Highland Village And Baddeck Tour For Cruise Excursion

With only 6 in our group, the vehicle wasn't crowded and our driver/guide, Bo, was excellent. The day was beautiful and we enjoyed beautiful fall colors along with our stops at the Highland Village and Bell Museum.

Bannockburn Tours are great! They were flexible in meeting the requests of all of the passengers. Knowledgeable guide and friendly staff. We are so pleased that we booked with them. We would recommend them highly.

Our guide Bo was friendly, knowledgeable and accomodated all our requests. The bus was comfortable and there was enough room. The Highland Village exceeded expectations as the characters helped to bring the exhibits to life. The AGBell museum was informative about his life and works, but there was a lot of reading. The scenery on the journey was great and the colours were awesome. The place Bo took us to for lunch was exactly as asked for. Thanks for a great day.

This was a good excursion and very easy. Our driver Tom was informative and laid back. We shared this with one other couple. It takes a long time to get there but the village was very informative and interesting. We had a beautiful day for it. Then we went to the Alexander Graham Bell museum - this was interesting too but we aren’t museum people much so we skimmed through it. Had lunch at the best restaurant. Waterside in Baddek.- best raw oysters and fish n chips ever (our expense but so worth it) . Funny story, we are from Georgia. We asked for crackers and the had no clue -she said they had crouton. But oh so good.

The review given in June 2026 by another couple is so true. Tour was to start at 10AM, it was after 11AM when it started. The driver Bob did his best but stops on tour was shortened because police involvement. The couple was correct the vehicle was not as promised in tour information. This was not a happy experience as we sat at dock.

Our visit to Sydney was ruined by the Bannockburn tour company. I booked the tour several weeks ago and a week before the tour date I got an email advising us that instead of starting the tour as soon as our ship arrived at 8 am they would start at 10am. Ok. No problem. We were told to meet at the pier. We walked to the end of our pier where shuttle buses and taxis were picking up/ dropping off a little after 9:30am. By 10:09 we were concerned that we were not in the correct location. Just as we were about to call the number on the ticket, an SUV pulls up and Mike jumps out saying he’s here to pick us up. We were confused. Every review that mentioned transportation referred to a van or coach. This was an SUV with 4 large bucket seats (one being the drivers seat) and I tiny bench seat in the back. There were already two passengers in the car. The two bucket seats in the middle could fold up and flip over in order to gain access to the bench seat. However, the two bucket seats were not on runners and could not be moved forward to give the bench seat more leg room. The bench seat was 4’ wide at most and an adult could barely fit his/her feet on the floor. The adults knees were right up against the back of the bucket seat. There were two indentations on each end of the bench signifying that as a seat for an individual. That left a small gap as wide as my hand for an adult to sit in the middle. When we expressed concern (the driver said he was picking up two more people), the driver agreed that it was a very tight fit and had told “Alex” that it wouldn’t work for six passengers but he was overruled. We then proceeded to another pier and waited for it to disembark its passengers. I assumed this is why the late start was requested. I thought that we were waiting on two people but soon a large van drove up with the Bannockburn tours logo on the side and they loaded 8-10 people into it. This van had individual bucket seats throughout and is what we had expected to ride in. Our driver pulled two women from the group waiting to board the van and told them they would be riding with us. It became clear that the company had overbooked and the SUV was an emergency supplement. Our driver said it had just “passed inspection” that morning and the security people at the dock were not happy about allowing it to be used since it did not have the proper paperwork. My husband and I had seen enough. We told the driver that we would skip this tour in order for there to be enough room for the others and requested a refund. Our driver then said that was up to Rick who had been talking to the security personnel about clearing the SUV for use as a tour vehicle. Rick came up and told us we didn’t have to go but he would not refund our money. I pointed out that the tour described at least 3 hours of driving time and the 3 people in the back would be extremely uncomfortable. Rick proceeded to get in the back with me to show me how much room there was. His knees touched the back of the bucket seats in front of him ( he was not a large man) and even though there were only two of us there was only about 6” of space between us. I asked him where the 3 rd person was going to sit and he indicated the six inch space between us. I said riding for hours in those conditions was not reasonable and we wanted a refund. He refused. I told him I was not getting out of the car until we received a refund. He threatened me with the police and I told him to do what he had to do. He called the police and while waiting the other passengers that had the SUV (they were standing outside) told him he was being unreasonable and threatened to write bad reviews. The police showed up and Rick informed them of the situation. A nice officer came up to me and asked for my side of the story and I told him. As I was talking my husband was standing in the open doorway on one side and the officer was standing in the open doorway on the other side. Rick came up and tried to shove my husband out of the way and was sharply told by the officer to not touch my husband. After I finished my story the officer said that Rick had been very aggressive and agreed with my assessment that he had acted like a jerk. He persuaded Rick to refund the money and since Rick knew my husband could sue him for assault he finally agreed to a refund. We felt bad about holding up the others for the tour but they were extremely understanding and said they agreed with us that it wouldn’t have worked for all of us to cram into that space. The police officers couldn’t have been nicer to us and I am very impressed with how professional they were. We hugged them upon parting. I would also like to say that our driver was nice and we understood that he had no control over how many people were supposed to fit in the SUV. This was just very poor decisions being made by management. I cannot say whether the tour is any good since we did not go. Our day in Sydney was now half over and we were exhausted by the upsetting circumstances. We went back to the ship and didn’t even see the town.

