This was a great tour ! Pete was so full of great information and we learned alot about Saint John . We covered a big area of the uptown , really enjoyed it !





Welcome to Canada’s first City, Saint John, New Brunswick, the only city on the Bay of Fundy, home of the world’s highest tides. Meet at Area 506 Waterfront Container Village entrance, and proceed along historic Water Street to Market Square to access the City’s indoor pedway system. This avoids an uphill walk on King St, the steepest main street in Canada. The tour is flat, with a downhill section near the end. Copies of rare photos are used during the tour. Historical facts are featured, from 1783 until the present day. Your knowledgeable guide will focus on numerous points of interest and hidden gems including the history of Saint John over the last 243 years. The final part of the tour is on Prince William St, once known as the Wall St of Canada.
On Water Street ,on the way to Market Square, the tour stops at Furlongs liquor store.
From the exterior area or Market Square, your guide will show where the Loyalist Landing in 1783 occurred, where the Great Fire of Saint John began, and the location of the Prince Charles and Lady Diana walkabout Details and history are provided. Inside Market Square is the Marco Polo sailing ship model; the history of the famous ship is given.
Here in city hall the history of Pete's Pub, owned by your tour guide is told. Stories about sports and entertainment and 35 years at the pub.
Architectural features of the city market, along with its history, are shared by your guide. Extra few minutes to shop here .Oldest continuously operating market in Canada.
On Charlotte Street after leaving the City Market your guide will show you large murals of famous Saint John people. This is a hidden gem, down an alley.
All of the main points of this park established in 1785 will be pointed out by your guide, including a mass of molten metal from the Great Fire, the William Young statue, the Charles Gorman statue, and the King Edward vii Bandstand.
Across from King Square on King Square South Street is the Irving Oil Headquarters. The history of the Irving family in New Brunswick is told by your guide ,beginning with K.C. Irving in 1899.
The history of the theatre is given by your guide ,beginning as a vaudeville theatre in 1913.The chandeliers and other features are explained.
As the guide shows you the Admiral Beatty building, beside the Imperial Theatre on King Square South ,its history is told, beginning as a luxury hotel in 1925.Famous visitors are noted ,including Amelia Earhart before the famous transatlantic flight .
Your guide will describe all of the features and history of the Loyalist Church ,including the four main artifacts held there.
Your tour proceeds on Germain Street, after leaving Trinity Church ,named after Lord George Germain, whose history will be noted. Directly across from the front of Trinity Church on Germain is the Union Club, a business club from 1884. The club's interesting history is examined.
At Germain and Princess Streets the tour turns right on Princess Street in order to reach Prince William Street. There is a good example on this corner of the way in which a newer building has been constructed to conform to preservation standards. Next to this is the historic Ritchie building, and its features will be explained by your guide.
After a downhill on Princess to Prince William ,your guide will show you all of the main buildings and other features of this street ,once known as the Wall Street of Canada. These include Chubb's Corner with the carved stone heads ,old City Hall, the old post office, the Jarvis building, Bank of New Brunswick Palatine building ,and the Seamen's Mission .Directly across from the mission is the Partridge Island mural, depicting the history of the island and immigration. Immigration and quarantine at Partridge Island will be explained, especially the Irish during the Potato famine.
The tour proceeds to the Three Sisters Lamp in St. Patrick Park at the foot of Prince William Street. The reasons for the name and how the lamps saved lives are explained.
The tour finishes at the Marco Polo cruise terminal and Area 506 Waterfront Container Village. Your guide will tell a history of the cruise industry in Saint John, including how it all began.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Pete's Historic Walking Tour lasts about 2h 30min. The itinerary has 15 stops.
Prices start at $32 per person for this Saint John experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Go to the corner of Duke and Water, beside the Marco Polo cruise terminal. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 21 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Wheelchair accessible All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.9 out of 5 across 388 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Historic Walking Tour by Peter Ferguson.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
This was a great tour ! Pete was so full of great information and we learned alot about Saint John . We covered a big area of the uptown , really enjoyed it !
