The island of Newfoundland and the mainland of Labrador form together the easternmost province of Canada. Known as a place with a deep and ancient history, but also as one with the most spectacular rugged coastlines, Newfoundland has long beckoned us. All I wanted was to drive along the rocky coastline, with nothing but the ocean on one side and colorful houses on the other.

We did not plan much for this trip. I was thinking of going back to Alberta, and doing some hiking that we didn’t have time for on our visit there several years ago. Instead, the decision to go to Newfoundland came up shortly, the 10^th, and the last Canadian province we still had to visit (and with three more territories on my bucket list).

Newfoundland really has it all, from incredible scenery, cute little colourful towns, to famous recipes and rich history. Not to mentions scenic drives, wildlife, museums, and fantastic hiking trails.  Here are just a few reasons why you should visit Newfoundland at least once in your life, but remember that depending on the time of the year you want to go, the province can unfold its wonders differently.

***

#1. Visiting St John’s

St John’s, the capital and the largest city of Newfoundland and Labrador (will call it NL from now on) is actually home to about 40% of the entire province’s population.

St John’s is an easy way to get to the island by plane. Once there, a few days will give you time to immerse in the city’s life, but you could easily spend a week here.

As the oldest community in all of North America, St John’s has a history of over 500 years.

One of the most popular spots in St. John’s is Signal Hill. Known by its original name of “Lookout”, it was named “Signal Hill” by the British military in 1762 once it was fortified and garrisoned. The dominant fortification of the city, strategically located at the harbour’s entrance, protected the channel and the city for centuries against attacks by hostile ships.

Whether you find an organized walking tour, or wander around on your own, Water Street is one of the main attractions in downtown. Known as the main commercial throughfare since the 16^th century, Water Street District boasts with beautiful buildings and street patterns from the mid-19^th century, a testimony that St John’s made an important port city in the Atlantic trade.

Probably best known for the vibrantly coloured row houses called Jellybean Row, the city of St John’s is one of the most photographed cities in the Avalon Peninsula of NL. This is not a street itself, but rather a generic term for the entire downtown hillside. You simply need walking through the neighbourhoods, and the Jellybean houses will show in all their colourful styles.

If you like Canada, and Canadian cities, you might like to read Out and about in Ottawa.

***

#2. Scenic drives

After enjoying the city life in St. John’s, nothing can stop you from renting a car and taking one of the famous loops. With 29,000 km of coastline, there is a story at every turn. The pristine lands, dotted with beaches, sea stacks, arches, the hiking trails or the wildlife, there is always something about Newfoundland that can nourish your body, mind and soul. By taking either the Irish Loop on Route 10, or the Cape Shore on Route 100, you can fulfill your dreams of driving around the Avalon Peninsula. If you choose to go to Bonavista Peninsula, then the Discovery Trail is all yours; you will never be short of things to do and see in this vibrant part of the province. And these are only few examples in the eastern part of NL.

If you like road tripping, you might like to read: Lake Superior, Ontario’s most spectacular riviera.

***

#3. Rich history

Known as the place where the Vikings set foot in the Western world more than 1,000 years ago, NL is also the place where Giovanni Caboto (better known as John Cabot) reached the island in 1497, while sailing under the English flag.

L’Anse aux Meadows is the earliest evidence of Europeans in North America. The remains of the 11^th century Viking settlement were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1978, and the reconstructed base camp is located in the northern part of the island.

The historic towns of Bonavista and Trinity carry a good portion of the past several hundred of years of history. Bonavista is known as the place where John Cabot said when he first laid eyes on the beautiful peninsula: “O Buona Vista” meaning Oh, such a beautiful sight. But in fact, there is no certain evidence that they landed on this peninsula. Other legend says that the King’s Cove is actually where Cabot and his party landed, and where the cove got its name from, as he put the king’s flag here.

***

#4. Lighthouses galore

Surrounded by the wild Atlantic Ocean, this rugged and twisting coastline has seen its fair share of shipwrecks. With hidden submerged rocks, strong currents, narrow inlets, and monolithic icebergs, there is no wonder why NL has several hundred navigational lights along its craggy shores. For centuries, the sailors, explorers, and fishermen counted on lighthouses and their keepers for guidance.

