Day 1: Travel to Halifax, Guided City Tour, Citadel Tour & Garrison Dinner
Flights can be tiring, but with our Connections Program, the journey to Nova Scotia is as stress-free as possible. After your flight, arrive in Halifax, and start your adventure with a guided city tour. Hear interesting stories while seeing iconic landmarks. Check in to your centrally located hotel and freshen up before departing for a guided tour of the Halifax Citadel, a National Historic Site of Canada. After your tour, enjoy a special garrison dinner surrounded by beautiful high brick walls, period paintings and fine woodwork.
Stay: Westin Hotel, Halifax, NS (3 nights)
Meals: D
Day 2: Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo
Take a leisurely morning to enjoy the hotel amenities or to discover more of downtown Halifax. After lunch, depart for the Scotiabank Center and get a peek at the work behind the scenes with a Tattoo Backstage tour. Walk to a local restaurant for an included group dinner. Then return to the Scotiabank Center for the main event, The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.
The "Tattoo" is an extravaganza with pipes and drums, dancing, and unique acts featuring the Canadian military and military units from other countries. This will certainly be a special evening of entertainment!
Meals: B, D
Day 3: Lunenburg & Peggy’s Cove
After breakfast, it’s off to Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, named the “Most Beautiful Small Town in Canada”. This historic town has original colonial buildings, freshly painted in candy apple red, cobalt, and lemon. The past has been preserved here like a museum. Keep your eyes out for the iconic Bluenose II, which is sometimes anchored there. Your guided walking tour of Lunenburg starts at the Academy and ends at the Fisheries Museum, a former fish processing plant, that is now dedicated to preserving and telling the history of fishing in Nova Scotia. While here, enjoy a guided tour from a passionate interpreter. After lunch at the Old Fish Factory restaurant, the journey continues along the scenic shoreline, stopping at Mahone Bay and Peggy’s Cove, with its famous lighthouse. Return to Halifax for a free evening.
Meals:
B, L
Day 4: Gaelic College
Get a proper introduction to a special language and culture with a visit to The Gaelic College,
the only educational institute in North America, where students study the traditional arts, culture and traditions of the immigrants from the Highlands of Scotland. Your visit is not just a lunch stop, it's an opportunity for a fun introduction to a few Gaelic customs including kilt-making, a music demonstration, and a lesson on the language.
Stay: Auberge Gisele’s Inn, Baddeck, NS (2 nights)
Meals: B, L, D
Day 5: Cabot Trail, Baddeck Gathering Ceilidhs
Today, experience the striking beauty of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park
as you travel Canada’s most scenic and photographed drive, the Cabot Trail.
With your local guide, receive insightful explanations and stories of the region while enjoying spectacular views of the coastal wilderness. Return to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. Then, regroup for a fun farewell dinner of traditional Cape Breton fiddle music, song, and dance from The Baddeck Gathering Ceilidhs.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 6: Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Fly Home
After breakfast, head to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site of Canada
for a self-guided tour. Best known for his invention of the telephone, the museum contains the largest collection of personal mementos, photos, and prototypes including a Silver Dart airplane and an HD-4 watercraft.
After lunch, depart for the Halifax Airport for the flight home, arriving in Toronto in the early evening.
Meals: B
