Easy to access from Montreal or Quebec City, Eastern Canada combines landscapes of rare diversity with wide, well-marked roads that are a pleasure to drive on, making it accessible even to those who have never driven in North America. Whether you’re a seasoned road tripper or have only just begun dreaming of hitting the road, we’re sharing our top five must-drive routes for a road trip in Canada to help you get started!
All set to go, but don’t have the right vehicle yet? Check out our campervans available for rent and hit the road to explore the beautiful scenery on your road trip through Canada.
Table of contents
Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia
A legendary road between cliffs and the ocean
- Distance: ~300 km for the entire loop
- Recommended duration: 2 to 3 days
- Best time to visit: Spring, early summer, and fall
- Accessibility by van: Very good. Well-maintained roads, campsites available throughout, with a few more remote areas where gas stations are few and far between.
Our practical tips!
Drive counterclockwise: that way, you’ll have the best ocean views the whole way. And be sure to download an offline map—the signal can get spotty in remote areas. We use the Maps.me!
The Cabot Trail circles Cape Breton Island, which juts out from the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia and is connected to the mainland by a single roadway. It’s a rougher, more unspoiled part of Canada, far from the hustle and bustle of big cities, and is regularly ranked among the most beautiful roads in the world.
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Skyline Trail: Easy to access, this hike offers spectacular views of the coast. With a little luck, you might spot whales out at sea.
Meat Cove Beach: A wild spot, perfect for travelers seeking peace and quiet. The scenery here is unspoiled, with natural rock formations that enhance the area’s rugged and unique character.
Neil’s Harbour: A small fishing village with a quiet beach and a quaint lighthouse that has been converted into an ice cream shop. A charming stop full of character.
Cape Breton Highlands National Park: This national park spans much of the route and features some of the most spectacular scenery: cliffs plunging into the ocean, forested highlands, and an abundance of hiking trails.
Road 132, Gaspé Peninsula
A spectacular road trip through cliffs, coastal villages, and the St. Lawrence River
- Distance: ~900 km for the full tour of the peninsula
- Recommended duration: 7 to 9 days
- Best time to visit: June through October—summer for activities, fall for the colors
- Accessibility by van: Excellent. Well-maintained roads, plenty of campgrounds, and gas stations along the way
The Gaspé Peninsula is a peninsula jutting out from the eastern coast of Quebec, bordered by the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Route 132 circles the entire peninsula, making it one of Canada’s most iconic road trips.
What makes this route so memorable is the richness and diversity of what it reveals: in just a few hours, you go from cliffs plunging into the sea to unspoilt beaches, and then to towering mountains inland. All of this is punctuated by quaint, authentic coastal villages where time seems to have stood still.
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Gaspésie National Park: A must-see for lovers of nature and the great outdoors. Here, trails wind their way up to the peaks of the Chic-Choc Mountains, the highest in southern Quebec, offering alpine vistas found nowhere else in the province.
Parc national Forillon : Situé à l’extrémité de la péninsule, Forillon combine falaises, mer et sentiers de randonnée dans un cadre préservé.
Percé Rock: Percé is part of the UNESCO Global Geopark of Percé, an international designation that highlights the exceptional geological, natural, and cultural richness of this region.
Coastal villages—Carleton-sur-Mer, Bonaventure, and others: Along the way, you’ll pass through villages that are well worth a stop: riverfront terraces, artisanal bakeries and breweries, and fishermen returning to port.
Highway 60, Ontario
A wild road trip through the heart of nature
- Distance: ~254 km for the main route through the park
- Recommended duration: 2 to 4 days to fully enjoy the stops
- Best time to visit: In the summer for canoeing and hiking, or in the fall for the spectacular fall colors
- Accessibility by van: Excellent. Well-maintained roads, official campgrounds, picnic areas, and direct access to trails
Highway 60 connects the Huntsville region with the Renfrew region, passing through one of the largest protected natural areas in southern Canada. Along the way, you’ll find forests, lakes stretching as far as the eye can see, and wild rivers, and you might even spot Canada’s iconic wildlife: moose, beavers, and black bears (the cubs are cute, but don’t leave your sandwich lying around either).
