Top 5 places to visit in Newfoundland

Newfoundland is Canada’s hidden gem. The country’s least visited province is refreshingly remote, but those that venture here are rewarded with spellbinding scenery and unique cultures. Many locals sound more Irish than Canadian, preserving fishing traditions in villages with clapboard houses perched on stilts at the water’s edge. Newfoundland’s biggest draw though is its astonishing natural beauty – the magnificent landscapes of Gros Morne, the rugged Fogo Island, and the sight of icebergs floating past Atlantic coastlines teeming with humpback whales and puffins. Here are the top 5 places to visit on your holiday to Newfoundland:

Gros Morne National Park

Western Newfoundland contains the province’s most amazing scenery. UNESCO World Heritage Site Gros Morne boasts incredible geology of mountains, valleys and glacial lakes with sheer cliffsides and waterfalls. The park is best enjoyed on a boat trip to the shimmering fjord of Western Brook Pond, and wildlife on view includes black bears, moose, caribou and bald eagles, while Bonne Bay is home to minke whales and seals.

Twilingate

Known as the Iceberg Capital of the World, it’s an unforgettable experience to see glacial giants floating offshore past Twilingate. This island town is one of the best viewing points to see 10,000-year-old icebergs carried south along Iceberg Alley from Greenland by the powerful Labrador Current. You can view them from shore or on Iceberg Alley cruises between May and July, with peak time late May to mid-June. The town itself is famous for the iconic red-and-white Long Point Lighthouse at Crow Head, dating from 1876.

Fogo Island

At the heart of Iceberg Alley, dramatic Fogo Island has a unique culture and an equally unique hotel. Nordic-style Fogo Island Inn, perched partially on stilts on the Atlantic Ocean, is one of the world’s top hotels. The Inn has rooms with spectacular views from floor-to-ceiling windows, its own art gallery, cinema, library and roof deck with saunas and hot tubs. Fogo Island has many historical attractions and hiking trails including to Brimstone Head, believed by flat-earthers to be one of the four corners of the Earth.

St John’s

The capital of Newfoundland is one of the oldest cities in North America, renowned for its colourful ‘jellybean’ row houses and attractive harbour. Famous sites outside the city include Signal Hill, where the first transatlantic radio signal was received, and the iconic Cabot Tower, commemorating explorer John Cabot’s voyage to Newfoundland in 1497. Nearby Cape Spear is the most easterly point in North America with the oldest standing lighthouse. One of the best day trips from St John’s is a cruise to spot huge populations of humpback whales and Atlantic puffins in the surrounding ocean.

Gander

Gander was once the largest airport on Earth with runways big enough to land a space shuttle, but it has become most famous in recent years for its role in helping those affected by the tragedy of 9/11. More than 6,000 passengers in 38 planes stayed in Gander for several days, relying on the generosity of locals in a town with only 500 hotel rooms. To explore this fascinating story, visit the North Atlantic Aviation Museum, then watch the award-winning theatre production Come From Away, which tells the full story.

Ready to explore further? Browse Journeyscape’s range of Holidays to Newfoundland.