Prince Edward County Day Trip from Ottawa: A Real Itinerary

Three hours of road from your door. Four wineries, a beach, a sunset. Here is how to do it without spending eight hours in a car.

The Honest Premise

From Ottawa, the comté de Prince Edward is three hours of road. Round trip, six hours. If you leave at 8am, you are at the winery at 11am. If you want to be home for dinner, you leave at 5pm. That gives you six hours on the ground.

It is enough. Even a lot, if you plan smart. Here is how.

The Drive

The fastest way from Ottawa to PEC:

1. 417 West to the 416 South
2. 416 South to the 401 West
3. 401 West to exit 525 (Trenton/Wooler Road) or exit 522
4. South on Highway 33 (Loyalist Parkway) across the bridges into the County

The drive itself is pretty - Hwy 33 runs through Wellington with views of Lake Ontario. Count on 3 hours without stops, 3:30 with a coffee stop in Belleville.

Tip: Take the VIA Rail train to Belleville, then rent a car. The train is about 2 hours and lets you skip the 401.

For those wondering: why not Niagara?

Niagara is closer to Toronto than to Ottawa. For you, the County and Niagara are roughly equidistant. The real question is: which fits what you are looking for?

• Niagara: bigger, more polished, more wineries, more established tourism. Traditional wines (Riesling, Chardonnay, cabernets).
• Prince Edward County: smaller, more experimental, more family-run wineries. More natural wines, more Pet-Nat and orange wine. More personality and fewer crowds.

If this is your first time in an Ontario wine region, both are worth it. If you want to see where Canadian wine is going, it is here.

Stay on One Side of the County

The biggest mistake Ottawa visitors make: arriving in the County and trying to see everything. Hillier in the west, Wellington in the middle, Picton and Waupoos in the east, Sandbanks in the south. Everything looks close on a map. In practice, crossing the County takes an hour.

With six hours on the ground, you do not want to spend two of them in a car. Pick a sector. We recommend the west (Hillier + Wellington) because it is closest to your arrival route and has the highest concentration of good wineries.

The Plan

11am: Arrival

First stop: Traynor Family Vineyard. We have a full kitchen that opens at 11am, so start with a lunch of gourmet hot dogs (kimchi, elote, chimichurri, classic - three for $15) and a $10 wine flight.

Why us first? Because we have the kitchen. Most wineries in the sector do not have food service, so if you want to eat without driving down to Wellington, you want us first.

1pm: Second Winery

Fifteen minutes from Traynor, in the Hillier sector:

• Closson Chase - serious Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Interesting architecture.
• Stanners - small producer, minimalist wines.
• Hinterland - sparkling wine specialists. Genuinely good.
• Karlo Estates - Canada's first vegan winery, photogenic dry-stone bridge.

2:30pm: Third Winery (Optional)

Feeling ambitious? One more, in the same sector.

3:30pm: Beach

Head to North Beach (10 min from Traynor) or Wellington Beach (5 min). These are the closest beaches to the west-side sector. North Beach is less crowded than Sandbanks and the water is just as beautiful.

Do NOT drive down to Sandbanks Provincial Park. It is 25 minutes from our sector, and 25 minutes back. You lose an hour of your day.

4:30pm: Apres Beach

If it is Thursday, Friday, or Saturday: come back to Traynor for Apres Beach happy hour. $1 piquette pours, $7.50 wine slushies. Three hours of patio at a price that invites you to linger.

5pm: The Drive Home

Leaving at 5pm puts you in Ottawa by 8pm. You saw three wineries, a beach, and had real patio time. Mission accomplished.

If You Stay Overnight

Really, the answer for Ottawa visitors is: stay the night. The County deserves more than one day. A few options:

• June Motel - Insta-perfect, restaurant and bar on site
• Drake Devonshire - lake view in Wellington, famous restaurant
• B&Bs in Bloomfield, Wellington, and Picton

The next day, you can do the east side (Waupoos, Cressy, Picton) without rushing.

What We Would Tweak

If you are ready to bend slightly:

• If you want Sandbanks, make it a full day (Saturday) and book the vehicle permit in advance.
• If you are just two or three adults, add a fourth winery.
• If you have kids, stay with us longer - we have a play area, ice cream, and on Fridays free family movie nights.

Resources

Plan your visit to Traynor | Full menu | Apres Beach | Our 5 patios | The County is bigger than you think

Traynor Family Vineyard · 1774 Danforth Road, Hillier, ON · 1 877 403-4224