Halifax is the capital city of Nova Scotia and the largest city in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. The city's origins and rich maritime history derive from a strategic location and one of the world's great natural harbours. In the 19th and early 20th century, Halifax was the entry point for European immigration to Canada. Today, Halifax is a busy Atlantic seaport and the economic and cultural hub of Eastern Canada.
Get in
By planeThe
Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport is located about a half hour drive outside of Halifax. It is the biggest airport in the maritime provinces, with direct daily flights from Toronto, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Calgary, and limited service to a number of regional and holiday destinations.
Direct connections to Europe are provided by an Air Canada flight to London's Heathrow airport; Zoom and Thomas Cook Airlines also provides a direct flight to London's Gatwick airport.
To get into Halifax there is a shuttle bus that leaves every hour most hours of the day and stops at all the major hotels in Halifax and Dartmouth. $16 one-way, or $28 for a return ticket. Alternatively, there are taxis that charge a flat rate of $53 to get anywhere in Halifax/Dartmouth.
By train VIA Rail train station located in the south end of Halifax directly next to the Westin Nova Scotia Hotel has daily trains leaving for rail connections in Montreal and Toronto to the North East US.
By carHalifax is connected to the rest of Canada by provincial highways 101, 102, 103, and 104. Highway 102 runs between Halifax and Truro, where it connects to Highway 104 (the Trans-Canada Highway). Going west on 104 takes one to the New Brunswick border, and then onto Maine, Quebec, or Prince Edward Island. It's about 2 hours from Halifax to the New Brunswick border; there is a $4.50 toll at the
Cobequid pass. Going east on 104 takes one to Cape Breton.
A ferry service in Sydney connects Nova Scotia with Newfoundland. Highway 103 connects Halifax with the South Shore. During the summer, a high-speed ferry named The Cat connects Yarmouth (3 hours from Halifax) with Bar Harbor, Maine. Highway 101 connects Halifax with the Annapolis valley. A ferry service connects Digby (about 2.5 hours from Halifax) with Saint John, New Brunswick.
By busRegional buses operated by Acadian Lines run from Bangor and throughout the Maritime Provinces to Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford and Sackville.
By boatA ferry service also operates between Halifax and Dartmouth.
Carnival Cruise Lines operates cruises to Halifax.
Get around
By busHRM's Metro Transit All public transport in the metro area costs a flat $2, with discounts for children and seniors. Transfer tickets are free, allow you further travel for 2 hours, and are good for both buses and the Halifax-Dartmouth ferry. All of the transit maps and schedules can be accessed by clicking on the aforementioned link.
By taxiThere are a number of taxi services in the city, although flagging one down may be difficult in certain areas. Calling and reserving cabs is never an issue. See
The Halifax Citadel, . An old fort on a hill overlooking the city and the harbour. Presently, the citadel is a national historic site and home to a museum and a small ceremonial garrison. A must see, especially during Canada day (1 July) celebrations. Pier 21, . A historic waterfront building that now houses an exhibit related to Canadian immigration and hosts special events.The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic : located on the downtown waterfront. The collection includes exhibits and artifacts related to the sinking of the Titanic and the devastating 1917 Halifax explosion. The CSS Acadia , a hydrographic survey ship built in 1913, is an ongoing conservation project. The Acadia is moored a few meters from the museum building; tours are available during the summer.Old Burial Grounds, Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road. The graveyard was in use from 1749 to 1843 and there are moderately informative plaques and signs throughout. Right across the street from the Old Burial Grounds is St. Matthew’s Church, the oldest United Church in Canada. The building was opened in 1859, but the congregation dates back to 1749. Parks Public Gardens, Spring Garden Road and South Park St. Free. Beautiful.Point Pleasant Park (most southern point of the city). Open most days from sunrise to sunset. A large peaceful park that serves as a vantage point to see the mouth of the harbour and into the Atlantic ocean. Was once a dense woods has since been left with patches of devastation and clear-cut from Hurricane Juan in 2003. It still remains a popular place to walk dogs and stroll.Do
