Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk

Halifax’s waterfront has one of the longest downtown boardwalks in North America, and the traditional way to see the city's seafaring past is to stroll it. The Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk runs for about four kilometres along the edge of the harbour, from the Halifax Seaport at the southern end to the Casino Nova Scotia area in the north, and it is built largely of heavy timber, in keeping with the wharves and warehouses it follows. It is open at all hours and free to walk, and the view is a constant mixture of working harbour, ferries, cruise ships and the shoreline of Dartmouth across the water.

The southern end is anchored by Pier 21, the Canadian Museum of Immigration, and the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market, a lively spot for coffee and local produce on weekends. Along the boardwalk, the walkway passes Bishop's Landing, a modern development of restaurants and shops, and Historic Properties, a group of 19th-century stone and timber warehouses, once home to merchants and privateers, now converted to boutiques, cafés and pubs. Several of these buildings date from the early 1800s, when Halifax prospered from the Napoleonic Wars, and their thick stone walls and heavy beams give the area a distinctive character.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic stands at the centre of the boardwalk, with exhibits on the Halifax Explosion of 1917, the Titanic, small craft and the history of shipping. Moored beside it is the CSS Acadia, a hydrographic survey ship launched in 1913 and the last surviving vessel from the era, which charted the coast of Canada for decades. In summer, HMCS Sackville, the last surviving Flower Class Corvette of the Second World War and now a floating naval memorial, is also moored on the waterfront. Cable Wharf, at the north end, works as a base for harbour cruises and tour boats, and the ferry to Dartmouth, one of the oldest saltwater ferry routes in North America, departs from the nearby terminal.

The boardwalk is managed by Build Nova Scotia, which runs events and entertainment through the season. Buskers perform in summer, and the Halifax Busker Festival in August fills the waterfront with street performers. Benches and patios along the way offer places to sit, and fish and chips, ice cream and seafood chowder are easy to find.

Plan an hour for the full walk, or longer with stops. Winter is windy and cold, so dress warmly.