Historic St. John's Newfoundland and Cape Spear Tour
Description
Discover Newfoundland, with Newfoundlanders! Please note that Newfoundland and New Brunswick are different places- there are two towns with similar names- St. John New Brunswick and St. John's Newfoundland. We are in Newfoundland and do not run tours in NB. Become acquainted with the city of St. John's and its surroundings, including Cape Spear, the most Easterly point in North America. Your local guide will regale you with its steeped history, legends & lore - all flavored with personal anecdotes and good humor for which Newfoundlanders are so famous. Enjoy the brilliant vistas from Cabot Tower and Signal Hill, one of the most recognizable skylines in Canada. Walk through a cliffside World War II gun battery, watch for whales and seabirds, and visit the oldest standing lighthouse in the province. Other sights include Quidi Vidi Village, Jelly Bean Row, Government House, the Roman Catholic Basilica, and an orientation of the shops and restaurants of the downtown core.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The most Easterly Point in North America, this spit of land and famous lighthouses are well known the world over for welcoming travelers from across the seas.
This quaint fishing village provides visitors with a taste of what small-town Newfoundland is like, outside the hustle-bustle of St. John's. In season keep your eyes peeled for fish coming in on the boats!
These iconic houses stand out and help make St. John's the vibrant and colorful town that it is.
We will explore the iconic Signal Hill, with its commanding view of St. John's, the iconic Cabot Tower, and the impressive gun emplacements and history.
This charming village is a perfect last stop on the tour- a perfect representation of the old economy and the new. Fishermen still take their small boats out from the harbour in the "gut," while in the old fish plant, some of the most interesting beer in Newfoundland is brewed.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
PICKUP TIMES START PRIOR TO TOUR START TIME. PLEASE LOOK FOR YOUR PICKUP TIME BELOW AND SELECT YOUR PICKUP LOCATION. OTHERWISE WE WILL NOT PICK YOU UP PLEASE NOTE WE ARE IN NEWFOUNDLAND NOT NEW BRUNSWICK. St. John New Brunswick is a different town which is roughly 1000 KM away. If you are travelling on a cruise ship and wish to be picked up at the pier, feel free to check out our Cape Spear, Signal Hill in St. Johns Newfoundland Shore Excursion. Pickup time depends on the location of pickup. We pick up prior to the listed departure time, a set amount of time- see list below. As an example of how this works, for a 9:30 tour, if the hotel listed says "30 minutes prior to departure," that means we should be there to pick you up right around 9:00 am. We will pick you up just outside of the lobby of each of the hotels unless otherwise specified. ALT Hotel – 15 minutes prior to tour departure Bannerman Park Suites – 20 minutes prior to tour departure Best Western – 45 minutes prior to tour departure Capital Hotel - 45 minutes prior to tour departure Courtyard by Marriott - 20 minutes prior to tour departure Delta - 10 minutes prior to tour departure *Pickup from Lower Lobby* DoubleTree - 20 minutes prior to tour departure *Pickup from Lower Lobby* Duckworth Hotel – 15 minutes prior to tour departure Extended Stay - 5 minutes prior to tour departure Fairfield Inn - 45 minutes prior to tour departure Franklin Hotel - 15 minutes prior to tour departure Gower Guest House – 15 minutes prior to tour departure Hampton Inn and Suites - 45 minutes prior to tour departure Hilton Garden Inn - 10 minutes prior to tour departure Holiday Inn Express - 45 minutes prior to tour departure Holiday Inn Portugal Cove Road - 40 minutes prior to tour departure Jag Hotel - 10 minutes prior to tour departure Leaside Manor - 5 minutes prior to tour departure Mallard Cottage – 25 minutes prior to tour departure Memorial University (MacPherson College) - 30 minutes prior to tour departure Monastery Spa and Suites – 5 minutes prior to tour departure Murray Premises - 15 minutes prior to tour departure Narrows B&B - 15 minutes prior to tour departure Pippy Park (Main Entrance) - 30 minutes prior to tour departure Ramada - 45 minutes prior to tour departure Sandman Signature – 45 minutes prior to tour departure Sheraton Hotel - 20 minutes prior to tour departure Super 8 Hotel - 40 minutes prior to tour departure The Roses B&B - 20 minutes prior to tour departure The Rooms - 30 minutes prior to tour departure Visitor Information Centre - 15 minutes prior to tour departure
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We require a minimum of four people total booked on a tour in order for it to proceed, and we reserve the right to cancel the tour if we do not receive sufficient people
- This tour is located in St. John's Newfoundland, not Saint John New Brunswick- they are different towns in different provinces and not close to one another
- Passengers may have to go up and down a couple of steps. We do stop and walk around at the different sites, however if desired they can stay in the vehicle.
- The tour lasts 3.5 hours, which includes the driving time to get to the different sites, as well as pickups. We generally spend around 15 minutes at each stop but the driving time to get to each place adds a significant amount of time to the tour
- The closest pickup to the Cruise Terminal is the Alt Hotel, roughly 300 Meters Away
- Pickup starts prior to tour departure time- please check in the list to see how long before the start time of the tour you should be ready for pickup
- Please ensure that you will be in Newfoundland and not New Brunswick
Reviews(318)
We had a terrific tour guide. He was funny informative and efficient. We felt rushed though and there was not enough time to explore. Each stop was a photo stop only but it was not the tour guide’s fault. We knew what we signed up for. It may be good to offer an alternate longer tour of the same places but allowing more time at each place. All the places we visited were beautiful.
This was a really excellent cross section of St John's history and culture. Our driver/guide Sean brought the "real" St John's and Newfoundland to life for us. His vivacious personality and extensive knowledge made a great combination. Highly recommended.
We learned a lot on our trip and really enjoyed it. Our guide was knowledgeable and cheerful. We enjoyed it!
Bring clothes for different temperatures, weather, etc. Wear comfy shoes for walking on different surfaces.
Our tour guide / driver Steve was friendly, knowledgeable, very personable and patient. The time allowed to explore at each destination was perfect! I would recommend anyone travelling to St. John’s to check out these tours. It was the perfect way to see many amazing sites in one afternoon. Thank you again Steve for helping us make so many great memories.
Top! A wonderful guide who understands history! It’s was very interesting!
Had an excellent informative tour with Billy
This was a very informative, well paced one-day bus tour. Our tour guide Carole was outstanding and provided excellent customer service.
Itinerary is not as described and no explanation was provided for the missed Petty Harbour stop. Older driver spent much of the time talking about his grandchildren and their personal lives while parked. That might explain the lack of time to grt to the missed stop.
Thank you so much for your commentary. We are sorry to hear that this tour did not live up to your expectations. While we certainly encourage our driver/guides to share stories about themselves and their lives, we certainly agree that the focus of the tour should be on getting to the main stops and sharing our history and culture. We will pass along your comments to the driver and emphasize the importance of getting to all of the major stops on the tour.
We had a great tour, with Larry as our guide. He was a great person to introduce us to all these amazing places. He is knowledgable, funny and we enjoyed his stories and history lessons. He went above and beyond his duties, when I accidentially left my phone behind, bringing right back to our hotel. I am so grateful for his kindness and help in getting it back to me within minutes of noticing it was gone. I would highly recommend this tour and McCarthy's Party to get an overview of all these special spots. I would also like to give a shout out to the lovely lady in the office who tracked Larry down. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you both!
