Truro (Nova Scotia) - town in Nova Scotia, Canada

Truro is a city in Nova Scotia with a population of around 12,000 (2016). Although you can find East Berlin and West Berlin on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, it is Truro where you will fido six large sections of the Berlin Wall.

Understand

The area around Truro was called "Wagobagitik" by the local Mi’kmaq inhabitants. The name has been interpreted as meaning "end of the water's flow" or “the bay runs far up”, in reference to the world’s highest tides rising up from the Bay of Fundy. Acadian settlers arrived in the early 1700s, and called it "Cobequid". After the Acadians were expelled in the mid-18th century, Scots-Irish settlers named the town after Truro in Cornwall, England.

Truro boomed after the construction of the Nova Scotia Railway between Halifax and Pictou in 1858, and of the Intercolonial Railway in 1872 and its connection to the Annapolis Valley’s Dominion Atlantic Railway at the turn of the 20th century. The Truro Woolen Mills, a major employer, became Stanfield’s underwear.

Get in

By car

Truro is

• 170 km east of Moncton, New Brunswick along the Route 2 in New Brunswick and Highway 104 in Nova Scotia, which both part of the Trans-Canada Highway.
• 300 km south of Sydney, Nova Scotia along Highway 104 (Trans-Canada Highway)
• 100 km north of Halifax along the Highway 102 (Veterans' Memorial Highway).

By train

Truro railway station, 104 Esplanade St, 45.362771°, -63.275472°. 2020-05-07

• VIA Rail Canada. Operates train routes across Canada. 2022-03-31 Operates The Ocean route between Montreal and Halifax, including stops in Moncton and Sainte-Foy (near Quebec City). Travel time to Truro from Montreal is 20.25 hours, from Sainte-Foy is 16.5 hours, from Moncton is 2.75 hours, and from Halifax is 1.5 hours. Operates three trips per direction per week. A shuttle between train stations in Sainte-Foy and in Quebec City is available for The Ocean trains, but must be reserved in advance.

By bus

• Maritime Bus, info@maritimebus.com. Operates an inter-regional bus service between destinations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. 2022-04-24
  • Operates the following routes to Truro:
  • • Between Halifax and Moncton including stops in Dartmouth, Halifax Airport, Truro, Amherst, Sackville, and Moncton Airport. Travel time to Truro from Halifax is 1.5 hours, from Amherst is 1.5 hours, and from Moncton is 2.25 hours.
  • • Between Halifax and Sydney including stops in Dartmouth, Halifax Airport, Truro, New Glasgow, Antigonish, Port Hawkesbury, and North Sydney. Travel time to Truro from Halifax is 1.5 hours, from Antigonish is 1.5 hours, from North Sydney is 4.25 hours, and from Sydney is 5 hours.
  • Travel to Truro from the following destinations involving same day transfers is as follows:
  • • From Charlottetown with a transfer in Amherst.
  • • From Bathurt, Campbellton, Edmundston, Fredericton, Miramichi, and Saint John with a transfer in Moncton.

By air

The nearest airports are in Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Moncton (New Brunswick).

Get around

Subways, light rail, bus rapid transit... Truro has none of those. Make your way on foot, by car or by bike.

See

• Downtown, 45.3637°, -63.2784°. Truro’s historic downtown offers shops and dining along Inglis Place.
• Colchester Historeum, 29 Young St, 45.3635757°, -63.281361°, +1 902-895-6284. June-August: M-F 10AM–5PM, Sa 10AM–4PM; September-May: Tu-F 10AM–noon & 1PM–4PM. A museum, housing a variety of local artifacts and stories. Adult $5, youth and student $4, senior $1, family (up to 3 children) $10
• Marigold Cultural Centre, 605 Prince St, 45.3654943°, -63.285338°, +1 902-897-4004. M-Th 9AM-5PM, F 9AM-4PM, 1½ hours prior to a performance. Experience local music and theatre. Also an art gallery and local sports heritage museum. 2017-11-21
• Millbrook Cultural and Heritage Centre, 65 Treaty Trail, Millbrook, 45.330879°, -63.3064768°, +1 902-843-3493. "Closing October 31st and opening again in the Spring". explore Nova Scotia’s Mi’kmaw First Nation heritage and culture, and the legends of Glooscap. A 12-m (40-foot) statue of Glooscap, the creator, welcomes you to the centre. Adult $6.00, child (age 6-17) $3.50, child (under 5) free, senior (65 and older) $5.00, family (2 adults and children under 18) $15.00, Millbrook Band Members free 2017-11-25
• Truro Raceway, 73 Ryland Ave, 45.3773°, -63.2733°, +1 902-893-9222, nspe@eastlink.ca. Nova Scotia’s largest harness racing facility, with a regular live racing schedule.
• Berlin Wall. Six large sections of the Berlin Wall have been installed along the Cobequid Trail, on the Agricultural Campus of Dalhousie University. 2019-05-13

