Highlights of Nova Scotia

Your holiday begins in style, with included airport lounge access before your daytime flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Transfer to your hotel, and enjoy the rest of the day to explore at your own pace. The province’s largest city is a bustling hub, packed full of bars, restaurants, galleries and sidewalk cafés, all made for lingering in. And, the historic waterfront serves up delightful seaside strolls along with an enticing blend of heritage architecture and intriguing museums ¬– including the excellent Maritime Museum.

Stay: The Haliburton (Superior)

Pick up where you left off the day before, with a guided city tour taking in the best of Halifax’s attractions, including the historic buildings along Spring Garden Road and the Palladian architecture of the 19th-century Province House. You’ll then collect your hire car to begin your tour of the province, beginning with a real trip highlight – the famous Lighthouse Route. You’ll begin with a stop at Peggy’s Cove, a pretty village whose granite coastline plays host to Nova Scotia’s most visited lighthouse, before taking in the historic churches of Mahone Bay. Then, after a delightful drive along a coast dotted with remote fishing communities, you’ll arrive among the pastel-hued houses of Lunenburg – a vibrant harbour town home to an eclectic mix of boutiques, galleries and artisan shops.

Stay: Mariner King Inn (Superior)

Today’s drive takes you through the beautiful Kejimkujik National Park. Perhaps pause for a forest hike or to go canoeing on its sparkling lakes, or head to the visitor centre to learn more about the region’s human history, showcased in a replicas of native tools found by archaeologists to date back some 4,500 years. You’ll then continue on to Annapolis Royal and its surrounding valley, where vibrant gardens, national historic sites and sprawling vineyards vie for your attention.

Stay: Queen Ann Inn (Superior)

Leave Annapolis Royal behind as you take the Evengeline Trail to the historic town of Pictou, known as ‘the birthplace of New Scotland’ since the first Scottish immigrants landed here in 1773. The route itself is wonderfully scenic, traversing forested hillsides and tracing a rugged coastline of plunging cliffs and near-deserted bays. In Pictou, take the opportunity to explore the town’s waterfront, which hosts a full-scale replica of the Hector – the ship that brought the Scots here almost 250 years ago.

Stay: Evening Sail B&B (Superior)

Spend this morning exploring Pictou, then continue on to Cape Breton via the 2,100-metre-long Canso Causeway. Once on Cape Breton, you’ll make your way to the Baddeck – a sleepy little town overlooking the Bras d’Or Lakes, and once the home of a certain Alexander Graham Bell.

Stay: Lynwood Inn (Superior)

Today’s route is another holiday highlight, as you follow the famous Cabot Trail – one of Canada’s most spectacular drives – to the Acadian community of Cheticamp. Explore the town’s unique cultural heritage before taking in the rugged splendour of Cape Breton’s northern shore and winding up onto the plateaus of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Perhaps stop for a hike or short walk through the park’s mountainous landscapes before heading on the Glace Bay – the starting point of the Marconi Trail, named after the Italian inventor who sent the first transatlantic wireless message from this very spot. You’ll then follow the trail around the coast to the Fort of Louisbourg National Historic Site, the largest historical reconstruction in North America. Hear the cannons and muskets fire and watch the changing of the guard as you get a sense of what life was like here a quarter of a millennium ago.

Stay: Louisbourg Harbour Inn (Superior)

Return to the mainland, again via the Canso Causeway, and follow Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore via tranquil bays and pristine forests to Guysborough on the edge of Chedabucto Bay. It’s then onto Liscombe Mills for the final night of your road trip.