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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Annapolis Royal
Give Annapolis Royal one full day and one night: Fort Anne, the Historic Gardens and the market fit a walking loop; skip it as a base and sleep in Wolfville or Digby.
Annapolis Royal is a village of about 530 people on the Annapolis River, 10 km from the Bay of Fundy and roughly 2 h 15 min by car from Halifax. It holds Canada's oldest national historic site, a 17-acre historic garden and a Wednesday and Saturday market, all inside a 15-minute walk. Most travellers see it as a half-day stop on the Annapolis Valley run; a full day plus one night is enough.
- Country
- Canada
- Best months
- Jun–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Apr (many sites closed or on winter hours)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CAD
- Money
- Currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD, $). Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere.
- Daily spend
- Budget C$90–140 excl. bed · Mid C$150–230 excl. bed · High C$250+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Rogers, Bell and Telus plus cheaper brands (Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile); prepaid SIMs in malls and stores. Canadian data is expensive — an eSIM is often cheaper.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Health information line 811
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Same as the US.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: CAD 1–2 per drink.; Taxi: 10–15%.; Housekeeping: CAD 3–5 a night.; Guide: 10–20% of the tour price.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable; treat water from lakes and streams (giardia).
- Toilets
- Free in malls, Tim Hortons, stations and park visitor centres.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | C$3–5 |
| Café lunch | C$12–20 |
| Pub dinner with a drink | C$25–40 |
| Inn double room, summer | C$130–185 |
| Fort Anne or Port-Royal Habitation entry | C$4–8 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | C$20–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YHZ · Halifax Stanfield International
- About 2 h 15 min by car via Highway 101; no direct bus to Annapolis Royal, so a car or a shuttle is needed.
Typical fares
- Halifax airport → Annapolis Royal, car hire
- about C$70–110 one day, 2 h 15 min (check)
- Fort Anne entry, adult
- about C$5 (check)
- Historic Gardens entry, adult
- about C$16 (check)
Get around
The village is walkable end to end in about 15 minutes; St. George Street is the spine. Port-Royal Habitation and Melanson Settlement are 8–10 km west on Granville Road and need a car or bike. No local bus service.The village is walkable end to end in about 15 minutes; St. George Street is the spine. Port-Royal Habitation and Melanson Settlement are 5–6.2 mi west on Granville Road and need a car or bike. No local bus service.
See and do
Known for
- Fort Anne, Canada's oldest national historic site
- Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens
- Port-Royal Habitation reconstruction
- Acadian and Loyalist history
- Farmers' and Traders' Market
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Port-Royal Habitation and Melanson Settlement | Car or bike west on Granville Road, about 10 kmCar or bike west on Granville Road, about 6.2 mi | About 30 min each way |
| Kejimkujik National Park | Car via Highway 8, about 70 kmCar via Highway 8, about 43 mi | About 1 h 15 min each way |
| Digby | Car on Highway 101, about 45 kmCar on Highway 101, about 28 mi | About 40 min |
| Wolfville and Grand-Pré | Car east on Highway 101, about 60 kmCar east on Highway 101, about 37 mi | About 50 min |
Sleep
- St. George Street (historic district)
- Inns and B&Bs inside the national historic district; walk to Fort Anne, the gardens and restaurants.
- Highway 1 west of town
- Motels with parking, about 1 km from the centre; cheaper, needs a car.Motels with parking, about 0.6 mi from the centre; cheaper, needs a car.
- Granville Ferry
- Across the river, 5–10 min by car; quieter, views back to the town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the wharf? | Where is the wharf? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is this the way to Fort Anne? | Is this the way to Fort Anne? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Bonjour' first in Québec; avoid: Assuming everyone speaks English
- Queues: Line up and wait your turn; avoid: Pushing in
- Apologising: 'Sorry' is politeness, not admission of fault; avoid: Loud confrontation
- Canada vs US: Treat Canada as its own country; avoid: Calling Canadians American
- Indigenous culture: Buy from Indigenous-owned businesses and ask before photos at ceremonies; avoid: Wearing headdresses as costume
Scams and watch-outs
- Fort Anne and Port-Royal Habitation run seasonal hours: check the Parks Canada pages before you drive out.
- The market runs Wednesday and Saturday mornings until mid-October only.
- Cell coverage is fine in town but patchy on the Granville Road and Fundy shore.
- Tides in the Annapolis Basin swing several metres; check a tide table before walking the shore.
A quiet, low-crime village; the real risks are dark rural roads at night, deer on Highway 1 and cold water on the Fundy shore. 911 covers police, fire and ambulance.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Annapolis Royal yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Fort Anne, Canada's oldest national historic site
- Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens
- Port-Royal Habitation reconstruction
- Acadian and Loyalist history
- Farmers' and Traders' Market
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Annapolis Royal visitor information: annapolisroyal.com/visitors/
- Parks Canada — Fort Anne National Historic Site: www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/ns/fortanne
- Parks Canada — Port-Royal National Historic Site: www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/ns/portroyal
- Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens: www.historicgardens.com
- Wikivoyage: Annapolis Royal, revision 5325785 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5325785
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Annapolis Royal
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies here; the US consulate is in Halifax, and most other countries keep embassies in Ottawa.
English is the working language; no phrase list is needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/annapolis-royal). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.