Do

• Victoria Park, 29 Park Rd, 45.3525°, -63.2705°, +1 902-893-6078, recdept@truro.ca. 400 ha (1000 acres) of forest, two waterfalls, hiking and biking trails, a playground, spray park, large outdoor pool and waterslide. Climb the 175 steps of Jacob's Ladder, a wooden staircase that takes you up the side of the gorge to a view of a waterfall. Free 2017-11-25
• Tidal Bore Rafting, 12215 Highway 215, Urbania (35 km S of Truro), 45.19117°, -63.42215°, +1 902 400-0104. content=Experience the highest tides in the world by riding on the tidal bore wave in a raft. Exhilarating fun, even when the moon isn't full. 2-hr tour: adult $70, child $63 2020-07-10
• The Truro Winter Long John Festival in early February is the focus of the town's winter events (curling, snowshoeing, sledge hockey, skating, pickleball).
• Truro Golf Club, 86 Golf St, 45.3545°, -63.2873°, +1 902-893-4650. A semi-private golf course, open to the public. 2017-11-25

Buy

Truro has the usual big-box chains.

• Truro Farmers Market, 15 Young St, 45.3643507°, -63.281546°, +1 902-843-4004, trurofarmersmarket@gmail.com. Sa 8AM-1PM. local foods and handmade goods every Saturday morning 2017-11-21
• Masstown Market, 10622 Nova Scotia Trunk 2, Masstown, 45.3930405°, -63.4984406°, +1 902-662-2816, info@masstownmarket.com. Summer 8AM-9PM, fall and winter 9AM-9PM. A quarter-hour drive west of Truro, with an onsite bakery, deli, dairy bar, fish market, farm market, fish and chip boat, and restaurant that serves up local homemade meals. A lighthouse showcases the best of the Bay of Fundy and provides a great view from the top. In the summer, there is a corn maze and fun farm.
• Stanfield’s Factory Outlet, 115 Esplanade St, 45.3631°, -63.2761°. Some of the best underwear made in Canada, for men and women.

Eat

• Bistro 22, 16 Inglis Place, 45.364275°, -63.2787282°, +1 902-843-4123. Tu-Sa 11AM-2PM and 5PM-8:30PM.
• Frank & Gino's Grill & Pasta House, 286 Robie St (corner of Robie and Juniper), 45.3692087°, -63.3011037°, +1 902-895-2165. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM.
• Nova Scotian Emporium & Fireside Tea Room, 880 Prince St, 45.3643469°, -63.2772362°, +1 902-893-8285.
• Roadside Willies Smokehouse & Bar, 27 Jennifer Dr, 45.3792887°, -63.2541197°, +1 902-843-3486. 11:30AM–8PM. 2017-11-25

Drink

Sleep

• Belgravia B&B, 5 Broad St, 45.366065°, -63.293729°, +1 902-893-7100, BelgraviaBB@gmail.com. A bed and breakfast with three rooms in a majestic house, built around 1903. Free on-site parking.
• Best Western Truro - Glengarry, 150 Willow St, 45.3606066°, -63.2923588°, +1 902-893-4311. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 2017-11-21
• Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Centre, 437 Prince St, 45.3664942°, -63.2921478°, reservations@hitrurohotel.com. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 4-star accommodation
• Irwin Lake Chalets, 680 Loch Haven Ln, Old Barns, 45.3244°, -63.3663°, +1 902-895-2663, info@irwinlakechalets.com. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM.
• Willow Bend Motel, 277 Willow St, 45.3556446°, -63.2958595°, +1 902-895-5325, willowbend@ns.sympatico.ca. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. A "boutique motel" in the Glooscap Trail.

Nearby

Stewiacke

Stewiacke is 30 km south of Truro on Highway 102. Its claim to fame is being on the 45th parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.

• Mastodon Ridge, 87 Main St W, 45.0000°, -63.3641°, +1 902-639-2345, info@mastodonridge.ca. A replica of a mastodon signifies the discovery of the remains of a juvenile mastodon in a nearby quarry. There's also mini golf, a snack stand, and the Winding River Art Gallery.
• Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park, 149 Creighton Rd, Shubenacadie, 45.0921°, -63.3974°, WildLifePark@novascotia.ca. Shubenacadie (pronounced "Shoo-ben-ack-a-dee") Wildlife Park is home to 26 species of mammals, 65 species of birds, a wetland centre, scenic trails and a 10-ha picnic park.

Go next

West to the Bay of Fundy, northwest to New Brunswick, east to Antigonish and Cape Breton, or south to Halifax.