6 Things to Do on Prince Edward Island in 3 Days

Prince Edward Island had been a bucket list destination of mine for a while (definitely because of Anne of Green Gables), and it certainly lived up to my expectations! It’s such a beautiful island with so many scenic areas, and I would have loved to have spent a whole week there taking it all in. But if you’re a little short on time like I was, here are the top things to do on Prince Edward Island in 3 days!

Top 6 Things to Do on PEI

Explore Charlottetown

Charlottetown is the capital of Prince Edward Island (PEI), and it’s such a beautiful historic city. I couldn’t get over all the pretty houses everywhere! We spent an afternoon driving and walking around Charlottetown, and there’s a lot you can see there. My favorite spot was Victoria Park with the beautiful views of the water, so I definitely recommend visiting there if the weather is nice.

St. Dunstan’s Basilica

Visit red sand beaches

I’ve visited white and black sand beaches before, but I had never seen red sand before! The sand and soil on PEI are red, and you’ll see a lot of red farmland while you’re driving around, which is pretty interesting to see. Since PEI is an island, you really can’t go far without seeing a beach. We stayed at an Airbnb on the water in Tignish Shore, and we loved getting to walk on the beach every day.

Go whale watching

I went whale watching in Maine as a kid and loved it, and it was one of the things I was most looking forward to doing on PEI! Unfortunately, we didn’t have the best experience, but I would still recommend trying it because PEI is supposed to be a great place to see whales. Just learn from our experience!

I won’t recommend the company we used because I wasn’t a fan. They had a small boat and didn’t have enough seats for everyone, so my husband and I had to sit at the front of the boat and hold onto the railings for dear life on the choppy waters. Oh, and I was 7 months pregnant. I even mentioned this when I bought our tickets so they were definitely aware, and they still stuck me on the front of the boat. So it was super uncomfortable and we were close to falling off the side quite a few times.

Like I mentioned, the water was really choppy, which wasn’t a problem for the whale watching tour I did before and you can actually see more whales on days like those. But because the boat was so small, they didn’t want to take us out to where we would actually see the whales, so we stuck to the coastline. But they didn’t tell us this until we had already left, so there wasn’t an option to opt out since the whole point of paying for the boat tour was a chance to see whales.

So all that being said, I recommend booking with a company that has a bigger boat (or one that can at least withstand choppy water), and if the weather looks iffy, check if you’re just going to out to where the whales are or if you’ll stay on the coastline so you’ll have the option to opt out if you want.

Drive around the countryside

One of my favorite things to do on PEI was just drive around! The island is so picturesque with farms and rolling hills and quaint, colorful houses. And we went in June when lupins were blooming everywhere and I was OBSESSED! (I even planted lupins in my garden this year because I loved them so much!)

There are a few scenic overlooks that you can pull over at to get some photos of the beautiful views!

Explore Avonlea Village

Avonlea Village is named for the town in Anne of Green Gables, and it’s a little village with historic buildings that have been turned into restaurants and shops. It’s a cute place to walk around, and I recommend getting some chocolates and ice cream while you’re there! We also got raspberry cordial slushies from the chocolate shop, which were delicious 🙂

Visit Anne of Green Gables locations

Can you visit PEI without visiting Anne of Green Gables locations? You definitely shouldn’t because it’s one of the top things to do on PEI! And if you’re an Anne of Green Gables fangirl like I am, you’ll really love it, and I have a whole guide on Anne of Green Gables locations for you.

Anne of Green Gables Museum

There are a few different places you can visit for the Anne experience, and the Anne of Green Gables Museum was probably my favorite. It’s at the home of L.M. Montgomery’s aunt and uncle, where Montgomery lived for a time and where she was married.

It looks like it hasn’t changed since the 1800s, and you can see artifacts from Montgomery’s life, like the organ that was played at her wedding, and artifacts that she wrote about in her books, including Anne’s Enchanted Bookcase, the Crazy Patchwork Quilt, and the Blue Chest from The Story Girl.

This is the spot where Montgomery got married, and the guide said that they actually do still have weddings here today!

The property that the house is on is absolutely beautiful! There are rolling hills, barns, and horses, and you can even go for a carriage ride. They also have a great gift shop, and I definitely gave them a lot of business 🙂

Green Gables Heritage Place

The Green Gables Heritage Place is the location that inspired the location of Green Gables. It was the house of Montgomery’s relatives, and while she never lived there, she visited frequently. Lover’s Lane and the Haunted Wood are also on this property, and you can explore them!

Probably because this is the “real” Green Gables, it was a lot busier than the Museum was. So just plan accordingly if you want any photos of Green Gables without people walking in front!

The Heritage Place also has a museum about Montgomery’s life on PEI, and it was helpful to see a timeline of everything after visiting the Museum.

L.M. Montgomery’s birthplace

Montgomery’s birthplace wasn’t open when I stopped by, but you can tour it! Some things in the home are replicas, but there are a lot of artifacts from her life and her family that you can see.

Even if you’re not a big Anne of Green Gables fan, PEI still has so much to offer, and it’s a very family-friendly (and dog-friendly) place for vacation. Which of these top things to do on PEI do you want to do first? 🙂