This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Halifax.
Staying in a Halifax hostel puts you in a small city that punches above its weight. It is the hub of Atlantic Canada and most visitors to the region will pass through at least once. This means that you can organize tours and travel to other parts of Nova Scotia. It certainly merits a stay of at least a few days. There are top class historic sites and museums along with quirky galleries and theaters, dramatic parks and gardens, a rainbow of shops, great food products and restaurants, and the most bars per person in Nova Scotia/Canada/the World - it depends on who is telling the story. Halifax has a large student population and a decent segment of creative types.
The local image of Halifax and Nova Scotia promoted to tourists is very Scottish in character and very quaint in appearance. While an afternoon spent choosing your favorite house followed by an evening in a celtic pub is not to be missed, there is so much more to discover. This diversity expresses itself in everything the range of restaurants, local breweries, and local shops, to the varied festivals, music gigs and the venues that host them.
Once you arrive at a Halifax hostel, make sure you pick up a free city map to orient yourself and the latest copy of the free weekly newspaper The Coast to plan your evenings. You should also take a sweater, umbrella or rain jacket along with you, because, as the saying goes, "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes."
The hostels in Halifax, Nova Scotia are all in the city center and within walking distance of all the places you could want to experience. According to stereotype, Haligonians are friendly. This is true. Ask anybody for help, especially if inadequate signage has you losing your bearings. It is also very common for visitors to have memories, perhaps foggy, of lively nights out and seeming to always be walking uphill...
Written by local enthusiast for Halifax hostels
Jonathan A