Last Updated: May 2026
We crossed the Restigouche River from New Brunswick and made our way east, eventually arriving at the Confederation Bridge — the longest bridge over ice-covered water in the world, spanning 12.9 kilometres across the Northumberland Strait. In winter, when the Gulf of St. Lawrence freezes over, this is what connects Prince Edward Island to the mainland. It is thought to be the most Scottish place outside Scotland, with roughly 50% of the population claiming Scottish ancestry. The island has a pastoral, almost fairy-tale quality — rolling red-cliffed coastlines, potato fields in every direction, and an unhurried pace that makes it easy to stay longer than planned.
PEI — First Impressions
There is a Tim Hortons everywhere on PEI — a Canadian institution that sits somewhere between Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. The locals take theirs with double cream and double sugar, which tells you everything you need to know. Sandy had an espresso that was genuinely delicious.
The landscape throughout PEI is pastoral and deeply pretty — rolling hills, red-soiled farmland, pockets of forest, and ocean views that appear around every bend. The author Lucy Maud Montgomery captured this character perfectly in Anne of Green Gables, written in 1908 during the late Victorian Era. She was born and raised on the island, and her descriptions of it feel as accurate today as they did then.
The economy runs on three pillars: agriculture, tourism, and fishery. Twenty-five percent of all Canadian potatoes are grown here. The fishing industry is built around lobster, oysters, and mussels. Cornfields, wheat fields, mustard fields, and potato rows stretch in every direction.
Cornwall
We based ourselves at the KOA in Cornwall, just outside Charlottetown, the island’s largest city. The site had 50-amp service, water, sewer, a large level pad, and partial ocean views. Dish satellite was blocked by trees, and the Wi-Fi was only good for light browsing — a good excuse to let laundry pile up no further and catch up on chores. From here we made a day trip to Summerside and found an outstanding fish market where we picked up lobster that was among the best of the trip.
Victoria-by-the-Sea
Victoria-by-the-Sea is a picturesque historic seaport that prospered through the 1800s, and its preservation owes a great deal to an accident of infrastructure: the Trans-Canada Highway bypassed it entirely, and so did the shopping centres and tourist sprawl that followed. What’s left is a genuinely intact village. We stopped into Island Chocolates for coffee and chocolate and had no regrets. The famous red beaches owe their colour to oxidized iron in the red sandstone cliffs, which erode continuously down to the shoreline.
Wood Islands
Europeans first settled the Wood Islands area in 1803, followed by a large party of Scottish settlers in 1807 — hence the island’s enduring Scottish character. Today it is primarily a farming and fishing community, and the southern terminus for the Northumberland Ferry to Nova Scotia. The acres of flowering mustard fields here were brilliant — vivid yellow stretching to the treeline under a bright August sky.
Bottle Houses
Édouard Arsenault built three Bottle Houses from cement and over 25,000 recycled bottles — a chapel, a six-gabled house, and a tavern. He was a fisherman, carpenter, and lighthouse keeper by trade, and he built these entirely on his own in his retirement years. The catch: he built them on railroad ties. The severe PEI winters deteriorated the foundations over time, and between 1992 and 1998 all three structures were carefully reconstructed on more permanent foundations. The surrounding flower gardens were beautiful and in full bloom during our visit.
Canadian Potato Museum
The world’s largest potato sculpture stands outside the Canadian Potato Museum in O’Leary, and it demands a photo — some Japanese tourists visiting at the same time took it upon themselves to direct us on exactly how to pose, which was charming. The self-guided museum tour covers the history of the potato in impressive depth, with a substantial collection of antique farming equipment. Given that a quarter of Canada’s potato harvest comes from this island, the place earns its subject matter.
A second building houses community donations from locals — an eclectic and absorbing collection. A very early anesthesia machine caught Michael’s physician attention (he believes he trained on one like this), as did an iron lung: the first ventilator, used primarily for polio patients through the 1940s and 1950s. It worked by raising and lowering air pressure inside the sealed chamber to drive respiration, with the patient’s body enclosed and only the head protruding through a rubber seal at one end. Seeing one in person makes its history viscerally real.
The museum also has a potato cafeteria. We had potato soup, chips, and a loaded baked potato. All of it was excellent.
