Historic Charlottetown Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour

Key facts

What's included

Itinerary

1. Stop 1 Pass by

   PORT CHARLOTTETOWN. Begin at the waterfront gateway where the 1864 Confederation delegates arrived and the modern seaport meets the city.

2. Stop 2 Pass by

   FOUNDERS' FOOD HALL & MARKET. Pass the restored railway shops now filled with Island food, drink, and local makers.

3. Stop 3 Pass by

   CONFEDERATION LANDING PARK. Stroll through the harbourfront park that marks the 1864 delegates' arrival and conceals an engineered industrial past.

4. Stop 4 Pass by

   PEAKE'S WHARF. Enjoy the lively waterfront wharf rebuilt from an industrial site into shops, dining, and harbour views.

5. Stop 5 Pass by

   GAINSFORD HOUSE. Admire Charlottetown's oldest surviving brick building and the story of its determined 19th-century owner.

6. Stop 6 Pass by

   WET WAREHOUSE. See the guarded liquor warehouse linked to Prince Edward Island's famously long Prohibition era.

7. Stop 7 Pass by

   GREAT GEORGE STREET. Follow the National Historic Site streetscape walked by the 1864 Confederation delegates.

8. Stop 8 Pass by

   BISHOP'S PALACE. View the evolving historic residence whose architecture reflects more than a century of additions.

9. Stop 9 Pass by

   ST. DUNSTAN'S BASILICA. Admire the twin spires of this active National Historic Site, rebuilt after a devastating fire.

10. Stop 10 Pass by

    ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. Meet PEI's beloved fictional redhead at the downtown store celebrating Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic.

11. Stop 11 Pass by

    CHURCHILL ARMS. Pass the lively pub and discover the fortune of a self-made Island entrepreneur.

12. Stop 12 Pass by

    QUEEN STREET. Walk past handsome brick façades shaped by the city's fires and Victorian commercial life.

13. Stop 13 Pass by

    VICTORIA ROW. Enter the cobblestone pedestrian street where historic storefronts now host shops, dining, and entertainment.

14. Stop 14 Pass by

    PROVINCE HOUSE. View Canada's Confederation landmark from outside while the building remains closed for conservation.

15. Stop 15 Pass by

    HONOURABLE GEORGE COLES BUILDING & COURT HOUSE. Discover the civic landmarks tied to the colourful brewer, premier, and Father of Confederation.

16. Stop 16 Pass by

    ST. PAUL'S CHURCH & BOULDER PARK. Admire the historic sandstone church, then explore the open park of provincial stones beside Province House.

17. Stop 17 Pass by

    CONFEDERATION CENTRE OF THE ARTS. See the active cultural landmark housing theatre, galleries, and the original Anne of Green Gables manuscript.

18. Stop 18 Pass by

    COWS & APOTHECARY HALL. See the 176-year pharmacy landmark beside PEI's playful ice-cream tradition.

19. Stop 19 Pass by

    CHARLOTTETOWN CITY HALL. Admire the 1888 Romanesque civic castle, complete with corner tower and former city stables.

20. Stop 20 Pass by

    RODD CHARLOTTETOWN HOTEL. Pass the historic grand hotel built by a farming family whose cottages grew into an Island hospitality company.

21. Stop 21 Pass by

    FITZROY HALL. Admire the 1872 Second Empire merchant's mansion, once among Charlottetown's most fashionable homes.

22. Stop 22 Pass by

    KIRK OF ST. JAMES. View the active Gothic Revival church rooted in Charlottetown's Scottish Presbyterian history.

23. Stop 23 Pass by

    ST. PETER'S CATHEDRAL & ALL SOULS CHAPEL. See the historic Anglican complex and its William Critchlow Harris chapel, a National Historic Site.

24. Stop 24 Pass by

    PEI GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS. Pass the distinctive modernist provincial complex created for public administration in the 1960s.

25. Stop 25 Pass by

    BEACONSFIELD HISTORIC HOUSE. View the elegant 1877 Victorian mansion, open year-round for guided tours; admission is separate.

26. Stop 26 Pass by

    TRAVELLING HOUSE. See the 1850s house relocated across Charlottetown and preserved with its complicated history.

27. Stop 27 Pass by

    CULINARY INSTITUTE OF CANADA. Pass Holland College's chef-training campus and student-run dining room overlooking the harbour.

28. Stop 28 Pass by

    IRISH SETTLERS MEMORIAL. Pause at Irish flagstones and the Aengus figure honouring immigrants and the Great Famine story.

29. Stop 29 Pass by

    PEI REGIMENT MUSEUM. See the Sherman tank outside a museum of Island military heritage; opening hours and admission are separate.

30. Stop 30 Pass by

    DUNDAS TERRACE & HAVILAND CLUB. Compare two architectural rivals: a grand apartment terrace and a former United States consulate.

31. Stop 31 Pass by

    PIRATES & POLITICIANS. Discover privateers, power, and colourful political stories woven into Charlottetown's waterfront past.

32. Stop 32 Pass by

    MONCH PROVINCIAL PARK. Hear the tour's off-route story about this named Island park while remaining on the downtown walk.

33. Stop 33 Pass by

    SHIPYARDS TO SKYSCRAPERS. Trace Charlottetown's growth from a busy shipbuilding port to a modern provincial capital.

34. Stop 34 Pass by

    THE MI'KMAQ OF PEI. Learn about Epekwitk's first people and their enduring culture and presence on the Island.

35. Stop 35 Pass by

    CONFEDERATION COURT MALL. Pass the active downtown shopping centre connecting shops, offices, and the Holman Grand Hotel.

36. Stop 36 Pass by

    FANNINGBANK. View Government House and its historic grounds, the official residence of Prince Edward Island's lieutenant governor.

37. Stop 37 Pass by

    THE GREAT FIRE. Picture the devastating blaze that reshaped Charlottetown and influenced its brick streetscape.

38. Stop 38 Pass by

    THE PARTY CRASHERS. Meet the unexpected figures who inserted themselves into Charlottetown's political history.

39. Stop 39 Pass by

    THE TWO HAMILTONS. Discover the contrasting legacies of two Charlottetown figures who shared a surname.

40. Stop 40 Pass by

    CAROMA HOUSE & EDEN HALL. Pass these historic residences and discover the people and architecture behind their stories.

41. Stop 41 Pass by

    LOT 500 AREA. Explore the city district shaped by Charlottetown's original land divisions and changing neighbourhoods.

42. Stop 42 Pass by

    PRETTIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD. Finish with the story behind a famous compliment paid to Charlottetown's beauty.

Meeting point & pickup

Meet at the starting point

The start and finish of the tour is at Port Charlottetown's premier historic waterfront.

Cancellation & confirmation