How to spend 4 days in St John’s, Canada

Find humongous humpbacks and pint-sized puffins at home among icebergs adrift in the Atlantic in Newfoundland and Labrador. Canada’s easternmost province beckons travellers to explore its wealth of seaboard towns, towering lighthouses and historic landmarks, as well as to experience its rich culture and heritage.

The province’s main gateway and largest city, St. John’s, is surprisingly close to London (with a flight time of roughly five hours), yet the city and the surrounding Avalon Peninsula are a world apart. For those who like to travel by road, a four-day itinerary encapsulates the best of this independently minded province. Come for the fish and chips and Celtic-tinged folk sessions, stay for the quirky delicacies, like iceberg-brewed lagers, and the time-honoured traditions such as codfish-kissing.

Day 1

Morning
Listen out for the low rumble, plunge and soar of the undulating North Atlantic. The city of St. John’s is defined by its relationship with the sea, which is most memorably seen and heard atop fortified Signal Hill — a former military battery overlooking rising cliffs and seabird cities populated by puffin and kittiwake. Learn more about the historic site inside Cabot Tower, a gothic revival-style turret where the first trans-Atlantic wireless message was received in 1901.

Afternoon
Deep at the core of St. John’s is its relationship with cod fishing. The Rooms, a gigantic gable-roofed shed above downtown, is the city’s museum, where visitors can learn how the development of fisheries and migration to the province went hand in hand. In the early 16^th century, the first recorded cargo of fish from Newfoundland and Labrador arrived in Bristol, England. Within 60 years, the province was exporting to more than 100 European ports.

Evening
By 1798, Irish immigrants accounted for two-thirds of the city’s population and boisterous pubs soon became the hallmark. Along George Street, two blocks of rowdy saloons and two dozen bars remain, with O’Reilly’s Irish Newfoundland Pub and Shamrock City offering the most authentic hint of the old country. Alternatively, head to Christian’s Pub to partake in a traditional ‘screech-in’ ceremony, a ritual in which a newcomer can become an honorary Newfoundlander by downing a shot of sharp bootleg-style rum and puckering up to a silver-scaled codfish.

Day 2

Morning
Just outside St. John’s, the road unspools to the easternmost point of Canada, Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site. This is North America’s coastline in its rawest form — wave and wind-ravaged, wild and free from development — with the historic beacon and its clifftop plateau providing an unrivalled place to grasp the true scale of Newfoundland’s seascape. In summer, icebergs carried by the Labrador Current drip-feed south from the Arctic. For the biggest slabs and floes, drive five hours north to Twillingate, the self-styled iceberg capital of the world.

Afternoon
Marvel at imposing icebergs from the comfort of a high-speed Zodiac boat, with the opportunity to catch a glimpse of magnificent, breaching humpback, minke, pilot and fin whales. The cetaceans are drawn to the waters around St. John’s by vast stocks of capelin, a small fish similar to a sardine. Book a tour with Ocean Quest Adventures, which leaves from Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove, a barnacle-jewelled fishing town just 10 minutes’ drive south of Cape Spear.

Evening
Following an adrenaline-pumping ocean expedition, enjoy a hearty lobster roll dinner at Chafe’s Landing in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove. The brewpub serves seafood in abundance, alongside delicious local specialties including scallop-like cod tongues pan fried in pork scrunchions, or moose sausages served with sweet mustard and pickled vegetables.

Day 3

Morning
Take a 30-minute drive south along the Avalon Peninsula’s eastern seaboard to Witless Bay, where the eponymous ecological reserve is home to the largest Atlantic puffin colony in North America. The population of these adorable sea parrots swells to approximately half a million during spring and summer, as the birds make their way to the reserve’s four islands to nest. Join a sea safari with O’Brien’s Boat Tours for the best viewing opportunity.

Afternoon
Grab your walking shoes for a hike on Beaches Path to enjoy stunning views of offshore islands. Starting in Witless Bay and taking between two to three hours, it follows along the sea edge all the way to Mobile. The path is part of the impressive East Coast Trail, a 209-mile route that zigzags along the Atlantic Ocean.

Evening
Newfoundland and Labrador’s restaurant menus are almost akin to species identification charts, with large varieties of delicious fish and crustaceans to tempt diners. A standout in St. John’s for freshly caught seafood fare is Portage, where small plates of Arctic char and scallops on toast encapsulate all the flavours of the sea. Later, head to artisanal taproom Bannerman Brewing Co. for neo-Newfoundland pale ales and fruit sours.

Day 4

Morning
A short walk from downtown St. John’s, the candy-coloured houses of Jellybean Row are a testament to the city’s modern history, having been painted in an act of civic pride in the 1970s. From here, wander (roughly 45 minutes) to ever-fashionable fishing village Quidi Vidi, via silvery Quidi Vidi Lake.

Afternoon
First impressions can be deceptive. Despite the buoys, anchors, fishing stages and clapboard houses, Quidi Vidi is arguably the artiest part of the entire Newfoundland and Labrador province. Stop by Quidi Vidi Village Artisan Studios, a two-storey jumble of ceramicists, carvers and sculptors, before heading to Quidi Vidi Brewery — found just across the inlet — where the brewers transform melted iceberg water into crisp, cold-filtered lager.

Evening
During the summer months, rustic and cosy cottage-turned-restaurant Mallard Cottage in Quidi Vidi serves up a renowned menu of super-fresh fish dishes. For a table at the local hotspot, you’ll need to book ahead. What awaits is the story of Newfoundland and Labrador on a plate, conjured up through ingredients like mussels and shrimp, brussels in maple oyster sauce and — always — the catch of the day.