Visiting St John’s

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost Canadian province. It consists of the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador. St. John's is the capital of Newfoundland. The city lies on hillsides overlooking one of the world's finest natural harbors.

Signal Hill National Historic Site overlooks the entrance to the harbor. At the Visitor Centre, you can find out about the history and importance of Signal Hill and the harbor.

Visitors like to explore the ruins of Queen's Battery, built in the 1700s

Cabot Tower sits atop a hill and was built to mark the 400th anniversary of the voyage of John Cabot. Inside you can see exhibits about Guglielmo Marconi and the first transatlantic wireless broadcast. In 1901 Marconi received the first transmission from England here. In the summertime, the traditional Noonday Gun is fired daily beside the tower.

Also during the summer, the Signal Hill Tattoo recreates military drills from the 1800s. You can see marching bands, and cannons, and hear musket fire. This commemorates the last battle of the Seven Years' War that was fought here in 1762.

The oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland sits atop dramatic cliffs at Cape Spear southeast of St. John's. The lighthouse dates from 1836 and represents the unique design of that period. It rises out of the center of the keeper's house. Visitors can explore the remains of Fort Cape Spear. This is a WW II coastal defense battery that guarded St. John's and its harbor from German U-boats.

Cape Spear is a popular place to see whales and icebergs. You can hike along the dramatic coastline.

The Rooms are on a ridge that overlooks the city. Here you can see the Provincial Museum, the Provincial Archives, and the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador. Here you'll find interactive programs and exhibits. Visitors get to meet a real Newfoundland dog, sample Newfoundland foods, hear traditional music, learn to play an instrument, and try a new art form. You can get great views of the harbor from the observation deck.

Quidi Vidi is a charming fishing community that sits on the shore of an inlet on the north side of Signal Hill. It is a haven for local artisans and craftspeople. Artists demonstrate their creativity for visitors. 

The restored Quidi Vidi Battery overlooks the inlet. It dates back to the French occupation of St. John's. In 1780 the British regained control. Within the fort is the oldest house in British Canada which was built in 1740. 

A narrow channel links the inlet with Quidi Vidi Lake where the oldest sporting event in North America takes place annually, St. John's Regatta.

Newfoundland is a center for traditional Maritime Music with Scottish and Irish influences. These are songs and ballads of sailors and fishermen. The place to hear the music is on George Street the active entertainment district in St. John's. There are also restaurants and terraces. In the afternoons and all through the night the street is closed to traffic. 

The East Coast Trail is one of the most spectacular hikes in Canada. It includes more than 300 kilometers of developed trails running along the East Coast of Newfoundland. The trail starts north of St. John's at Cape St. Francis and stretches south to Cappahayden. Several different points give access to individual sections of the trail for shorter hikes.

Along the way, you can see towering cliffs, fjords, seabird colonies, lighthouses, whales, puffins, icebergs, archeological digs, and the world's southernmost caribou herd.

From a section of the trail leading from Bay Bulls north to Shoal Bay is the natural sea geyser The Spout.

Water Street is the oldest main street in North America. It is the commercial center of St. John's. The street is still the meeting place for sailors from all over the world and is close to where transatlantic cruise ships dock.

The historic district has 19th-century buildings among them the Murray Premises, a mercantile building that is home to shops and a hotel. It is a National Historic site.

Harbourside Park stretches along Water Street. There are benches to sit upon and watch the ships.

You can see statues of the two signature dogs of the province, the Newfoundland and Labrador Retriever.

The Railway Coastal Museum, also on Water Street is housed in the historic Newfoundland Railway Station. It has exhibits about the land and sea transportation of the province.

The Johnson GEO Center was designed to incorporate the surrounding terrain into its exhibit space. The center takes visitors beneath Signal Hill, into the 550-million-year-old rock bed. There are a dozen interactive exhibits describing the earth's geologic and cultural history and Newfoundland life.

The Basilica of St. John the Baptist, built between 1842 and 1892 is in the shape of a Latin cross, with twin towers 46 meters high. It has an ornate gold leaf ceiling and fine statues. The statue of Our Lady Fatima in one of the transepts was a gift from Portuguese sailors who survived and didn't get shipwrecked on the Banks. The basilica is a National Historic Site.

On the east coast of Newfoundland, you can see the largest puffin and kittiwake colonies in North America. Over two million seabirds come to nest, breed, and feed their chicks on the capelin, small herring-like fish that run from mid-June to mid-July.

There are annual whale migrations into Witless Bay and the waters off the coast of Newfoundland. You can enjoy boat tours.

Memorial University Botanical Garden is located in Pippy Park on the outskirts of the city. There are themed gardens and trails among them a bog, a marsh, and various types of forests. There are collections of native wildflowers and plants. In early July there is a spectacular display of rhododendrons.

Fluvarium, an underwater viewing station is also in Pippy Park, at the edge of Long Pond. It offers a close-up view of fish, insects, and plants that live beneath the water.

Rennie's River Trail connects Long Pond to Quidi Vidi Lake. It follows the river that runs between the two.