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Algonquin Park Visitor Centre: The perfect place to start your visit with all the information you need. Here you’ll find exhibits on the local flora and fauna, trail maps, and a panoramic view of the lakes.
Algonquin Lumber Museum: A historic site that traces the era when this entire region lived and breathed the logging industry.
Hiking trails: Highway 60 provides access to several trails that can be reached directly from the road. Here are our favorites:
- The Whiskey Rapids Trail: an accessible loop trail along a fast-flowing river, perfect for viewing the rapids and soaking in the dense forest that surrounds them.
- The Beaver Pond Trail: an easy hike around a pond where beavers are often spotted.
- The Booth’s Rock Trail: At the summit, a spectacular view opens up over the lakes and forest as far as the eye can see.
Confederation Bridge & Prince Edward Island
A journey across the ocean
- Distance: 12.9 km bridge + several hundred kilometers on the island
- Recommended duration: 4 to 6 days
- Best time to visit: June through September; summer is the perfect time to enjoy the beaches
- Accessibility: Excellent. The bridge is open 24 hours a day, the roads are easy to navigate, and there are plenty of tourist facilities on the island.
Good to know!
There is a toll to cross the Confederation Bridge (about $20 CAD per vehicle) and the toll is paid only upon return.
The Confederation Bridge connects New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island by spanning the Northumberland Strait. At nearly 13 km long, it is the longest bridge in the world built over frozen water.
The crossing is worth it in itself, but the real change of scenery begins once you arrive on the island. There you’ll find quiet coastal roads, red-sand beaches, lighthouses dotting the shoreline, and gentle, rolling landscapes that are perfect for a leisurely road trip in a campervan.
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The beaches of the north coast: The island is famous for its long red-sand beaches; it’s the perfect place to stroll along the water’s edge and enjoy the sunsets that linger late into the summer evenings.
Charlottetown: The island’s capital is small, charming, and lively, perfect for a cultural break between two adventures in the wilderness.
Coastal villages and seafood: All along the route, small fishing villages invite you to stop and enjoy lobster and fresh seafood.
Fundy Coast, New Brunswick
Une route au rythme des plus grandes marées du monde
- Distance : ~460 km
- Recommended duration: 4 to 6 days
- Best time to visit: May through October, summer for activities and fall for the colors
- Accessibility by van: Very good. Easy driving, plenty of campgrounds, parking, and regular services
Our advice:
Plan your route around the tides, that’s what makes this route truly unique. Before each stop along the coast, check the day’s tide schedules: they’ll determine what you’ll be able to see and do. All you need is a simple tide app or the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website.
The famous Bay of Fundy is known for an extraordinary phenomenon: it has the highest tides on the planet, which means that the landscape changes completely in just a few hours.
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Hopewell Rocks: These rock formations, sculpted by the tides (and nicknamed “flowerpots” for their distinctive shape), offer a different experience depending on the time of day and the tide.
PLEASE NOTE: The tide rises quickly and can be dangerous. Plan to arrive at least two hours before low tide so you can safely walk down to the beach and have plenty of time to enjoy it.
Cape Enrage: A spectacular site, with a lighthouse perched on steep cliffs that plunge into the bay.
Fundy National Park: With hiking trails, waterfalls, kayaking trips, and well-equipped campgrounds, it’s the perfect place to park your camper for a night or two and immerse yourself in New Brunswick’s coastal nature without having to go far.
Fundy Trail Parkway: A 30-kilometer private scenic route featuring more than twenty overlooks of the bay, beaches accessible on foot, suspension bridges, and waterfalls such as Fuller Falls and Long Beach Brook Falls. The stops flow naturally into one another, and the facilities are well-suited for camper vans.
Please note: There is an admission fee (approximately $11.50 CAD per adult), and opening hours must be observed. Check the latest details before you go at fundytrailparkway.com.
Five routes, hundreds of miles of freedom, and landscapes that stay with you long after you return. Eastern Canada has everything it takes to become one of your fondest memories of van life, as long as you take the time to get a little lost there. Have a great trip!
