Whether your idea of a getaway is kicking back and relaxing, enjoying an excursion out into nature, or indulging in everything a great urban city offers, Saint John, New Brunswick, is guaranteed to delight.
Take a look below at a few of the things that make a visit to Saint John an absolute must. Then call 1-866-GO-FUNDY or check out discoversaintjohn.com to start planning your trip.
Recommended Saint John Experiences
Enjoy the Wild Ride
The majesty of the Bay of Fundy is a defining feature of life in Saint John—the only city on the Bay. When the world’s highest tides rush up and over the St. John River, they collide spectacularly, and the river actually reverses in the face of this unstoppable natural power. What better way to ride the rapids than in a jet boat? But for the less adventurous, there are a number of sightseeing boat tours all along Saint John Harbour and the Reversing Falls.
Life In The City
Saint John just might be the perfect-size city for exploring. Begin on Prince William Street for an historic-and-hip starting point, then venture a few blocks in any direction and stumble upon art galleries, bookstores, theatre, spas and salons, music shops, and public art displays, all offering a distinct urban edge. Remember your walking shoes, but throw away your map and get lost in an urban adventure.
A Day In The Park
Located just minutes from downtown Saint John, the Irving National Park is a 600-acre site with salt marshes, mud flats, nature trails, a boardwalk, picnic sites and even free barbeques. This peninsula of volcanic rock and forest, which is swept twice daily by some of the highest tides in the world, is also an incredible marine ecosystem with phenomenal birding opportunities, as its a traditional staging site for migratory birds that travel between the Arctic and South America.
Food, Glorious Food
Great dining should be an experience as fascinating as the day you just enjoyed—and in Saint John it’s wonderful to know you can relax with award-winning cuisine from notable chefs when the day comes to a close. The city offers everything you’d expect of an urban centre—world-class seafood, contemporary fine dining, eclectic and ethnic options galore—as well as local delicacies like fiddleheads.
Step Back In Time
Incorporated in 1785, Saint John is Canada’s oldest incorporated city, and features many historical monuments and buildings like the Carleton Martello Tower, Fort LaTour and Fort Howe. You can also see the past preserved and celebrated at such diverse places as the New Brunswick Museum, the Jewish Historical Museum and Loyalist House.
To The Market We Shall Go
The Saint John City Market is another of the city’s national historic sites, and with good reason: With a charter dating from 1785, it’s the oldest continuing farmer’s market in Canada. Open year-round, Monday through Saturday, you can shop for fantastic local goods and services from dozens of friendly merchants.
A Street Like No Other
The Prince William Streetscape is a national historic site and wonderfully distinguished by its rare concentration of late 19th-century architecture. Containing major buildings, banks, shipping offices and hotels, it’s traditionally referred to as “Wall Street”—and makes for postcard-perfect pictures.
It's Hammer Time
Explore the beautiful, natural geological formations found within the boundaries of the Stonehammer Geopark, North America’s first global geopark. Experience a billion year’s of the Earth’s history by rock climbing on a 542-million-year-old lava flow, or nordic walk, mountain bike, roller blade, hike, snowshoe or cross-country ski on over 26 kilometres of trails.
How to Get to Saint John, New Brunswick
If you’re travelling by land from the Moncton area, take NB-2 W then take NB-1 W and follow for approximately 122 kilometres straight to Saint John.
When arriving by sea onboard the Princess of Acadia ferry from Digby, Nova Scotia, to Saint John, New Brunswick, it takes approximately three hours, travelling a total distance of 72 kilometres.
