By Car in Halifax

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By Car

Halifax is the most convenient place from which to begin a driving tour of Nova Scotia or Atlantic Canada.

Most highways in the province lead to Halifax and Dartmouth. Highways 3/103, 7, 2/102, and 1/101 terminate in the twin cities. Many of the roads in rural Nova Scotia require attentive driving, as they are not well signed, are narrow, and do not always have a paved shoulder. But they are generally well surfaced and offer exquisite scenery.

Motorists can enter Nova Scotia through the narrow neck of land that connects the province to New Brunswick and the mainland. The Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 2 in New Brunswick) becomes Highway 104 on crossing the Nova Scotia border at Amherst. It is possible to drive over the Confederation Bridge from Prince Edward Island into New Brunswick near the Nova Scotia border. Otherwise, car ferries dock at Yarmouth (from Maine), Digby (from New Brunswick), Caribou (from Prince Edward Island), and North Sydney (from Newfoundland).

Road Maps

The province has 11 designated "Scenic Travelways," 5 in Cape Breton and 6 on the mainland, which are identified by roadside signs with icons that correspond with trail names. These lovely routes are also shown on tourist literature from Nova Scotia Tourism and on maps, which are available at gas stations and tourist information centers.

Rules of the Road

Highways numbered from 100 to 199 are all-weather, limited-access roads, with 100-kph to 110-kph (62-mph to 68-mph) speed limits. The last two digits usually match the number of an older trunk highway along the same route, numbered from 1 to 99. Thus, Highway 102, between Halifax and Truro, matches the older Highway 2, between the same towns. Roads numbered from 200 to 399 are secondary roads that usually link villages. Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit on these and any roads other than the 100-series highways is 80 kph (50 mph).