2026 St. John's NL ITINERARY

St John’s, Newfoundland, is perched at the very edge of North America.

This is where the sun first rises at the start of each morning. 

This is where Canada begins or ends, depending on your direction. 

 

Aug 20 Thursday

Uber to airport 

Uber to hotel

CHECK IN HOTEL

10 minute walk to both.

Cocktails - Slainte Whiskey Bar 🍸🍸

Oliver's 🍽️

Aug 21 Friday

Breakfast - closest cafes open 8AM. Pick something up night before or hotel might include breakfast.

We need to be in the lower exit at 8:30 for pick up. Lunch included. 🚌

Head down to Water Street afterwards, with a stop at Harbourside Park. As you may guess, the park offers some lovely views of the harbour as well as various interpretive displays about Newfoundland’s ‘founding’ and Newfoundland dogs.

From late June to early September, Water Street from Adelaide Street to Prescott Street is pedestrianised from noon to midnight (no vehicles). This makes for a wonderful walking experience.

Terry Fox Monument – Find the starting point of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope on the northern side of Water Street. It’s not particularly well signed but worth the effort to find.

Murals along Water St.
18 minute walk from hotel to both
The Adelaide House - no reservations Adelaide and Water
Shamrock City Pub 340 Water St.

Aug 22 Saturday

We cancelled the Hop On due to bad reviews and will Uber instead. This will give us greater flexibility. Our plan is to spend some time in Quidi Vidi as we missed it last time.

Quidi Vidi

Twacking in the Village
The large yellow building on the edge of the harbour is where you can take your turn at twacking, also known as window shopping, after you snap some classic shots of the sheds and twins lofts of course.

Lunch Mallard Cottage 12:15 reserved 🐟

Housed within a National Historic Site, this 18th-century Irish-Newfoundland vernacular style cottage focuses on presenting Newfoundland ingredients in an approachable and comfortable environment while providing a unique dining experience in one of the oldest wooden buildings in North America.

Quidi Vidi Brewery 🍺

Aug 23 Sunday

The Rooms NOON Brunch? Uber.

The Rooms is a cultural facility that houses the Art Gallery, Provincial Museum and the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland. It was opened in 2005 and sits on a hill overlooking St. John’s on the same location that was occupied by Fort Townshend. Together with the Basilica of St. John the Baptist , the two buildings dominate the skyline.

The name The Rooms and the building’s architecture refer to the simple gable-roofed sheds (called “fishing rooms”) that were commonly found at the waterline in Newfoundland’s fishing villages. 

The Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was built between 1839–1855 and sits on the highest ridge overlooking St. John’s city. St. John the Baptist is the mother church and symbol of Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland and the largest building project in Newfoundland history. It was also the largest church in North America, but today it’s the second-largest church in Canada after the Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. The Basilica Cathedral is one of the few buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1892.

Aug 24 Monday

10:30 - 2:30

Today begins with a drive along the Southern Shore to visit the historic Irish outport community of Bay Bulls. Here we take a ride with O'Brien's Boat Tours out to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve Bird Islands, home to millions of Atlantic Puffins, Murres and Kittiwakes in the spring and summer. Keep a sharp eye for whales that frequent this bay in great numbers. Multiple sightings are considerable and frequently enjoyed in this plankton rich marine environment. 

Aug 25 Tuesday

Mile 0 of the Trans Canada Highway – Small roadside monument to the start (or end) of the Trans Canada. Worth a quick stop for photos and reflection. Kilometre Zero Marker: Located near St. John's City Hall at 35 New Gower Street, symbolizing the eastern origin of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Trans Canada Trail Zero KM marker – Located very close to the Railway Coastal Museum, this monument marks the start (or end) of the incredible Trans Canada Trail. The Railway Coastal Museum is a transport museum located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located in the historic Newfoundland Railway terminal on Water Street and contains exhibits detailing the history of the Newfoundland Railway and the history of coastal water transportation in the province.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s only publicly accessible historic wine cellar, the Newman Wine Vaults tell the amazing story of a three hundred year connection between wine produced in sunny Portugal, aged in the cool climate of Newfoundland, and sipped by England's aristocracy for generations. From the late 1600s until 1996 Newman's celebrated "Ruby Port" was aged in St. John’s - much of it in the romantic stone vaults on 436 Water Street.  7 days a week, 9:30am to 5:00pm Seniors $4

Enjoy dinner and then catch some live music on George Street. Of course, there’s also the option to get screeched in as well!

Aug 26 Wednesday

Check out and leave bags

RESTAURANTS
Exile dinner mussels ahi tuna
Fish Exchange

Rocket Bakery 294 Water next to Yellowbelly's

Gypsy Teas Room Water St.

O’Reilly’s Irish Newfoundland Pub – Live music is on offer at O’Reilly’s every night of the week with a $7 cover. While we didn’t eat there, I’ve heard that this is a good place to go for traditional dishes such as Jiggs Dinner (corned beef, potatoes, vegetables and dumplings).

LIV – This trendy bar is not only perfect for cocktail night but the Asian inspired menu is impressive too. I had the best non-fried cod of our entire trip here! The ambience is on the loud side so keep that in mind.

Ethiopian Cuisine Plus – For something a little different, try this popular restaurant and take out. We loved the generous combination platters with slightly sour, fluffy Injera flatbreads.