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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

Region overview →

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

CBC · May 27, 2026

WWI Canadian soldier with ties to Cape Breton identified

A WWI Canadian soldier with connections to Cape Breton has been identified after years of mystery.

CTV News · Jun 15, 2026

Transit Cape Breton users can now ‘tap and ride’

Transit Cape Breton has introduced a tap-and-ride payment system for easier bus travel.

CTV News · May 30, 2026

Cape Breton Regional Municipality's viability in jeopardy, according to study

A new study raises concerns about the long-term viability of Cape Breton Regional Municipality.