Nova Scotia

This is the big one: the incomparable Cabot Trail is a looping, diving, dipping roller coaster of a road that snakes for 297km around the northern tip of Cape Breton, with epic views of rolling seas, mountain passes and thick forests, and – if you're lucky – perhaps the sight of a moose, an eagle or even a whale along the way.

From Englishtown to St Ann's Bay, artists' workshops dot the southeastern flank of the trail like Easter eggs: there are pottery, leather, glass and pewter workers, painters and sculptors, and you can also discover living remnants of Mi'kmaw and Acadian culture.

This is not a road to rush. Many people race through in a day, but the real pleasure of the trail is taking your time, stopping at the roadside lookouts, hiking the hidden trails and really getting the most out of the scenery.

There's an argument that this dockside museum is Canada's most important institution. Between 1928 and 1971, Pier 21 was the Canadian version of the USA's Ellis Island, where all prospective immigrants arrived. More than a million people passed through these redbrick halls, and it's an emotional experience to walk through the very same doorways where refugees from across the globe began new lives. A mix of audiovisual exhibits, poignant artifacts and personal testimonies make for a powerful and moving museum.

After Peggy's Cove, lovely Lunenburg is the place that everyone stops off to see on their trip along the South Shore. And no wonder: with its brightly painted weatherboard houses, lawned squares and slate-topped churches, it's such a perfect example of a Nova Scotian fishing town that it almost looks like a model. And in some ways that's exactly what it is: it was designed according to the standard British blueprint for colonial settlements in the 18th century, and it seems barely to have changed since it was built. The old town's beautifully preserved architecture has earned it Unesco World Heritage status, and deservedly so, but it gets very busy in summer – visit in May or September to see it at its pastel-tinted best.

Some of Nova Scotia's most unique, magnificent and unspoiled terrain is found within the boundaries of Kejimkujik National Park (shortened to 'Keji' by locals). Generations of Mi'kmaw people paddled, camped and hunted here, and the area is dotted with ancient camping sites, many marked by rock engravings known as petroglyphs. In summer you can join a fascinating guided hike led by Mi'kmaw guides.

These days Keji remains popular for hiking, backcountry camping, bird-watching and kayaking. The main park occupies 381 sq km in the center of the mainland, while its smaller Seaside Adjunct, protecting an important coastal habitat of dunes, beaches and creeks between Port Joli and Port Mouton Bay, is 107km south.

Incredibly, even today less than 20% of Keji's wilderness is accessible by car; the rest can only be reached on foot or by canoe.

The fortunes of the province that became Nova Scotia are inextricably bound up with this mighty fortress, built by the French but battled over countless times before finally being burned to the ground in 1760. The current site recreates the fortress as it was in 1744, right down to the people – costumed soldiers, cooks, orderlies, musicians, gardeners and artisans create a real sense of time travel, and bring the place to life with stories and free guided tours.

This 119km bike route runs from Halifax to Lunenburg via most of the main South Shore towns, including St Margaret's Bay, Chester and Mahone Bay. The website and route maps handily split the route into seven subsections that can each easily be done in a day. The 10km Mahone Bay to Lunenburg section is particularly popular.

Located on the site of the Old Joggins No 7 Coal Mine, this impressive visitor center relates the story of the World Heritage–listed Joggins Fossil Cliffs, home to one of the world's best fossil records. Dating from the Carboniferous period (about 300 million years ago), fossils include lycopsid trees, root systems known as stigmaria and ancient shrimp-like creatures called pygocephalus. The center puts the site into context through exhibits and audiovisual displays.

One of the best whale-watching tours in the province is led by biologist Tom Goodwin and has the adventurous approach of getting you down to whale-breaching level in a Zodiac. Shimmy into a coastguard-approved orange flotation suit and hold on tight! Times depend on weather, whale sightings and demand. It's based in a white-gabled building 100m from the ferry wharf.

Based at Mason's Cove, off Hwy 7, this hugely experienced sea-kayaking company (in business since 1980) offers some of the best day trips in Nova Scotia, exploring the isolated '100 Wild Islands' along the east coast. It also has a simple lodge, the Paddlers' Retreat (rooms $65 to $100).

This spectacular cape of sheer cliffs was misnamed Cape d'Or (Cape of Gold) by Samuel de Champlain in 1604 – the glittering veins he saw were actually copper. Mining from 1897 to 1905 removed the sparkle. The present lighthouse was added in 1922. Access is via a partly unsealed road off Hwy 209 to Cape d'Or; you must then hike down a dirt trail. If you can't bear to leave, the former keeper's residence is now a seasonal guesthouse and restaurant.