Today, NL has 55 major lightstations, 23 are staffed.

Cape Spear, the one located on the easternmost shore of North America is only 20-minute drive from St. John’s, and is a National Historic Site of Canada. The building itself retains its original structure, the oldest in the province. In this place, on the edge of the continent, you can watch the sun rising before anyone else in North America (be aware this part of the shoreline is known as one of the foggiest coastlines in whole NL).

If you love lighthouses, you might like coming along with me Searching for lost lighthouses

***

#5. Birdwatching

Nicknamed the Seabird Capital of North America because over 35 million seabirds love this place, it’s very hard not to see birds around. Not far from St. John’s, Witless Bay Ecological Reserve is home to more than 500,000 Atlantic puffins. Another famous spot, Bird Rock from Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve is one of the most accessible seabird nesting sites in the world – and free of charge.

And if those won’t be enough, then the viewing site in Elliston is another great place to visit. The puffins got used so much with the birdwatchers, that you can get as close as to one meter from them!

If you like birds and wildlife, you can read more: The sound of the spring

***

#6. Chasing the funny and colourful place names

NL has a reputation for being friendly. Warm and welcoming, fun-loving and funny to the core, we found locals jumping easily in a conversation. Ready to share their experiences and stories, people who have their own traditional music and vocabulary live up to their reputation.

Either for fun, out of boredom, or for the old stories than go around the province, we’ve come up with very funny names, like Blow Me Down, Come by Chance, Tickle Cove, Conception Bay. There is a trio of towns with sweet names: Heart’s Content, Heart’s Desire, and Heart’s Delight, but Cupids took the prize. And the names can go on, and on, making you blush more or less. From landscape, to small events, the first Europeans to arrive on these shores often found great inspiration when assigning names to these new places. But you might be wondering where in the world the name Dildo comes from?..

***

#7. Hiking

From urban strolls, to backcountry expeditions, there are about 300 hiking and walking trails throughout the province. The wilderness is magic here, and if you’re looking for a quiet place to reconnect with nature and with yourself, this is the place. We have only visited the Avalon and Bonavista peninsulas, but I already feel like we missed so much out of the whole island. If you are looking for hiking ideas by region, you can check here. The best trail we enjoyed was Skerwink Trail, a moderate 6 km trail, from Trinity East.

You can read here one of the most beautiful hikes we have ever done: White River suspension bridge trail – Pukaskwa NP

***

#8. Learn a language

NL is one of Canada’s provinces where English is the main language. But don’t be surprised when you walk into a grocery store, or around the corner, and bump into a conversation you won’t understand. We noticed a NL dialect that newfies use, like in any other part of the English communities, however the foreign language they certainly use among themselves is something else. Parts of NL have a majority population with Irish genes, dating back about 200 years. The Irish migrations to NL represent the oldest and most enduring connections between Ireland and Canada. A confession came our way, with the fact that although majority of them proudly held of this old ancestry, they have not visited back the mother country Ireland in all these 200 years.

There are more varieties of English spoken in NL than anywhere else in the world. Dating back 400 hundred years, the accents became dialects. There is even a Dictionary of Newfoundland English first published in 1982, containing hundreds of words and phrases you will not find anywhere else.

***

#9. Local food & beer

Used by fishermen as seasonal camp since early 1500s, you might think that fish is the first option you on the menus.  And you will be right. July is the peak cod fishing season, and indeed, the Fish and chips is very common on NL menus. And nothing can beat the fresh fish, cooked to perfection by the very best entitled to do it.

If you are a foodie, interested in trying different dishes you don’t have the opportunity to try elsewhere, this is the place for you: moose stew, cod tongues, lobster, crab legs, rhubarb pie to name a few.

While France might be famous as the wine capital of Europe, I think Newfoundland is the local craft beer capital. The spirit of creativity and passion spilled over the entire province with far too many ingredients and flavours. While craft brewing is very common, so are the breweries and the brewpubs, especially in St. John’s. An interesting fact is that the most of flavours offered one week may not be on tap the next one.

If you are a foodie, and love trying new dishes, then this post might be an interesting read for you: The best, the worse and the weird.

