St. John’s was one of the stops I was most looking forward to on our Newfoundland trip, and we ended up spending several days here in July.
One of the things I really liked about St. John’s was how easy it was to get around on foot.
We’d leave our hotel in the morning, walk along Water Street, stop for coffee or something to eat, and continue from there to places like The Rooms or Signal Hill. We really only needed our rental car when we headed outside the city centre.
And I found that three days is a good amount of time for a first visit.
In this guide I’m covering exactly how to spend 3 days in the city. I’ve also included plenty of places to eat and shop because we spent some of our time in St. John’s popping into local businesses.
I came home with partridgeberry tea and Newfoundland trigger mittens, ate an unreasonable number of cinnamon buns from Birdie, and got screeched in with a cod named Tina (read on for more on that!).
So here’s how I recommend spending 3 days in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The island of Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland) is the unceded, traditional territory of the Beothuk and the Mi’kmaq.
Day 1: Historic Downtown St. John’s
Morning: Water Street, the Harbour and Downtown St. John’s
Start your first day in St. John’s on Water Street, right in the historic downtown. The street developed from a path connecting the wharves, fish stores and warehouses that once lined the harbour.
The City of St. John’s identifies it as the oldest commercial street in North America, which gives you a sense of just how long this part of the city has been tied to trade and the fishery.
These days, Water Street is still one of the main commercial streets downtown, with restaurants, cafés and locally owned shops.
If you’re visiting in summer, part of Water Street also becomes a pedestrian mall, which usually runs from late June through early September.
We loved the lively energy when we visited in July, with patios spilling into the street and lots of people out walking, shopping and eating downtown.
There’s a few great bakeries you can stop into on Water Street for coffee, a breakfast sandwich or pastry.
Rocket Bakery (294 Water Street) is a popular spot for coffee, baked goods, breakfast and their well-known fish cakes. And we really liked Birdie (258 Water Street). I was obsessed with their cinnamon buns!
There are also lots of great shops to pop into on Water Street.
NONIA has been selling hand-knit Newfoundland goods for more than a century, including their well-known sweaters, socks and mittens.
I was excited to see traditional Newfoundland trigger mittens here, which have a separate index finger that gives you more dexterity while wearing them.
The Heritage Shop of Newfoundland and Labrador is another good stop for locally made products, with proceeds supporting heritage projects across the province through the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Shopping locally is one of the ways I try to be a more responsible tourist, since it helps keep more of your travel spending within the local community.
After Water Street, I’d detour up to Duckworth Street, which runs parallel to Water Street.
Stop into The Tickle Trunk, a locally owned shop that carries gifts, vintage and second-hand clothing, art and other products from Newfoundland and Labrador makers.
I picked up some partridgeberry tea here. Partridgeberries grow wild across Newfoundland and have a long history in local food, particularly in jams, sauces and baked goods.
From Water Street, you can also walk down toward St. John’s Harbour. The harbour is a big part of why St. John’s developed where it did. European fishing vessels were using the sheltered harbour by the early 1500s, and St. John’s later became an important commercial centre for the Newfoundland fishery.
Before lunch, spend some time walking through the residential streets above downtown to see the colourful houses commonly called Jellybean Row.
Despite the name, there isn’t actually one official Jellybean Row. The term is commonly used for the colourful houses found across central St. John’s, so you’ll come across them on plenty of streets as you walk around.
We wandered along Gower Street, Victoria Street and Prescott Street, where there are plenty of these colourful homes to see.
For lunch, head back downtown to The Duke of Duckworth, a long-running pub tucked just off Duckworth Street. We had the best fish and chips here!
Afternoon: Learn About Newfoundland and Labrador at The Rooms
After lunch, walk uphill to The Rooms, Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial museum, art gallery and archives.
If this is your first time in Newfoundland and Labrador, I really recommend making time for The Rooms near the beginning of your trip.
It’s a great place to learn about Newfoundland history, including the fishery, Indigenous histories and cultures, and the events that have shaped the province.
I found that learning this history early in our trip helped me better understand many of the communities and historic sites we visited afterward.
I’d give yourself at least a couple of hours here, and then depending on how much time you have, consider heading from The Rooms to the Newman Wine Vaults.
