Canada East Coast with kids

First, you should be aware the train from Québec City to Halifax is about 20 hours, and leaves in the evening. Have a look at the web site: Via Rail

Second, you could save yourself some travel time by arrivng in one city and leaving from another. Your profile says you are from Belgium so you could arrive in Montréal and fly out of Toronto or the other way around.

I love Nova Scotia, but it's way out there. Instead, you might consider dropping south into the US. New England and the Adirondacks would be a great substitute, with much less traveling. You could rent the car in Qeubec City, head south, then west to Toronto via the Finger Lakes and Niagara (which means no backtracking here).

Btw, 2 days for Niagara is a long time, imo. A boat trip at the bottom is the most you really need, and Niagara-on-the-Lake is easy in a half day. If you travel via the US as I note above, you could add some time on the US side. Goat and Luna islands allow arguably the closest approach by foot without a special tour.

If you go on the Cabot trail, your family may enjoy visiting Louisbourg, which is a fort with people acting out the way of life for the period it was built. While going through the city of Sydney, you might want to see the Graham Bell museum. He is best known for inventing the phone, but compared to all he has invented or worked on, I do not believe the telephone was his greatest. While in Quebec city, you should go walk and get lost in the old part of the city, the best time is early evening with less traffic and a nice breee coming off the Saint Lawrence and a lot to see. But there i a lot of climbing which is a good way to calm the kids. During the week, you might want to see the change of the guard in the citadel but I cannot confirm what date it starts. South of Halifax, there is Peggy cove which might interest you, but keep an eye on the kids as it might be a bit treacherous but if you follow the signs might be worth it. Also, in Halifax, there is a citadel with a nice plain around it for picnics. Around the docks is a very interesting place to go see with lots of nifty little places to see. Again, the best time is early evening. One hint I might give you for visiting the different citadels, parking is not well designed so maybe on foot if not too far or by taxi. Annapolis in Nova Scotia also has a citadel.

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