Shores Of Eastern Canada & New England

Depart the UK on your chosen scheduled flight to Quebec City, Quebec. Upon arrival, transfer independently to Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. Québec City, the capital of the french speaking province of Québec is the ideal place to start to relax and acclimatise before you meet the rest of your tour group and start your Tauck escorted tour tomorrow evening.

The morning is yours to see the city at your own pace and according to your own inclinations. In Old Quebec – once the capital of New France – cobblestoned, pedestrian-only streets still feel like 17th-century Europe. This remarkably preserved historic district consists of the Upper Town’s citadel, ramparts and gates, and Lower Town, lined with 17th- and 18th-century houses. The only fortified city north of Mexico, historic Quebec is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You may wish to visit a museum, relax and do some people-watching at a French café, or explore the sights by horse and carriage (at an additional cost). IN the evening you’ll join up with the rest of your tour group for a welcome reception.

Today you’ll discover the cultural riches of historic Quebec City today, reigning over the St. Lawrence River since 1608. Learn about the European settlers who founded the city on a sightseeing drive that sees La Citadelle, the Parc des Champs de Bataille and the Grande-Allee before venturing outside the charming city. Drive to Île d’Orléans, an island within Quebec Province’s Capital, rich in agriculture and history as one of the first regions settled by the French, to visit a Sugar Shack where maple sugar is made. Visit impressive Montmorency Falls, higher than Niagara Falls prior to returning to Quebec City. You’ll then embark your ship and enjoy dinner onboard in the evening.

Spend the morning cruising the scenic Saguenay River passing through Canada’s Saguenay Fjord National Park. The Saguenay Fjord is the only inhabited fjord in North America and villages, classified as among the most beautiful villages in Québec, line both its shores. Dock in Saguenay for a choice of included excursions. Disembark for a scenic drive through the tiny hamlet of La Baie, first settled in 1838, and a visit to the interactive Fjord Museum that showcases the history and geology of the fjord. See the Little White House before stopping at the Pulp Mill of Chicoutimi, a National Historic Site that also showcases the unique artwork of Arthur Villeneuve. Or, drive into Saguenay National Park for a guided nature walk with a local guide, looking for black bears, lynx and moose along the way. Alternatively, you could opt for a sea kayaking (additional cost) excursion in Saguenay Fjord, enjoyable for boaters of all abilities.

Cruise the Gulf of St. Lawrence today as your ship charts a course for Prince Edward Island. Relax onboard amidst scenic vistas of the Gulf. The Gulf is a semi-enclosed sea and the world’s largest estuary, acting as an outlet for the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean. Discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1534, it is lined with national parks, rich with fish, and connected to a variety of rivers and bays. Enjoy the day as you please onboard amidst the ever-changing scenery.

Spend a relaxing morning at sea today en route to Prince Edward Island. Disembark in Charlottetown for an afternoon of cultural delights and discoveries. Lunch is a special treat when you experience a traditional lobster bake during a picnic in a garden-graced riverfront setting in New Glasgow. Called Ceillidh, pronounced kaylee, this is a genuine Down East treat that is made more memorable with local musical entertainment. This afternoon, drive to Prince Edward Island National Park, which fronts the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is regarded as one of Canada’s most scenic national treasures. View sand dunes, salt marshes, remnants of an Acadian forest, beaches and sandstone cliffs and watch for red foxes, waterfowl and warblers as you take in its natural beauty. Continue through the seaside hamlets that line the north shore en route to the literary landscapes that charmed readers in the book Anne of Green Gables; visit the house and grounds as you experience this storied setting in person.

Dock this morning in Sydney, Nova Scotia, on the beautiful island of Cape Breton – you’ll have three different choices as to how you choose to explore. Travel to Bras d’Or Lake and the village of Baddeck for a visit to the fascinating Alexander Graham Bell Museum; take a locally guided walk through Sydney’s historic Old Town, where you’ll learn what life was like in the 18th century; or travel several hours to the amazing Louisbourg Fortress – one of Canada’s largest and most expensive historic reconstructions – for a tour with a local expert.

Arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this morning for your choice of included excursions. You may wish to join some of your group for a tour of pretty Peggy’s Cove and the fishing village of Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its 19th-century wooden homes. Alternatively, history is the draw on an excursion that includes a sightseeing drive and short walks to landmark sites in Halifax, before time to explore as you wish. Your ship charts a course for Portland, Maine, this evening.

Spend a relaxing day at sea as you chart a course along the Atlantic seaboard to Maine and the beautiful city of Portland. You’ll have onboard enrichment activities to choose from, including lectures.

Spend a day in Portland, Maine, on your choice of morning sightseeing excursions. The historic Old Port area along the waterfront, lined with 19th-century buildings and cobblestone streets gives the city its charm and emphasizes its nautical significance. The afternoon is free to explore as you please before reboarding the ship this evening.

Arrive in Boston this morning where you’ll have a choice of guided excursions. Enjoy a docent-led visit to the home of Isabella Stewart Gardner, now a museum housing many pieces of art that the family accumulated – there are many stories, including one of the most famous “art heists” in history when 13 pieces were stolen from the museum in 1990. To this day the crime remains unsolved and the pieces have never been recovered. Or, explore the Freedom Trail on a locally guided 2 ½ mile walking tour that includes Boston Common, America’s oldest public park; the Old Granary Burying Ground; the ‘old’ Massachusetts’ state house, site of the Boston Massacre; Faneuil Hall, and Boston’s North End where you will see Paul Revere’s house and visit the Old North Church. Alternatively, choose a full-day motor coach excursion to Cape Ann and Boston’s North Shore, seeing the quintessential fishing villages of Gloucester, Rockport and Manchester-by-the-Sea; see the Fisherman’s Memorial Monument and Motif #1, believed to be the most often painted building in America. Your ship sails this evening for Cape Cod Canal, and on to Newport, Rhode Island.

Your ship arrives in Newport this morning where a choice of included shore excursions invites you to see a wealth of sights as you wish. Choose a sightseeing excursion that includes a drive along its gilded coast, viewing the oceanfront mansions that line the shore, before stopping to see how the heads of industry summered in the late 1800s on a tour of The Breakers, built by railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt II. Or travel along the 10 Mile Drive and pause to see garden sculptures posing at the Green Animals Topiary Garden featuring some 80 “bush” animals and geometrically designed greenery. After lunch aboard the ship, spend the afternoon exploring the waterfront and Newport’s America’s Cup Avenue as you wish. A shuttle will be available to bring you back to the ship. Enjoy the captain’s farewell dinner as you set sail for New York City this evening.

Disembark ship this morning for a city sightseeing tour of New York City, taking in the iconic landmark sights of Lower Manhattan, South Street Seaport, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park and St. Patrick’s Cathedral on a sightseeing drive through the city. Spend the night at the New York Marriott Marquis. Located on Times Square in the theatre district, your hotel puts you in the heart of the city’s vibrant cultural centre steps from the Great White Way of Broadway. Join the rest of your group for an exclusive farewell reception and dinner in the evening.

Time for some last minute sightseeing and shopping before you transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.