Northumberland Provincial Park
Our second campground was at Northumberland Provincial Park on the southeastern tip of the island. Beautiful ocean views, a long sandy beach, and water that was surprisingly warm at about 70°F. The site had 50-amp service and good power, though water pressure ran only about 30 psi and the sewer hookup was on the wrong side of the RV. No Wi-Fi, no satellite through the trees. More Marty Stouffer’s Wild America on DVD, which sparked a long conversation about wildlife photography ethics — the line between genuinely wild footage and staged encounters with captive animals is blurrier than most viewers realize. In Montana, there are entire businesses renting trained wildlife for photoshoots in natural settings: grizzlies, wolves, mountain lions, lynx, and dozens more. The images look wild. They aren’t. It’s worth knowing.
Points East Coastal Drive
The Points East Coastal Drive meanders along the eastern shore past wineries, beaches, lighthouses, marinas, museums, small towns, a brewery, and a distillery — the kind of route where you stop more than you drive.
Flat Tire
We noticed the tire pressure warning for one of the Jeep tires mid-drive — a sharp piece of rock had punched through the sidewall. We were lucky to find a tire centre open on a Saturday. They patched it from the inside for $20 and had us back on the road quickly. We rewarded ourselves with lunch on the water: scallop caesar salad.
Newman Estate Winery
We met the owner-winemaker of Newman Estate Winery — young, trained at UC Davis in Sacramento, and doing everything himself from vine to bottle. We grew zinfandel grapes and made wine in San Diego. He makes both a red and a white, and both were genuinely good. We bought four bottles at $12 USD each. He explained the growing-season differences: in San Diego, grapevine bud break happens in February; in PEI it doesn’t come until May. Even harvesting in October, his Brix (sugar level) reaches only about 20, compared to 25 in California — so PEI wines tend to be lighter-bodied and lower in alcohol. More elegant than powerful, which suited them well.
Rossignol Winery
Rossignol Winery is larger, more developed, with older vines and a broader range of varietals. The building is charming and the wine labels are lovely. The ocean views are spectacular, and they host weddings and events that help make the economics work. The wines, though, were simply not as good as Newman’s. One significant grievance: PEI wineries serve their tastings in shot glasses. For a wine tasting to be worthwhile, you need a proper glass — something large enough to swirl, to lift the bouquet, to actually engage with the wine. A shot glass tells you almost nothing. We are deeply missing California wine.
PEI War Memorial & Final Scenes
Along the highway we passed a beautifully done Canadian war memorial. A woman was there visiting it when we stopped — her husband had flown one of the planes commemorated on the monument. Prince Edward Island is beautiful, and its people are consistently warm and friendly. It was one of the most pleasant stops of the entire summer.
Visitor Information
Confederation Bridge is free to enter PEI; the toll of approximately $47 CAD per car is collected only on the way out (westbound). The crossing takes about 10 minutes and the views from the bridge are excellent on a clear day.
Bottle Houses are located at Cape Egmont on the western shore. Open seasonally (mid-May through mid-October). The flower gardens are at their best in July and August. Entry fee applies.
Canadian Potato Museum is in O’Leary in western PEI. The potato cafeteria is worth a stop on its own — the loaded baked potato and potato soup are both excellent. Entry is modest and the self-guided tour is well-organized.
Victoria-by-the-Sea is about 30 minutes west of Charlottetown. Island Chocolates is the main draw besides the beach and lighthouse, and it delivers. The red beaches are walkable at low tide.
Northumberland Ferry (Wood Islands to Pictou, Nova Scotia) runs seasonally. A good option for continuing east without retracing the Confederation Bridge.
Practical Tips
For RVers: Cornwall KOA is convenient for Charlottetown and the western island. Northumberland Provincial Park puts you on the southeastern tip for easy access to the Points East drive. Both have 50-amp service, though neither is ideal for satellite. The roads throughout PEI are in good condition and suitable for large rigs.
Lobster timing: As with the rest of Maritime Canada, lobster availability depends heavily on the season. The Summerside fish market was the standout find — outstanding quality and fair prices. If you’re driving through and see a live lobster tank at a market, stop.
Wine tasting: Both Newman Estate and Rossignol are worth visiting. Newman in particular is producing wines of real quality for the price. Bring your own glasses if tasting matters to you — the shot-glass situation is real.
Points East Coastal Drive: Allow a full day minimum, more if you’re stopping at wineries, a brewery, and the lighthouse. The eastern tip of the island — near East Point — is some of the most dramatic coastal scenery on PEI.
