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View from a porch with buckets of colourful flowers facing the a laneway framed with greenery leading to the street.

Louisbourg Harbour Inn & Louisbourg Heritage House

4.5-star Bed and Breakfast, Canada Select

Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

About Us

Wake up to the sound of seagulls, enjoy the smell of fresh ocean air, and take in the sights of a real maritime fishing village. Our inns offer a cozy home base for daily excursions in an area rich with history and natural beauty.

Located on picturesque Louisbourg Harbour, our inns are just one mile from the impressive Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, a three-minute walk to community fishing wharf, a four-minute drive to the Louisbourg Harbour Lighthouse, with its stunning coastal walking trail, and a stone’s throw from local restaurants stocked with fresh-from-the-sea delights.


History of the Inns

Louisbourg Harbour Inn

This 130-year-old sea captain’s house was originally built by Captain Thomas Townsend and his wife, Adeline. Captain Townsend's schooner, the Florence Abbott, plied the waters of the eastern seaboard from Louisbourg to the Caribbean during Nova Scotia's renowned age of sail.

The rooms are named for ships of historical significance to the area, each capturing a snippet of Louisbourg's rich maritime past, including treasure and war ships, fishing vessels and marine disasters from The Chameau (1725) to the Cape Dauphin (1960), a span of 298 years.

The large harbourside guest balconies on the second floor are perfect for watching today's comings and goings of today's lobster, crab and groundfish fishing boats.

The Inn is located in the town centre, just off Main Street, Louisbourg.

Exterior of a three-storied gabled yellow and white wooden house with balconies and a veranda on a summer's day. Green bushes and lupins blow in the breeze.
A cement laneway framed with flowers like black-eyed susan's leads to a Victorian-era three-storied, double gabled green house with two bay windows in the short distance. A wooden church is visible in the distance.

Louisbourg Heritage House

Located in the town centre and close to the Louisbourg Harbour Inn, Heritage House was built in 1886; originally the home of the Anglican Archdeacon Thomas F. Draper.

Rev. Draper was instrumental in the recognition of Louisbourg’s fortress ruins as a national historic site, contributing to its eventual reconstruction in the 1960s. Heritage House was also the rectory of St. Bartholomew’s Church (1858), which is located on the property.

Each room is named after former residents of the House, and each features its own veranda/balcony.

Meet Our Innkeeper

A  lighthouse peeks out behind the innkeeper, a white middle-aged man with glasses who wears a nautical striped long sleeved shirt smiling.

Parker Bagnell has been the owner and innkeeper of Louisbourg Harbour Inn and Louisbourg Heritage House for over 25 years.

His family name goes back to 1758 and the second siege, and he actually grew up in the Louisbourg Harbour Inn. He has extensive knowledge of the history of the town and surrounding area, the Fortress of Louisbourg, and the local fishery. He’s always quick to have a chat and a laugh with guests.

Parker is just one of the many reasons to come and stay with us. He takes great care in preparing fabulous breakfasts, which have received rave reviews from guests over the years.  

 Our Mission

TimsWharf.jpg

Our aim at Louisbourg Harbour Inn and Louisbourg Heritage House is to provide a comfortable, memorable, and one-of-a-kind accommodation experience with a genuine connection to the Louisbourg community and the natural beauty of the area.

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