Cape Breton town guides
Baddeck
Lakeside village on the Bras d'Or. Bell museum, sailing, gateway to the Cabot Trail.
Sydney
Cape Breton's largest city. Big Fiddle waterfront, cruise port, Cape Breton Centre for Heritage & Science.
Louisbourg
18th-century French fortress brought back to life. One of North America's great living-history sites.
Ingonish
Cabot Trail beach town. Highlands National Park entrance, Keltic Lodge, Cape Smokey, white-sand beach.
Chéticamp
Acadian fishing village on the Cabot Trail's western edge. Hooked rugs, French heritage, gateway to the Highlands.
Inverness
West-coast beach town. Cabot Cape Breton golf, Inverness boardwalk and dunes, Celtic music heartland.
Mabou
Tiny Gaelic-speaking village with an outsize music scene. Red Shoe Pub, Mabou Highlands hikes, Glenora distillery nearby.
Port Hood
West-coast fishing village with warm-water beaches — among the warmest north of Virginia. Quiet, family-friendly.
North Sydney
Newfoundland-ferry terminal town. Working harbour, Indian Beach, gateway for road-tripping motorists arriving from the Rock.
Eskasoni
Mi'kmaw community on the south shore of East Bay — the largest First Nation in Nova Scotia. Goat Island cultural walk, language and craft workshops.
St. Peter's
Historic canal town linking the Bras d'Or Lakes to the Atlantic. National historic site, sailing, lakeside camping at Battery Park.
Port Hawkesbury
First town on Cape Breton after the Canso Causeway. Strait of Canso harbourfront, Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, gateway for Cabot Trail road-trippers.
Membertou
Mi'kmaw First Nation community on Sydney's edge. Membertou Trade & Convention Centre, heritage museum, modern resort hotel and disc-golf course.