Charlottetown Airport (YYG) is Prince Edward Island's main gateway, serving Canada's smallest province just a short drive from downtown Charlottetown, and a rental car is the natural way to see an island built around red-clay roads, rolling farmland and a coastline that never sits far away. The terminal is a compact, easy facility to navigate, with rental counters from international and local companies inside or immediately adjacent to arrivals, so pickup is typically quick even during the busy summer travel season, when both bridge and ferry traffic peak across the province.
From YYG, central Charlottetown is only minutes away, while Cavendish and the island's north shore beaches, part of Prince Edward Island National Park, are roughly thirty to forty-five minutes northwest along provincial routes that wind past the distinctive red soil and green farmland the island is known for. Heading west, the drive toward Summerside takes about forty-five minutes, and continuing on connects to the Confederation Bridge, the long fixed link joining PEI to New Brunswick and mainland Canada; the bridge itself is a notable stretch of driving, roughly a thirteen-kilometer crossing over the Northumberland Strait, with a toll charged only when leaving the island rather than entering it.
Driving is on the right throughout Canada, and PEI's roads are generally well maintained two-lane highways connecting small communities, with the island's compact size meaning most destinations are within an hour or two of Charlottetown regardless of route. Rural roads narrow in places and can be affected by fog rolling in off the water, particularly near the coast, so a little extra caution suits foggy mornings well. Winter brings genuine snow to the island, and while summer is the peak visiting season, fuel stations are reasonably plentiful across PEI, making it easy to explore the province's beaches, lighthouses and farmland at an unhurried pace from a Charlottetown base.