'''Charlottetown''' is the capital city of Prince Edward Island, one of the Atlantic Provinces of Canada.

Understand

Charlottetown is a great place to spend a few days. It's a quaint and pretty town, small enough to be able to walk around, and has lots of good restaurants and bars. It's also within easy reach of the PEI National Park.

Get in

By air

The Charlottetown Airport (IATA Airport Code: YYG), 250 Maple Hills Ave, [http://www.flypei.com/] has nonstop flights to Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Boston and Detroit.
  • '''Air Canada/Air Canada Jazz''' (Halifax (Nova Scotia), Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto)
  • '''Westjet''' (Toronto)
  • '''Northwest Airlines''' (Detroit)
  • '''Sunwing Vacations''' (Toronto)
  • '''Delta Airlines''' (Boston)
  • Charlottetown Airport is one of the most user-friendly airports. Clearly, some of this is due to infrequent flights and small aircraft. Check-ins usually take five minutes or less, and do not expect to have to wait for your luggage--there is a good chance that it will arrive at the single conveyor before you do! The airport is small, accessible, and friendly--just like the city itself!

    Get around

    Taxis are cheap. $10 gets you from the Airport to downtown. 6-10$ will get you anywhere around town. All taxis are flat rate by zone. None has any specific licensing information in them; not to worry though, taxi drivers are typically friendly, enjoy meeting tourists, and are honest above all else.

    See

  • '''St. Dunstan's Basilica''', 45 Great George St, ''+1 902'' 894-3486, [http://www.stdunstans.pe.ca/]. Tourists welcomed between services.
  • Do

  • At the harbour front you can get on a seal-watching tour boat.
  • Go on an air tour which depart from the airport's skyplex.
  • Buy

    Charlottetown contains two major shopping centres: the Confederation Court Mall (right downtown, across from Province House), and the Charlottetown Mall, which is just out of town in West Royalty, on University Avenue. They contain the usual anchor stores (Zellers, SportsChek, etc), as well as many smaller stores. West Royalty also has many stand-alone big-box stores, such as Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, Future Shop, etc.

  • <listing name= "bestofpei Store" alt="Authentic Island Excellence" address="156 Richmond Street, Charlottetown" directions="on Historic Victoria Row" phone="+1 (902) 368-8835" email="info@bestofpei.com" url="http://www.bestofpei.com" hours="9am-9pm, seven days a week, open year round" price=""></listing>
  • If you get off the beaten path, though, you'll find lots of great specialty shops just waiting for your business. Walks along Queen St. and University Ave. (among others) will yield wonderful surprises in terms of shopping selection.

    Groceries are readily available from many major supermarkets within Charlottetown. Typical closing time is 10:00 pm. Since May 2007, the government has allowed Sunday shopping for the summer season, which will be in place until further notice. Sunday store hours are generally noon to 5:00pm.

    Eat

    Charlottetown, and PEI in general, have an abundance of great restaurants. For a city of its size, Charlottetown has a far better selection of Asian, Mediterranean and Indian food than you would normally expect.