Waterfront, A great variety of restaurants, tours, and other entertainment. Theodore Tugboat, a WWII era Corvette, and other ships line the harbour. Brewery Market, At the historic Keith's Brewery Building, 1496 Lower Water Street, Saturdays 7am-1pm, This is considered the oldest running Farmer's Market in North America. It is always very busy with people buying ethnic and local foods, plants, artwork, clothing and all sorts of other interesting stuff that you may or may not expect to find at a Farmer's Market. This market is held indoors so it is open year-round. Harbour Hopper, Guided tour of Halifax and harbour in an amphibious vehicle. A bit gimmicky, but informative.Canoe the Northwest Arm, Head down to the St. Mary's Boat Club, 1641 Fairfield Road (off Jubilee) 902 490-4688, on Saturdays and Sundays (11am-7pm) and rent a canoe for 8$/hour. Take a trip up the beautiful Northwest Arm to see the historic Dingle tower in Flemming Park, watch the numerous sailboats out for a weekend cruise or catch a regatta if you're lucky. Gawk at some of the mansions that line the water or for the ambitious, head all the way up to Point Pleasant Park, where the Northwest Arm meets Halifax Harbour.The Halifax Mooseheads Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team plays from October to April at the Halifax Metro Centre. Rough, highly skilled games are combined with a near-NHL level of presentation. Tickets are $8-15, and are available at the Metro Centre box office.Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour, Tour of Alexander Keith's Brewery. This will be more interesting if you are a regular drinker of the beer, but being a regular drinker of any beer won't hurt. The Spring Garden Road Memorial Public Library, 5381 Spring Garden Road. A convenient place to sit, relax, and watch kids duck into between the legs of the pensive Winston Churchill statue out front. As a sliver of scarce downtown greenspace, the front lawn of the building is well-used by Haligonians as a meeting spot, a reading spot, and most importantly as a place to eat french fries on lunch breaks.EventsBusker Festival, Visit in August for the festival of street performers along the waterfront. It's a must see, with amazing acts, some grand and awe-inspiring, some quaint, others funny. A very lively time of year along the harbourfront, with music and stalls selling food and the standard run of touristy souvenirs. Nova Scotia International Air Show, . A yearly event, taking place in early September. This is a great chance to see the the aerobatic teams from a number of national air forces. The Canadian Snowbirds perform every year. In past years, the show was held at the Shearwater airforce base, but in 2005 the venue was moved to the Halifax International airport.Learn
Halifax is home to 3 major universities. Students make up a significant proportion of the population of certain city neighbourhoods.
Spread over 3 campuses, Dalhousie University is the largest educational institution in Nova Scotia. With 15,000 undergraduates and a broad range of graduate and professional programmes, Dalhousie counts itself as one of the leading universities in Canada. Located in the south end of the city, Saint Mary's University is somewhat smaller. St. Mary's is renowned for its business school, strong alumni support, and athletics. Located just off the peninsula, along the Bedford highway is Mount Saint Vincent University , a smaller university with a focus on undergraduate studies, and professional programs including those in teaching and public relations. Other educational institutions include:
The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design is a university offering programs and degrees related to the visual arts and design.The University of King's College is a small liberal arts university on the Halifax peninsula, known for their journalism programs.The Nova Scotia Community College has a number of campuses in the Halifax area.The head of the world-wide Buddhist Shambhala organization is located in Halifax. The Halifax Shambala Centre offers courses in Buddhism, particularly methods related to the the Shambhala tradition.The Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts provides performing arts education for children and adults.Work
The military is the largest employer in the region. The city is home to Maritime Forces Atlantic HQ and and the navy's East Coast fleet. Among the military installations around the city are Windsor Park, Stadacona and HMC Dockyard. It is hard to go anywhere without seeing a reference to the Navy.
Many corporations have their regional headquarters in the city, some are located downtown like TD and the Royal Bank, while others are located in some of the major business parks in the region like Burnside Industrial Park or the Aerotech Park which is located next to the Airport. Both have direct access to the major provincial highways and while the Aerotech Park is next to the airport which influences the Aerospace theme, Burnside has ~10-15 min travel time to the Airport.
