12 Best Things to Do in Prince Edward Island

Picturesque Prince Edward, aka “the Gentle Island” and “PEI,” is the smallest province in Canada and one of eastern Canada’s maritime provinces, off New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The large island is known for its painted storybook houses, stunning red-sand beaches, rolling sand dunes, 19th-century lighthouses, seafood like lobster, oysters, and mussels, and of course, the literary heritage as the inspiration behind the beloved Anne of Green Gables novel. Even though it’s a small island (you can drive the entire length of the island in less than three hours), things to do in Prince Edward Island abound!

INSIDER TIP: Ready to try a road trip abroad? It’s easy! This International Driver’s License covers 150 countries! Get it in 8 minutes!

PEI at a Glance

Area: 2,185 mi²
Population: 156,947 (2019) StatCan
Capital: Charlottetown
Length: 175 miles
Industries: Tourism, agriculture, fisheries
Famous For: Anne of Green Gables (book)

How to Get to PEI

As a seaside location, a popular option for visiting PEI is by cruise ship, it’s a popular stop on Canada/New England cruise itineraries. Indeed, we visited PEI as one of the ports on our Holland America Line cruise.

Best Time to Visit PEI

The best time to visit Prince Edward Island is during the summer months between June and September. You could also visit during the shoulder season in the late spring or early fall which would be a bit chillier but less crowded, but during the winter most things close down.

PEI Preserve Company

(New Glasgow)

Located in New Glasgow, one of Canada’s prettiest villages, Prince Edward Island Preserve Company is one of PEI’s most popular places. Housed in a charmingly renovated 1913 butter factory restaurant surrounded by lush flowering gardens, it offers visitors a feast for the senses. The shop offers great food, great fun, a gift shop, and lots of sampling of some of their mouth-watering products such as marmalades, jellies, and jam samples.

We were treated to fresh oysters and blueberry mimosas, all consumed with live music! Sensational, to say the least!

Bottle Houses

(Wellington)

A Disappearing Act, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Bottle Houses are unique, colorful houses made of over 25,000 recycled glass bottles in a seaside setting with charming gardens.

The houses’ walls are made of bottles cemented together in beautiful designs creating a colorful symphony of light. The PEI Bottle Houses are unique and eco-friendly; the clever recycling project was the brainchild of the late Édouard Arsenault and his daughter, Réjeanne Arsenault.

The labor of love Bottle Houses was featured in “Ripley’s” and “1000 Places to See Before You Die.” serve as a reminder that even the most mundane objects can be reused in creative ways

Confederation Bridge

(Borden-Carleton)

If you’re driving to Prince Edward Island, then you’re either taking the ferry from Nova Scotia or driving across the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick. Opened in 1997, The curving bridge is 8 miles in length, is the longest bridge in the world that crosses ice-covered water, and is one of Canada’s top engineering achievements of the 20th century.

Drivers will experience magnificent views of the blue waters and open skies.

Lobster Roll Fin Folk Food

(Grand Tracadie)

Any shellfish aficionado knows that the seafood from Maine to the Canadian Maritime Provinces is among the most superb in the world. Prince Edward Island is a seafood-lovers dream so when there you’ll want to indulge in seafood. You can feast on lobster, oysters, mussels, clams, crab, fish, and scallops.

One must-try dish is the Lobster Roll, with plenty of local restaurants competing for the title of the best lobster roll in the region. It consists of a soft white roll stuffed with lobster chunks bound with a bit of mayo and crisp lettuce.

FiN Folk Food is a beachside PEI restaurant serving casual seafood classics. Located on the doorstep of Grand Tracadie Beach, one of the busiest beaches in PEI, they have an extensive seafood menu that patrons can enjoy on the wrap-around patio deck or upstairs in the dining room (sometimes with live music). All seats offer incredible views of the Grand Dunes from across the bay.

Orwell Corner Historic Village

(Vernon Bridge)

Buddha Dog, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Orwell Corner Historic Village is a living history museum that portrays the charm with a glimpse of life in rural Prince Edward Island in the 1980s.

Whether you’re interested in history or just looking for a unique place to visit, the Orwell Corner Historic Village has something for everyone. Visitors can engage in learning programs such as candle-making and/or explore historic buildings such as a one-room schoolhouse, a general store, and a blacksmith shop and see how islanders lived and worked during this period. There are also beautiful gardens to stroll through.

Lighthouses

If collecting lighthouses is your passion, then PEI is the place for you! Prince Edward Island’s many famous lighthouses are an inextricable part of the island’s rich maritime heritage. There are over 40 lighthouses on the island. Each one is unique, and they offer stunning photo opportunities.

Seven of the lighthouses on the island are open to the public. They are maintained by community groups or are still kept working by the government where they are required for navigation. Many of the lighthouses have museums attached and walking trails and you can climb the tower of some to get panoramic views of the ocean and countryside.

Here are some PEI Lighthouses to consider visiting:

West Point
Point Prim (oldest)
Cape Bear
East Point
North Rustico Harbour
Cape Tryon
Panmure Island
Souris
Wood Islands

Fisherman’s Wharf

(North Rustico)

North Rustico is a small town located on the north coast of Prince Edward Island best known for its picturesque fishing village.

Visitors to North Rustico can enjoy fresh seafood at Fisherman’s Wharf Lobster Suppers to enjoy a meal overlooking the water.

