Two Parks Canada national historic sites and the town between them. Port-Royal is one of the earliest European settlements in North America. Fort Anne has four centuries of history layered on one hill. Annapolis Royal has the gardens, the trails and the cafes, and you get three and a half hours in it.
Pick your date below. The bus leaves from the VIA Rail station at 1161 Hollis Street in downtown Halifax.
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Choose your own adventure: we drop you off, and the bus picks you up in the same spot.
A short, flat walk on even ground, at your own pace.
Port-Royal is a reconstruction of the Habitation built here in 1605, one of the earliest European settlements in North America and the beginning of what became Acadia. It is a small wooden compound around a courtyard, and the guides in it are the reason to go.
Fort Anne sits across the basin on a hill above Annapolis Royal, holding more than four hundred years of layered history: French and British, built and rebuilt, fought over more times than almost anywhere else in the country.
Between them is Annapolis Royal itself, which is small, walkable and worth the afternoon on its own.
Four centuries, two sites, one day out of Halifax.
Two national historic sites and the town between them. Guided tours at both sites are optional and are worth asking about when you arrive.
We pick you up
1161 Hollis Street, in the south end of downtown Halifax. Look for the coach outside the station.
A reconstruction of the Habitation, built where the original stood, with costumed staff and rooms set out as they would have been. It is small, and the guides are what make it.
Good to know:
Fort Anne is a Vauban style earthwork fort on the hill above the town, with four centuries of French and British history on one site. Annapolis Royal starts at its gate: gardens, waterfront trails and cafes, all within walking distance.
Good to know:
Facilities: Washrooms at both sites, Cafes and restaurants in the town
We drop you back
The bus returns to the same place it left from, so you go home the way you came.
This is our estimated return time, not a guarantee. Traffic can change it and some trips do run late, so please leave yourself some room afterwards rather than booking something tight against it.
It is an easy day on your feet, mostly outdoors.
Bring a packed lunch and water. The first site of the day has no food service at all. Annapolis Royal has cafes and restaurants, but that is the second half of the day.
You do not need to reserve anything to visit either site: your ticket covers entry and you can walk both on your own. Parks Canada also runs enhanced tours at both, which cost extra and are paid to them, not to us.
At Port-Royal there is a one hour Meet with the Governor tour at 11:00 AM, in English, at $13.75 a person. At Fort Anne there are three: Exploration of a Vauban Fort and Port-Royal and Annapolis Royal, the cradle of Acadia, at $9.50 a person each, and a white glove tour at $13.75. The Fort Anne tours run 50 to 60 minutes and have no set start times, so they are scheduled when you ask.
All of them depend on staff being available on the day. You can book ahead by contacting the site, or ask when you get there.
This one runs in the summer season. Dates appear here when they open in the booking system.
Placeholder dates · the real ones come from our booking system
We're Canada's outdoor bus service. Since 2010 we've taken more than 300,000 people to parks and trails without a car. You bring your curiosity. We handle everything with wheels.
Port-Royal and Fort Anne are both Parks Canada sites, and both are a long way from Halifax to reach without a car.
Both sites and the town centre are flat, short and gentle, with plenty of places to sit down.
Annapolis Royal has botanical gardens, waterfront trails and cafes, all within walking distance of the fort.
It is a full day and a long way. Sleep on the way back if you like.
★★★★★ 4.6/5.0 on Google
“We took Parkbus’ first trip from Halifax to Keji and what a great experience it was! The amount of time we were given in the park was perfect for a day trip, we did some canoeing, hiking, and our toddler had a great time on the playground. The bus was on time and all staff involved were pleasant and friendly! What a nice way to get out of the city and to one of Nova Scotia’s gems!”Rebecca McLeod · Google Local Guide
Highly recommend them. The bus service is so useful for people who doesn’t want to drive and gives return facility. They were on time and bus facility was good too. Total worth the cost if you want to avoid hassle driving/parking.Sidhant Duggal · Facebook · Aug 2022
All stops enable guests ample time to explore the destination. This is a highly a good idea trip for those that appreciate spending time in nature minus distractions.OnAir48444 · Tripadvisor · Oct 2025
Parkbus is an official partner of VIA Rail and Parks Canada, helping keep car-free trips to Canada's parks and wild places genuinely affordable.
Cancel more than 14 days before departure and you get a 90% refund, with 10% withheld for payment processing. Inside 14 days refunds are not available, except for a medical emergency in the 48 hours before departure, which needs a signed doctor’s note within 14 days of the missed trip and returns 50%. Tickets are transferable: you can change the passenger name up to 48 hours before departure.
If Parkbus cancels a trip, you get a full refund. We decide no later than 48 hours before departure and only on confirmed conditions: the park closed or the park authority asking us to stand down, an evacuation order or alert, an area restriction order, the highway closed, or the trip judged unsafe to run. A forecast is not one of those things, and trips run rain or shine.
Two national historic sites and a town worth the afternoon, in a single day out of Halifax.
Not quite the right fit? These all leave from the same spot downtown.
