One day in Charlottetown PEI

At the end of last summer we went on an epic road trip in our EV. We started in Southwestern Ontario, drove through Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI. After PEI we went back through New Brunswick and down through Maine to Boston before heading back up to Ontario. We spent one day touring around Charlottetown PEI.

We started the day taking the ferry from the mainland. We did not buy a priority ticket. We just got there first thing and lined up for the first ferry across. It is one of those drive on ferries, so we drove on parked and went upstairs for the view as we went across to the Island. I did feel a bit sea sick on the ferry. I would recommend spending as much time outside if you can to minimize the feeling. If you are prone to seasickness definitely pack some medication or consider taking the bridge across instead.

Things to do in Charlottetown PEI

After driving off the ferry we drove into Charlottetown. We parked under the Delta Hotel in their parking garage. They had a Telsa destination charger which was exactly what we needed. Then we started wandering. We really had nothing planned on in mind so we just wandered the streets of Charlottetown around the downtown area before we found somewhere for lunch. We did stumble on Province House which is the home of Canadian Confederation and is the second oldest seat of government in Canada. It was undergoing restoration work so we unfortunately couldn’t go inside.

Charlottetown is a small city. Only approximately 36 thousand people live here. Heck the population of all of PEI is only about 150 thousand people. But the perception of a capital city is that it would be large and bustling. Charlottetown feels closer to Niagara on the Lake or Stratford but also like a beach town. Think of a touristy town that has a bit of a theater vibe but add a harbourfront and you get the general feel of Charlottetown.

Our day in Charlottetown was one of the hottest from our entire road trip. We wanted to eat somewhere outside but out of the sun. Victoria Row was the perfect spot. It is this pedestrian only street with shops and restaurants. We played a game of checkers at the picnic tables and then found a spot at Row House Lobster.

Read More: East Coat Road Trip Food

We quite enjoyed our lunch at Row House Lobster. I had the fish tacos, the kids had burgers and my husband had the steak. It was all really good. The fish tacos were the perfect amount of spiciness.

After lunch we wandered back through the downtown to the harbour. If you are into Anne of Green Gables there is a stage show and lots of gift shops. There is a Cows Ice Cream downtown as well but we got our fix on the harbourfront.

The harbourfront area is much smaller than in Halifax. It has some of the same food shacks too. We had promised the kids some of the award winning Cows Ice Cream. We had already had some in Halifax but we had to have some again! We also picked up some Cows tees as souveniers for the kids.

Read More: One day on the Halifax waterfront

We kept walking around the park at the harbourfront until we decided it was time to head back to the car.

Instead of taking the ferry back to the mainland we took Confederation Bridge. There is a toll to leave the island. The toll is actually cheaper if you take the bridge vs taking the ferry.

I would love to go back to PEI and see more of the island and spend some time at the beach. However you can easily see Charlottetown in a day. If you are planning on seeing the Anne of Green Gables musical you might want to book yourself two days.

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Have you been to Charlottetown PEI?