  • Cedar's Eatery. 1 University Ave.. 1 (902) 892-7377. Great Lebanese food and reasonable prices. They have won many awards and have a great atmosphere. Shish Taouk, Falafel and other traditional dishes are prepared much more thoughtfully and are far tastier than the normal hole-in-the-wall Mediterranean joints in most cities.
  • Off Broadway. 25 Sydney St.. 1 (902) 566-4620. Nice romantic meal, nice atmosphere, and there is a nice bar upstairs called 42nd Street Lounge.
  • Gahan House. 26 Sydney St.. 1 (902) 626-2337. Home of Gahan Micro Brewery, with great fresh-brewed beer! A favorite is Iron Horse, but the others are all great. The Nachos are a favorite with locals and the best value on the menu. Tourist dished such as the Fish and Chips can be paltry and overpriced.
  • Both '''The Merchantman Pub''' and '''The Pilot House''' restaurants offer great pub fare with a good value overall. Great atmosphere for the mature set:
  • <eat name="The Merchantman Pub" address="23 Queen St." phone="+1 (902) 892-9150"></eat> <eat name="The Pilot House" address="70 Grafton St." phone="+1 (902) 894-4800"></eat>
  • Piece a Cake. 19 Grafton St.. 1 (902) 894-4585. Offers one of the freshest and tastiest menus in town. Well-liked by residents, though its prices are considered somewhat high.
  • Urban Eatery. onfederation Court Mall. 1 (902) 566-4848. The newly renovated food court in the Confederation Court Mall. They serve the best lunches possible: Simple sandwiches, soups and pizza all run by an in-house chef. This is a great place to feed a family.
  • Formosa Tea Room. 86 Prince St.. 1 (902) 566-4991. Provides shockingly inexpensive vegetarian meals. Serving a selection of fine Asian teas, dim sum treats like dumplings, and large bowls of noodles, vegetables and vegetarian "ham", you won't go hungry. The menu is small but every item on it is delicious and very reasonably priced.
  • The Water Prince Corner Shop and Lobster Pound. 41 Water St.. orner of Water and Prince Streets. 1 (902) 368-3212. ttp://www.waterprincelobster.ca/. Offers simple but well prepared seafood meals at exceptional prices. Start with an order of fresh Malpeque oysters, and then have a lobster roll, some lightly battered fish and chips, or even a 2 lb. steamed lobster.
  • The Noodle House. ehind Dairy Queen off University Ave.. 1 Summer St.. 1 (902) 628-6633. Serves authentic Chinese cuisine; well-known for their Kung Pao Gar Ding, Hot & Sour soup, and friendly service.
  • Town & Country. 19 Queen St.. ext to Charlottetown City Hall at the Kent/Queen Sts. intersection. 1 (902) 892-2282. "Asian Fusion" cuisine. Formerly a Lebanese restaurant, their menu now contains Lebanese, Indonesian, and Canadian items. Impressively tasty food for a good price. Great Indonesian curries.
  • Churchill Arms. 5 Queen St.. ight near the Delta Hotel. 1 (902) 367-3450. A cozy British pub and restaurant. Well known for their curries, everything is tasty and affordable. Portions can be quite large.

    Drink

  • Fishbones. 36 Richmond St.. ictoria Row. 1 (902) 628-6569. A seasonal bar and restaurant, located on Charlottetown's historic Victoria Row. Great atmosphere and more than reasonable prices.
  • Baba's Lounge. 1 University Ave.. 1 (902) 892-7377. A spot that many young locals go year round. Generally the most reliable but is quite small.
  • 42nd Street Lounge. 25 Sydney St.. 1 (902) 566-4620. bove Off Broadway. A well known cocktail bar with a fantastic atmosphere and great scotches. Dress up.
  • Olde Dublin Pub. 31 Sydney St.. 1 (902) 892-6992. An authentic Irish pub.

    Sleep

    There is no reason to stay at a chain hotel or motel in Charlottetown. The city is dotted with some of the cutest, and most comfortable, Inns and B&Bs you can imagine. All offer fantastic service and most have locations that allow you to walk downtown. They will often be cheaper and offer much more comfortable accommodations than a hotel. These places live and die by their reputation, so most innkeepers are incredibly helpful.

    Recommended:

  • '''"Elmowood Heritage Inn"''' [http://www.elmwoodinn.pe.ca/] was the first 5-Star Bed&Breakfast in Charlottetown and is still one of the best. InnKeepers Jay and Carol are known to be some of the most helpful.
  • '''"The Great George"''' [http://www.thegreatgeorge.com/] Charlottetown's Historic Boutique Hotel. Probably the best location in all of Charlottetown. It is getting pricier over time, but it is probably still one of the best overall values in town. It is right in the middle of it all.
  • '''"Fitzroy Hall"''' [http://www.fitzroyhall.com/] is another well located Bed& Beakfast and is typically well maintained. '''"The Shipwright Inn"''' [http://www.shipwrightinn.com/] is right next door and is highly rated, and '''"The Dundee Arms"''' [http://www.dundeearms.com/] is right across the street and is an Inn with an attached motel. The Dundee has a nice pub frequented by locals.
  • Get out