You’ll find this historic site at the western end of Water Street (about a 25 minute walk from The Rooms). The brick and stone vaults date to the late 1700s or early 1800s and were once used to age Newman’s port wine.
The historic site tells the story of a trade connection that linked Portugal, Newfoundland and England for roughly 300 years. You can tour the vaults with an interpreter or walk through independently, and visitors aged 19+ can sample Newman’s Celebrated Port.
The site operates seasonally, so check opening dates before adding it to your St. John’s itinerary. Tours take about 1 hour.
Newman Wine Vaults
Evening: Newfoundland Food and a Screech-In
For your first evening in St. John’s, head back downtown for dinner. We had dinner at Terre Restaurant on Water Street, which was our splurge meal in St. John’s.
The menu is built around seasonal ingredients and draws heavily on Newfoundland and Labrador seafood and produce. Our favourite dish was the Arctic char, but we also really enjoyed the potato bread, a soft, fluffy bread made with potato that gives it a moist, tender texture.
It’s definitely on the pricier side, but my partner and I felt it was well worth it. If you’re going to splurge on one dinner while you’re in St. John’s, this is a good place to do it.
If you’re feeling up to it, I recommend heading to the Newfoundland Embassy Pub & Eatery on New Gower Street after dinner.
It’s a locally owned traditional pub with Newfoundland beer on tap, live music and regular Screech-In ceremonies. The pub recommends contacting them directly for screech-in details and bookings.
This is where I did my screech-in, and I’m glad this is the one I chose.
Ours was led by Niall Hickey, one of the owners of the Newfoundland Embassy, and involved Tina the cod, who plays a very important role in the ceremony. Yes, you will be expected to kiss her!
So what exactly is a screech-in? It’s a tongue-in-cheek ceremony traditionally used to make visitors honorary Newfoundlanders.
The exact ceremony varies, but expect Newfoundland Screech rum, some Newfoundland expressions and the famous cod kiss. At the Embassy, Niall talks you through the ceremony and adds plenty of context and humour along the way.
After getting screeched in, stay for a drink or check what live music is scheduled that night. The Newfoundland Embassy regularly hosts musicians, so it’s an easy place to spend the rest of your first evening in St. John’s.
Day 2: Signal Hill, The Battery & Quidi Vidi
Morning: Signal Hill and the North Head Trail
Start your second day in St. John’s with a hike up Signal Hill and back down to The Battery via the North Head Trail.
This route is about 2.2 kilometres in total, but I’d give yourself 2-4 hours so you have time to stop at the historic sites and viewpoints along the way.
We started by walking from downtown St. John’s to the Signal Hill Visitor Centre, where the exhibits introduce the military and communications history of the hill.
Its position overlooking the entrance to St. John’s Harbour made Signal Hill strategically important for centuries. It was also here that Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901.
From the Visitor Centre, we followed the 500-metre Centre to Summit Trail up to Cabot Tower. The walk takes about 10 minutes and passes the Queen’s Battery and barracks along the way.
At the summit, we stopped at Cabot Tower before starting the hike back down. The tower was built between 1897 and 1900 and later served as a flag signalling tower.
Inside, you can learn more about Signal Hill’s communications history and Marconi’s wireless experiments.
From the summit, we followed the North Head Trail down toward The Battery. This was one of my favourite hikes in St. John’s.
You get the most incredible views across the Atlantic and the Narrows as the trail wraps around the side of Signal Hill, eventually bringing you right into one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods.
This trail is short but it does involve steep stairs, uneven terrain and some narrow sections beside significant drops. I recommend wearing proper shoes and bringing plenty of water.
The views are a big part of this hike, so check the forecast before you go. St. John’s weather can change quickly, and I’d rearrange the days in this itinerary if it means doing Signal Hill on a clearer day.
Afternoon: The Battery & Quidi Vidi
The North Head Trail brings you down into The Battery, the neighbourhood built along the slopes below Signal Hill at the entrance to St. John’s Harbour. Take some time to walk through the area before continuing on.
If you have a car, I also recommend driving around to Fort Amherst on the south side of the Narrows.
From here, you get a completely different view of St. John’s, looking across the harbour entrance toward The Battery and Signal Hill.
I really enjoyed taking photos from this side of the Narrows, especially because you can capture the colourful houses of The Battery with Signal Hill rising behind them.