***

#10. Awe-inspiring seascapes

NL may be famous for its capricious weather, but it is a province of diverse landscape. Being surrounded by the ocean, the rugged coastlines might be the first reason of your visit here. Whatever scenic route you take, nothing can go wrong. The rocky shores, the colouful houses, the random hills full of multicolored lupines, the winding roads, and the restless sea, everything is there to delight your senses.

As the seascapes are my all-time favourite type of scenery, loving to feel the salty breeze in my face, I would put this reason as the first one above all the others. But I don’t want to be biased, you can judge for yourself!

If you love seascapes, you might want to know how I Fell in love with Gaspesie.

***

Legends:

*There is a belief that St. John’s name was attributed because John Cabot sailed into this harbour on the Nativity of John the Baptist in 1497; however, the location of Cabot’s landfall is disputed.

*The brightly coloured houses became iconic over time thanks in part to the province’s popular tourism ads, however the main belief is these help sailors and fishermen to find their way home through the fog and inclement weather. It is said that these became more popular especially after the great fire from 1892.

*Historians have made few guesses as to the origin of the name Dildo. At one time, “dildo” was a term for the oar pegs in a dory, the pivot points where the oars rest while rowing. There was also a type of short sword called a “dildo”. The town could have been named after one of these objects. Other researchers have guessed that the name comes from the nearby French name of Dildo Island: De I’ile de l’eau, pronounced “deh leel deh loh”. We might never know for sure, but perhaps some things are better left to the imagination…

Getting to Newfoundland

By ferry – from Nova Scotia or from Labrador (via Quebec). The ferries and the drives can take several hours, depends where are you heading to. You can check more info here.

By plane – the largest and busiest airport in NL is in St. John’s. All taxis to/from the airport take a flat rate of 35 CAD to anywhere in the city (as of July 2023).

Driving in Newfoundland

It is advisible to rent a car well in advance (if you are not coming with one). I found the rates a bit higher than the rest of Canada (except Vancouver, BC maybe) especially during the peak season in the summer.

Driving the steep hills of St John’s can be truly exhilarating. Be prepared for the rest of NL to find a lot of potholes. And I mean A LOT of them.

Best time to visit Newfoundland

Without a doubt, summer is the most popular time to go to NL. However, spring and fall can also be good times to visit. Spring is famous as you have a chance of seeing icebergs, while summer is a great chance of seeing whales. Fall is great to see fall colours, especially on the western coast.

Weather wise, as unpredictable as it can be, be prepared for RDF: rain-drizzle-fog. And clouds, and wind.

More things to do in NL

The summer might be short in NL, but it is full of events and festivals. Located in the historic center of St John’s, George Street is one of the premier entertainment districts in North America. The events and festivals are not limited just here, but this is where you’ll want to go as well. Closed to traffic during the evenings and weekends, George Street is the place to stroll by. Whether you’re looking for good food, some music, or simply want to enjoy a drink, this historic street is full of options.

With 29,000 km of coastline, including an abundance of fjords, bays, coves and inlets, NL is a great place for water adventures. From kayaking or rafting to diving, from fishing to cruising, Newfoundland offers many options for the adventurous. If you are interested of any of these, you can check it out here, only be prepared, as the average annual water temperature on the coast in St John’s for example is about 5 ^oC, with a maximin of 16 ^oC in August.

NL is one of the most spectacular whale watching places on Earth. The world’s largest population of humpback whales return each year to feed on capelin, krill, and squid along the coast. Between May and September, they come very close to the shore. You don’t really need to take a boat to do whale watching, unless the weather is perfect, calm waters, and blue skies, to really enjoy it. During the month of July, when we visited NL, we had several opportunities to see whales around the shores, at the Bonavista lighthouse, Elliston puffin’s viewing area to name a couple.

Icebergs, the edges of glaciers that have broken off and slipped into the ocean can make a great sight if you are in the area. They should not to be underestimated; we all remember what happened in 1912 with the Titanic. From April to June, there are wonderful sightings along the east coast, but nothing could beat the funniest of them all, the “dickie berg” as it has been called one from early this year, 2023.

Although we only visited the eastern side of the island, the western part also has some national parks worth mentioning. If you are either a geology or history geek, or just a nature lover, you have plenty of activities to choose from. You only need to take your time, and enjoy the moment!

~visited in July 2023