Halifax is home to numerous universities, having one of the highest concentrations in Canada. Dalhousie University is a big university and is a major regional employer.
The city, being the provincial capital, is home to thousands of provincial government employees.
Buy
The Farmers' Market, 1496 Lower Water Street, . An often over-crowded bazaar for fresh food and craft items. Don't haggle. Buskers play music in the hallways between retail areas.Eat
BudgetMany of the cheap eats in town are along Spring Garden road.
Trident Cafe, 1256 Hollis pick up any book to read in this bookshop cafe, then either purchase it or put it back!Steve-O-Reno's Just off of Spring Garden Road on Brunswick. Specialty coffees, teas, cold drinks, and baked goods. Coburg Cafe, 6085 Coburg Road, (near Dalhousie Univeristy). Great indie music, students come here for group study or just to hang. Great hot chocolate and a $2 mammoth slice of carrot cake.Pizza Corner 3 different pizza restaurants at corner of Blowers and Grafton. Good cheap pizza and donairs. However, this area can descend into anarchy when the bars let out, and the restaurants often lock their bathrooms, even to customers. Split Crow, 1855 Granville, . Long-standing Pub with late week and weekend entertainment and cheap food. "Power Hour" brings in the crowds for cheaps drinks (3 middies for $5).Your Father's Moustache, Spring Garden Road, . Pub.Thirsty Duck, 5472 Spring Garden Road .Kings Palace, 6140 Quinpool Road. Chinese Food.Mexico Lindo, 3635 Dutch Village Road. Authentic Mexican Food Hala's Pizza and Donair, 117 Kearney Lake Rd. (Wedgewood Plaza), . A charming and cozy pizza restaurant - takes pride in its homemade dishes.The Henry House Traditional English meals and excellent micro-brewery beers. You can't go wrong with Bangers & Mash and a pint of Peculiar.French fries from one of the chip trucks that park in front of the Library on Spring Garden Road are cheap, fast and still palatable. After you've had your fill, donate the rest of your chips to the city's ever-hungry pigeon population. Not available in the winter.Mid-rangeSatisfaction Feast, 1581 Grafton St., . Excellent vegetarian restaurant with variety and taste. Plenty of vegan or vegan option items on the menu. Dinner salad and entree = 17$ CAD. Try the Neatloaf. M-Sa 11:30AM-9PM, W 11:30AM-4PM, Su Closed.Fireside - Meals are reasonably priced, atmosphere is cosy and EVERYTHING on the menu is worth eating. The cocktail menu is discounted on Martini Mondays.Il Mercato, 5650 Spring Garden Rd, . Good Pasta. Have the lemon tart for dessert. M-Sa 11AM-11PM Economy Shoe Shop, 1661-1663 Argyle St, . Extensive menu. Go on Jazz night (usually Monday) and eat Nachos.The Wooden Monkey, 1685 Argyle St, . Veggie & Vegan friendly bistro featuring local, organic and macrobiotic food and drink. Kid's menu available. Su-Th 11:30AM-10PM, F-Sa 11:30AM-11PM.Salty's 1869 Upper Water St (Privateers Wharf), +1 902 423-6818, . Seafood restaurant on the waterfront. Casual patio dining downstairs, fancier setting upstairs. Can get very busy on summer evenings. Reservations recommended. Little Fish (downstairs from the Five Fisherman). Seafood and oyster bar.The Hungry Chili, Blowers St. Outstanding homestyle Szechuan restaurant. Like no Szechuan you have had before.Heartwood Bakery & Cafe, 6250 Quinpool Road, . Vegetarian, organic and extremely good. Lunch and dinner buffet, soups, salads, entrees, desserts. Pay-by-weight system. M-Sa 10AM-8PM.SplurgeChâteau Briand fine European cuisine in the historic properties on Granville StreetFid an authentic French restaurant located on Dresden Row above Spring Garden Rd. Closed Mondays.Da Maurizio's an Italian restaurant located on Lower Water St. inside the Brewery Market.BishFive Fisherman Lobster, scallops, and other seafood dishes. Mussel & salad bar included. Onyx Closed Sunday.Taj Mahal 5175 South Street, (902) 492-8251, Delicious Indian food, great atmosphere, Restaurant is across the street from Cornwallis Park and The Westin hotel.Drink
There are a large number of good cafes, pubs, and other eateries all throughout downtown. Of particular note are those on Granville St.
