Iconic “Jellybean Row” Victorian houses painted in vibrant reds, yellows, pinks, and blues lining steep downtown streets—rebuilt and repainted following 19th-century fires, creating North America’s most colorful residential architecture testament to Newfoundland resilience. Signal Hill’s Cabot Tower (1898) crowning the harbor where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless message in 1901, plus military communications and defense history overlooking dramatic Atlantic headlands. Quidi Vidi village-within-a-city preserving authentic fishing outport spirit just steps from downtown—”The Gut” features sunset views, historic harbor charm, and Quidi Vidi Brewery’s famous Iceberg Beer crafted from 20,000-year-old iceberg water. Spring iceberg parades and summer whale watching from Cape Spear Lighthouse, while North Head Trail traverses the Narrows into the colorful Battery community overlooking St. John’s Harbour. The Rooms cultural facility housing Newfoundland’s premier museum, art gallery, and archives celebrating one of North America’s oldest cities where maritime heritage meets contemporary Atlantic Canadian culture across fjord-fringed coastlines and whale-iceberg seasonal spectacles.
The destination guide
St. John’s
City in Canada, North AmericaUpdated
- Overall7/10
- Best forCouples, Adventure seekers
- PeakJun–Sep
- CurrencyCAD
St. John’s is North America’s oldest and easternmost city — colorful row houses on Signal Hill, icebergs in the harbor, and a friendliness that Newfoundland is famous for.
Travel guides for St. John's
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At a glance
- English
- French
- Atlantic coast
- Colorful row houses
- Icebergs
- Signal Hill
- Maritime history
- Natural beauty
- Newfoundland culture
- Outdoor adventure
How St. John’s scores
Character
Editorial scores on a 10-point scale, weighed against destinations of the same kind.
Travel safety snapshot
SafePlace indicators use their source 100-point scale; higher is more favourable. Planning context, not a live travel advisory — check official government guidance before you go.
When to go
Best months to visit: May, June, July, August, September and October.
- January: -3.1 to 0.7 degrees Celsius, 113.6 millimetres of rain, best-time score 2 out of 5.
- February: -4.7 to -0.3 degrees Celsius, 111.8 millimetres of rain, best-time score 2 out of 5.
- March: -2.8 to 0.5 degrees Celsius, 101.5 millimetres of rain, best-time score 2 out of 5.
- April: -0.3 to 2.1 degrees Celsius, 104.8 millimetres of rain, best-time score 3 out of 5.
- May: 2 to 4.3 degrees Celsius, 78.4 millimetres of rain, best-time score 4 out of 5.
- June: 5.9 to 8.6 degrees Celsius, 85.7 millimetres of rain, best-time score 5 out of 5.
- July: 11.4 to 14 degrees Celsius, 77.3 millimetres of rain, best-time score 5 out of 5.
- August: 14.1 to 16.6 degrees Celsius, 76.7 millimetres of rain, best-time score 5 out of 5.
- September: 11.6 to 14.1 degrees Celsius, 97.2 millimetres of rain, best-time score 5 out of 5.
- October: 7.5 to 10.1 degrees Celsius, 90.7 millimetres of rain, best-time score 4 out of 5.
- November: 3.2 to 6.3 degrees Celsius, 138.6 millimetres of rain, best-time score 3 out of 5.
- December: -0.7 to 2.7 degrees Celsius, 121.7 millimetres of rain, best-time score 2 out of 5.
