The 7 Friendliest Little Towns In The Maritimes
Like the coast of Maine and the rest of the East Coast in the United States, Canada’s Maritimes are known for rugged coastlines, crashing waves, lighthouses, and lobster traps, but what truly defines this region is its people, who often refer to themselves as Maritimers, wearing the nickname proudly like a merit badge of character. During one of the worst terrorist attacks in world history, it was Maritimers who stepped up when U.S. airspace was closed on 9/11 and welcomed stranded passengers with food and shelter. Halifax International Airport alone accepted 38 airplanes as part of “Operation Yellow Ribbon.” And during major disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, Canadians, including personnel from Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, were deployed to assist U.S. relief and recovery efforts. In the Maritimes, friendliness isn’t just a character trait—it’s a way of life. Here are seven of the friendliest towns in the Maritimes where you can expect a warm welcome not only in times of trouble, but any time.
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Anchored by Acadia University, Wolfville is a lively small town of around 5,600 residents with a warm, community-focused culture. It’s also a top destination for food, wine, and film enthusiasts, who can combine their love of all three of these things at the world’s largest culinary film fest, Devour! The Food Film Fest, which will celebrate its 16th year in October 2026. Wolfville is in the heart of the Annapolis Valley, close to eleven wineries, including Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards, where wanna-be sommeliers can book a horse-drawn vineyard tour, then spend time in the tasting room. If you want to visit multiple wineries in a single day, hop on the Magic Winery Bus, a one-of-a-kind day trip from downtown Wolfville that ferries drinkers to participating wineries on a fully decked-out double-decker bus.
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
Mahone Bay is a cheerful seaside town of about 1,100 residents that has become famous for its three iconic churches, which are recognized worldwide as symbols of the town. While you can visit the three churches streetside, the best view is from the water on a Mahone Bay Mug & Anchor Cruise with Salty Dog Sea Tours. The boat trip takes you around Mahone Bay and Oak Island, before disembarking at the Mug & Anchor Pub, an Irish-style pub serving smash burgers and cold pints of the distinctly maritime Alexander Keith’s ale.
Beyond the town’s over-the-top photogenic beauty, its streets are full of independent shops, craft breweries, and plenty of talented local artists showcasing their work at galleries like Amos Pewter, which has been honing its craft since 1974 in a circa 1888 boat-building shop on Main Street in downtown Mahone Bay. Nearby, Sea Mist Studio crafts unique jewelry inspired by the sea, featuring saltwater pearls from French Polynesia and freshwater pearls from China, Japan, and the U.S.
St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick
One of Canada’s first seaside resorts, St. Andrews-by-the-Sea (also known as Saint Andrews), is one of the friendliest tourist towns in the Maritimes, known for its historic charm and natural beauty. Start your tour of the pretty coastal town of about 2,000 people by exploring the eclectic shops, art galleries, and cafés peppered along Water Street and the Wharf. The Whale Store is your go-to destination for maritime books, clothing, and nautical-inspired gifts. If the kids are in town, you can easily spend an afternoon visiting the Fundy Discovery Aquarium at the Huntsman Marine Science Center on the spectacular Bay of Fundy, where they will be awestruck by the life-size model of Delilah, a North Atlantic right whale hanging from the ceiling. There are touch tanks to discover, underwater viewing tanks to see, and harbor seals to entertain you.
St. Andrew’s-by-the-Sea plays host to several unique festivals throughout the year, including Christmas by-the-Sea, an annual festive celebration from mid-November through December 2025; Winter Warmer Festival, a 3-day event mixing music and family fun from January 30 through February 1, 2026; and Paddlefest, a 4-day festival combining music, art, recreational activities, and environmental events every spring.
