Prince Edward Island Countryside and Cavendish Small-Group Tour

Charlottetown, birthplace of Confederation

Charlottetown, the small and friendly capital of Prince Edward Island, is known as the birthplace of Confederation: in 1864 delegates met here at the Charlottetown Conference, the first step towards the creation of Canada three years later. Your Charlottetown tour begins with a narrated drive through the historic centre, past the twin spires of St. Dunstan's Basilica, one of the finest Gothic Revival churches in the country, and the Confederation Centre of the Arts, opened in 1964 as a national memorial to the Fathers of Confederation.

The drive continues to Government House, the elegant white residence of the island's lieutenant governor built in the 1830s, and Victoria Park, a green waterfront park with a boardwalk along the harbour. Your guide shares stories and tips about the city as you pass, so you will know exactly where to return later for a walk, a meal or the evening light on the water.

Queens County countryside and the red sandstone cliffs

Leaving the city, you cross the gentle hills of Queens County, a patchwork of potato fields, dairy farms, white churches and small villages. The soil here is a striking rusty red, coloured by iron oxide in the sandstone that forms the whole island. In summer the red earth, green crops and blue sky create the classic picture of Prince Edward Island that has made it one of the most beautiful islands in Canada.

A highlight of the drive is a viewpoint over rugged red sandstone cliffs on the north shore, where the land drops to sandy beaches and the open sea. Waves and winter ice slowly carve these cliffs into arches and stacks, and the colour is especially vivid in the late afternoon sun. Your guide stops for photos and explains how the island was shaped by the sea and by the people who farm it.

Green Gables Heritage Place in Cavendish

Green Gables Heritage Place in Cavendish is the farm that inspired the classic novel Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. The white farmhouse with its green trim belonged to relatives of the author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, who grew up nearby and drew on these fields, woods and lanes for the world of her red-haired heroine. Today the site is protected by Parks Canada as part of a national historic site.

With admission included, you have free time to visit the restored farmhouse, furnished as it would have been in the late nineteenth century, and to walk the short trails known as the Haunted Wood and Lover's Lane through quiet woodland. A visitor centre explains the story behind the book and its worldwide fame. Is Green Gables worth visiting? For readers of the novel it is unforgettable, and for everyone it is a peaceful glimpse of old rural island life.

Riverside gardens in New Glasgow and how to plan your visit

The tour ends at the riverside gardens of a well-known local preserves maker in New Glasgow, a pretty village on the River Clyde a short drive from Cavendish. Flower beds and lawns run down to the water, and you can see, smell and taste the island's fruit preserves, made in small batches from local berries. It is a relaxing final stop before the drive back to Charlottetown.

How to get to Cavendish from Charlottetown? It is about a 40-minute drive across the island, and this tour includes the transport so you do not need a car. The best time to visit Prince Edward Island is from June to September, when the gardens bloom, the fields are green and the heritage sites keep their full summer hours. Morning departures are at 9:00 and afternoon departures at 13:30.