Any tips for a first time visitor to St John's?
 

Hi all, I'm visiting St John's in Newfoundland for the first time in June and just wondering if you have any travel tips / good advice of things to see / do / be aware of.

I'll be there from Wed 10 June to Tues 16 June and will be staying with friends (expats who have been living there for a few years but are moving back to Europe later in the year) in St John's itself.

I'm flying in from London with Air Canada travelling in economy (urgh!) but at least my *A Gold will give me lounge access/priority boarding etc and from St John's will fly on to Toronto (more friends who have recently moved there) before returning direct to London.

My "big ticket items" for St John's are (hopefully) seeing icebergs and puffins. Is there anything else I should consider a must-do? This will probably be my only ever trip there so I don't want any regrets....but also appreciate that I'm only there for 5 days. My friends are pretty laidback and not really the tourist guide type...they say there's "nothing to do" there. :confused:

Really appreciate your help.

Newfoundland
 

If you have a free day, spend it viewing the harbour and walking around downtown St. John's.

If you have another 2 days, rent a car and drive around the island. Drive down the Avalon Peninsula to Trepassey. north to visit the little town Come-by-Chance, overnight in Gander, explore the hundred little fishing villages, then back to St. John's. If you have another 3 days, drive west to Stephenville, Corner Brook and north to L'Anse aux Meadows.
Watch out for moose which roam the island. If your car hits one, your car will be badly damaged. The moose will be dead but you might get hurt too. You need to be especially vigilant at dawn and dusk times.

You'll enjoy NL for sure! Icebergs/whales/puffins are all of the usual things visitors like to see. There are a few tours that are specific to these: i.e O'Brien's and Gatherall's which are about an hour outside of St. John's. Definitely worth it if you have the weather.

Exploring the downtown area is also essential. I'm sure you've heard of George St., and if you haven't, I suggest using Google! You'll also have to get "screeched in" if it is your first time to NL.

Other things I recommend: Cape Spear (most easterly point), and Signal Hill are must-sees.

There are many interesting little shops in the downtown area that you won't see anywhere else. Taking a nice day to walk the downtown area is great.

There are also lots of nice restaurants. And by nice, I mean some of the top in Canada. Be sure to have a look into Raymond's. Excellent location and good food. Mallard Cottage is also a great spot with lots of fresh, local recipes.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, be sure to try Ches's fish and chips!

I could go on forever, but if you need any specifics feel free to PM me.

This is hugely helpful, thanks so much! Gives me a great starting point to do some research online but I'm really excited about my trip after reading this post. I've been living in Hong Kong for the last 3 years (only moved back to London recently) and NL sounds about as different as it can get...perfect!!! :D

No problem! If there is anything you want a first hand opinion on, feel free to message me at any time.

Funny, because I'm actually visiting HKG for the first time in March; only for 24 hours though unfortunately.

I second the recommendation of hiring a car. There are many small communities near St. John's that are best visited by car. If you enjoy hiking, there are some spectacular hikes in Newfoundland. The 250+ km East Coast trail runs through St. John's and there are a couple of sections that can be hiked fairly easily as nice day trips. Most of the sections aren't loops so you'll need to coordinate with someone else for pickup/dropoff, or arrange a cab for the other end. The East Coast Trail Association has free, regularly-scheduled guided hikes where that isn't an issue. Check out their website for more details and a schedule of the hikes. I did the 16 km section from Ft. Amherst to Cape Spear a couple of times last year and just phoned a cab for a pickup once I got there.

Get screeched.

Not all bars do it - so you'll have to plan your night as they do them "en masse" as you chant the song and kiss the puffin.

Locals will know what I am a talkin' about. :p

Renting a car and getting to find the East Coast Trail is also quite beautiful in parts for a 1 - 2 hr walk.

Advice requested - trip in May 2015
 

I am planning to visit NL in May, 6 nights, and I am renting a car and planning to spend 3 nights outside of St. John's. Our first and last night we need to be near the airport due to the timing of our flights.

On the first day on the road I was planning to visit Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve, and then spend the night in Placentia. Driving from St. John's it would be a very long trip to go around the "Irish Loop"? (Route 10) to get the Cape St. Mary's. If I skip that loop am I missing a lot?

Also, any comments or suggestions for a 4-5 hour daytime visit to Terra Nova National Park. Good hikes?

Any tips or suggestions for Trinity, Bonavista (an area where we plan to spend two nights and explore.)

I purchased an electronic copy of "Newfoundland and Labrador Book of Musts" which is a great read, and whets one's appetite for a visit to NL. I'd recommend this to other travelers but am also interested in hearing from FlyerTalkers...

Thanks in advance for any information... ;)

It's a short flight - If memory serves, Montreal to Vancouver is about the same length of time and I've done that in economy numerous times.

I've done LHR-YYT a couple of times, but only in the front. That said, it is probably the only trans-atlantic flight I wouldn't mind doing in economy. It leaves at about 1 pm and gets into St. John's at about 3 pm. Daytime flight, bring some good take-out from LHR and you're all set.

The Rooms is the major museum and it is quite good. However, for me, the best part of the province was out of St. John's. As a city it is just ok -- compare, to ,for example, Halifax NS. But the small towns and natural areas are spectacular. Even Cape Spear, which is close to St . John's, was worth a visit. I had wished I spent more time out of the city vs. staying in St. John's.

One of the best things I did in St John's was walk up to Signal Hill from downtown, and on the return took the trail down along the coast and through the mouth of the harbour. You exit through the Battery district. Highly recommended way to kill off a few hours.

For an extended hike, you could start at Quidi Vidi Battery, and take the trail to Signal Hill then the Battery.

Thank. I'm definitely NOT looking to kill a few hours. My problem will be the opposite...that I will quickly run out of time (I haven't seen my friends for ages so we have a LOT of catching up to do and it would be very easier to do nothing but socialise for 5 days). So I want to make sure that there aren't any "must-see/must-do's" that I miss as I will kick myself when I get back to London. My friends are permanently leaving St John's (and Canada) in August so this is a one-time only trip so I want to make the most of it...unfortunately I don't have a huge amount of vacation time so 5 days is the most I can spare.

Just hoping I manage to see an iceberg as this may be my only chance but I know I'm pushing my luck in late June.

This sounds like a real tourist question (it is!) but is there a better side of the plane to be sitting on for views when arriving / leaving?? Both my flights will be daytime. I'm flying Air Canada for the first time and hear mixed reviews.

Regarding the icebergs, be sure to check the iceberg finder prior to your trip to NL: http://www.icebergfinder.com/

I don't think there is any better side to sit on, but obviously make sure you get a window seat!

Visit Quidi Vidi.......a quintessential fishing village. A real gem and only a couple of minutes from downtown. And while there pick up a case of Iceberg Beer at the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company (They say it’s made from 25,000 year old iceberg water!)

http://www.quidividibrewery.ca/award...beers/iceberg/

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