Province House - the "birthplace of Canada".

Photo: Tourism PEI/John Sylvester

Charlottetown is a historic and laid-back affair and Prince Edward Island's provincial capital. It has a lovely waterfront aspect and a compact, tree-lined centre filled with rows of Victorian houses.

The city was established in 1763 and is often referred to as the birthplace of Canada, as it was here in 1864 that the major players in the British North American colonies met to plot nationhood.

The ornate, sandstone Province House is where the original meetings took place and is now home to the provincial legislature.