Summerside, Prince Edward Island
Summerside is Prince Edward Island’s second-largest city with a population of almost 19,000, after Charlottetown, and is renowned for its welcoming, friendly nature. In the summer, the shops of Spinnaker’s Landing, the picturesque boardwalk designed like a colorful fishing village, transform into a vibrant waterfront marketplace where you can find one-of-a-kind souvenirs, made-in-the-Maritimes crafts, ice cream, fudge, and sweet treats, while enjoying live boardwalk entertainment from the summer-long Buskers’ Festival.
For quirky museum and DIY lovers, the Bishop’s Machine Shop is an intact, old-fashioned machine shop full of tools and gadgets from a bygone era, while the Wyatt House Museum is a faithfully restored tribute to Edwardian beauty and authenticity. Don’t skip the Summerside Interpretive Centre and PEI Fox Museum, which explores the once-thriving fox ranching business on the island, in particular silver-black foxes, and the fox barons who grew wealthy by selectively breeding silver and black foxes for their rare coats.
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Another postcard-perfect town on the water, Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a perfectly preserved example of a planned British colonial town in North America. Founded in 1753 by the British, it was laid out on a grid plan with streets and lots carefully surveyed, intended to attract settlers and serve as a defensive coastal settlement. Today, the former world-class fishing and shipbuilding town of around 2,400 residents welcomes you with brightly painted buildings, a friendly harborfront, and maritime heritage. When in port, you'll find the Bluenose II, a symbol of Nova Scotia’s seafaring past, docked behind the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic and its three floors of fishing history.
After sightseeing and wandering Lunenburg’s steep, winding streets that climb the hillside from the harbor, book a table at the Grand Banker Bar & Grill, a popular waterfront watering hole that features fresh scallops, classic Nova Scotia lobster rolls, and one pound of white-wine steamed mussels.
Shediac, New Brunswick
Nothing says “welcome” quite like the world’s largest lobster, perched beside the “Welcome to Shediac” sign in the town of 9,000 residents that gave it its name. Known as the Lobster Capital of the World, Shediac is the perfect place for a seafood tasting adventure, where you can sample freshly caught lobster, scallops, mussels, and other Atlantic seafood at the town’s best waterfront restaurants and local eateries. Start at Tait House, a restored 1911 Queen Anne heritage home, where you can stay overnight in one of their nine rooms, before dining on lobster gnocchi, seafood chowder, or crab cakes at the onsite restaurant. Le Coast Shediac’s menu features lobster clubs and rolls, lobster by the pound, and a lobster poutine, a nod to a traditional Quebec dish of French fries, cheese curds, and gravy. Walk off all that lobster along the Pointe-du Chêne Wharf, a New Brunswick landmark, and browse the souvenir shops for the perfect reminder of Shediac.
Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
The top tourist attraction in Nova Scotia is Peggy’s Cove, and it’s not hard to see why. Its picturesque lighthouse may well be the most-photographed in Canada. The best time to visit the small fishing village of about 30 permanent residents and Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse (also known as Peggy’s Point Lighthouse) is early in the morning, before the tour buses arrive, when you can capture the famous granite rocks and rugged coastline in peace. Wander along the shore, explore the tidal pools, and take in the colorful fishing village before nabbing a table at the Sou'Wester Gift & Restaurant Co. This small five-table tearoom morphed into a two-story gift shop and 180-seat restaurant offering traditional Maritime chowders, lobster rolls, and seafood dishes. Finally, the Swissair Memorial Site at Peggy’s Cove is a somber reminder of the spirit of Maritimers, who built a memorial to the 229 souls who lost their lives when Swissair Flight 111 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Peggy’s Cove.
Maritime Towns Where Friendship Is A Way Of Life
There’s an old saying about finding out who your friends are when the chips are down, and that sentiment has never been more accurate than in small Maritime towns, like St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, Summerside, and Peggy’s Cove, where locals go out of their way to welcome visitors, share stories, and lend a helping hand. From Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, the seven friendliest towns in the Maritimes make you feel at home, whether you’re exploring historic streets, sampling local seafood, or wandering scenic waterfronts.
