Getting here is as easy as 1, 2, 3. One major highway. Two direct flights. Three Atlantic ferry journeys. We may be an Island, but we’re definitely not remote—you’ll find plenty of ways to arrive and get around Cape Breton Island by air, sea, and land.
Getting here is easy. Leaving is the hard part. Catch a flight into Sydney from Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax. Driving? All roads lead to Cape Breton Island. If it’s the sea that beckons, there are ferries, cruise lines, and plenty of ways to chart your own course.
Closer than you think. Nova Scotia is two hours closer to Europe than any other North American destination, with the province’s capital city of Halifax being closer to Boston and New York City than any other Canadian city. With the exception of the Air Canada Toronto, O.N., to Sydney, N.S., flight, the JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport is temporarily out of service. In the meantime, visitors can fly into the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, a mere two hours and 20 minutes from the Canso Causeway. The Stanfield Airport has direct flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport, Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, Ottawa International Airport, and is a familiar stomping ground for all Maritimers. You can also fly in via Celtic Air Services, a full-service fixed-base operator (FBO) based out of the Port Hawkesbury Airport.
Your journey to Cape Breton Island will be smooth sailing. Bay Ferries offers high-speed ferry service from Bar Harbor, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia on board THE CAT, as well as an inter-provincial ferry offering daily service from Saint John, New Brunswick to Digby, Nova Scotia. Northumberland Ferries offers daily, seasonal service from Wood Islands, PEI to Caribou, Nova Scotia. From each of these ferries, Cape Breton Island is then easily reached by car, tour bus, motorcycle. Marine Atlantic offers daily ferry service from Port-aux-Basques and Argentia, Newfoundland to North Sydney.
Cape Breton Island also offers miles of coastline. The Port of Sydney is a popular destination for many prominent cruise lines and visitors with sailboats or superyachts will find and plenty of ports of sail and marinas to dock, moor, and explore.
Driving? The North American highway system connects all major routes to Nova Scotia via the Trans-Canada Highway, which leads eastward over the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton Island.
Should you need a lift, there are also bus services and charters into the Island from various locations.
Although it’s easy to get around the Island, make sure to give yourself plenty of time. Time to take in all the scenic vistas. Time to get from the heart of Acadie to Sydney. Time to take in a ceilidh, watch a drum circle, and find an isolated piece of paradise tucked amongst the craggy cliffs.
There are direct flights to Sydney from Toronto and Montreal and from other North American and European cities via Halifax. If traveling by ground, the Trans-Canada Highway 104 leads to Cape Breton Island.
Getting Here and Around