My husband and I will be in
St John’s, Nfld in Sept and have a mere 5 days to explore. I am beginning to realize how little of the island we can actually see in this time. Any must see recommendations that are local or within driveable distances would be great. We can also do an overnight destination as I haven’t secured accommodations yet.
Much appreciate all the knowledgeable travellers on this website. This is my 1st trip back to my father’s birthplace!

I am from Newfoundland and can help if you wanna pm me. Bonavista and Elliston areas are beautiful. Trinity is highly recommended Staying in that area for a night is easy from St. John’s. Signal Hill, Cape Spear. Waterstreet for nightlife. Lots of amazing food but the best fish and chips is Ches’ or Keith’s Diner in Goulds. Southern Shore is beautiful and an easy drive from St. John’s.

Kayla thank you! Would you recommend all 5 nights based on St Johns, or perhaps 1 or 2 nights on up the coast? Should we rent a car in SJ as well or just for travelling around? So much to see within a short drive of SJ , but would love to spend a day or 2 seeing some coastal spots.

Deb you’ll need a car but car rental is expensive. Better if you have friends or family to lend you theirs. Alternatively look into U-Haul. Seriously. It is likely significantly cheaper. Funny but true. I would definitely recommend at least one night somewhere else and either direction is lovely. I would head to trinity for a night. Or Bonavista. You can get the most return for a short time. If you have a large budget, consider boat tours from the St. John’s harbour or Bay Bulls. Likely too late for whales or ice bergs but good fun and perspective anyway.

Deb you can get around st.johns in taxi or uber and driving is not fun there. But transit isn’t great either. I’d recommend letting other people drive while in the city and immediate area.

Deb uber just started there this year.

Deb everywhere is coast
You’ll have a great time. Dress in layers and be prepared for horrible weather. But it’s all subjective. The fog and Atlantic are magical.

What areas of SJ should I consider to stay ? Good walkable-dining perhaps, but not a necessity.

Kayla I did look into U-Haul and if we were staying mostly local it would have been a great deal. But with the .79 per/km tacked on it was a wash in the end with our travels up the coast. Good info to know for future travel, thanks.

My husband, Keith,is
up to fish and chips at Keith’s Diner in Gould!

Deb you won’t regret it! So good. Huge portions. Be prepared.

If you’re into beer, drive to the town of Dildo and go to Dildo Brewing! You can also catch Conception bay on the way too!
Also, make sure you get “screeched in”

Laura Hubby loves himself a good Guinness for certain!
I have heard
Quidi Vidi Brewery is a spot to see too?

DebQuidi Vidi is awesome & great beer. There’s a Dildo brewing location in St John’s (on Water St) now too, so you don’t have to drive to Dildo!

Deb yes that’s a great one too. I drove the whole Irish loop when I was there, was neat to see all the different places and ocean along the way too. Also don’t forget to go to signal hill!

Deb dildo brewing is best seen in the town of dildo with their “Hollywood” sign on their hill lol instead of Hollywood it’s “Dildo”

George Street for music (Erin's Pub is owned by a Great Big Sea member, and Alan Doyle performs there sometimes). Visit Petty Harbour, birthplace of Alan Doyle - some of his family members still live there and are excellent musicians in their own right.

Heather love love love Great Big Sea!!

Deb Me too - I see Alan Doyle every time I hear he's in BC. I even saw him in the Calgary airport a few months ago - so lucky!

Highly recommend a drive to see Cape Spear and the lighthouse there. It's the easternmost point in North America.

Anita wow, did not know this!

dm me! i have a guide i've made for friends that i can share

Lighthouse picnics are lovely, and if you're into it can stop in Witless Bay/Bay Bulls to see the puffins! https://lighthousepicnics.ca/
LIGHTHOUSEPICNICS.CA
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We were just there forever more than two weeks and it was not enough. It’s a very large place. Any chance you could do a bus tour? The distances are huge.

Wendy I have quickly come to that realization!

Just to give an idea, the area in the green boxes is the amount I covered in 9 days.

Whale watching in Bay Bulls.
It's close to St. John's (around 30 minutes away).

Helen we did this too! So many whales!

Sharon Yes!

You, for sure need hotel reservations and restaurants.

Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism
So many great spots to see!
And a tour to see the Puffins!

Signal Hill, Cape Spear, pedestrian mall for sure. George Street at night. If you like seafood, you’ll find the best there ecspecially cod. Try some fries dressing and gravy (maybe with a poutine as well). Try Crush Lime, Birch beer and pineapple.

Try and get a reservation for dinner at The Mallard Cottage in Quidi Vidi. The food is fantastic but they book up fast. Go for a pre-dinner drinkable the Quidi Vidi Brewery.
Cape Spear, Christian's Bar to get "screeched in", Signal Hill.
A day trip to Bell Island to visit the Mining Museum as well as a day trip to The Cable Museum in Heart's Content. You can tie in a trip to the Dildo Brewery on the same day as the Cable Museum.

Can anyone recommend a small bus tour company for NFLand?

Joy Atlantic Tours

We loved the dinners with entertainment but need reser actions. May be called fall suppers.