Poor timing missed th highland village. It was closed when we arrived and we were allowed to walk around but it looked more like a ghost town. There were no period actors and nothing to see/do demonstrations . The tour guide was very nice, thank you terry. The Alexander graham bell museum was a nice experience.

The Highland Village was interesting, especially talking with the period aged costume individuals… they provided a lot of history to the village. The country side was beautiful… as the leaves were at peak it would have been nice to stop for more fall colors. Alexander Graham Bell museum was good, learned a lot more about the man

We had a wonderful tour of the Highland Village and the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, thanks to our exceptional guide, Tom. Despite some unexpected challenges—including a last-minute change in our ship’s docking procedure and a few late passengers—Tom handled everything with grace and professionalism. He quickly adjusted the itinerary without compromising the quality of the experience. Tom was incredibly informative, sharing rich insights into the history and culture of Cape Breton and the life of Alexander Graham Bell. His passion for the area was evident and made the tour all the more engaging. He was also attentive and helpful throughout, ensuring everyone was comfortable and well taken care of. Most impressively, Tom managed to get us back to the ship right on time, which was no small feat given the delays. Highly recommend this tour—and especially Tom—for anyone looking to explore these fascinating sites with a knowledgeable and reliable guide.

Bob, our driver and guide, was a bundle of energy and knowledge. He knows the area so well and did everything to make our visit memorable!

Knowledgeable guide. Beautiful sights. Highland Village is a place we would love to visit again. This was a great tour!

Tom was great!! Very knowledgeable and courteous. Love the small group sizes offered by Viator. Great way to see the area.

We liked the small group tour. Enjoyed stopping at Christmas Tree Island post office. The highland village was interesting but we enjoyed Alexander Graham Bell Museum a bit better. We had a little time to eat lunch in Baddeck. All in all a nice overview of the area

A nice tour to consider when visiting via cruise ship. Got to learn some history of the Scottish settlers and their way of life. Plenty of time to walk around the recreated village and interact with the characters who manned many of the buildings.

The local guide, Bob, was excellent. The scenery was beautiful. My one criticism is that we could have had more time at the two museums and less time for lunch. I did not go on the tour to eat.

We had a fantastic tour with Joe. We loved hearing all the stories he had to share and local knowledge. Travelling in a smaller coach was perfect.

The tour was wonderful throughout. Started with the pick up at the pier and a guide and fellow passengers that were understanding when our ship docked late and it took us a while to get off of the ship. The guide was very knowledgeable about the area's history and provided a great narrative all the way through the day. The Highland village was very interesting and well presented. The staff were all in period costumes and stayed in character as if they were villagers. Baddeck was a cute village with some great shops and lunch spots as well. Well worth the money.

Most beautiful scenery and best tour guide of all our excursions! Highland village setting is extraordinary. Baddeck was a good stop for lunch and the Alexander Graham Bell museum was very interesting. We had additional smaller stops that the big buses don’t do that added to the day!

