Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Saint John

Budget: Rodeway Inn Saint John

Day 4 – Whale Watching at St Andrews

Today is the longest drive on the journey as we decided to head to St Andrews.

Allow 1 hour 45 mins to get from St Martins to St Andrews, and even more time to stop for a break at the local’s favourite Ossie’s Lunch (just off Route 1). It offers amazing fish and chips (that means a lot coming from a Brit) and fried clams.

St Andrews is a pretty town, and on day 5 we explore it a little more. However, day 4 was all about going whale watching with Fundy Tide Runners. There are regular sightings of Minke Whales, Finbacks, Humpbacks and even the North Atlantic Right Whale, the rarest whale in the world.

After being kitted out with our flotation suit and given a briefing, we boarded a Zodiac Hurricane high-speed rib boat. In addition to the nature, we also get lots of information about the area, the tides, fishing history and even the amazing whirlpools (some of the largest in the world).

On my first visit we didn’t see any whales. But we did spot harbour seals, harbour porpoises, bald eagles and other birds. It was a calm day at sea and a great way to see the area and appreciate the Bay of Fundy. But on my second visit we saw a Minke Whale and there was even a humpback further out in the bay!

Where to Stay in St Andrews, NB

Here are a few hotels in St Andrews to make the most of your time here – Note that there aren’t many properties here, and I recommend booking now. Plus, there’s no luxury option here, so I’ll list only a mid-range property and a budget one.

Mid-Range: Chamcook Forest Lodge B&B

Budget: Greenside Motel

Day 5 – Ministers Island & St Andrews

As we are already in St Andrews, there is very little driving required today! But you do get to drive across a sandbar only exposed at low tide. Sounds cool right?

That’s how you get across to Ministers Island. There’s a 1-kilometre sandbar that you can only pass at low-tide, and it’s only passable for around 5 hours.

This is the gateway to Ministers Island, a 500-acre island which was the former summer home of Sir William Cornelius van Horne. And if you don’t know who he is then you need to pay a visit to the Covenhoven to learn all about his legacy.

Most impressively in my opinion was his work in the creation of Canada’s National Parks, thank you Sir William! The island itself is beautiful and you can walk around it in only 1-2 hours, I highly recommend that.

The rest of the day you must explore St Andrews. It’s a small town with a lovely vibe to it, so just walking along the marina or the High Street is a great way to pass the time. We headed to the Kingsbrae Gardens for the afternoon and a late lunch.

The gardens are stunning, 27-acres of new and old themes with forests, ponds and wildlife. It also hosts several events and festivals and supports the local art scene. If you have time, drop by the Huntsman Marine Centre Aquarium to meet Snorkel and Loki (two resident harbour seals), and the national historic site of St Andrews Blockhouse.

Entry to Ministers Island is $17 per adult. The aquarium is $14.25 and Kingsbrae Gardens is $16 (although entry to the shop and café only is free).

Eat: Try chef Alex Haun’s fantastic menu with lunch at Kingsbrae Gardens and Honeybeans Café.
Sleep: We stayed at the Algonquin Resort which is definitely at the higher end of the budget spectrum but does have a stunning golf course and a fantastic restaurant.
Drink: Head to Something’s brewing during the day (great food too), and most evenings there’s live music and a vibrant atmosphere at the Red Herring Pub.

Day 6 – Campobello Island

Today we checked out of our hotel, as later we’ll travel to Saint John. But first the last recommendation from St Andrews is to head to Campobello Island.

We took the 30-minute water taxi from the marina first thing in the morning, interestingly you can only gain access by car from the US state of Maine. You need a few hours to explore the island, including its viewpoints and lighthouses. My favourite spot must be the Head Harbour Lightstation (pictured below).

Campobello Island was also a summer playground for the Roosevelt family, and you can visit their cottage and learn about the time Franklin Roosevelt spent here. I mentioned its proximity to the USA, it was supposed to be part of the United States.

Apparently, when the border was being marked, they missed it out due to bad weather! However, for me if you want a real treat, come back during the whale watching season, where they say to the north of the island, you can literally watch whales pass by while you eat your breakfast. Amazing.

We didn’t stay the night on the island so there are no sleep or drink recommendations. However, the food at The Prince Café (right next door to the Roosevelt Cottage) was amazing, and if they still have the Berry Salad on the menu, have it!

