St John's Things To Do
Why Go To St John's
As a Canadian who loves to travel, one of my bucket list items is to get to every province and territory in Canada while I can.
I have never physically been to the east coast of Canada. While on other flights, I have flown over it, I decided now was the time to do it. Air Canada was having a domestic seat sale so as the weather warmed up, I booked the flight
Was the time right? With all we have heard about the disaster Toronto’s Pearson Airport was at this time, I felt most of the grumbling and chatter had died down. On the day of my flight, I gave myself tons of time. It was easy to do since my flight was a late afternoon flight. I hopped on the TTC and made it to the airport with 4 hours to spare.
To make a long story short, I didn’t see the plethora of the problems that had been reported on in the news. I did see the normal amount of novice and or family travellers unprepared and thus holding up lines. After check in, I feared the security lines which in good times can be huge but again I was through in 5 minutes.
It was the fact that I was travelling domestically or maybe it was timing. But I saw none of the horror stories that had made Pearson the worst ranked airport in the world during this trip!
St John's, Newfoundland - A Brief History
Newfoundland is Canada’s newest province, joining the Canadian Confederation in 1949. The capital city of St John’s is the oldest English-founded city in North America. Situated on the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, St John’s is a popular tourist destination with its colourful houses and buildings, steep streets, and nearby hiking trails.
As a senior with an arthritic knee, I can attest to the fact that the hills are huge! Walking sticks are a must if you want to get around. The good news is that there are plenty of places to sit and rest along the way. And the views from the top are definitely worth the effort.
St John’s is a charming city with much to see and do. St John’s was founded in 1497 by English explorer John Cabot and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. The town has a rich history, which is evident in its architecture and culture
The downtown was destroyed by fire in 1892, but many of the original buildings have been restored. The downtown area is lively and vibrant, with hundreds of shops, restaurants, and bars
During the World Wars, St. John’s was of strategic importance because of its location. The city was also the site of major social and economic changes, as it became a centre for the Royal Canadian Navy and an important base for the trans-Atlantic convoys.
Also, Marconi did much of his research here in St. John’s, and it was from here that he sent the first message across the Atlantic.
Clothing and Accessories For Travel
Newfoundland Tourist Attractions
As usual, I started off with a Hop On, Hop Off tour. (note: the hop on hop off is seasonal we will reset link in the spring). In St. John’s case, it was not the big double-decker buses used in other cities. But it was a twenty-seater mini-bus. It was comfortable and nimble enough to navigate the steep hills in and around the city.
Our driver, Brian, was truly knowledgeable about the military history of Newfoundland and Labrador. He had tons of details on World War I & II actions in and around St John’s.
One of the issues I had was the frequency of the buses. As they were still trying to recover from the pandemic and for the tourists to return, they only had two buses which meant the wait between buses was about an hour if you “hopped off”!
I did the whole circuit and decided to go back on the bus to Quidi Vidi for lunch on recommendations. That said, I missed the following bus and ended up spending two hours in Quidi Vidi. Not a bad place to spend a couple of hours.
My understanding is that they were gradually ramping up the number of buses and would eventually get to more frequent drop-offs and pick-ups.
The route takes you from one extreme of St John’s to another. Signal Hill on the northern reaches and Cape Spear to the south-eastern side. Both sites are run by Parks Canada and if the buses had run more frequently, I would have done more exploring at each. That said though the vistas are the best. I don’t have enough superlatives to describe it – you must go for yourself!
The Route
- Signal Hill
- Quidi Vidi Village
- The Rooms – (now I personally didn’t get out here, I had recommendations that this museum is a great picture-taking location, more below).
- Cape Spear
I would have loved to check out the Newman Wine Vaults, but we bypassed that stop due to construction all around the building.
Must Have Travel Electronics
As you may or may not know, I am a creature of habit. I like what I like. I am fond of the Marriott brands. I wanted something reasonable, something downtown, something that was within walking distance of restaurants and attractions.
I got a good package with Marriott Courtyard that included breakfast. The breakfasts were standard fare. But I had to try their “Newfoundland” breakfast. It had eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Then they added two fish cakes and “touton”.
Now I had seen ads for “touton” at restaurants up and down Duckworth Street. But I had to google it to find out what it really was. A touton is a Newfoundland pancake: bread dough deep fried in butter or pork fat. It was interesting. Would I want it every day? Probably not so much! It was good to dip in the egg yolk.
Where to Stay in St John's
There are quite a few hotels in St. John’s with all the major brands represented. Here are four I would recommend based on what I have reviewed and what I was able to see on my walkabouts.
