Free
Millennium Trail
A 49 km rail trail crossing the County from Carrying Place to Picton through farmland and wetland. Walk or cycle any piece.
Home / Guides / Prince Edward County
Bay of Quinte, Ontario
Prince Edward County
A peninsula of sand dunes, farm roads and small villages, with Picton as your base and a free ferry on the eastern edge.
Photo: Sand dunes and fall foliage at Sandbanks Provincial Park, Shawn M. Kent, CC BY-SA 4.0
The County isn't one main street. It's a loop of farm roads you get to wander. Picton is the main town. From there, roads lead to Bloomfield and Wellington, to the big dunes at Sandbanks, and up to Lake on the Mountain, high above the Bay of Quinte.
In summer the beaches fill early, and Sandbanks day-use passes can sell out. Outside summer, many businesses close midweek. Slow down and let the map take longer than it says. That's the point.
Outdoors and nature
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
Free
Birdhouse City at Macaulay Mountain
A conservation area near Picton with trails and more than 100 painted birdhouses built to look like little buildings.
Free
The Glenora Ferry
A short, free provincial ferry across the Adolphus Reach on Highway 33, running year-round. A lovely way to arrive from the Kingston side.
Cheap
Sandbanks Provincial Park
Towering freshwater sand dunes and long Lake Ontario beaches. Book summer day-use passes ahead; the park sets its own seasons and rules.
Cheap
North Beach Provincial Park
A quieter sandbar beach between Lake Ontario and North Bay, popular with families. Day-use only.
Season Open roughly June–early Oct (check before you go).
Cheap
Lake on the Mountain
A small provincial park with a lake perched high above the Bay of Quinte, and a lookout over the water toward Glenora.
Sights and attractions
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
Free
Picton's Main Street
The County's main town, with the biggest cluster of shops and places to eat. A natural first stop and overnight base.
Free
Bloomfield and Wellington
Two small village streets on the drive west of Picton, studios and shops in Bloomfield, a lakefront and beach in Wellington.
Cheap
Macaulay Heritage Park
A Picton heritage site with a restored 1830s house and church that hosts the County museum.
Season Seasonal, check official site.
Paid
The Regent Theatre
A restored early-1900s theatre on Picton's Main Street showing films, concerts and live shows.
Markets, shops and festivals
Main streets, markets and the dates worth planning around.
Free
Wellington Farmers' Market
A Saturday market in Wellington in the warmer months. Check the season dates before you go.
Paid
County wineries and cideries
Prince Edward County is an official wine region, with dozens of tasting rooms on the back roads. Plan a driver.
Book a tour or activity
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
Sandbanks day-use permit
Reserve a summer beach day at Sandbanks Provincial Park ahead of time.
Also bookable, listed above
These are in the lists above, so we don't repeat them here.
- The Regent Theatre Show
Part of our Lake Ontario north shore guides.
Make it a weekend
Why stay the night
- Beaches, villages, wineries and the ferry don't fit into one rushed day.
- Sandbanks at sunset, then dinner in Picton, only works if you aren't driving home afterward.
- Kingston is about an hour away by the free Glenora ferry, so the two make an easy weekend.
Nearby and worth the drive
Kingstonabout 60 min · Guide ↗
Fort Henry, a limestone downtown and the Thousand Islands, via the free ferry.
Bellevilleabout 30 min · Guide ↗A Bay of Quinte city with a waterfront trail, a year-round market and a Victorian house museum.
Ready-made trips with Prince Edward County
3 days · Kingston → Prince Edward County
Limestone city and the dunes
Kingston's fort and islands, the free Glenora ferry, then Sandbanks and County villages.
3 days · Peterborough and the Kawarthas → Prince Edward County
Kawarthas to the County
The Lift Lock and canoe museum, then beaches and dunes in Prince Edward County.
Good to know
- Official: thecounty.ca and visitthecounty.com.
- Sandbanks: Reserve day-use in summer on Ontario Parks.
- Many businesses keep shorter hours outside summer and autumn weekends.
- We list only places we can check against an official source. Hours, seasons and prices change, so confirm before you go.
Photos on this page
Photo: Sand dunes and fall foliage at Sandbanks Provincial Park, Shawn M. Kent, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: The view from Lake on the Mountain, Prince Edward County, Gary J. Wood from Toronto, ON, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: The Glenora ferry on the Bay of Quinte, Robert Taylor from Stirling, ON, Canada, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Main Street, Wellington, Prince Edward County, P199, CC BY-SA 3.0