Month-by-month conditions and packing advice
- January
- Very cold, some rain January in St. John's: winter weather and short daylight make this less balanced for first-time travel. Crowds: January in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack warm layers, a coat, and comfortable shoes for cold mornings and evenings. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- February
- Very cold, some rain February in St. John's: winter weather and short daylight make this less balanced for first-time travel. Crowds: February in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack warm layers, a coat, and comfortable shoes for cold mornings and evenings. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- March
- Very cold, some rain March in St. John's: winter weather and short daylight make this less balanced for first-time travel. Crowds: March in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack warm layers, a coat, and comfortable shoes for cold mornings and evenings. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- April
- Cold, some rain April in St. John's: cool, windy, or changeable weather narrows outdoor plans. Crowds: April in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack warm layers, a coat, and comfortable shoes for cold mornings and evenings. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- May
- Cold, some rain May in St. John's: late spring or early fall can work well if weather and tour schedules cooperate. Crowds: May in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack warm layers, a coat, and comfortable shoes for cold mornings and evenings. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- June
- Cold, some rain June in St. John's: coastal hikes, whale watching, festivals, colorful streets, and Newfoundland road trips are most reliable. Crowds: June in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack layered clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- July
- Cool to mild, some rain July in St. John's: coastal hikes, whale watching, festivals, colorful streets, and Newfoundland road trips are most reliable. Crowds: July in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack layered clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- August
- Cool to mild, some rain August in St. John's: coastal hikes, whale watching, festivals, colorful streets, and Newfoundland road trips are most reliable. Crowds: August in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack layered clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- September
- Cool to mild, some rain September in St. John's: coastal hikes, whale watching, festivals, colorful streets, and Newfoundland road trips are most reliable. Crowds: September in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack layered clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- October
- Cool to mild, some rain October in St. John's: late spring or early fall can work well if weather and tour schedules cooperate. Crowds: October in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack layered clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- November
- Cold, rainy November in St. John's: cool, windy, or changeable weather narrows outdoor plans. Crowds: November in St. John's is one of the wetter periods, so museums, food stops, flexible reservations, and backup indoor plans make the trip easier. Pack: Pack layered clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- December
- Cold, some rain December in St. John's: winter weather and short daylight make this less balanced for first-time travel. Crowds: December in St. John's is workable with normal seasonal planning; build in layers, weather checks, and a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Pack: Pack warm layers, a coat, and comfortable shoes for cold mornings and evenings. Add a rain jacket or compact umbrella.
- July
- August
- June
- September
- January
- February
- November
- December
- March
- April
Know before you go
Neighbourhoods
Downtown St. John’s is the colourful core, with Water Street (North America’s oldest commercial street), George Street’s wall-to-wall pubs, and the Harbourfront. The Battery is a cluster of clapboard houses clinging to steep cliffs at the harbour entrance. Quidi Vidi is a former fishing village with a brewery, art gallery, and regatta course. Signal Hill crowns the city, and the East End offers residential Victorian-era streets with craft coffee shops.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit St. John’s is during the summer months (June to August) when the weather is warm and the city hosts numerous festivals. Spring (April to May) also offers a beautiful backdrop as flowers bloom, while fall (September to October) showcases stunning foliage. Winter can be cold and snowy, but offers unique experiences like winter sports and holiday festivities.
Getting there and around
Getting there
Fly into St. John’s International Airport (YYT), 6 km northwest of downtown, with connections from Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and seasonal transatlantic flights. Marine Atlantic ferries connect Port aux Basques (Newfoundland’s west coast) to North Sydney (Nova Scotia)—a 16-hour drive to St. John’s from there. By car, the Trans-Canada Highway crosses the island from Port aux Basques to St. John’s (905 km).
Getting around
St. John’s is compact and walkable in the centre, though the steep hills can be challenging. Metrobus runs city routes; the downtown loop is the most useful for visitors. Taxis and ride-shares operate city-wide. A car is essential for day trips to Cape Spear, the Irish Loop, and the Avalon Peninsula. Car rentals are available at the airport and downtown.
Top experiences in St. John’s
Signal Hill & Cabot Tower
The rocky headland guarding the entrance to St. John’s harbour, Signal Hill is where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. Cabot Tower (1897) sits at the summit, with panoramic views of the city, the harbour, and the Atlantic. The North Head Trail follows the cliff edge past the ruined Chain Rock battery. Icebergs drift past in spring, and humpback whales breach offshore in summer.