Your Father's Moustache, Spring Garden Rd., for a good atmosphere and decently priced food.Rogues Roost, Spring Garden Rd., is a warm microbrew pub where you can order a tasting tray with a sample of 6 of their award-winning brews. Live music some nights, they also have an open-mic night. It is connected out the back to Tom's Little Havana (Doyle St.), a small Cuban-themed pub/restaurant that permits cigar and cigarette smoking.Dome/Cheers/Attic, Grafton St. Also known as the Liquor Dome. Three different establishments all linked together. Customers pay cover at the doors to either one of the three bars and gain access to all three. Cheers is a bar atmosphere which features live bands. The Attic is somewhat of a combination of a bar and nightclub featuring a large amount of sitting area and a few small dance floors. The Dome is a standard nightclub with a large dance floor. Sunday nights are very popular at the dome as liquor is available at one dollar per drink. Wednesday is student night, where any student presenting a student card does not pay cover and drinks are one dollar during power hour.The Henry House, Barrington Street. Formerly known as the Granite Brewery. Contains a wide range of hand-pulled beers from local micro-breweries (originally Granite Ales, but now carries a much wider stock). Good selection of food in an English pub-type atmosphere. Three levels - first floor rooms for private hire, upper ground floor is a more formal dining area, lower ground floor is the bar/pub. Liquor can be purchased at
NSLC (Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation) stores, in stand-alone locations, malls, and grocery stores. Selection is often surprisingly large, but be prepared to pay: a twelve-pack of beer can range from $17-20, and a pint of rum or vodka will set you back $12-14. All prices quoted include taxes and recycling deposits. Most stores close at 10 PM, as well as on Sundays and holidays. The exception has been the sole drive-through outlet near the in Dartmouth end of the MacDonald Bridge; it is frequently open holidays, but for drive-through service only.
Sleep
BudgetHalifax Backpacker's Hostel, 2193 Gottingen Street, . From $20Hostelling International, 1253 Barrington Street, . Good downtown location. Dalhousie University Dorm Rooms, 6230 Coburg Road (Howe Hall); 5303 Morris Street (Gerard Hall); 5598 Fenwick Street (Fenwick Place), . Dorm and apartment-style accommodation From late May-Aug. Limited availability (1 of 2 suites in Howe Hall) during the school year. Mumford Bed & Breakfast 7015 Mumford Road. . An English-style B&B with just two rooms. $85Clifty Cove Motel, 8444 Peggy's Cove Rd., .Mid-rangeThe Garden Inn 1263 South Park Street, +1 902 492 8577, Toll Free 1-877-414-8577, . $100Lakeview Inn & Suites Halifax, 98 Chain Lake Drive. $100Halifax Marriott Harbourfront, 1919 Upper Water Street. Housed in the former Halifax Casino building. $170.Waverley Inn, 1266 Barrington St. Unique 19th century property downtown - filled with antiques. The Westin Nova Scotian, 1181 Hollis Street.Atlantic Corporate Suites, 5536 Sackville St., . $75.SplurgeThe Lord Nelson, 1515 South Park Street, . Overlooking the Public Gardens just below the Citadel. $250 and up.Prince George, 1725 Market Street, . $200Four Points by Sheraton, 1496 Hollis Street, . $300 and upContact
Halifax TourismStay safe
Crime has been increasing in the Halifax area, and some dangers are worth mentioning. Some instances of swarming - groups of people harassing, robbing or assaulting persons - have been reported. Be especially careful around the North End of the city, especially near Gottingen Street. Elsewhere, common sense should suffice,
i.e. bring a friend
Also note that pedestrian crosswalks are highly respected by drivers in Halifax, and crossings can occur just about anywhere. This provides a double danger: For drivers to keep on the ball watching out for pedestrians; and for pedestrians to not be lulled into a false sense of security while crossing.