Marie I would
Love to make a reservation for somewhere fun while in St Johns.

We just did 10 days in Newfoundland. A lot of the accommodations options are airbnb, which worked out well for us.

The lighthouse at Ferryland

F

Just came back from a ten day visit and stayed the whole time in St. John’s because I had a conference. We did get out and if you’re a walker, you must walk to Quidi Vidi , a tiny fishing village just outside of St. John’s. Climb the hill to visit Signal Hill. If you’re not a big walker, take the Hop-on Hop off bus and it will take you there and Cape Spear too!! People are SO lovely. Jellybean houses are everywhere. The Sheraton downtown was a great location. The photo is of Quidi Vidi. The Quidi Vidi Brewery is great too!!

Jellybean houses are so picturesque

This is an amazing whalebone carving in the arts and culture centre, The Rooms. Highly recommend it.

Diane thank you. I know there is too much for my timeline, but yea we are walkers/runners, so blazing trails and hill are
for us!

Deb Perfect! If the weather is decent, walk to Quidi Vidi along the water edge. Talk to the fishermen as the bring in their fish and clean them. Have lunch at the brewery and walk home over the hill , stopping at Signal Hill. Great views and incredible history- all doable from St. John’s in one day.

Diane thanks for the perfect experience!!

L’Anse Aux Meadows is a great place.Bit of a drive from St.John’s but great scenery on the way.

I did this trip back in May and drove from St John’s all across to Gros Morne National Park in 4 days. Total distance travelled was 2334 kilometres.
Day 1:
St John’s saw all the things needed then off toward Bonavista with stops in Ferryland, Dildo, Trinity. Highlight was Cape Spear Lighthouse and the Trinity Train Loop for activity, neat little old amusement park wreckage site.
Stayed at the Russeltown Inn in Bonavista, well put together with a thoughtful breakfast that was included. Ate at the Boreal Diner. Early in the season not much was open.
Day 2:
Left Bonavista and immediately went to Elliston Point to see the Puffins!!!! THE BEST!!! When to the lighthouse the day before at Bonavista and saw them from a distance, Elliston was better to see them. Soooo cute.
Went to the UNESCO site at Dungeon Provincial Park and walked around. Interesting.
Drove along the upper coast toward Twillingate as we were on the hunt for icebergs (used the iceberg finder map) saw them in Cape Freels and again SOOO NEAT!!!
Skipped Twillingate as Iceberg siting was secured.
Drove quickly through Gander and continued to Norris Point and stayed at the Tides Inn (very nice)
Day 3:
Went to Gros Morne (you need a park pass) and checked out the Fjord by walking the Western Brook Pond Trail (did not do boat due to time) and went to the Tableland Trail to see the mantle of the earth.
Hustled back to St John’s through Terra Nova Park and stayed at the delta. Tried to go to Mallard, not open yet for the season. Walked the streets tried to get screeched, found some little souvenirs.
Day 4:
Went up to Signal Hill, pretty interesting, nice view of Downtown.
REALLY wanted to do the mines at Bell Island but flew out at 4 pm and did not want to risk any issues with the ferry and miss our flight.
We saw like 50+ moose, real problem, very tiring on the drive as they literally wander around like drunk teens.
Went KILOMETRES AND KILOMETRES seeing nothing but trees, hard to find resources in some areas and limited cell phone service a lot of the time.
If I had to do this again, I would fly into Deer Lake and stick to Gros Morne (sooooo much to see) and go as far as Elliston. And make sure I got to Anse Aux Meadow, the Viking colony on the western northern tip ish as I feel that would have been a unique and valuable experience.
Restaurants we ate at:
Bagel Cafe in St John’s and had the Touton with baked beans
Bernard Kavanagh’s Million Dollar View in Ferryland
Port Rexton Brewery and Tap Room in Port Rexton on the way to/through Trinity
Boreal Diner in Bonavista, wanted the Social Club but set menu was not ideal
Rosie’s Restaurant and Bakery in Gander
Most of our stays had some sort of breakfast included.
Best of luck. And your adventure will be awesome however you do it.

Maria excellent information, thank you!

Air B&B it if you can, Signal Hill area , super walkable , people are lovely. Quidi Vidi is a must do

Melissa I totally agree to see this area. Skirwink Trail near Trinity is a fabulous walk.

Carolyn will definitely check it out, thanks!

