Cape Breton Island 
As the snow falls and the temperatures dip, making plans for the Christmas and holiday break can help ease us into winter. Planning a holiday getaway in Nova Scotia is a perfect way to embrace the chill and snow, make the most of winter, and possibly add a little escape or relaxation to your break.
Credit: Admitter/Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0
This holiday and Christmas getaways can also take many different forms. Relax with a spa, cabin, or glamping escape, or take in the festive spirit of Halifax and the smaller cities around Nova Scotia. For those who would rather explore the great outdoors or Nova Scotia’s coastal scenery and trails, there are several ways also to create a holiday getaway centred on recreation.
No matter your style, these ideas guarantee happy holidays from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve!
Halifax for the Holidays
Enjoy, embrace, and experience the bright lights of the city over the holidays or make the most of visiting family and friends in Halifax! The city is alive with Christmas and holiday spirit well into the New Year. Take it all in through live shows or holiday light displays, outdoor recreation, holiday events, or simply by exploring the city.
- Glow Halifax is an indoor festive light display and celebration with activities for all ages and a great chance to escape any harsh winter weather. On those nicer days during the winter break, take a walk through downtown Halifax this for local shopping, dining, and to enjoy the many lights displays including the tree, Delightful Downtown , and the lights at Peace and Friendship Park (up until March).
- Find special rates on hotel stays for your Christmas break in Halifax with places like Cambridge Suites Hotel, Hotel Halifax, The Sutton Place Hotel, the Muir Hotel, or the Inn on the Lake.
- Relax with some of Halifax’s local and festive entertainment over the holiday break. The Neptune Theatre has a production of The Wizard of Oz, while the Grafton St. Dinner Theatre will show Camp Christmas until January 10.
- Festive dining is on the menu between Christmas Eve and New Year’s in Halifax! Those travelling can especially enjoy these holiday dinners from local spots like Shibden Mill Inn, Seaport Social, or Bells Lane Kitchen.
- Halifax is home to one of the biggest outdoor skating surfaces in Atlantic Canada! Bring your ice skates to the Halifax Oval for an afternoon of gliding, hot cocoa or coffee.
Spa Getaways in Nova Scotia
A seriously hidden gem or fact about Nova Scotia is how many spas are located within this beautiful province! Soak it up this holiday season with numerous places, different treatment options, and a variety of types of surrounding scenery for your R&R.
- The Nature Folk Spa in Dartmouth offer a full spa experience with infrared, thermal, massage, osteopathy, and naturopathy treatments, plus facials! This is a great option for anyone staying in Halifax or Dartmouth over the holidays.
- Chester’s Sensea Nordic Spa offers a great escape into nature and is close enough to Halifax to make it a day trip from the city. Sensea’s treatments include hydro and thermal, massage, esthetics, and more. The large property offers several nooks and smaller spaces to call your own for quiet relaxation.
- The Oceanstone Resort in Indian Harbour is a chance to book a place to stay with on-site Nordic spa services. In addition to luxurious room options and full thermal and hydro spas, the resort also offers onsite dining at the Rhubarb Restaurant.
- Relax to the sounds of lapping waves over the Bay of Fundy at the Saltair Nordic Spa near Kentville. They offer Nordic spa experiences, as well as guided relaxation and restoration sessions.
Holiday Glamping
Glamping is an experience that can be enjoyed in Nova Scotia any time of year. While often thought of as a summer or fall activity, glamping is just as fun and enjoyable in the winters with the heat of your dome or cabin, and the snowy woods or coastlines to explore.
- If you’re looking for a retreat to nature and away from the cities or towns this holiday season, look no further than As the River Bends Retreat in the Annapolis Valley. Choose between dome glamping or the tiny home cabin.
- Book with the Mill Lake Retreat this holiday season for a relaxing getaway under the starry skies or snowy winter nights. The retreat offers geodome glamping near Halifax and Peggy’s Cove.
- The Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort has many options for glamping accommodation options yet to be booked for the week of Christmas! Choose between the resort’s yurt, lodge rooms, cabins and cottages, or the studio loft. Guests can also book private time for the communal hot tub or take advantage of onsite dining.
- There is open holiday availability with Nova Scotia’s Sissiboo River Retreat, who offer incredible glamping getaway packages. Their sites include geodome accommodations with a hot tub for each dome. The retreat is riverside and located where the river meets the Bay of Fundy.
