St. John's

Understand

St. John's is the easternmost point on the Trans-Canada Highway, a network of roads leading more than 8,000 km westward to Victoria, British Columbia. In fact, the easternmost point in North America aside from Greenland, Cape Spear, is just 15 km from downtown. With a location 2,100 km (1,339 miles) northeast of Toronto, St. John's is closer to Dublin than to Vancouver on the west coast of Canada, and closer to the Azores than to Ottawa. It is 3½ hours behind Greenwich Mean Time, 1½ hours ahead of Eastern Time, and 4½ hours ahead of Pacific Time.

A taste of the Old World in the New, St. John's multicoloured terraces climb back from its snug natural harbour, sheltered from the Atlantic's worst excesses by steep-sided cliffs and a narrow entranceway. Many visitors use St. John's as a base to explore the wider Avalon Peninsula, where there are many picturesque fishing villages and stunning coastal hiking. Others come to depart on ocean excursions to spot whales, puffins and icebergs. The city is worth your time too, especially if you're a fan of charming old buildings, fiddle music in taverns, and fresh local seafood. thumb|350px|Cabot Tower on Signal Hill Downtown St. John's is the historic core and central business district, on the north side of St. John's Harbour. With 213,000 residents (2021), the metropolitan area is the second largest in Atlantic Canada, behind Halifax. This relatively small size gives St. John's a rather pleasant, small-town atmosphere, where the f…

Do

alt=An iceberg around 30 meters long|thumb|An iceberg viewed from an Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours boat thumb|right|Houses in St. John's are typically painted in bright colours

Buy

St. John's has two modern shopping centres. The Avalon Mall, the largest shopping centre in Newfoundland, has 140 stores (including Winners/HomeSense, Sport Chek, H&M, Old Navy, a 12-screen Cineplex movie theatre (Scotiabank Theatre), and The Rec Room) and is on Kenmount Road. The Village Shopping Centre is in the West End on Topsail Road. St. John's also has several big box centres; Stavanger Drive in the east end; Kelsey Drive (off Kenmount Road); and Pearlgate located in the suburb of Mount Pearl. Also near Pearlgate is The Shoppes at Galway, which is the home of St. John's Costco store.

Downtown St. John's boasts a wide array of shops and boutiques, most notably Water Street. Everything from unique souvenirs to designer clothing.

Unlike most provinces in Canada, cold beer can be purchased in convenience stores. Liquor and wine are only available at NLC locations. Cannabis products can be purchased from several retail locations by adults (max 30 grams), including pre-rolls and beverages.