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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)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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 (5–6.2 mi) 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 (8–10 km) 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 km (6.2 mi)Car or bike west on Granville Road, about 6.2 mi (10 km) | About 30 min each way |
| Kejimkujik National Park | Car via Highway 8, about 70 km (43 mi)Car via Highway 8, about 43 mi (70 km) | About 1 h 15 min each way |
| Digby | Car on Highway 101, about 45 km (28 mi)Car on Highway 101, about 28 mi (45 km) | About 40 min |
| Wolfville and Grand-Pré | Car east on Highway 101, about 60 km (37 mi)Car east on Highway 101, about 37 mi (60 km) | 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 (0.6 mi) from the centre; cheaper, needs a car.Motels with parking, about 0.6 mi (1 km) 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.