PEI 2026: Charlottetown Harbour, Downtown

When we planned a last-minute trip to Prince Edward Island after securing free accommodations in North Rustico via our HomeExchange home swap membership, we preceded that stay with two days in the capital city of Charlottetown. We chose Shipwright Inn, a historic house dating back to 1865 that has been converted into a 5-star heritage bed and breakfast with Victorian décor and furnishings. Since our North Rustico lodgings would be free, we splurged in Charlottetown and chose a large suite with a sitting area, mini kitchen with fridge, stovetop and microwave, a 4-piece bathroom with a shower, and a spacious bedroom with a king-sized bed and a soaker tub.

In addition to private, on-site parking, the inn included a full hot breakfast each morning, served in a formal Victorian dining room. The house was constructed as the private residence for James Douse, a prominent shipbuilder. Each room is named after a section of a ship including “the Captain’s Quarters”, “Wheelhouse”, “Quarterdeck”, etc. Our room on the second floor was called “Crow’s Nest”, named after the highest lookout point on a traditional sailing ship. Maritime artwork and 19th century maritime equipment are found throughout the Inn. Situated in the heart of the city, the location was perfect for exploring downtown Charlottetown as it was just a 10-minute walk down to the Harbour.

The Charlottetown Harbour is a natural harbour located on the southern coast of PEI that is formed by the meeting of three rivers (Hillsborough, York and Elliot) which empty out towards the Northumberland Strait. The historic waterfront in downtown Charlottetown includes terminals for commercial shipping, cruise ships, local water excursions, and harbour boat tours. Lively quays, marinas and boardwalks are filled with gift shops, seafood restaurants, patio bars, and green spaces with picnic tables and gazebos. In the summer, the area supports a robust night life with live outdoor music as well as pop-up markets, festivals and open-air events. A historic railway building has been converted into an indoor “Founders’ Food Hall & Market” with stalls selling local food, drink, and artisanal products.

Situated at the edge of Queen’s Wharf are a pair of large-scaled sculptures. The “Love Lock” structure is affixed with padlocks attached by residents and visitors to spell the word “LOVE”, similar to one found in Toronto’s Distillery District. The “Big Red Numbers” sculpture was first installed in 2014 to mark the 150th anniversary of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference which led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada.  Each year since, the sculpture has been updated to reflect the new year. This year’s 2026 sculpture features the PEI flag in the “0”. A player piano on the wharf is just one of a pair of public pianos. The other piano is situated in Confederation Landing Park where the sculpture “Celebration: Then and Now” is also found. Installed since 1996, this metal sculpture consists of tall metal rods that mimic ship masts attached with ceramic panels as sails, each designed with symbolic landforms representing Canada’s provinces and territories.  The Canadian flag is attached to the tallest sail in the centre of the piece. The hull of the ship is a circular weathered metal base carved with scenes of Charlottetown’s maritime history.

While references to Anne of Green Gables can be found everywhere throughout PEI, at the Charlottetown Harbour, the lobster is even more prominent. There are lobster sculptures in front of restaurants and gift shops while lobster images grace sweaters, T-shirts, hats, mugs, and more. I really liked the cheeky and punny image of a lobster standing in front of a boiling pot of water holding the sign “Say no to pot!”. 

Of course, lobster rolls were in plentiful supply in the Harbour. Based on our research for our trip, the consensus was that Dave’s Lobster offered one of the best lobster rolls in Charlottetown. Originally open as a stall in Founders Food Hall in 2014, it moved to Peake’s Quay on the waterfront in 2018. The lobster rolls come in two styles. There is “The Local”, which consists of chilled lobster with seasoned mayo, crisp celery and fresh chives, or “Some Fancy”, which offers warmed lobster smothered with lemon garlic butter and fresh chives.  Both types of rolls include a ¼ pound of lobster meat in large chunks served in the classic New England-style split-top bun which is brushed with butter and grilled. Both styles of lobster roll sounded good so we went for the “Half and Half” option to try them both. As sides, we added sides of coleslaw and potato salad. This was our first lobster rolls of the trip and it more than lived up to its reputation.

