Chéticamp is the heart of Acadian Cape Breton — a strung-out fishing village tucked between the Highlands and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where French is the first language for many residents and the kitchens still produce fricot and poutine râpée.
It's the western gateway to Cape Breton Highlands National Park and the trailhead for the celebrated Skyline Trail. The village is famous for its hooked rugs (visit Les Trois Pignons), its harbour-front church, and a deeply social music tradition that overlaps with the Celtic culture south on the Ceilidh Trail.
Whale-watching tours leave from the wharf in summer, and the road north begins climbing immediately into the highlands.