The oldest North American city welcomes visitors with winding streets and bright-colored houses. Signal Hill overlooks the Atlantic, while local pubs line the downtown core.
St. John's sits at North America's easternmost point, where ships enter through a narrow harbor passage. Walk past row houses painted in bright reds, yellows, and blues, climb 500 steps to Cabot Tower where Marconi made wireless history, or watch puffins dive for fish at Witless Bay. In Quidi Vidi, you'll find fishermen selling cod from wooden wharves while craft brewers work in converted fish plants.
Getting to St. John's
You can reach St. John's International Airport with a 3-hour flight from Toronto or 4.5 hours from London. The city marks the eastern end of the Trans-Canada Highway, though driving here requires taking a ferry from mainland Canada. St. John's operates on Newfoundland Time, which is 3.5 hours behind GMT and 1.5 hours ahead of Eastern Time. The airport lies 15 minutes from downtown, with taxis and rental cars available at the terminal.
Walking Signal Hill
Signal Hill rises 500 feet above the harbor entrance, with Cabot Tower (built 1898) at its peak. Walk the North Head Trail along cliff edges where soldiers once watched for enemy ships, and pass the spot where Guglielmo Marconi received his historic wireless message in 1901. The 1.7-mile trail takes 2-3 hours, leading you through the Battery neighborhood's narrow streets and past restored gun emplacements. Look for icebergs from April to June from multiple viewing platforms.
Downtown's Painted Streets
Downtown St. John's streets climb at 45-degree angles from the harbor, following layouts from the 1600s. After the 1892 fire, residents painted their new homes in bold colors - a tradition that continues today. Walk Water Street, which has served as a commercial hub since the 1500s, to find local shops in Victorian-era buildings. One block up, Duckworth Street's former merchant houses now contain coffee shops and restaurants.
Quidi Vidi Village
A 15-minute walk northeast of downtown brings you to Quidi Vidi, where fishing boats line the harbor. Local fishermen sell fresh cod and crab from dockside stalls, while the former fish plant now houses Quidi Vidi Brewery and artist studios. Time your visit for the Royal St. John's Regatta on the first Wednesday of August (weather permitting), when rowing teams compete on Quidi Vidi Lake in a tradition dating to 1816.
Wildlife and Nature
From May to September, 2.5 million seabirds nest at Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, 30 minutes south of St. John's. Take a morning boat tour to see Atlantic puffins diving for fish, thick-billed murres nesting on cliffs, and storm petrels returning to their burrows. Icebergs float past from April to June, while humpback whales feed close to shore from July through September. Local tour operators run 3-hour wildlife viewing trips.
Planning Your Visit
Newfoundland spans 405,720 square kilometers (156,649 square miles), so plan day trips carefully. Reserve rental cars and rooms three months ahead for June-September visits. Watch for moose on roads, especially around sunrise and sunset. The maritime climate can change quickly - bring waterproof layers even in summer. Winter temperatures average -5°C (23°F), while summer days reach 20°C (68°F).