Pete has an extensive knowledge of saint John history and more current info about city and the residents. Very interesting;only reason for only a GOOD rating is the tour time- 11:00 to 1:30 with no lunch stop. Recommend starting tour at 9:30 or 10:00, and ending it at the city market so people can buy lunch there or at nearby restaurants.
Glad that you enjoyed my tour. The tour's start time is based on the opening hours of certain attractions, and the arrival of cruise ships. There are a number of eateries, and they are near the end point. The comfort of my customers is paramount, but starting the morning tour at 11a.m. is convenient for most customers. The tour ends at the start point, which my clients also find to be convenient.Again,so glad that you found the tour interesting.
Wonderful 2.5 hr walking tour with a local. Nice pace mostly flat and full of the cities history and recommendations for eating and local day trips. Highly recommend
Thanks for the great review. We do have a nice, historical uptown,with a wealth of places to eat.Glad that you enjoyed it.!
This was a very informative and fun tour. Pete gave us lots of history and covered a lot of territory. Nice way to see a city we really did't know anything about.
Thank you for the lovely review. I try to highlight our extensive history, while having fun!
Excellent tour, guide was extremely knowledgeable and fun to listen to. He has perfectly designed the tour to avoid climbing the steep roads in Saint John. Wonderful tour and sn easy walk.
We do like to have fun. No uphills! Thank you for your patronage,and the wonderful review.
Pete is personable, friendly and intelligent. My wife Linda and no felt Pete was very informative and well worth the price that was asked. The tour was exceptional.
Thank you for the lovely review. We are having a wonderful time this season.
Pete is a local and that much is obvious! He knows everything and everyone. We had so much fun learning about Saint Johns with Pete! There is simply no way we would have had as much fun, knew where to get the best bite, or seen nearly as much without him! Do yourself a favor and skip the commercialized tours and tour the town with Pete. You won’t be sorry and it’ll certainly be worth your time! Trying to see everything on your own won’t be as much fun, trust me!
Thank you for the fantastic review. We always have fun, and I recommend only the best places.
Pete is a friendly, knowledgeable guy- felt like I was more acquainted with the city and got a feel for the history. Saint John is a very industrial city which is a bit hard to look past the smoke stacks to the natural beauty. Nice thing is, that the people of Saint John look past that and love their city- met many people there and they all love Saint John!
Thank you for your review. Saint John is the industrial engine that drives New Brunswick, but we do have two massive parks within the city limits- Rockwood Park, and the Irving Nature Park. However, it is the people that make the place !
Loved this tour! Pete was very knowledgeable and truly seemed to enjoy sharing his love for his home town. We really felt like we learned so much about this beautiful town and so glad we were able to see it through Pete's eyes. Highly recommend!
If you could see Saint John as I see it, that is one of my main aims. I love dong this, and sharing my knowledge with others. Thanks.
Pete is very well versed. He made the tour interesting and fun. We started and ended on time. He planned the tour so there is no uphill walking.
Glad that you had fun, and found it interesting. There are no uphills, and we stay on time. Thank you very much indeed, Pete.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pete's Historic Walking Tour | 2h 30min | 4.9 (388) | $32 | |
Historic Saint John Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour | 1h 30min–2h | 4.5 (6) | $9 | View |
Saint John Walking Tour | 2 hours | 4.4 (40) | $38 | View |
Uptown Saint John Highlights Walking Tour | 2 hours | 5.0 (1) | $32 | View |
Shore Excursion:Saint John History Walking Tour | 2 hours | 1.0 (1) | $67 | View |
Bay of Fundy Tour by Bus | 5–6 hours | 4.3 (259) | $99 | View |
Go Fundy Tours | 6–7 hours | 5.0 (202) | $195 | View |