You’ll also see the distinctive red-and-white Fort Amherst Lighthouse, which has stood at the entrance to the harbour since 1951.
Fort Amherst itself is a National Historic Site, built as part of the defensive system protecting St. John’s Harbour.
From Fort Amherst, we headed over to Quidi Vidi, a small historic fishing village within St. John’s. Its roots go back to the 1600s, and its history is closely tied to fishing and the military history of the area.
The village developed around its small, sheltered harbour, known locally as the Gut, where you can still see fishing stages along the water.
We spent some time just wandering around the harbour, which ended up being my favourite way to see Quidi Vidi. It’s a small area, so we didn’t really need a plan and could stop whenever something caught our attention.
I’d also pop into the Quidi Vidi Village Artisan Studios, where you can browse work by local artists and makers.
Evening: Quidi Vidi Brewery
Finish your day at Quidi Vidi Brewing Company, located right on the water at 35 Barrows Road. The brewery opened in 1996 inside a former fish plant and brews its beer on site.
This is also where you can try the brewery’s well-known Iceberg Lager, a 4.5% lager made using water harvested from Newfoundland and Labrador icebergs.
I tried it while we were there and found it really light and crisp, with a clean taste that made it very easy to drink.
The taproom serves food alongside its beer and regularly hosts live music and other events.
I’d check the brewery’s event schedule before your visit, since there may be something happening while you’re in town. If the weather cooperates, you can also sit outside overlooking the harbour.
Having my first Iceberg Beer at Quidi Vidi Brewery!
Day 3: Cape Spear & Petty Harbour
Morning: Cape Spear National Historic Site
Start the final day of your 3-day St. John’s itinerary at Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site, about a 20-minute drive from downtown St. John’s.
Cape Spear is the easternmost point of land in Canada and has been home to a lighthouse since 1836.
The original lighthouse is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador, built to help guide ships approaching St. John’s Harbour. Today, you can visit the historic lighthouse and learn about the families who lived and worked here.
Cape Spear also played an important role in the defence of St. John’s during the Second World War.
Fort Cape Spear was constructed to help protect the harbour from German submarines and raiders, with members of the Royal Canadian Artillery stationed at the site.
Two 10-inch guns were installed, along with underground passages connecting the gun emplacements with equipment and ammunition rooms. You can still see the guns and walk through sections of the battery today.
If you want to do some walking while you’re at Cape Spear, there are a few short trails to choose from.
The Fort Cape Spear Path is an easy 0.5-kilometre walk one way that leads toward the easternmost point and the remains of the fort. Lightkeeper’s Lane is one kilometre one way and takes you up to the original lighthouse.
Depending on what season and time of day you visit, the original lighthouse is open to look inside! I highly recommend taking a look inside the lighthouse if you can, and there are Parks Canada interpreters on site to answer any questions you may have about life in the lighthouse.
For a longer walk along the shoreline, the Coastal Trail is 1.5 kilometres one way.
Keep an eye on the water while you’re walking along the coast. Cape Spear is a great place to look for whales during Newfoundland’s whale-watching season, while icebergs can sometimes be spotted offshore in spring and early summer.
We got super lucky and spotted two whales far off the coast! I wish we had brought our binoculars, because we would have had a better view of them, so if you have a pair be sure to bring them along to Cape Spear.
Watching from shore is also one of the easiest ways to enjoy wildlife without disturbing it. If seeing whales is part of your Newfoundland trip, I recommend reading my guide to responsible wildlife tourism before you go.
I’d also come prepared for quickly changing weather. Cape Spear is very exposed, and conditions can feel quite different from downtown St. John’s. It can be windier or rainier than it is downtown.
It’s also important to stick to the designated trails and viewpoints, particularly around the cliffs and coastal rocks, which can fall away due to erosion.
Parks Canada runs guided programming at Cape Spear during the summer. Since schedules can change from year to year, check the current schedule before your visit.
Afternoon: Petty Harbour
From Cape Spear, we drove south to Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove, a small fishing community on the eastern Avalon Peninsula. We spent a couple of hours here before heading back to St. John’s.
We stopped for lunch at Chafe’s Landing, where I had a great plate of fish and chips.
You can also try moose here, which you’ll come across on some restaurant menus around Newfoundland. Moose were introduced to the island in the early 1900s, and today there’s a large annual hunt.
