» Peterborough Travel Directory
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Clock Tower on George Street 1

As the gateway to the plentiful recreational opportunities of Ontario's Kawarthas region, Peterborough is an ideal jump-off point for year-round outdoor pursuits. The area's extensive trail network affords exceptional hiking, biking and horseback riding, while over 250 lakes supply anglers and boaters with a host of options. With the Trent-Severn Waterway flowing through its centre, Peterborough is home to the famous Peterborough Lift Lock, the world's largest hydraulic lift lock, and a wealth of other attractions that highlight its rich heritage.

Visitors wishing to experience Peterborough and the Kawarthas have several accommodation options to suit a range of budgets, from hotels to cozy cabins and intimate bed and breakfasts. Travellers desiring a more rustic encounter with the area's natural features have several campgrounds to choose from, and a number of popular fishing resorts are within 30 minutes of Peterborough. Designed to help travellers find lodging that fits their needs, the following Worldweb.com Travel Guide article provides an overview of the accommodations available in the Peterborough area along with three important information pages:

1) Accommodation Directory - This is a complete accommodation directory containing detailed information about hotels, B&Bs, cottages, campgrounds and more. With links to accommodation websites and interactive maps, this directory is designed to help visitors find the right place to stay based on their personal preferences.

2) Secure Room Reservations - A convenient online room search and reservation page. This link allows the user to check for room availability and then make a secure online room reservation for participating properties. Although this is a useful feature anytime of year, the online Secure Room Reservations page is particularly helpful in the peak seasons when finding accommodation in popular properties can be difficult.

3) Maps - The Peterborough map can assist visitors in choosing where to stay by not only indicating where accommodations are located, but also where they are in relation to attractions, restaurants, shops, tours and transportation.

	Del Crary Park2

HOTELS

Peterborough has a handful of major chain hotels that offer modern amenities and convenient access to many Peterborough attractions. The Holiday Inn and the Peterborough Inn & Suite Hotel are two of the most central accommodations in the heart of downtown. Located in Peterborough's Cafe District, these hotels are close to shops and an eclectic mix of restaurants.

The Comfort Inn and Quality Inn are both located in southwest Peterborough at the doorstep of the Kawartha Golf and Country Club, ideal lodging for travellers planning to spend a lot of time on the links, although they are farther from the city's downtown attractions and amenities. The Best Western Otonabee Inn is located on the eastern shores of the Trent-Severn Waterway and enjoys a scenic milieu adjacent to Beavermead Park, a popular recreation spot and access point to the Rotary Greenway Trail. The Best Western Otonabee Inn is also relatively close to Del Crary Park, which hosts a number of events including the summertime Festival of Lights concert series. A cluster of independent motels suited to budget travellers is located just east of Peterborough on Highway 7, and although these accommodations are less convenient to the city's attractions, visitors often find room rates lower than those of central hotels.

King Bethune House Bed & Breakfast3

BED AND BREAKFASTS

Peterborough is blessed with a wealth of bed and breakfasts, which outnumber hotels nearly two to one. Visitors desiring an intimate encounter with Kawartha hospitality are drawn to the unique, cozy atmosphere of these accommodations. With roughly 20 bed and breakfasts located throughout the city, visitors can enjoy B&B lodging in nearly every area of Peterborough. Several bed and breakfasts are centrally located in downtown, convenient for travellers that want to be close to shops, restaurants and attractions.

King Bethune House is a charming historic property in downtown Peterborough equipped with a private hot tub, a sauna and many modern amenities. Liftlock Bed and Breakfast is a waterfront accommodation just above the world-famous Peterborough Lift Lock, the highest hydraulic boat lift in the world, rising 20 m (65 ft) in the air. The Liftlock and river boat cruises on the Trent-Severn Waterway remain one of Peterborough's top attractions.

Located on the banks of the Trent-Severn Waterway at the foot of Del Cray Park, Beacon By the Bay B & B Guest House is the place to stay during the Festival of Lights summertime celebration. Golfers appreciate the convenient location of Summit Bed and Breakfast, which backs onto the Kawartha Golf and Country Club and is still relatively close to downtown. Although Burley's Executive Garden Suite is less central than other bed and breakfasts, guests enjoy its scenic English-style garden setting. Visitors are advised to make reservations as far in advance as possible for bed and breakfasts, as space at these accommodations is very limited.

	Guest Room at Watkins Executive Suites4

VACATION HOME RENTALS AND CONDOMINIUMS

Cafe District Lofts are centrally located in downtown Peterborough in the Cafe District, within walking distance of several restaurants. The lofts are endowed with full kitchens, high-speed Internet access and an on-site lounge. Designed with business travellers in mind, Watkins Executive Suites provides guest suites with fully-equipped kitchens and private offices in three Peterborough locations: Ferndale Avenue, on the West End adjacent to the Kawartha Golf and Country Club; Vinette Street, on the banks of the Trent-Severn Waterway adjacent to Vinette Street Park, offering convenient access to the Rotary Greenway Trail; and Milford Drive, surrounded by numerous parks and close to Little Lake and the Centennial Fountain, Peterborough's treasured centrepiece. Visitors seeking rejuvenation may enjoy the Sanctuary, which offers on-site Reiki treatments.

Stone Gardens on the Lake, a scenic vacation home on the edge of Chemong Lake, is located just outside of Peterborough near Ennismore.

CAMPING AND COTTAGES

With such pleasant scenery and so many outdoor activities, it's no wonder camping is so popular in the Peterborough area. Beavermead Campground is the only campground centrally located in Peterborough, but with so much green space in its midst it's easy to forget the bustle of the city. The fully-equipped tent and trailer park features convenient access to the Rotary Greenway Trail and offers daily activity programs for children, swimming, boating, fishing and other activities. Visitors staying at Beavermead Campground are not only immersed in the area's scenic surroundings, they are close to Peterborough's shops, restaurants and cultural venues as well.

Cottage at Camp Fisherman5

Many camping and cottage accommodations are located just outside of Peterborough. Buckhorn Lake, north of Peterborough, is rife with cottages and cabins featuring amenities that complement the area's most popular outdoor pursuits: fishing and watersports.

Situated north of Peterborough on the eastern shore of Pigeon Lake, Camp Ashtabula Cottages attracts anglers eager to fish the plentiful supply of muskie, bass, walleye and panfish. Also on the eastern shore of Pigeon Lake and geared towards fishing is Camp Fisherman, which offers two- and three-bedroom housekeeping cottages stacked with many modern amenities. Perhaps the best equipped camping facility on Pigeon Lake is Anchor Bay Camp, where swimming, boating and fishing are popular activities. With trailer, tent and RV sites together with cottage rentals, Anchor Bay satisfies a range of accommodation needs.

The community of Lakefield, just northeast of Peterborough, also has several well-equipped campgrounds and a host of cabin rentals, and like most of the other accommodations in the area, Lakefield resorts are centred on fishing and other outdoor pursuits.

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PHOTO COURTESY

1. Michael Cullen/Trent Photographics; Clock Tower on George St; Peterborough, ON, Canada
2. Michael Cullen/Trent Photographics; Del Crary Park; Peterborough, ON, Canada
3. Robert Boudreau; Fireklix; King Bethune House Bed & Breakfast; Peterborough, ON, Canada
4. Guest Room at Watkins Executive Suites; Peterborough, ON, Canada
5. Camp Fisherman; Cottage at Camp Fisherman; Peterborough, ON, Canada