It was the colourful houses and buildings along the Atlantic Ocean coast that first drew me to Lunenburg. The quaint Canadian town looked like it came out of a fairytale.Tall steeples atop of the sloped hill hid partially behind the colourful buildings that peppered the coastline. Rows of red, pink, purple, blue and orange buildings continued up the small hill in rigid formation. Below, the flat water was a mirror to the colourful shore. Ripples barely broke the water’s reflection as a handful of sail boats and canoes floated by gracefully. If this was the view from a poor quality Google image, I knew that it would somehow be infinitely more beautiful in person. (It was.)
Lunenburg’s Charm
Old Town Lunenburg is the best surviving planned British colonial town in North America. The British established the Canadian town in 1753 as a new settlement for German Protestants. Since then, Lunenburgers have maintained the charm of its original rectangular grid layout and the ornate wooden houses. Some of these houses actually haven’t changed since the 1700s. This earned Old Lunenburg a National Heritage Site designation in 1991 from the Canadian government. It’s also why the town is one of two urban UNESCO World Heritage Sites in North America, as of 1995.
Lunenburg is a beautiful one-hour drive from the province’s capital, Halifax. Although many choose to visit the picturesque town during the summer, it’s also possible to visit during the winter. (Unlike Cape Breton or Peggy’s Cove, two other rural areas I visited during my stay in Nova Scotia.) My Halifax AirBnB hosts, Erica and Devin, visited in the winter and actually had a snowball fight on an empty street. Erica said it looked like they were in a movie because of the colourful houses peeking out under snowy roofs.
Erica and Devin may not have been in a movie, but Lunenburg is the backdrop to many Hollywood blockbusters and T.V. series. Classics like Moby Dick, The Book of Negroes and Simon Birch were filmed along nearby cliffs and farmland, and in the streets and Lunenburg Harbour. Apparently Sandra Bullock and Tom Selleck have also stayed just outside the town while filming in Lunenburg and other areas of Nova Scotia.
Although I only had an hour to explore the lively streets, here are some of my favourite houses and buildings in beautiful Lunenburg!
If you’re planning a trip to Lunenburg, here are some great resources to help plan your trip: rum running during the Prohibition, walking tour information, a local’s guide, and the history of the Bluenose.
Have you ever explored Lunenburg? What city or town have you visited that had the most colourful houses?
Share your stories and gluten-free/vegetarian/vegan tips in the comments below and let me know any other amazing things to do in Lunenburg! (My trip was far too quick, so I’m already planning on going back!) For more photos and stories from The Full-Time Tourist, please follow all my travel adventures and recipes on social media- Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram!
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