Halifax
Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, is a city built around one of the largest natural harbours in the world. Its history has always been closely connected to the sea, navigation, and the military role the city played for centuries along Canada’s Atlantic coast.
Downtown Halifax is compact and easy to explore on foot, with the Citadel overlooking the city from above and the waterfront forming its lively heart. Historic buildings, museums, modern public spaces, restaurants, and working piers all sit within a relatively small area, making the city particularly easy to discover with children.
Day 1 - Waterfront
The first afternoon is best spent along the Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk, a long pedestrian promenade following the harbour through piers, boats, historic buildings, restaurants, and public art installations.
Start at Bishop’s Landing and walk north along the water. Along the way, pass Halifax’s distinctive bent lamppost sculptures, the Salt Yard, and several small piers overlooking the harbour and Dartmouth on the opposite shore.
Continue past the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and reach Queen’s Marque, one of the newer sections of the waterfront. Wide public spaces and granite steps descend directly toward the harbour, creating a good place to stop and watch ferries and boats moving across the water.
From there, continue toward the Halifax Ferry Terminal and the Historic Properties, where old waterfront warehouses have been restored and transformed into shops and restaurants.
The route is easy, mostly flat, and particularly suitable for families with small children. It is also the best introduction to Halifax, showing immediately how closely the city is connected to its harbour.
Day 2 – Halifax Citadel and Point Pleasant Park
The second day in Halifax combines two places that help explain the city from very different perspectives: the Halifax Citadel, which tells the story of the city’s military origins, and Point Pleasant Park, where forest trails and coastal scenery hide the remains of another layer of Halifax’s defensive system.
Halifax Citadel
Halifax was founded by the British in 1749 around its strategic harbour, and a fortification was built almost immediately on this hill to protect the new settlement and naval base. Four different citadels occupied the site over the following century. The present stone fortress was begun in 1828 and completed in 1856, after almost three decades of construction.
Its elevated position was deliberate. From the ramparts, the garrison could watch both the harbour and the approaches to the city. By the mid-19th century, Halifax had become one of the British Empire’s principal naval stations in North America.
Today, the Citadel has been restored largely to its Victorian appearance. Costumed soldiers representing the 78th Highland Regiment bring the site to life, while the barracks, parade square, defensive tunnels and artillery positions provide a good introduction to daily military life in 19th-century Halifax.
A good family visit does not need to cover every exhibition. Start with the ramparts for the panoramic views over downtown and the harbour, then explore the barracks and some of the tunnels built into the fortifications.
The highlight is the Noon Gun. Every day at exactly noon, a cannon is fired from the Citadel, continuing a Halifax tradition that dates back to at least 1856. With small children, it is worth standing slightly farther back, as the shot is surprisingly loud.
Allow around 1½ to 2 hours for the visit.
Point Pleasant Park
In the afternoon, leave downtown behind and head to Point Pleasant Park, at the southern tip of the Halifax Peninsula.
This large wooded park feels surprisingly removed from the city despite being only a few minutes from downtown. Trails run through dense forest before reaching rocky sections of coastline overlooking Halifax Harbour, McNabs Island and the open Atlantic approaches.
The peaceful landscape also hides an important military history.
Beginning in the 1790s, the British constructed batteries around Point Pleasant to prevent enemy ships from entering Halifax Harbour or the Northwest Arm. For several decades, these fortifications formed the first line of defence for the city.
One of the most important surviving structures is the Prince of Wales Tower, built in 1796–97. It was the first Martello-style defensive tower constructed in Canada and one of the earliest examples in the British Empire. Other batteries remained in military use much longer, some continuing to serve Halifax until the Second World War.
For a visit with young children, the best route starts near the lower entrance on Sailors Memorial Way. Follow the path toward the Naval Memorial and Point Pleasant Battery, then continue along the coast toward Black Rock Beach before returning through the forest.
There is no need to follow a strict loop. The main attraction is the contrast between woodland, ocean views and the remains of the old harbour defences.
Allow around 1 to 1½ hours for an easy family walk.
Together, the Citadel and Point Pleasant Park show why Halifax developed where it did. The harbour made the city important, while the network of forts surrounding it was designed to protect one of the most strategically valuable ports on the Atlantic coast.
Day 3 – Discovery Centre and Dartmouth
The third day in Halifax is a good combination of something designed specifically for children and one of the easiest ways to experience the harbour from the water.
Discovery Centre
Start the morning at the Discovery Centre on Lower Water Street, Halifax’s interactive science museum.
The museum is designed around hands-on exhibits rather than traditional displays, making it especially suitable for younger children. Exhibits cover science, technology, engineering, nature and the human body, with plenty of opportunities to touch, build, experiment and move between activities.
For families with small children, there is no need to follow a fixed route. Two or three hours are enough to explore the most engaging areas without turning the visit into a long museum day.
The Discovery Centre is also well placed for families staying downtown, directly beside the southern section of the waterfront.
Ferry to Dartmouth
In the afternoon, head to the Halifax Ferry Terminal and take the Alderney Ferry across the harbour to Downtown Dartmouth.
The Halifax-Dartmouth ferry service has been operating in different forms for centuries and is one of the oldest continuously operating saltwater passenger ferry services in North America. The short crossing is also one of the simplest and cheapest ways to see Halifax from the water.
The ride takes only around 15 minutes, but the views back toward the Halifax skyline, Citadel Hill and the waterfront make the crossing worthwhile in itself.
Dartmouth Waterfront
The ferry arrives at Alderney Landing, the cultural and transportation hub of Downtown Dartmouth.
From here, walk through Ferry Terminal Park and continue along the Dartmouth Harbourwalk. The waterfront is much quieter than Halifax’s, with open views across the harbour and plenty of space for children to walk and explore.
A short section of the Harbourwalk is enough with young children. There is no need to complete the full trail toward Woodside.
After the waterfront, continue into Downtown Dartmouth along Portland Street, the main commercial street of the neighbourhood. Small restaurants, cafés, independent shops and colourful murals give this part of Dartmouth a more local and relaxed atmosphere than Downtown Halifax.
Return to Alderney Landing and take the ferry back across the harbour.
This is an easy half-day excursion and one of the best ways to understand Halifax Harbour as a whole. Halifax provides the historic centre and busy waterfront, while Dartmouth offers a quieter perspective from the opposite shore.