Provincial tourism website is very informative
https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com
Newfoundland and Labrador is a large province.
You likely want to focus your time on the Avalon Peninsula (St. John’s to Pouch Cove, Conception Bay)
You do want to rent a car to get around.
St. John’s:
Water St.
Signal Hill - you can walk the trails to both Quidi Vidi Village and/or The Battery (entrance to St. John’s Harbour)
The Rooms - Provincial Museum and Archives
Cape Spear - a must visit to the easternmost point in North America - there is a trail beyond the Cape Spear Lighthouse, which is a National Historic Site - East Coast Trail network - trail beyond the loghthouse
Johnson Geocentre
St. John’s Farmers Market - Saturdays
George St. - at one time, this street had the most bars of any city in North America
there are lots of walking trails within the city
Quidi Vidi Brewing.
Mallard Cottage restaurant in Quidi Vidi
has recently been sold and is under new ownership.
Manna European Bakery & Deli - 342 Freshwater Rd. St.John’s
Old Dublin Bakery - 203 Merrymeeting Rd., St. John’s
Chafe’s Landing Restaurant - Petty Harbour - have fish and chips here - Petty Harbour is very close to Cape Spear
Downtown St. John’s has many good restaurants - The Merchant Tavern, Terre, St. John’s Fish Exchange
Flatrock
Hiking trail and vistas of the Atlantic Ocean - erratics along this trail are amazing!
Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto - Pope John Paul visited the Grotto in 1984
Pouch Cove
Terry Fox started his Marathon of Hope in St. John’s
Bonavista Peninsula
Bonavista - about a 4+ hour drive from St. John’s
Ryan Premises - National Historic Site
Bonavista Lighthouse
Mockbeggar Plantstion - Provincial Historical Site
Elliston
Port Union - historical town on the Bonavista Peninsula between Bonavista and Trinity
Trinity and Port Rexton
Historical buildings and scenery and landscape of Trinity
Skerwink Trail - beautiful coastal trail - wear good footwear
Port Rexton brewing
Fork Restaurant in Mobile is amazing - Mobile is on the Irish Loop, close to Bay Bulls
Make dinner reservations ahead of time.
We have been to Newfoundland and Labrador several times. It is an amazing place - you will see why it is appropriately called The Rock. Our daughter completed her paediatrics residency at The Janeway Children’s Hospital in St. John’s. She and our son-in-law and grand dog still live there.
Take layers to dress in. The weather can change quickly. You might still be able to enjoy wild blueberries - they are extremely low growing and amazingly sweet.
PM me if you want more information.

airbnb one night in Bonavista and one night in Trinity to see and explore the Bonavista Peninsula.

Just want to say, this thread about
New foundland is fantastic. We are heading there in April for 2 weeks. I love all the ideas. Thanks.

Joan Chris is the best ever place for information!

Heather Sorensen think we covered most of this but two busy weeks!!lol
John Sorensen
opposite side.of NFLD on my list

Go to the southern tip and take tge ferry to Grance - St Puerre & Micquelon. Also go to kandcendxat Cape Spear.

On a 9 day trip flying in and out of St. John's, I focused on the following 2 areas:
1. Trinity/Bonavista - Great puffin viewing (from shore, up close), beautiful hikes, sea stacks, lighthouse, nice towns, you get a real taste of Newfoundland in this area.
2. Witless Bay / Bay Bulls / Mistaken Point (south of St. John's) - Known for their whale watching and puffin boat tours. The lighthouse with a picnic lunch is also a popular thing to do in this area.
September is getting towards the end of puffin and whale season.
With 5 days, I would probably focus on the Trinity/Bonavista area.
Perhaps first night in St. John's, drive out to Trinity/Bonavista for nights 2 and, 3, and then back to St. John's for night 4.
But you could also keep an eye on the latest reviews / reports from the whale watching companies out of Bay Bulls and see if they are still seeing whales/puffins closer to your arrival date (not easy with trying to secure accommodations ahead of time I realize). It's certainly a shorter drive to this area, it can be done as a day trip from St. John's.
Map of things to do/see: https://tinyurl.com/2h6u762j
GOOGLE.COM
Newfoundland - Google My Maps

Chris amazing, thanks! Actually booked 2 nights in Bonavista! The region looks absolutely incredible.

Nice! One tip a local gave me was that the puffins usually start to make their way home to the Bonavista lighthouse around dusk (after being out at sea all day). They can potentially arrive in large numbers. Also some very nice coastal views if you drive down Dungeon Road.
If you have time for a short walk, I would definitely recommend Spillar's Cove. Great ocean scenery. Dramatic cliffs and sea stacks. (Disney selected this area to represent 'Neverland' in the latest Peter Pan movie). There's also a less well known puffin colony out there. And then of course you have the most famous puffin colony at Elliston somewhat nearby.
Skerwink Trail on the way there or back to St. John's.

Chris wow!! 2 nights on this coast is clearly not going to be enough!
This is going to be incredible! OMG Puffins!!!
Can anything be cuter?

Thank you everyone for all the amazing tips! Because of you all, I have now booked 3 nights in St Johns and 2 nights at an amazing looking B&B in Bonavista! Going to have a car basically the whole time so we can get about.
I would also love to reserve a fun and entertaining night out for dinner/music somewhere in SJ area in advance if anyone has a recommendation?

Trish Ensing

Hayleigh Rados

The Museum is first class.

We went to Newfoundland before the pandemic on $265 flights and it was one of our best vacations, but we went for 13 days and only spent a few days in the St. John's area, I suggest Signal Hill, Cape Spear, Quidi Vidi, walks and/or drives downtown (jellybean row, St George st) OTher than that, look online and see what appeals to you within a range you want to drive. We rented an RV for 10 days and and had a cheap car rental for a few days

Anne-Mar thanks for the good suggestions , a car, 3 nights in SJ and 2 nights in Bonavista will give us only a small taste and tease us to return for longer. Got a great flight deal through this site as well!