Making the most of Halifax
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Passengers are greeted by the skirl of bagpipes as the 78th Highlanders perform the traditional dockside greeting that won Halifax the "Best Port Welcome" award from Dreamworld Cruise Destination Magazine
The Seaport offers more than 2,000 feet (611 meters) of continuous berth space. Passengers enjoy the convenience of moving direct from ship-to-shore. Covered hydraulic gangways lead directly into Pavilion 22, the new cruise passenger handling facility. Pavilion 22 offers visitors the best of Nova Scotian handcrafts, gifts and signature products. Phones, tour and visitor information are also available at the facility. Tour buses and taxis are conveniently located in front of Pavilion 22.
The main waterfront attractions begin at the start of the boardwalk close to which the Halifax cruise terminal is located. It's a short walk (20-30 minutes) along Lower Water Street to the city. Taxi/Uber: 5-10 minutes, depending on traffic
Halifax is now the number three most visited cruise port in Canada, after Vancouver and Victoria.
Printable map to take along.
Webcam of pier 21.
Halifax is small and easily walkable.
The main waterfront attractions begin at the start of the boardwalk and continue on for the next three quarters of a mile.
Halifax Hop-On Hop-Off Tour You can board this vintage double-decker bus in front of your cruise terminal for an easy and fun 90-minute ride around the city.
The main landmark is the Halifax Citadel, on a high hill above the city, and it conveniently divides the city into three districts: the South End, representing the older, wealthier urban core south of the Citadel; the North End, the grittier northern suburbs destroyed by the Explosion; and the largely residential West End. The downtown core is sandwiched between the Citadel and the sea, making navigation a snap.
Pier 21, Canada's equivalent of New York's Ellis Island, this historic waterfront building processed over a million immigrants. Now converted into a modern museum with extensive exhibits related to Canadian immigration.
The Garrison Brewery, the Farmers Market, and the Pier 21 museum are next to the ship's dock.
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic From small craft boatbuilding to World War Convoys, the Days of Sail to the Age of Steam, the Titanic to the Halifax Explosion, you'll discover the stories, events and people that have come to define Nova Scotia and its relationship with the sea.