A Weekend in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia: Two Days Across the Harbour

Plan my Dartmouth weekend · What's on this weekend

Find a place to stay in Dartmouth

Two days in Dartmouth, on the other side of the harbour from Halifax. Day 1 is downtown on foot: a Saturday market, a waterfront park, a bread shop, a brewery, a cidery and dinner. Day 2 heads east to Cole Harbour for coffee and lunch, then comes back for a beer bar and a show. It suits a weekend that starts with the ferry across from Halifax.

Start with coffee and a croissant at Two If By Sea Cafe on Ochterloney Street. The croissants run from butter and almond to prosciutto and provolone, with muffins, scones and cookies beside them.

Then walk down to Alderney Landing on the harbour. It is a cultural centre with a gallery, a theatre and a market plaza, with a farmers' market every Saturday and an artisan market on Sundays. Tickets for its shows and festivals are on its page.

Right beside the ferry terminal, Ferry Terminal Park is the place to watch the harbour traffic. It holds the World Peace Pavilion, built with stones and bricks sent from countries around the world.

Walk up to Pleasant Street for Birdies Bread Co. The loaves are naturally leavened, made with locally grown grain milled in the shop on a stone mill. Buy one for the ferry home.

For lunch, The Canteen on Portland cooks French, Italian and Nova Scotian dishes, from a smoked meat Reuben to a roast chicken dinner. Tables book online on its own site.

Spend the afternoon on Portland Street with a beer and a cider. Darty Brewing Co. brews on site and pours flights and pints in its taproom. At the same address, Lake City Cider makes its cider with apples from Stirling Farms, and dogs are welcome in the taproom.

Finish at Oxalis Restaurant on Wentworth Street, a farm-to-table kitchen that cooks from Nova Scotia ingredients and adds a few German and Austrian dishes. The menu changes, so book a table ahead and see what is on it.

Find a place to stay in Dartmouth

Head east for coffee at Selby's Bunker Coffee & Gifts on Cole Harbour Road. It is a café and a gift shop in one, with espresso drinks, baking and Montreal-style bagel sandwiches made to order, and most of what it sells comes from Atlantic Canadian businesses.

Lunch is at North Brewing Company Cole Harbour on Portland Street, a brewery, taproom and restaurant in one, pouring IPAs and lagers.

Come back downtown for the afternoon. The Sunday artisan market is on at Alderney Landing, and Battery Park Beer Bar & Eatery on Ochterloney Street pours 20 rotating taps of Nova Scotia craft beer, with burgers and chalkboard specials from the kitchen.

In the evening, The Sanctuary Arts Centre, up the same street, stages concerts and festivals. Tickets for upcoming shows are on its page.

Dinner is at The Wooden Monkey, on the level above the Alderney ferry terminal. The kitchen cooks with local and organic ingredients, and the ferry back to Halifax leaves from downstairs.

• The Alderney ferry crosses the harbour between downtown Halifax and downtown Dartmouth, and the terminal is beside Alderney Landing.
• Alderney Landing's farmers' market is on Saturdays and its artisan market on Sundays, so the plan runs Saturday then Sunday.
• Portland Street, Alderney Drive and Ochterloney Street are downtown Dartmouth, and Day 1 walks all three.
• More of Nova Scotia: a weekend in Halifax is across the water, and a weekend in Wolfville is in the Annapolis Valley.

Start from this plan, set your dates and swap any stop you like.

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