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St. Mary's Basilica
Attractions in Halifax

Start with St. Mary's Basilica: the sights of Halifax

Of the 66 places to visit in and around Halifax, 42 are museums or galleries. There are 51 places to visit inside Halifax’s city limits, and 15 more within 5 km of its edge. The list includes 8 places cared for by Parks Canada.

Photo: St. Mary's Basilica, baekken (CC BY 2.0)
In Halifax
51
inside the city limits
Within 5 km
15
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
42
in or near town
Forts & historic sites
20
in or near town
Cared for
8
by Parks Canada
Best known

Start with these in Halifax

ChurchSt. Mary's Basilicain townArt galleryArt Gallery of Nova Scotiain townCastleHalifax Citadelin townGardenHalifax Public Gardensin townMuseumMaritime Museum of the Atlanticin townFortPrince of Wales Towerin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

The lie of the land

To the southeast is where most of the 15 nearby are.

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The dashed line is Halifax’s city limits; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · Statistics Canada 2021 outline

By kind

The mix

42 museums or galleries and 20 forts or historic sites top the count.

Museums & galleries 34 museums · 8 art galleries34 in town · 8 nearby
Forts & historic sites 7 national historic sites · 4 forts · 4 historic sites · 2 historic ships · 1 church · 1 castle · 1 cathedral15 in town · 5 nearby
Gardens & estates 1 garden1 in town
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 theme park · 1 zoo1 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 1 attraction0 in town · 1 nearby

Green: inside Halifax. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

Run by Parks Canada: Battery, Cavalier Building, Counterscarp Gallery and Fire Command Post.

Every place

The list in full

The 51 inside Halifax come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Provincial and city parks are on the Outdoors page instead.

Historic places in Halifax → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Halifax →

Seeing Halifax: questions

What are the main attractions in Halifax?

Within Halifax’s city limits, the best known are Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax Citadel and Halifax Public Gardens.

Does Halifax have a museum?

Yes, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Admiralty House and Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, all in Halifax or within 5 km.

Is there a Parks Canada property near Halifax?

Yes: within 5 km of Halifax, the places run by Parks Canada are named in the By kind chart.

How is this list made?

The list joins OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, ODCAF and the heritage registers, one entry per site: museums, galleries, historic sites, forts, lighthouses, gardens, parks, waterfalls, ski hills, zoos and theme parks. Forts, houses and churches need something that shows they welcome visitors, and hotels, restaurants and tours are never included. What lies inside the town’s 2021 outline, or within 5 km of it, is listed.

Places to visit: Canada publishes no open tourism list, so this one is assembled from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0), Statistics Canada’s ODCAF museums and galleries (2020, Open Government Licence – Canada), the federal and Québec heritage registers and CPCAD’s national parks, and it reflects what mappers and editors have recorded. Forts, houses, lighthouses and churches count only with a sign that visitors are welcome. Places sit in each town’s 2021 census outline; visitor counts are Wikidata’s latest, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (24)

Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).