I spent four days/three nights in Prince Edward Island, Canada during my summer east coast road trip. This was one of my favourite stops along the way. I loved everything about this little island; the greenery, friendly faces, historic downtown, and (of course) COWS ice cream. We decided to stay at a bed and breakfast just outside of downtown Charlottetown, PEI. Although we were typically out and about during the day exploring the national parks, beaches, and other touristy sights, we enjoyed spending the early evening walking around the downtown area, finding a place to grab a drink and a bite to eat.

Downtown Charlottetown, PEI

I’ll cut straight to the point: downtown Charlottetown is super cute. The area has a quaint, historic charm to it that I absolutely fell in love with. You won’t find any skyscrapers here. Instead, you’ll be surrounded by beautifully aged buildings that hold a whole lot of charm. The downtown area is quite small, so it won’t take long to walk around. If you’re in PEI during the summer, there are plenty of restaurants that have patios outside – perfect to enjoy a cheeky drink after a long day of being a tourist.

You can also make your way down to the waterfront in hopes of catching a beautiful sunset while you sit in one of those oh-so Canadian red Muskoka chairs.

What to eat in Charlottetown

On our first night in PEI, we went into downtown Charlottetown and found a restaurant called Fishbones that had outdoor seating. The food was good (see drool-worthy burger and onion rings above), but my favourite part of the evening was how there was this little stage right across the street from the restaurant where a band was playing throughout the night. There are plenty of outdoor eating establishments to discover in this area, all with great tasting food (and lots of seafood options on the menu!) and good vibes.

For dessert, you have to try COWS ice cream. Honestly, this was some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. COWS originated in PEI, so there are many locations throughout the island to get your fix. My favourite flavour was Moonana Bread, which was basically banana bread in ice cream form. I ordered this same flavour three times while in PEI; it was that good.