Visiting St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Tourist Tips on Canada's Easternmost City
Jan 7, 2009
Visiting St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador requires a little more planning than just selecting hotels and picking sight-seeing destinations. Below are a few practical tips to help travellers to Canada's far east make the most of their trip.
Newfoundland Weather
Leave your umbrella home. Yes, the annual rainfall is 1191 millimeters and when it’s not raining, it’s drizzling, but that designer umbrella of yours is no match for Newfoundland’s bullying winds. Instead of reducing your umbrella to swizzle sticks, secure your hood. If the wind is blowing the rain sideways into your face, walk backwards. You’ll look like a local and be drier for it.
Geography in St. John's, Newfoundland
St. John’s is hilly. Employees in the upper floors of downtown office buildings have made a spectator sport out of watching cars and pedestrians struggle up Prescott Street after a blizzard and then slide helplessly back down the hill before reaching the crest.
Parking in Downtown St. John's
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to find good parking in downtown St. John’s. When you do find a parking space, be prepared to parallel park and have plenty of change. Meter parking is free after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all weekend.
When you can’t find parking on Water Street, try one of the intersecting streets (Clift’s-Baird’s Cove, Beck’s Cove, Ayre’s Cove, or Bishop’s Cove) or go down to Harbour Drive. If you are planning to take in some theatre, you will find good parking on Duckworth Street, close to the Majestic Theatre and LSPU Hall.
What to do in St. John's, Newfoundland
The primary destinations in downtown St. John’s are Duckworth Street, Water Street, Harbour Drive, and George Street.
Duckworth Street is home to live theatre, including the enormously popular Spirit of Newfoundland dinner theatre.
If you’re interested in local live music, the pubs on Water Street are regular venues for some of Newfoundland’s most prolific artists such as Ron Hynes. The Rose & Thistle, Erin’s Pub, and the Victory are within a few feet of each other and offer live music most nights of the week.
Harbour Drive offers the opportunity to get a closer look at fishing and commercial vessels and to take in the view of Signal Hill, the Narrows, and the Battery.
Visitors are always interested in George Street. About thirty bars populate this cobblestone street and over twenty more are within walking distance of it. The street is closed to traffic in the evenings, lest bar-hopping revelers be run over. If you visit George by night, have as much fun and talk to as many people as you can and do not take anything you see or hear seriously. If you visit by day, you’ll discover that a number of the bars are open and serving delicious east coast fare.
With a little common-sense preparation for the weather and geography of Newfoundland, you're ensuring yourself an enjoyable visit to the province. For detailed planning, Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism is a thorough online source of information about North America’s eastern-most city. Above all though, residents of St. John’s, also known as “townies”, are more than happy to welcome visitors and are your best resource for information about where to go and what to do on your trip, so don’t be shy.
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