We finished off our lunch with an ice cream from Cow’s Creamery, PEI’s iconic ice cream, artisan cheese, and cow-themed apparel company that first opened in Cavendish in 1983 before expanding to Charlottetown in 1985. We would later visit the location in Cavendish’s Avonlea Village, but our first visit in PEI was at the Harbour. I was tempted by the whimsical t-shirts, especially the “PiCOWball” one, but held off from purchasing one since they cost over $25 each. This turned out to be lucky since the warehouse in Cavendish were selling selected designs for $10 and I bought one there. Next to Cows is the bronze sculpture of William Henry Pope, PEI’s Colonial Secretary in 1864, being rowed out in a boat to welcome the delegates from what is now Ontario and Quebec to attend the Charlottetown Conference. The sculpture was unveiled in 2014 to mark the 150th anniversary of the conference.

We saw a few Anne of Green Gables themed souvenirs in the shops at Charlottetown Harbour, but not as many as I would have expected. Instead, the popular item seemed to be wooden ducks carved from bamboo root which were decorated in a wide variety of styles including ones wearing bikinis and flipflops, ones in rubber boots, dressed as chefs or nurses or superheroes. I really wanted a duck but didn’t think it would survive the plane ride home in my carry-on luggage.  Another popular item was the “Dirt Shirt” clothing line where 100% cotton t-shirts were dyed using PEI’s iron-rich red soil.

Heading back north from the harbour towards our accommodations, we did come across the Anne of Green Gables specialty gift shop where all items were dedicated to the red-headed heroine. Operated by descendants of author L.M.Montgomery, the boutique carries the Island’s largest selections of official Anne books, keepsakes, local souvenirs, branded chocolates and candy, and a bottled drink that referenced the “raspberry cordial” that Anne famously tries to serve to her friend Diana in the 1908 novel but accidently pours Marilla’s homemade wine instead. We bought a couple of the red, sparkling raspberry sodas to bring with us to North Rustico.

Charlottetown’s 3-storey City Hall was completed in 1888 and serves as the headquarters for the mayor and city council. Designed in Romanesque Revival-style using red brick with stone detailing, it has a square corner tower and rounded arches. The ground floor once housed the city’s police station, fire hall and stables while the upper floors held the council chambers and courtroom. It is the oldest municipal building in PEI and was designated as a National Historic Site in 1984. When we were there, a large purple ribbon was displayed on the façade of the clock tower, as part of PEI’s annual Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence against women and girls. A functional sundial sits on the south-facing wall of the tower.

An interesting sculpture named “John Hamilton Grays” depicts two delegates from the 1864 Confederation Conference who had the exact same name. John Hamilton Gray, the Conservative Premier of PEI was the chair of the conference while John Hamilton Gray of New Brunswick was a delegate from that province. Unveiled in 2014 as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations, the sculpture imagines the two namesakes engaged in conversation during the gathering. The sculpture sits in front of St. Dunstan’s Basilica, a historic Roman Catholic cathedral erected between 1897-1097. It was designed in High Victorian Gothic Revival style with soaring 200-foot twin spires with stone sculptures flanking the main entrance. The building was destroyed by fire in 1913 and rebuilt in 1919.

The interior of the Basilica features ribbed vaulted ceilings, a 14-foot German stained-glass rose window depicting the four gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and a 4,600-pipe Casavant organ. Unlike the traditional religious imagery in the rose window, the interesting stained-glass windows along the nave were installed in the 1970s and created by Canadian craftsmen. They depict parishioners in modern clothing including suits and ties and clergymen wearing modern clerical collars. The scenes illustrate the Seven Sacraments, which are holy rituals and ceremonies in the Catholic Church including Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing the sick, Marriage, and Holy orders. One window highlights previous Bishops of the Diocese of Charlottetown and rectors of the former St.Dunstan’s University.

For our last meal before leaving Charlottetown to head to North Rustico, we had lunch at Claddagh Oyster House, open in 1983 as “Claddagh Room” before being renamed in 2006. This long-standing seafood house and raw oyster bar features fresh island ingredients prepared by Chef Mitchell Jackson. We each started with an order of Oyster Rockefeller followed by a soup and sandwich combo of a breaded haddock sandwich and a bowl of seafood chowder. Considering this was a combo, we were impressed by the size of the bowl of soup and even more impressed by the delicious broth and amount of seafood that the chowder contained. There were large chunks of various fish, shrimp, mussels and the sweetest of broth. This was by far the best meal that we had on our entire trip and the best seafood chowder that we have ever consumed! I just wish we had time to come back for another bowl at the end of the trip.