We are planning a short vacation to PEI. If we stay in Charlottetown, can we go around the Island for the day if we rent a car? Are the distances short enough to do day trips?

Good afternoon Lucia !

Thank you for reaching out to Ask an Islander. Glad to hear you are coming to visit our province. The province is relatively small: at only 224 kilometres. Technically, one could travel from one end of the province to the other in about 3 to 4 hours. From Charlottetown, you could reach ANY Island location within two hours. But I’m assuming you’re coming here, not just to drive but to explore and visit. 

We’ve got lots of attractions, museums, restaurants as well as national, provincial and community parks and beaches. Also, you can enjoy live theatre and musical performances from small and medium concert venues as well as the world-class stage at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. 

PEI National Park - Greenwich

We often recommend that visitors spend one day touring each of our coastal drives, apart from Charlottetown, which could be another full day or choose to explore on your arrival and departure days. 

North Cape

View of capital city from Charlottetown Harbour

In summary, you can definitely make our capital city your “home base” and make day trips with time to return to Charlottetown within a day. No need to rush.

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Have a wonderful vacation!

Raymond J. Arsenault