Two Boutique Hotels:
1. Fairfield Inn & Suites
Where to Eat in St. John's Newfoundland
In general, I had some great meals:
At Quidi Vidi, I grabbed deep-fried scallops and chips from Johnnies & Maes Food Truck. The scallops melted in your mouth! It would be worth the trip back just for those scallops!
The next day, I had the mandatory meal when on the east coast fish and chips from the Duke of Duckworth. This pub is a hidden gem in an alley between Duckworth and Water Streets. The cod was battered and deep-fried. Simply delicious!
My final meal of note was at the Yellowbelly Brewery. A historical note I got from Brian the hop on hop off bus driver was that the building housing the Yellowbelly Brewery was the only building to survive the 1892 fires.
It was an extremely popular place as they were turning folks away. Here I ordered my mandatory burger and salad. It was delicious also. The burger was seasoned perfectly. My only comment was the burger-to-bun ratio was not good. The bun was huge. The burger got lost in all the bread.
Walking Tours of St John's
For seniors, bring a walking stick or cane. The routes east-west are hilly but manageable. The routes north-to-south are extremely steep. There were quite a few times, I had to lean against a house or fence or tree to make it down or up. Be warned.
Another hazard of which to be wary is crossings on the east-west routes can fall off very sharply causing us old folks to lose balance. I found myself having to walk outside the crossing and into the street so as not to fall.
I would strongly recommend that if you are feeling unsure of your footing on steep streets that you check out my recommendations on walking sticks, canes and more here.
There are many guided walking tours in St. John’s depending on the season. You can check out some above on Viator link above or here.
Capture Those Memories
If you have your sea legs and enjoy nature, I recommend one of the whale-watching tours. All have good recommendations. I would highly recommend Gatheralls.
It was too late in the season to see icebergs, but we did see quite a few whales and thousands of puffins. All the while being entertained by the folks from Gatheralls with knowledge about the sea creatures and birds that we saw, interspersed with a song or two or three!
The other feature was the hotel pick-up. They have invested in a minibus that picks you up and drops you off at all the major hotels in downtown St. John’s.
Ultimately, I arrived in St John’s for the iceberg watching season. It is on my bucket list – hopefully for next spring. Check here for tour companies that offer the “iceberg” watching cruise.
Regrets - Things I Didn't Get to Do!
Again, with any short trip, you must make a list and then some things get tossed aside because of time.
Regret #1 – not spending more time at Signal Hill and Spear Hill. I would have loved to have been there at sunrise and or sunset to take more pictures. The five minutes we got on the bus tour was just not enough.
Regret #2 – not getting to the Rooms Museum. So many folks told me that this was the place to get pictures in St. John’s. I tried but never made it back.
Regret #3 – not renting a car. But first, there were none available at the airport. Second, this trip was at the time when the price of gas was sky-high. I talked to other tourists who had managed to get a car. They had spent several days driving to nearby towns and villages. Find a rental car here.
Regret #4 – not doing this trip when I was younger. Overall, St John’s is a very walkable city when you are fit. As noted above, the hills are daunting and not for arthritic knees.
Conclusion
So, in conclusion, if you are a senior and like to travel but have some mobility issues, St John’s may not be the destination for you. If you are a senior and love to walk, this is the place! The views from all around the city are wonderful.
Remember senior travel and senior tourism is about one step at a time. If you are not in a hurray, why not get out there and see your country or the world.
I would recommend a minimum of three days so that you can explore all that the city has to offer. I would recommend spending a week. That way you can take some day trips to the nearby villages. You will not be disappointed in St John’s!
Please note: The opinions expressed in this document should never be construed as advice. The thoughts are based on my experiences after 40-plus years of business and vacation travel. My likes and dislikes may vary drastically from yours. Do your research and find products and experiences that align with your likes and dislikes. Most of all have happy travels and see you out there on the road!
Al of Al Murray Travel & Photography: From the time in my youth, when I would lay on our garage roof watching planes traverse the skies above me, I knew I wanted to see the world.
My passion grew after spending a semester of my university days in Barcelona. I spent more time on trains and buses than I did in class.
After earning my BA from Carleton University, life got in the way. But I did find time to graduate again from George Brown in Fitness and Lifestyle Management and then work my way through most of a degree in Sports Administration. However I needed to find work and pay for all this education!
It wasn’t until my “middle age” did I start exploring the world again. First, transversing the US and Canada to take part in tennis tournaments. Then later to complete my spectator “grand slam” of tennis.
I accomplished this while earning my certificate in photography from Toronto Metropolitan University. I am now combining the two passions and now sharing with you my many lessons learned.