After lunch, we popped into Herbie’s Olde Craft Shoppe to browse locally made crafts and souvenirs. The owner was really lovely to chat with!
Before leaving Petty Harbour, we walked around the harbour for a bit. Fishing is still very much part of the community here, and you’ll see boats, wharves and traditional fishing stages along the water.
Petty Harbour
Evening: Back to St. John’s
For your final evening, head back into downtown St. John’s. I intentionally wouldn’t pack too much into this part of the itinerary.
It’s been a busy few days, so I’d use these last few hours to go back to anything you missed earlier in your St. John’s itinerary.
I always like leaving a little bit of unplanned time toward the end of a trip. For us, it meant we had room to go back somewhere we liked or fit in something we hadn’t managed to get to yet.
When is the Best Time to Visit St. John’s?
For most travellers, June through September is the easiest time to visit St. John’s, with warmer weather and more seasonal attractions and tours operating.
June can be an especially interesting time to go because there’s a chance of overlapping iceberg, whale and puffin seasons. July and August tend to be warmer, with more summer events happening around the city.
We visited St. John’s in July, and I thought it was a great time of year to be in Newfoundland. The days were long and everything we wanted to visit was open.
No matter when you go, be prepared for changing weather. Wind and fog are common, and you can experience sunshine and rain in the same day. I’d recommend packing layers and a waterproof jacket.
How Do You Get to St. John’s?
The easiest way to reach St. John’s is by flying into St. John’s International Airport (YYT), located about 10 kilometres from downtown.
The airport has direct connections with several Canadian cities, with additional routes operating seasonally.
If you’re planning a to road trip around Newfoundland to places like Trinity and Harbour Breton, you can bring your vehicle aboard a Marine Atlantic ferry from North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
The ferry arrives either at Argentia, which is about a 90-minute drive from St. John’s (seasonal), or Channel-Port aux Basques, roughly a nine-hour drive across the island.
Newfoundland also has airports in other parts of the island, including Gander International Airport (YQX) in Gander, which is Central Newfoundland. There’s also Deer Lake Regional Airport (YDF) on the west coast.
Depending on your itinerary, flying into one airport and out of another can save you from having to backtrack across the island.
Where to Stay in St. John’s
We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton St. John’s, and I’d happily stay there again.
The hotel is within walking distance of Water Street, The Rooms, St. John’s Harbour, and many of the city’s best restaurants and pubs, making it easy to explore downtown without constantly needing your car.
It’s also only about a 10 to 15-minute drive to Signal Hill, Quidi Vidi Village, and Cape Spear.
The rooms were modern and comfortable, and the hotel offers free Wi-Fi, a 24-hour fitness centre, and Little Sparo, an on-site Italian restaurant overlooking the harbour.
We had breakfast every morning in Little Sparo, which I loved because we could have a proper sit-down breakfast without having to find somewhere to eat first thing.
How to Get Around St. John’s
Downtown St. John’s is very walkable, and we were able to get almost everywhere on foot.
From our hotel, we walked to Water Street, The Rooms, George Street and the harbour. You can even walk to Signal Hill from downtown, although be prepared for the climb.
We only really needed our rental car when we headed farther out to Cape Spear and Petty Harbour. If you’re following this itinerary, I’d still recommend renting a car so you can easily get beyond the downtown area.
So, is 3 Days Enough in St. John’s?
Three days felt like a good amount of time for our first visit to St. John’s. We covered quite a bit, but I never felt like we were rushing from one place to the next.
The North Head Trail ended up being one of my favourite hikes from our Newfoundland trip, and I loved having enough time downtown to wander into shops or stop somewhere for coffee without constantly checking the time.
We also got incredibly lucky at Cape Spear and spotted two whales offshore, although I’m still annoyed that we didn’t bring our binoculars.
I could have happily stayed longer, especially to spend more time around the Avalon Peninsula. But for a first visit, I found three days worked really well, especially as part of our larger Newfoundland itinerary.
More from Pina Travels on Newfoundland & Labrador:
- What Not to Do in Newfoundland: 18 Tips To Know
- Why You Should Visit the Exploits Islands (& What to Expect)
- Visiting The Beaches: A Glimpse Into Newfoundland’s Past
- Miawpukek First Nation Powwow: What to Know Before You Go