Cope
Direction 180, 2158 Gottingen Street. The main resource drug addiction treatment. They operate a needle exchange, but you may need to register.
Get out
St. Margaret's Bay is only half an hour away; a gorgeous bay, almost as big as the harbour itself, but without the cities. Instead, it is dotted with islands and small towns. There are beautiful beaches, such as Queensland, Cleveland, Black Point and others, just before the town of Hubbards. The drive along highway 3 (2 lane, coastal) is well worth the twists and turns, for it is beautifully scenic, especially on nice summer days. Peggy's Cove: stunning bare granite rocks and cliffs with its historic and still-used lighthouse. While sunsets are gorgeous and peaceful on clear summer evenings; the best times to see Peggy's Cove are the stormier days, when the waves crashing against the cliffs send salt spray high into the air. Better to get out there early in the day to avoid tour buses.
The
Halifax urban area (2006 pop: 282,924 ), also referred to as
Metropolitan Halifax,
Metro Halifax, and sometimes, incorrectly, as
Halifax, Nova Scotia, is the urban area in Atlantic Canada and home to Nova Scotia's capital district.
While the majority of urban areas include a city surrounded by towns and suburbs that are often self or separately governed from the city, the Halifax Urban Area is unusual in that the the entire urban, suburban and rural commuter-shed - as well as a substantial unrelated rural area - are all a part of the Halifax Regional Municipality, a regional municipality that governs an area larger than the province of Prince Edward Island.
Metro Halifax benefits from a process of increased rural depopulation and corresponding urban growth in Atlantic Canada during the late 20th century — a demographic shift that was delayed several decades in the region compared with other parts of North America.
Geography
The urban area of HRM is located in the western end of the municipality, fronting on Halifax Harbour. The dense urban core is centered on the Halifax Peninsula and the area of Dartmouth inside of the Circumferential Highway. The suburban area stretches beyond Mainland Halifax to the west, Cole Harbour to the east, and Bedford, Sackville, Nova Scotia and Windsor Junction areas to the north. The municipal government considers all of the urban, suburban and rural commutershed to be a part of the Halifax urban area.
Unlike most cities with a sizable census metropolitan area, Halifax Regional Municipality's suburbs are incorporated into the Halifax Region proper, with the urban area including the urban core, suburban communities and a rural commuter shed that encompases almost half the region.
This urban area constitutes the most populous urban area on Canada's Atlantic coast, and the second largest coastal population centre in the country, after Vancouver, British Columbia. HRM currently accounts for 40% of Nova Scotia's population, and 15% of that of the Atlantic provinces.
The north eastern area of HRM, centered on Sheet Harbour, is completely rural. This area is not a part of the Halifax urban area, and has more in common with neighbouring counties such as Guysborough. and has little day to day interaction the rest of the region.
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History
:
For the history of the present day community and the former city of Halifax, see City of Halifax, for information since 1996, consult the History of the Halifax Regional Municipality.The town of Halifax was established by the British to counter-balance the French presence in Québec and Acadia, which at the time included present-day New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island and the Gaspe Peninsula. For most of its early history, Halifax was the primary North Atlantic base for the Royal Navy, it prospered during times of conflict and languished during times of peace. Despite Halifax's status as the regional centre and colonial capital, the city had difficulty sustaining peacetime economic success in its early years.
The four municipalities in the Halifax urban area had been coordinating service delivery through the
Halifax Metropolitan Authority since the late 1970's, but remained independent towns and cities until April 1, 1996. On that date, the Province created the Halifax Regional Municipality by dissolving and amalgamating the City of Halifax, the City of Dartmouth, the Town of Bedford and Municipality of the County of Halifax.
External links
Halifax Webcam----
