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Communities of Cape Breton

Every town and village on the island, with a quick bio and what to do there.

Cabot Trail

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Cape North

Service hub for the northern Cabot Trail — the only gas, groceries, and inns at the top of the island.

Dingwall

Tip-of-the-island fishing village, gateway to Meat Cove and the Cabot Trail north loop.

Englishtown

Cable-ferry crossing on the Cabot Trail and the resting place of Cape Breton Giant Angus MacAskill.

Ingonish

East-coast Cabot Trail village — Highlands Links golf, Cape Smokey, and a long crescent beach.

Margaree Forks

Salmon-fishing capital of Cape Breton, where the Margaree River meets the Cabot Trail.

Neil's Harbour

Postcard fishing village and lighthouse on the Cabot Trail north of Ingonish.

Pleasant Bay

Whale-watching village at the apex of the Cabot Trail, between French and MacKenzie Mountains.

St. Ann's

Home of the Gaelic College — the only one of its kind in North America.

Baddeck & Bras d'Or Lake

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Baddeck

Picturesque Bras d'Or village, the official start and end point of the Cabot Trail.

Iona

Highland Village Museum — a living-history Gaelic settlement on the Barra Strait.

Wagmatcook

Mi'kmaw community on the Bras d'Or — Wagmatcook Culture and Heritage Centre.

Whycocomagh

Bras d'Or village on the Trans-Canada — gateway between the Cabot Trail and the southern island.

Sydney & CBRM

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Big Pond

Bras d'Or village famous as the home of singer Rita MacNeil.

Eskasoni

Largest Mi'kmaw community in the world — Goat Island cultural journey on the Bras d'Or.

Glace Bay

Coal-mining town on the Atlantic — Cape Breton Miners' Museum and the Marconi National Historic Site.

Membertou

Mi'kmaw First Nation on the edge of Sydney — Heritage Park, hotel, conference centre.

North Sydney

Marine Atlantic ferry terminal to Newfoundland — many visitors' first or last sight of Cape Breton.

Sydney

The island's largest city — port, university town, and home of the world's largest fiddle.

Sydney Mines

Coal-mining heritage town across the harbour from North Sydney, on the Marconi Trail.

Louisbourg & Eastern Shore

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Louisbourg

Fortress of Louisbourg — the largest reconstructed 18th-century fortified town in North America.

Strait Area

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Port Hawkesbury

Industrial port at the Canso Causeway — the first town most visitors see crossing onto the island.

Inverness & Western Shore

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Inverness

Former coal town turned golf destination — Cabot Cliffs, Cabot Links, and a long sand beach.

Judique

Celtic Music Interpretive Centre — the heart of the Cape Breton fiddle tradition.

Mabou

Music village — home of the Rankin Family and the Red Shoe Pub.

Port Hood

West-coast fishing village with a sandy beach and warm-water swimming.

Chéticamp & Margaree

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Chéticamp

Acadian fishing village and the western gateway to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Isle Madame

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Arichat

Historic Acadian capital of Isle Madame — bishopric, cathedral, working harbour.

L'Ardoise

Quiet Acadian fishing village on the Fleur-de-lis Trail.

St. Peter's

Canal village linking the Bras d'Or Lake to the Atlantic — the only working canal east of the Welland.

Around Cape Breton

PNI Atlantic News · Jul 9, 2026

'I had about a billion maggots': CBRM mulls hiring of contractors to improve garbage collection

CBRM is considering hiring contractors to address serious garbage collection issues affecting residents.

PNI Atlantic News · Aug 3, 2026

In the swim of things during 2026 edition of Cape Breton's Swim the Canal event

Discover what to expect from Cape Breton's upcoming Swim the Canal event in 2026.

cbc.ca · Jul 29, 2026

Inverness RCMP say house fires may be arson committed by vigilantes

RCMP in Inverness are investigating whether recent house fires may have been deliberately set by vigilantes.