Jellybean Row
A row of brightly painted clapboard row houses along downtown streets—particularly Gower Street and Prescott Street—that has become St. John’s most recognisable image. The colour tradition dates to the early 20th century, when fishermen painted their homes in vivid colours to identify them from the harbour in fog. Today the vibrant facades line hilly streets between the harbour and the Basilica of St. John the Baptist.
Cape Spear National Historic Site
The easternmost point in North America, 12 km south of St. John’s. A 19th-century lighthouse (1836) and a World War II gun battery perch on a rocky headland above the Atlantic. The clifftop trail offers some of the best whale-watching in Newfoundland—humpbacks feed close to shore from June through August, and icebergs drift past in spring. Sunrise here is the first in North America.
Quidi Vidi Village & Brewery
A tiny former fishing village tucked into a cove just east of Signal Hill, now home to the Quidi Vidi Brewery (try the Iceberg beer, brewed with 10,000-year-old glacial ice), The Plantation gallery and craft workshop space, and a handful of fish shacks serving cod tongues and chips. The Quidi Vidi regatta course hosts the oldest organised sporting event in North America (since 1818).
The Rooms
Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest cultural centre, perched on a hill overlooking the harbour. The museum, gallery, and archives document 9,000 years of human history—from the Maritime Archaic peoples through the Beothuk, Norse settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows, the cod fishery, and Confederation with Canada in 1949. The art gallery showcases Newfoundland and Labrador painters and Inuit art from Labrador. The building’s design echoes traditional fishing rooms (stages where cod was processed).
Editor-curated picks carried over from our original guide. Where a full place guide exists, the card links to it.
Worth booking ahead in St. John’s
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Tours and tickets in St. John’s on Viator (opens Viator in a new tab)
Viator's full list of bookable tours and tickets in St. John’s.
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Everything GetYourGuide sells in St. John’s, with the cancellation terms on each listing.
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Where to stay
Murray Premises Hotel
2 Canal Road, St. John's, NL A1C 5H5, Canada
Four-star heritage hotel in a restored Victorian-era building downtown with harbour views, a full-service spa, and an acclaimed restaurant.
Delta Hotels by Marriott St. John's
115 Cavendish Square, St. John's, NL A1C 3K2, Canada
Centrally located Marriott-brand hotel near the convention centre with modern rooms, an indoor pool, and easy access to Water Street.
JAG Hotel
5 Beck's Cove, St. John's, NL A1C 6H1, Canada
Boutique hotel housed in a heritage building in downtown St. John’s with exposed brick, modern amenities, and walkable access to George Street nightlife.
Editor-curated stays carried over from our original guide. Where we have reviewed the hotel, the card links to the review.
Tips from the field
Highlights
- Signal Hill and Cabot Tower
- The Rooms
- Cape Spear Lighthouse
- George Street entertainment district
- Quidi Vidi Village
Best activities
- Explore Signal Hill National Historic Site
- Visit Cape Spear Lighthouse
- Tour The Rooms museum and art gallery
- Hike the East Coast Trail
- Enjoy fresh seafood at local restaurants
Practical tips
- Dress in layers due to variable weather
- Book accommodations in advance during peak season
- Rent a car to explore areas outside the city
Keeping it authentic
- Known for colorful row houses and friendly locals
- Rich maritime history and culture
Culture, customs and safety
Cultural heritage
St. John’s is one of the oldest European-settled cities in North America—Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) arrived in 1497. The harbour was the departure point for transatlantic telegraph cables and a key Allied naval base during both World Wars. Signal Hill is where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. The city’s Irish and English heritage is preserved in its music, pub culture, and the annual George Street Festival. The Newfoundland accent and dialect are among the most distinctive in English.
Local customs & etiquette
- Engage in friendly conversation with locals, as they are often eager to share stories
- Respect the natural environment and local traditions
- Tip service staff appropriately, as it is customary
- Participate in local events and support community initiatives
