Halifax – Capital of Nova Scotia, Canada and biggest city in the province as well. Altough that it has a population of more than 400’000 it seems like a mid-sized city. People are chilled and no one seems to be stressed, so that feeling might jump on you as well! As a University City, it offers lot of culture, arts and many restaurants. In this article, you will find my favorite things to explore in and around Halifax.

• Spend a day Downtown Halifax
• Walk over water on the Salt Marsh Trail
• Enjoy a sunset at Fisherman’s Cove
• Hunt for handcrafted treasures on a Sunday

Make sure you check that the activity you want to enjoy is open – Halifax has a lot to offer, but often things are closed due to non-season.

Spend a Day in Downtown Halifax

A Day in Halifax can be easily spent. The town has around 290 sunny days a year, so you will for sure find a nice day to stroll around town. Let me share some of my favorites activities;

Halifax Harbourwalk – the 2.6 Kilometer long harbourwalk is great to rest your mind and explore the waterfront by foot. The walk starts nearby Pier 21 and officially ends at the casino. Decates ago the waterfront was a “no-go” zone with lots of sketchy people, but nowadays this has completly changed. The walk on wooden path offers quite a lot of seating and resting areas and, depending on the season, foodstands and small shops. Even if it’s not season for stands, you will find lots of restaurant where you can enjoy a glass of Nova Scotian Wine or some seafood.

Visit the Immigration Museum at Pier 21 and its exhibits – Halifax had a busy immigration port before 1971 and has immigrated more than 1 million people (mostly europeans) between 1928 and 1971. At the museum you can learn about the history and how immigration is handled today. Further there are always special exhibits, just the last exhibit has touched me very much (broken promises – exhibit ended april 23rd). Admission price for an adult is CAD 15.50, check their homepage for opening times.

Halifax downtown is very accessible for walking, altough that you sometimes have to “climb a hill” in order to reach your destination. I love just to wander around the city, climb up the hill of the Citadel and enjoy the views, have a break at Public Gardes and enjoy your lunch or dinner at Spring Garden Road. If you like second-hand clothing, make sure you stop at Queen Street and Elsie’s Shop.

Walk on the water at Salt Marsh Trail & Cole Harbour Heritage Park

The Salt Marsh Trail takes you 6.5 km along the Trans Canada Trail from the parking lot to West Lawrencetown. The prepared gravel road is designated for hikers or bikes and leads you over the beautiful bay and through the forest. Once you have reached West Lawrencetown Parking, you can cross the street and enjoy a rest on the waterfront until making your way back. The total hike is about 13 – 14 kilometers and will take you 2.5 to 3 hours. There are plenty of benches and rest areas plus there is a toilet situated more or less in the middle of the trail. The scenery is stunning, especially on a blue sky day and if you are lucky, you may even spot a bald eagle.
If you are eager to walk further, the trail continues from West Lawrencetown to Lawrencetown Beach (another 4 km trail – one way).

You do not fancy a 13 kilometers hike? You can also just walk the first kilometer of the Salt Marsh Trail and rest at the waterfront or you take the Trails from Cole Harbour Heritage Park which can be accessed by the same parking area. The heritage park offer various trails and if you add them together you can get a nice 1 to 2 hours hike in the forest overlooking the bay. All trails are well maintained and easy to hike. To walk a circuit, you can take the Heritage Trail, followed by the Poors Farm Road or the Panorama Trail and then come back by the Costley Farm Trail. 

Parking at Bissett Road, Cole Harbour. If the Salt Marsh Trail Parking lot is full, the lot #2 is just a few meters away, just make sure you walk towards the Salt Marsh Parking lot when you want to take the correct trail. This entry should only be about the Salt Marsh Trail, but as I took a wrong way at first, now we have two trails to recommend ;-). 

Enjoy a Sunset at Fisherman’s Cove near Eastern Passage 

If you are seeking for a beautiful sunset or cute colorful houses, make sure you will stop at Fisherman’s Cove near Eastern Passage. The small peninsula offers colorful, roughly 200 years old, fishermen’s houses which are today used as small shops, coffees or restaurants. You will find lots of handcrafted and unique pieces, perfect as a gift or a little treat for yourself. If you want to stroll around the shops, make sure you are coming to Fisherman’s Cove during daytime.  

Feeling a little hungry? I can definitely recommend the freshly made Mini Donuts from Dockside Donuts Foodtruck which is located one street next to the Fisherman’s Village. To see whether they are open, have a look at their Facebook page: Dockside Donuts 

If you want to watch the sunset, you can either enjoy it sitting on a bench at MacCormacks Beach Provincial Park
or have a dinner at Boondocks Restaurant, enjoying the sun set while eating seafood. And for those who do not like to exit their car at all, there is even a nice parking spot where you can enjoy it without making a simple move.

To get the full experience of Fisherman’s Cove, come here in the afternoon and stroll around the shops, go on a walk or hike nearby (i.E. Salt Marsh Trail or Cole Harbour Heritage Park Trails) and come back for the sunset either with a dinner or just have another walk on the wooden trail from MacCormacks Beach Provincial Park.  

Hunt for Treasures at Funky Flea Market, Seaport Farmersmarket and Dartmouth’s Ferry Market

Best day for strolling on a market is.. Sunday! Surprisingly lots of markets in Halifax are only opened on Sunday. 

I started my day by visiting the Funky Flea Market at the Halifax Exhibition Center. The easiest way to go there is by car, if you want to go by public transports, you need to change the bus and walk for about 1.3 kilometer – not very convenient. Entrance fee is moderate with 3 CAD and there are plenty of marketers selling second hand goodies, vintage stuff, handcrafted things and lots more. You can easily spend an hour there, just make sure you bring cash to possibly buy something.
Opening times Funky Flea Market; every Sunday from 9am to 3pm.  

For lunch break and to rummage even further, head back to Halifax town and visit the Farmers Market at Halifax Seaport. You might expect a food market, but it is not. Local vendors are promoting their handcrafted goods, prepared foods like hot sauces and spice mixes and much more. There are food stands available as well, so make sure you have a good appetite when going there. I got myself a beautiful cutting board made from Nova Scotian wood handcrafted from Rodney, ensure you go to visit his booth and his creative arts.
Opening times Farmers Market; every Saturday from 8am to 2pm and every Sunday from 10am to 2pm 

After having a full belly, you may want to walk 15 minutes to the ferry port and take the ferry to Alderneys Landing (another 15 min – there is a ferry every half an hour), where they have one more Artisan Market open on Sunday. It is not big, none of the mentioned markets are huge anyways, but offers a further selection of handcrafted goods and, if you like, some dessert options too. By the way, the parking at Farmers Market is free on the weekend, so you can let your car parked there while you go to Alderneys Landing or park even closer to the ferry port.
Opening times Alderneys Landing Artisan Market; every Sunday from 11am to 3pm 

Happy treasure hunting!