Monday 25th August 2025. We set off from the cruise port shortly after 7:30 am in a minibus with 6 passengers. The driver/guide gave us a good commentary as we travelled to our stop at Grand Narrows. From there we proceeded to the Highland Village where we arrived shortly after 9 am. Our guide then discovered that the village did not open until 10am, and we were left to wander on our own for nearly an hour. However when it opened I found it interesting talking to the various guides explaining the history of Scottish settlers in Nova Scotia. We left at 11:15 and proceeded to Baddeck. Along the way, our guide showed us the menu for a restaurant he recommended for lunch, however when wed arrived in Baddeck we found that establishment was closed on Mondays. We found elsewhere to eat and had an enjoyable lunch. Following lunch, we visited the Alexander Graham Bell museum which I found fascinating - the highlight of the trip. We then returned to Sydney, but due to the delay earlier at the Highland Village we were short on time and concerned we would miss our departure. However I eventually stepped back on the ship at 3:28 pm with an onboard deadline of 3:30. The tour organizers had not done their homework in matching up the itinerary and timeline for this excursion with the date and in port time of the cruise ship

We had a great driver who was knowledgeable and friendly! He stopped to give us more information and to see beautiful points of view. I was really interested in this tour because of the Highland Village, however was disappointed when we only had one hour there. We had to rush to get through it.

Tour guide was just OK. Discussed political and personal beliefs a bit too much. Baddeck village was just OK also. If you have been on many cruise tours I would say this is not worth it. OK for newbies.

This reiew is in no way reflective upon the driver- & owner of the company I believe - Rick, who did his best to make the most of a long trip. The tour narrator - I can't recall his name was not helpful in my opinion and that of many of the riders on the tour. He could not properly operate the microphone attached to the sound system so most of his comments were lost. Much of the time he may have been describing the history and geography of the area but it was lost due to a combination of his inability to be heard, and what seemed like rambing on and mumbling. Now the tour. After a 1 hour drive we arrived at the Highland Village and stayed for a good while. That was interesting and I enjoyed speaking with volunteers at the site who were dressed in period clothing and explained what they were doing or how things were done 200+ years ago. We then rode for about an hour to the town of Baddeck for lunch, arriving lunch time so some of the restaurants were crowded. The area was lovely being on the Bras d'Or lakes with lovely views of the surrounding area. After lunch was the Alexander Graham Bell museum . I was looking forward to this as I am a science and history buff. The visual exhibits were fine but there were no "hands on" exhibits which I was hoping for. There was a movie about Bell's contributions of flight in the early 1900's but it was in French with French subtitles. Fortunately I know some French. The drive back to port was nearly another hour. Again with the tour narrator being of little use. Most people slept on the way back to the ship. So that's it. It could have been a great day had the narrator spoke loud enough to be heard and gave us all interesting commentary.

It's a long drive, but with beautiful scenery Tom was our guide, he was informative and friendly. The Highland village was very interesting and in a scenic location. Nice stop for lunch. The Alexander Graham Bell museum was ok.

Sydney is lovely, and our guide, Mike, was the best cheerleader for Cape Breton. Mike was wonderful at sharing info on the island, her people, and special points of interest. He knew all the ways around the island to make the best use of our time. The Highland Village was nice. I was expecting something a bit more robust, but possibly since we had only an hour to breeze through, we didn’t have enough time to get the real feel of the Village. The Alex Graham Bell museum really gave me a feel for the real “Alex” and that was fun. The Cape Breton landscape was glorious, and even the drive was just so enjoyable. Some folks would have been thrilled that the tour lasted longer than scheduled. When Mike said we might run a bit late, and that was ok, I thought he meant 15-20 minutes. We returned an hour 15 minutes after the stated time, and that ate into another activity we had planned. The tour van was comfortable. Mike did well at clearly defining times to be back at the van. We were 10 folks in the 14 person van, so we were not stuffed in the space. He recommended a nice restaurant for lunch.

It was a great place for a family to go. Kids enjoyed seeing craftsmen/women doing their trades from the old days. Unfortunately, my mother could not go because she is limited in walking and the trails are all gravel and would not support her wheelchair. She got to see some of the village from the hill where the bus driver dropped us and she got to go inside the very small museum. I think there are plans in the works to make the trail more handicapped friendly in the coming years. Overall, a great day!

We took this tour as a shore excursion from our cruise stop in Sydney, NS. Both sites, the Highland Village as well as the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, provided a nice snapshot of two historical elements of the region. Our guide was very informative and flexible in accommodating any requests. The one thing that anyone on this tour needs to be aware of is the fact that it takes on average 50 min between each stop incl. cruise port. So, there is a significant amount of driving which in our case allowed us to see much of the beautiful scenery in the fall.

Small tour, there were only 4 of us total. This allowed our guide to personalize our day and experience. Our guide was very informative and gave us his personal story of living in the area.