Prince Edward Island 

Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada’s smallest province, is located to the north of Nova Scotia.  It is bordered by the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  As its name implies, it is an island, approximately  5,700 square kilometers (2,200 square miles) in size.  PEI is known as the Garden Province.

The native Mi'kmaq referred to the island as Epekwitk which means 'cradle on the waves'.  European settlers later changed this to Abeqweit.  Jacques Cartier claimed the island for the King of France in 1534.  It was colonized by 300 French settlers in 1720, but ceded to Great Britain in 1763.  At that time it was known as the Island of Saint John.  In 1765, the capital city was named Charlotte Town in honor of the wife of King George III, Queen Charlotte.  In 1799, the island was renamed Prince Edward Island, named after Edward, Duke of Kent.  The island was home to the Confederation Conference in 1864 and became a province in 1873. 

Since 1997, PEI has been accessible by bridge, but prior to that ferries and planes were the primarily means of visiting the island. While the island is small, there are only about 140,000 inhabitants so it is by no means congested. The largest city, Charlottetown, has about ¼ of the population. Visiting the island by car and staying in a central location makes for convenient day trips – from Charlottetown no point on the island is more than a 2 hour drive, at a leisurely island pace.

Prince Edward Island offers myriad options for lodging including inns, motels, hotels and bed and breakfasts. For those that love the outdoors, the Confederation Trail offers joggers, hikers and bikers a network of trails that cross the island. Canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding and golf opportunities abound.

PEI offers an eclectic assortment of museums including the Prince Edward Island Potato Museum, the Irish Moss Interpretive Centre (and Seaweed Pie Cafe), the Acadian Museum, the Bottle Houses, and many more.

Want music and live entertainment?  In Charlottetown, there is the Confederation Centre of the Arts, Summerside has the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada  and there are numerous ceilidhs taking place around the island which offer an opportunity to see local performing arts and music.

GetPEI.com was started to provide information on recommended places to visit and stay in Prince Edward Island (PEI). All of our information has been gathered through personal experience and research. We are open to suggestions and contributions and expect to continue to add to this site over time. You may contact us at info@getpei.com

While we strive to provide accurate and current information, we will not be responsible for any inaccuracies contained herein. Please contact each establishment to confirm current data for any trip that you may be planning.