This was published 6 years ago
Travel guide and things to do St John's, Canada: The three-minute guide
Downtown St John's and its harbour.
WHY
The most easterly city in North America, St John's (visitstjohns.ca) is a cross between San Francisco and Wellington, with a serious dash of Dulux. The residents paint their timber buildings a variety of colours earning them the name of jellybean houses. The capital of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, St John's proximity to Britain saw it draw many settlers from across the Atlantic and today it retains a very Celtic vibe – it allegedly has more pubs in one street (George Street) than any other city.
VISIT
Quidi Vidi village is three kilometres from St John's with an excellent restaurant, Mallard Cottage, and a brewery.Credit: Robert Chiasson
After checking out the colourful houses in Water and Duckworth streets and having a pint in a pub, head to the highest point of Signal Hill on which stands Cabot Tower, a castle-like structure built between 1898 and 1900 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of explorer John Cabot. It is also where Marconi received the first transatlantic radio signal, sent from England in 1901. Back down in the city, on a slight rise, is the glorious Basilica of St John the Baptist, built in the mid-1850s.
EAT
Canada's alleged best restaurant, Raymonds, (raymondsrestaurant.com) is housed in a 1905 building overlooking the waterfront. Despite being opened only a few years, it has twice won the "50 Best Restaurants of Canada" award. A special occasion venue offering five and seven course degustation menus with paired wine option, you find Arcadian sturgeon caviar and even moose carpaccio in birch syrup. Bacalao (bacalaocuisine.ca) specialises in nouvelle Newfoundland cuisine and it's hard to go past a brunch of seafood chowder chockful of shrimps, crab and scallops or the house-cured salt cod, which is what bacalao means. Head to Rocket Bakery and Fresh Food (rocketfood.ca) for great coffee, pastries and snacks at any time of the day, and enjoy the every-so-friendly hippy feel.
The Rooms (left) and the Basilica – two of St John's landmarks.
LOOK
The greatest appeal of this city is its harbour location and views of the Atlantic from its high points; the colourful houses are icing on the cake. Newfoundlanders, or Newfies, are a welcoming bunch. Seek them out in the pubs and cafes on George Street where there's bound to be music every night of the week.
MUST
Celtic night life in St John's.
The Rooms, (therooms.ca) is a magnificent 2005-built museum-art gallery and historical archive site in a modern building which resembles a traditional gabled shed or "fishing room" – hence the name. The floor-to-ceiling windows provide the best views over St John's Harbour and its entrance, known as The Narrows. A short drive south-east of St John's is Cape Spear, North America's most easterly point. Take in views of whales in the summer months and icebergs most of the year. Just three kilometres north-east of the city is Quidi Vidi (pronounced Kiddy Viddy) a quaint fishing village with an excellent restaurant, Mallard Cottage, (mallardcottage.ca) and a brewery (quidividibrewery.ca). Fit folk can tackle sections of the East Coast Trail that links St John's to these sights and others. (eastcoastrail.ca). If you love rocks head to the stunning Johnson GEO Museum, which is built underground and heated by geothermal power. (geocentre.ca)
SLEEP
St John's has the usual big hotel chains but staying in such an historic city calls for accommodation with a touch of old world charm. The 1892-built Duckworth Inn (duckworthhotel.com) has 12 rooms and is right downtown, from C$94 a night for two, (approx. $92). Blue on Water (blueonwater.com) an 11-room boutique hotel has an industrial chic look and even its own gourmet food truck, as well as an on-site restaurant in lively Water Street; rates from C$199. The former Irish Christian Brothers' monastery and boys' school has morphed into the Monastery Spa & Suites offering Ayurvedic treatments from C$149 a night. (monasteryspa.com)
The Rooms museum resembles a traditional gabled shed or "fishing room".Credit: Mike Mahoney
TIP
There are many beautiful bays and look-outs not far from St John's so a car is a good idea. Although driving is easy, the presence of moose is a real problem. So beware the biggest member of the deer family.
The writer was a guest of Destination Canada (au-keepexploring.canada.travel) and Adventure Canada (adventurecanada.com)
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