Charlottetown

A Charlottetown weekend from Province House to the north shore

Charlottetown and a taste of the north shore fit a weekend. Spend day one downtown at Province House, the 1847 legislature where the 1864 Confederation delegates met, the Confederation Centre of the Arts gallery, St. Dunstan's Basilica on Great George Street and Peake's Wharf. Use day two to drive to the north shore beaches.

Day one, morning: start where the country did. Walk round Province House, the 1847 legislature where the 1864 delegates met (check whether the renovation has finished), then cross to the Confederation Centre of the Arts for its gallery of Canadian art. Walk up Great George Street to St. Dunstan's Basilica, whose twin spires dominate the skyline; visitors are welcome between services.

Afternoon: lunch on the water at Peake's Wharf, then board a seal-watching cruise round the harbour. Back on land, follow the boardwalk west to Victoria Park and tour Beaconsfield, the 1877 house on Kent Street. On the way, pass Ardgowan on Mount Edward Road if you have a car; William Henry Pope hosted conference delegates there, and you can walk the grounds. Evening: a show at the Confederation Centre in festival season, then a drink on Victoria Row.

Day two: drive north about 40 km to the red cliffs and dunes of Prince Edward Island National Park and on to Cavendish and Green Gables Heritage Place. Swim if the water allows, have a lobster supper on the way back, and finish with a pint at the Gahan House on Sydney Street.

Malpeque oysters, Island mussels and pints on Sydney Street

Shellfish is the reason to eat in Charlottetown. Order PEI mussels steamed by the bowl and Malpeque oysters, named after the north-shore bay where they are farmed, and eat lobster during the spring fishing season in May and June. Sydney Street has the pubs for an evening pint.

The island's food is the reason many people come, and the shellfish is the place to start. Lobster is freshest during the spring fishing season in May and June, and the classic way to eat it is at a community-style lobster supper in the countryside, with chowder, mussels and pie on the side.

Downtown, Sydney Street is the first stop. The Gahan House brews its own beer and serves pub food to match; across the road, Brickhouse is the choice for a quieter dinner. On Great George Street, Cedar's Eatery has served shish taouk and falafel for years, cooked with more care than the usual kebab counter, and it is closed on Sundays.

In summer the pedestrian block of Victoria Row turns into a run of patios; Fishbones, a seasonal seafood bar there, is a good place to sit with oysters and watch the evening go by. Students and young locals head upstairs to Baba's Lounge, above Cedar's, for live music. Before you leave, try raspberry cordial, the drink Anne of Green Gables made famous on the island, and island potatoes, which turn up as chips on almost every plate.

Fall Flavours, Old Home Week and the long PEI winter

Visit Charlottetown from June to September. Highs reach about 20C in June and 24C in July and August, nights cool to the mid-teens, and the Charlottetown Festival stages the Anne of Green Gables musical at the Confederation Centre. Old Home Week comes in August and Fall Flavours in September, and winters are long.

Charlottetown's year is short and intense. Summer highs of about 20C in June and 24C in July and August keep the season comfortable, and nights cool to the mid-teens. This is when the Charlottetown Festival fills the Confederation Centre with the Anne of Green Gables musical and other shows, the seal-watching boats run from Peake's Wharf, and the patios of Victoria Row stay open late. In mid-August, Old Home Week brings harness racing and the Gold Cup Parade to town.

September is a fine month to come. Highs still reach about 19C, rainfall is moderate, and the Fall Flavours festival spreads food events, kitchen parties and chef dinners across the island. October cools to about 13C and is the wettest month on the chart, with around 120 mm of rain, so pack a waterproof.

Winter is a different place. January and February average highs of -3C and lows near -12C, snow piles up, and many seasonal restaurants, inns and boat tours close until spring. The city still functions, with the Confederation Centre and downtown pubs open year-round, but most visitors save the trip for June to September. April and May are cool and grey, with highs of 7C and 14C, though lobster season in late spring is a fair reason to come early.