Skiing and Snowboarding Resorts in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is home to four major ski hills and downhill resorts. Take your holidays and celebrations to the slopes this year with a vacation near Windsor, in the Wentworth Valley, on the shores of Bras d’Or Lake, or to the Cabot Trail.
- Ski Martock is a short drive south of the town of Windsor with equipment rentals available. The hill is also close to Halifax, and the coastal towns along the shores of the Bay of Fundy.
- Ski Wentworth in Northern Nova Scotia provide equipment rentals for downhill sports, as well as space and trails for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
- The Ben Eoin ski hill offers some incredible lakeside views for your trip down the snow, as well as seasonal rate specials, equipment rentals, and a lodge with dining. This eastern hill brings a holiday vacation to Sydney and the Bras d’Or Lake part of Nova Scotia.
- Cape Smokey is found on the Cabot Trail to the south of Cape Breton Highlands National Park and west of the Cape Smokey Provincial Park. So, on top of all the fun found on the ski hill, this area also offers several other ways to get outside and enjoy some fresh ocean air over the holidays.
Book a Cozy Winter Cabin or Cottage
A snow-covered cabin tucked away from any hustle or bustle of the Christmas season is often an ideal getaway idea whether it be for couples, families, or groups and multiple families. These cottage stays around Nova Scotia offer dozens of ways to create those ideal holiday memories!
- The cabins at the Ravens Rest Retreat in Moose Brook bring your holiday getaway to Nova Scotia’s Minas Basin and are close to Burnt Coat Head Park.
- Book a family cabin this holiday season at the Two Rivers Wildlife Park for a memorable getaway filled with holiday lights, cozy cottage time, and chances to meet the resident animals. The park will host a holiday Winter Light Up.
- The year-round Valley View Chalets have open spots for the Christmas and holiday break with cabins in Margaree Valley. These cabins are pet-friendly!
- Nova Scotia’s Tiny Village and Marina is one of the newest year-round cabin resorts in the province. The village of tiny home cabins is near the Bay of Fundy shores and the Meteghan River.
Nova Scotia’s Smaller Towns for the Holidays
These smaller towns around Nova Scotia are big on holiday spirit. Enjoy the holidays in a quieter setting with these community events, trail options, or scenic drive options. Each small town is home to its own local dining and seafood to try, holiday traditions, and local businesses for those last minute gifts.
- The Season of Father Christmas in Mahone Bay lasts until December 24. With this season comes a fully decorated main street in town, interactive displays, art, artists at work live, light displays, and plenty more festive activities each weekend. Mahone Bay is a coastal community about 86km southwest of Halifax.
- The shores of southern Nova Scotia will certainly be one of the warmer options for a holiday getaway, depending, of course, on wind conditions! A few of the larger communities to explore on the southern coast include Yarmouth, Liverpool, and Bridgewater. While in the south, make time to explore Nova Scotia’s Kejimkujik National Park, open for picnics, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.
- Also on the south shores is the White Point Oceanfront Resort, which will host their annual Dickens Christmas event, December 24-27.
- Exploring northern Nova Scotia this holiday season could bring your vacation to the historic town of Amherst, or communities on the Northumberland Strait like Pugwash, Tatamagouche, or New Glasgow.
Cape Breton for the Holidays
There is so much to see and do across Cape Breton Island any time of the year. When planning for a holiday getaway to Cape Breton, it might be easier to divide the trip between the Island’s different parks or towns. This could include the area of National Park, towns like Cheticamp, Port Hawkesbury, Glace Bay, or Louisbourg, and all the seaside viewing areas.
- This Christmas, the Highland Arts Theatre in Sydney will present Christmas at Sacred Heart. The concert will include various local artists and a dinner! More events at the theatre include film screenings of classic holiday films.
- Make your holiday visit to Cape Breton all about the Island’s great outdoors. The Cape Breton Highlands National Park has some incredible snowshoeing opportunities in areas like the Clyburn Valley, with rentals also available from the Ingonish Visitor Centre.
- Find more outdoor escapes around Cape Breton with a cross-country skiing adventure this holiday season. The area has the North Highlands Nordic Ski Club with groomed trails and Stay and Ski packages, or the Ski Tuonela Park with groomed trails and onsite cabin rentals.
- The Cabe Breton Regional Municipality’s All is Bright Holiday Map is the ultimate guide to commercial and residential holiday light displays in the area. Choose a part of Cape Breton and get out in the car or on foot to embrace the holiday spirit.
- Find excellent places to stay all over the inland and coastal parts of Cape Breton Island. Try a holiday package to save on a memorable experience with places like the Archie & Isidore Hotel.
