Halifax: the Waterfront, Citadel Hill & the North End
Halifax Harbour is one of the deepest ice-free ports in the world, and the boardwalk running from the ferry terminal south past the Historic Properties warehouses is an excellent introduction. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on Lower Water Street holds the world's largest collection of Titanic artifacts and a complete account of the 1917 Halifax Explosion — the largest accidental man-made explosion before Hiroshima. Citadel Hill National Historic Site above the city gives the full geography of the harbour. The North End on Gottingen Street has become the city's most interesting food and creative district in the past decade.
Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg & the South Shore
Peggy's Cove, 43 km southwest of Halifax, is the most photographed lighthouse in Canada — a nineteenth-century octagonal tower on wave-worn granite above a tiny fishing village. Go early to avoid crowds. Continue another hour along Highway 3 to Lunenburg — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most intact example of a British colonial planned settlement in North America. The pastel Victorian buildings along the waterfront, the Fisheries Museum with the original Bluenose II schooner, and the local fish and chips at the Knot Pub are the essential stops. The drive back along the coast in late afternoon light is exceptional.
Drive to Cape Breton & the Cabot Trail: Inverness to Chéticamp
The Canso Causeway connects mainland Nova Scotia to Cape Breton Island — the island has a distinct character from the rest of the province, shaped by Scottish Highland and Acadian settlement. The Cabot Trail, a 298 km loop around the northern tip of Cape Breton, is one of the great scenic drives in the world. The western leg from Inverness to Chéticamp runs along coastal cliffs with the Gulf of St. Lawrence below. Chéticamp is an Acadian community where French is the first language and the hooked rug tradition is maintained in working studios. Enter Cape Breton Highlands National Park at Chéticamp for the evening.
Cape Breton Highlands: the North Mountain & Ingonish
The northern section of the Cabot Trail through Cape Breton Highlands National Park is the reason to make the trip. The road climbs to 450 metres above the Gulf of St. Lawrence through boreal forest before descending in sharp switchbacks to the coast. The 9 km Skyline Trail — a loop through coastal highland and across the headland above the sea — is the most spectacular day hike in Atlantic Canada. Moose are frequently sighted at dusk. Ingonish Beach on the eastern cape is a rare freshwater lagoon separated from the ocean by a sand spit. Keltic Lodge at Ingonish is the classic place to stop for a drink against the sunset.
Baddeck, Alexander Graham Bell & Return to Halifax
Baddeck, on the Bras d'Or Lakes in central Cape Breton, was the summer home of Alexander Graham Bell from 1885 until his death in 1922. The Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site is one of the most interesting small museums in Canada — Bell's work on the telephone, the hydrofoil, and early aviation is documented in meticulous detail. The Bras d'Or Lakes are a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and one of the finest inland sailing bodies of water in Canada. Allow two hours in Baddeck, then the 3.5-hour drive back to Halifax airport along the Trans-Canada is straightforward.