Hey Reader!

Long time no chat! I spent last week in the BEAUTIFUL city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I thought I'd share a lil recap and roundup of my experience and recommendations!

Ngl though, my biggest recommendation is to just GO. Halifax surprised me, and I think it's a Canadian city everyone should have on their bucket list!

Now it's time to tap into my Type A, virgo brain and give ya the details you've come here for hehe 😜

My accommodation:

This trip was very much last minute (a few weeks before, which is last minute for me lol), so my fear was that I wouldn't be able to hack doing it on a budget without staying in a 10 bed hostel dorm, which I was NOT vibing 😅

As I started my search, I only found regular priced hotels and hostels and started to worry that I would have to just forget the trip entirely. I told myself that if I couldn't stay within a reasonable budget (aka not spending $200 a night lol) I just wouldn't go. SHE'S ON A BUDGET, GUYS.

And then my prayers were answered and I had to decide if I was willing to stay at a type of accommodation I'd never experienced before. My theme for this year is "self development through doing things that scare me", so I said "fuck it, let's do it" before I could talk myself out of it lol!

My night in shining armour? Dalhousie University. This opened an entirely new world for me - did you know you could stay in universities as a guest??? I didn't lol 🙈

Type of room: private dorm room with shared bathroom.

The rooms are basically like naked student dorms lol but they're perfect for one or two people! My room had only one bed, but it comes with a full size desk, a wardrobe and a sink in the room, which is a big plus for someone who doesn't want to covertly sneak out of the room at night to brush your teeth in your pjs lol.

Price per night: about $65 CAD

For the price I found this to be SO worth it. The staff were so pleasant, it was fairly quiet, you're provided with linens and towels, and you still have privacy in your room. It's located in a really lovely neighbourhood, mostly university student housing and campus buildings so it felt super safe and was really easily accessible by bus (it would take me 15 mins TOPS to get to downtown by bus).

Facilities: shared bathroom, shared kitchen spaces, lounge

The room and the bathrooms were well taken care of and clean, which I appreciated. I didn't use the lounge but I did use the shared kitchen space once I figured out how to get in (you have to slide your key card but I'm a dumb dumb and was sliding it upsidedown lmao).

Star rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I would absolutely stay at Dalhousie University again. I'm not sure what the availability looks like during the school year as it's likely occupied by enrolled students, but if I come back in the summer this will be the place I stay!

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My transportation:

Keeping in line with the "budget" goal for this trip, I opted to fly with a budget carrier from Montreal to Halifax. Truth be told, the reason I even decided to go to Halifax in the first place was because I was looking for the cheapest flights for the end of May and Halifax won out 😅

This was my first time flying with a budget carrier, and ngl, it was pretty pleasant! I flew with Flair Airlines and it cost me about $260 RT total. This included the base fare, plus a carry-on both ways (about $30 each way). Flair only lets you bring a free personal item so I had to pay for my carry-on, but it still cost me WAY less than any other airline so it was worth it!

I've put together a star rating with more details about my experience flying with Flair on IG, so head over there if you're curious!

In terms of navigating the city, I found it to be super walkable and public-transit friendly. I purchased a 2 day pass with the HFX Transit system for $12 and it was perfect for what I needed. Again, Halifax isn't a huge city and from my accommodation on the west side of the city, it would take me 15 minutes on the bus to reach the east side (the Waterfront), so it's fairly easy to get around!

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My itinerary:

I had some partnerships lined up on this trip, so I knew I had a bit of a stricter schedule, but here's what I got up to (you already know there's content pending with more details on all of these hehe):

​Halifax Maritime Museum (*gifted)​

I won't lie, I'm not much of a history girlie, but I LOVE boats and the whole nautical *vibe* lol so I knew I'd want to check this out! This was part of the media kit gifted to me by Discover Halifax (tickets run you about $10 otherwise), and I actually really enjoyed it! I spoke to a friend of mine who lives in the area and she told me the Maritime Museum can be pretty dull lol, and I think I'd agree that if you're not into history OR don't love boats like I do, it might not be for you lol. So, proceed as you see fit 😂.