Day 7 – Saint John & the Reversing Falls Rapids

Later that evening we headed to Saint John to spend our final night and day here before flying home. After so much time in the countryside it felt refreshing to be in a buzzing city, and Saint John is just that.

It had one of those vibes that hits you immediately, like a trendy up-and-coming arty scene. In truth, I wish I had more time here, perhaps to spend a few days at a slower pace after all the driving and take my time exploring the city.

On our first night it was all about exploring the craft beer and food scene, and what better way to do it than a tour with Gill from Uncorked NB.

Tours like this are a great way to get your bearings in a city, and when you don’t have much time you can learn from the experts. We did just that, from sipping our first flight of beer in the sun at Market Wharf to hearing stories from the Brewmaster at Big Tide Brewing. It was fantastic and all the pubs and bars are listed below under ‘Drink’.

If you have more time available, I recommend booking a tour of Saint John, which is the best way to discover the city, and I’m sure you’ll love it here.

After wandering the town and checking out the market, the final thing we did on this epic New Brunswick Road Trip itinerary was visiting the Reversing Falls Rapids. In the Hopewell Rocks section I talked about the unique tides they have here, well never are they more apparent than at the falls at Stonehammer Geopark.

I’m planning to talk more about this in my next article but let me just say your mind will be blown whether you are into geology or not. The short version is the falls are created from huge Bay of Fundy tides; when the tide is out the river flows over the rapids, when the tide is in the river is forced upstream over the rapids. Then twice a day there is a 20-minute calm period when it’s safe for boats to pass. Honestly this is a must visit on a New Brunswick trip!

Eat: There are plenty of lunch choices at the Saint John City Market and a number of curry houses, and the food we had at Saint John Ale House was great.
Sleep: We stayed at the Hilton in Saint John, it’s in the perfect location for the pubs and restaurants with amazing views over the Saint John River. We covered the accommodations in Saint John earlier, so feel free to check that part again if needed!
Drink: Our tour included Saint John Ale House, the BunkHaus Hostel, Picaroons and Big Tide Brewing. Go to all of them!

Bonus Day: Fredericton

New Brunswick’s capital Fredericton is a place I’ve wanted to go for a long time, and I urge you to find time to include it in your trip. I’d just heard so many great things about the place. On my second visit I managed to squeeze it in alongside all the other great outdoor adventures on my New Brunswick trip.

The main two things I wanted to do were the Freddy Taproom Trail on bikes, and Stand-Up Paddle-boarding on the Wolastoq river. We were due to do that with Second Nature Outdoors, who also provide kayaks and experienced guides. Sadly the weather was terrible and our trip was cancelled.

It almost put a stop to the Freddy Tap Trail too, but we decided to do it anyway and just get wet! It was brilliant fun, but a lot quieter than a nice summer’s day. I’m always looking for an excuse to come back to New Brunswick, and now I’ve found it; The Freddy Taproom Trail in summer.

Fredericton is best shown in the video below, enjoy!

Where to Stay in Fredericton

If you’re lucky enough to pass by or stay in Fredericton, then these are the best hotels in town you’ll want to consider:

Luxury: Chateau Fredericton by Wyndham

Mid-Range: Quality Inn Amsterdam Fredericton

Budget: The Fort Nashwaak Motel

Conclusion – Road Trip New Brunswick

And just like that our roller-coaster 7-day road trip around New Brunswick and the Bay of Fundy came to and end. Now I don’t use the term Bucket List lightly, but this truly is a Bucket List Road trip. I cannot begin to tell you how many amazing things there are to see in New Brunswick.

As I mentioned there are three places where I wish I had more time, Hopewell Rocks, Fundy National Park and Saint John/Fredericton. So if you can make this longer than 7 days you won’t regret it.

And finally, if you do end up doing New Brunswick Nova Scotia road trip, please let me know in the comments below or on social media. Thanks for reading.

*My trip to New Brunswick was sponsored by New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada. Nonetheless, the photos, video and opinions are all my own (as always). And honestly, as I mentioned at the start, I love Canada and the best way to travel is a road trip!

*Please note all prices quoted are not inclusive of Tax & true at the time of writing