Sydney (Nova Scotia)

Sydney is the main port on Cape Breton Island, in Nova Scotia.

Get in

By plane

• 🌍 J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport (YQY  ^IATA). is served year round by Air Canada with prop service to Halifax and seasonal CRJ service to Montreal. During the summer the airport is served by Air Saint-Pierre (with flights from Saint-Pierre and Miquelon) and Sunwing Airlines (with flights from Toronto).  

By car

Driving to Sydney can be done by crossing the Canso Causeway which links the island to the Nova Scotia mainland at Auld's Cove (on the mainland) and Port Hawkesbury (on Cape Breton). From there you have two options: the slightly longer but straighter Highways 105 and 125 or the shorter but twistier Route 4.

By boat

North Sydney is the site of the Marine Atlantic terminal which serves as the main connection to Newfoundland. From the ferry terminal it is about a 20 minute drive on Highway 125 to Sydney.

Get around

Most sights within the downtown are within walking distance, however most major tourist sights are well outside of the city and require a car or pre-arranged tour bus.

• 🌍 Tourist Information Center, 77 Kings Rd, ☎ [phone]. 9AM-6PM. 

See

Although Sydney is the centre of Cape Breton, it lacks major tourist sites itself. A couple of things to see are:

• Two private homes dating to the earliest settlement of the city, Jost House and Cossitt House, remain in the downtown area of Sydney.
• Wentworth Park, a 5-minute walk south from the downtown core, is worth a visit.
• 🌍 Merchant Marine Memorial Statue, 246 Esplanade. A roadside attraction. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 Old Sydney Society, 175 Charlotte St, ☎ [phone]. Museum. (updated Mar 2018)
• 🌍 St Patrick's Museum, 87 Esplanade, ☎ [phone]. (updated Mar 2018)

Do

• 🌍 Casino Nova Scotia - Sydney's Neighbourhood Casino, 525 George St, ☎ [phone]. Got plenty of money and no grasp of statistics? The government would love to see you! There's a restaurant on-site. (updated Mar 2018)

Buy

The Sydney marine terminal and Charlotte Street have an abundance of arts and crafts stores selling traditional Cape Breton souvenirs.

Eat

Sydney has many well established restaurants, most with menus full of classic seafood favourites.

• Celtic Junction Bar and Grille (inside the Sydney casino). This restaurant features a large menu consisting of a good mixture of diner classics and newer 'fusion-fare'. Because it is located inside the casino, it is off limits to those under 19. 
• 🌍 Kiju's Restaurant, 50 Maillard St, Membertou B1S 3W3, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Su-Th 11AM-9PM, F-Sa 11AM-10PM. Fresh ideas and local ingredients, pub style classics, kid’s meals and finer fare. In Membertou Trade and Convention Centre, near the Hampton Inn Sydney. (updated Apr 2017)

Drink

• 🌍 Breton Brewing Co., 364 Keltic Drive, ☎ [phone]. A local craft brewery that sells pints in the tasting room. (updated Mar 2018)

Sleep

Sydney is home to a handful of places to rest your head ranging from small motels to larger hotels.

• 🌍 Beacon Motel, 294 Keltic Drive, toll-free: [phone]. Cheaper motel located 10 minutes outside of the downtown core. No website; call to make reservations. 
• 🌍 Cambridge Suites, 380 Esplanade, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], fax: [phone]. Although the nicest hotel in the city, it lacks a swimming pool so it might not be very family friendly, which might be a selling point for busy business travellers. $149-199. 
• 🌍 Hearthstone Inn Sydney, 560 Kings Road, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Hotel with free high-speed Internet, restaurant and lounge, heated pool, exercise room, executive suite, courtyard and free parking. 
• 🌍 Holiday Inn Sydney - Waterfront, 300 Esplanade, ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. This hotel features large conference facilities and ballrooms, a large swimming pool, waterslide, gym and sauna. 
• 🌍 Travelodge Sydney, 480 Kings Road, fax: [phone]. This hotel also has a pool, sauna, hot tub, and gym. 

For travellers seeking something with a little more character try one of the many bed and breakfasts in the area a selection of which can be found here

Go next

• The Fortress of Louisbourg, about an hour's drive away, is a reconstruction of the 18th-century fortified French town whose presence plagued the British colonies of New England.
• Stop at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site of Canada in Baddeck.
• And no visit to Cape Breton is complete without a trip around the famous Cabot Trail, which regularly places high on lists of 'Best Drives in the World'

Routes through Sydney

END ← North Sydney ←	N  S	→ END
Antigonish ← Port Hastings ← Jct ←	W  E	→ Glace Bay → END
END ←	N  S	→ Jct N → Louisbourg