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​The Halifax Waterfront​

I could have spent hours here...and ngl I pretty much did LOL. If you know me you know how much I LOVE a waterfront, and Halifax did not disappoint! The entire waterfront spans 4km of walkway, and though I didn't technically walk the entire thing, I was so impressed with how well it's taken care of, how beautiful the views are and how much there was to see and do! Since it's one of the more popular areas in Halifax, it's obviously going to be fairly busy, but I honestly didn't find it too bad! It's definitely something you need to put at the very tippy top of your list for Halifax. Pro tip: they only just started putting up tarps along parts of the walkway, so when the sun is out it gets hot. I got hella sunburnt while walking, so make sure you're protected and wear a hat!!

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​Halifax Discovery Centre (*gifted)​

If you've ever been to a city's dedicated "Science Centre", the Discovery Centre is Halifax's version! This place is three floors of interactive exhibits mostly geared towards learning and is perfect for families or people with kids. At first glance, this didn't sound super up my alley lol, BUT they currently have a featured exhibit about hockey, and being Canadian and a hockey fan I knew I had to check it out for myself! I thought it would be like a museum, but it was SO much more fun lol. They had interactive exhibits and hockey-themed games set up, all of which I took part in! I particularly liked the Slap Shot speed counter that had you quite literally taking slap shots at a hockey net, complete with hockey stick and pucks. It measures the speed of your shot, and I was quite proud of my 38km/h high score until I realized that the daily high score was 86km/h lmao 🙃

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​Harbour Hopper Tour (*gifted)​

This tour was kindly gifted by Ambassatours and I had a BLAST! Truthfully, I've wanted to a tour like this for years, and though we have a similar one in Montreal I've never done it! The best part of this tour is that the tour bus that takes you through the city then goes in the water and the tour guide and driver made it so fun!! It's obviously very touristy, but I think it's still a really great thing to experience in Halifax. You learn some history about the city and about the somewhat grisly maritime history of the port, but the BEST part of the tour is when they literally ram into the water from the road lol. Pro tip: don't sit in the first few rows on the bus/boat unless you're okay with getting pretty wet 😂

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​Halifax Public Gardens​

Ok ok so this is one the most beautiful parks I've ever been to. Full stop. In fact, it's more "garden" than park, as the name suggests! There's a small green space within the Gardens that visitors are allowed to sit on (they call it the Family Area), and everywhere else you're asked to stick to the paths and benches. I had myself a picnic lunch on the grass here (thankfully I remembered to pack my travel towel!), took pictures, watched the baby geese waddle around, and people watched for a few hours and it was pure bliss. The Garden is SO well taken care of by the city and I was so pleased to see people maintaining it throughout the time I was there. It's truly a gem and you need to add it to your Halifax list!!

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​Halifax Citadel National Historic Site (gifted*)​

Truth be told, these kinds of historic sites (army bases, forts etc) give me the heebie jeebies lol but when given the opportunity, I like to visit them because I think it's important to get a feel for the darker history of the places you visit. I also don't ever know how to act in these places because it's SO quiet and the guards are usually so stoic, but the guards and staff here were honestly SO friendly and welcoming, and I felt a lot less like I wasn't supposed to be there 😅 There are multiple spots to get great views of the city from the top of the fort, and on the lower levels you can visit the museum and wander through rooms chock full of historical artifacts and staff to tell you about what you're seeing. It was a cool experience and I do think it's worth a visit! Pro tip: if you can, drive lol. I had to walk up to the top of the hill to enter the Citadel and it's high.

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All in all, I'm SO glad I decided to book this last minute trip to Halifax. Being a Canadian, I really should explore more of my own country and after this trip I absolutely plan to!!

If this hasn't convinced you to visit Halifax yet, stay tuned on IG as I have tonnsss of Halifax content to share with ya! OH and let me know if you have any questions or things you want me to cover! 😜

Talk soon!

- Amanda 🧚🏻‍♀️

👯‍♀️ Travel & Creator Resource Hub ✈️

Heyooo! If you're new here, I'm Amanda! I'm a [newly 🙈] 30 year old Travel Content Creator based in Montreal, Quebec. I've made it my life's mission to help my content creator fam navigate the icky waters of this industry and build a creator career that feels GOOD to them (no burnout on my watch 😘), keeps them inspired and makes them some money along the way! If this sounds like you, follow along and join the party on Instagram!

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Amanda Lee

amanda@thehappyplacetravel.com

www.thehappyplacetravel.com

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