Cow’s Creamery

(Charlottetown)

Rated as one of the top 10 best ice creams in the world by Reader’s Digest, you can’t come to the island without trying some of the cherished ice creams from Cows Creamery.

Whether you’re exploring the city or enjoying a leisurely stroll along the waterfront, this creamery in downtown Charlottetown is a must do on your Prince Edward Island bucket list.

Of the 32 flavors, I highly recommend their specialty maple in freshly made waffle cones. Even more decadent than traditional maple walnut (my favorite flavor), it also has maple syrup running through it. Messy, but oh-so-delicious!

All Things Green Gables

(Cavendish, Charlottetown)

The story of the red-haired orphan Anne Shirley, a children’s classic written by Lucy Maude Montgomery and published in 1908, has won the hearts of readers around the world. Prince Edward Island was the home of Montgomery, and many of the historic sites that inspired the novel have been preserved.

Green Gables Heritage Place

UNESCO World Heritage Site Green Gables Heritage Place is one of the province’s most popular tourist destinations. The charming fictional farmhouse nestled in lush gardens and rolling hills is the setting that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery’s story of an orphan named Anne who was mistakenly sent to work on a farm in Prince Edward Island.

Transport yourself back to the 19th century into Anne’s world as you explore the farmhouse rooms (now a museum) filled with period furnishings and artifacts designed to look as though Anne is still there as well as exhibits of Montgomery’s work.

Don’t miss the horse-drawn buggy and a box of dress-up clothes, standing ready for your Anne of Green Gables selfie!

Lucy Maud Montgomery Homestead

About ¼ mile east of the Anne of Green Gables Historic Site is the Lucy Maud Montgomery Cavendish Home, which has been designated a National Historic Site. This is where the author spent the first 37 years of her life and where she wrote Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and other novels.

Although the house and farm buildings are no longer standing, visitors can read the plaques along the way, and enjoy the beautiful trees and the gardens.

The Cavendish Home is privately owned, and has been publically operated by Montgomery’s descendants, the Macneill’s. since the late 80s.

Avonlea Village

Avonlea is the fictitious name that Lucy Maud Montgomery gave Cavendish in her famous novel. In the charming Village, you’ll find heritage buildings re-created to illustrate the fictional 19th-century hometown of the main character Anne Shirley.

Anne of Green Gables Musical

As if visiting all the physical sites are not enough, fans can attend a live performance of “Anne of Green Gables: The Musical” at the Confederation Centre for the Arts in Charlottetown. With nostalgic music and charismatic performances, visitors are transported into the endearing story of the beloved heroine.

Anne of Green Gables Store

The Anne of Green Gables Store on Victoria Row in Charlottetown is a much-loved shop known for its unique Anne of Green Gables souvenirs, including limited edition books.

Anne of Green Gables Chocolate Shops

You can also find Anne of Green Gables Chocolate Shops in Charlottetown.

Cavendish Scenic Lookoff

(Prince Edward Island National Park)

At Cavendish Overlook, you can take in the beach as well as some cliffs in the distance.

Offering stunning views of the island’s red sandstone cliffs Cavendish Beach is just 5 miles from Avonlea. The beach offers a campground, a golf course, cafes, and cottages nearby.

rokker, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A little farther up the coast is Thunder Cove Beach. This is where you’ll find those famous Cavendish Cliffs. The sea erodes the red sandstone into rock formations, sea stacks, and caves.

Victoria Row

(Charlottetown)

One of the best places to experience Charlottetown’s character is Victoria Row. This quaint pedestrian-only cobblestone street nestled in the heart of the city is lined with colorfully-painted and brick Victorian architecture, each of which houses a delightful mix of boutique shops selling locally-made handicrafts, jewelry, and textiles, and cafes. There’s also live entertainment and street performers.

Charlottetown

Whether you are in PEI on a cruise, or have a few days, Charlottetown is the ideal place for a base. As the province’s capital city, historic Charlottetown is full of significant buildings and landmark sites.

The beautiful waterfront town is lined with outdoor patios, boutique shops, art galleries, and numerous restaurants and bars. Each area in the city is known by their old county names of Prince’s, Queen’s, and King’s.

Here are articles about all the ports I visited during my Holland America cruise that you may be interested in:

10 Things To Do for Couples in Boston

Most photos by Kary Kern.

Click below to PIN so you can find things to do in Prince Edward Island again:

Disclosure: The author was honored to be the guest of TourismPEI during her stay, but as always, the opinions, reviews, and experiences are her own.

This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer.

About the Author

Patti Morrow is a freelance travel writer and founder of the award-winning international blog Luggage and Lipstick and the southern travel blog Gone to Carolinas. TripAdvisor called her one of the “20 Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers Having More Fun Than Millennials” and she was named one of the “Top 35 Travel Blogs” in the world.

She is also the star of the upcoming TV series “Destination Takeover” which is scheduled to premiere in the next few months.

Patti is the author of the book “Girls Go Solo: Tips for Women Traveling Alone,” and has over 150 bylines in 40 print and online publications, including The Huffington Post, International Living Magazine, Washington Post Sunday Travel, Travel Girl, Travel Play Live Magazine, and Ladies Home Journal. She has traveled extensively through six continents looking for fabulous destinations, exotic beaches, and adventure activities for her Baby Boomer tribe.