Day 1 St. John’s | Arrival
Arrive in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador’s colourful capital city set on a dramatic harbour overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Depending on your arrival time, spend the rest of the day exploring at leisure. Wander the steep streets lined with brightly painted row houses, visit the lively downtown waterfront, or enjoy the city’s welcoming pubs, restaurants and galleries. Time permitting, head to Signal Hill for sweeping views over the harbour and coastline, or explore the character-filled neighbourhoods that make St. John’s one of Canada’s most distinctive and atmospheric cities.
Day 2 Avalon Peninsula | Whale Watching, Puffins & Coastal Exploring | approx. 158 km/98 mi
Spend the day exploring the rugged coastline, fishing villages and ocean views of the Avalon Peninsula. Travel south to Bay Bulls for a boat excursion into the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, one of the best places in Newfoundland to see Atlantic puffins, seabirds and whales. Depending on the season and conditions, you may also spot icebergs drifting along the coast.
After your cruise, continue along the scenic Irish Loop toward Ferryland, home of the Colony of Avalon, one of the earliest European settlements in North America. Founded in 1621 by George Calvert, later Lord Baltimore, the archaeological site has revealed more than a million artifacts from early colonial life. With dramatic headlands, historic communities and sweeping Atlantic views, this day offers a memorable introduction to Newfoundland’s coastal scenery and seafaring heritage.
Day 3 St. John’s to Trinity | 269 km/167 mi
Depart St. John’s and travel toward the Bonavista Peninsula, a region known for rugged coastlines, historic outports and some of Newfoundland’s oldest communities. The journey follows changing landscapes of forests, bays, coastal inlets and small fishing villages before arriving in Trinity, one of the province’s most atmospheric historic towns. Before settling into your accommodation, you may wish to continue to New Bonaventure to visit the Random Passage Site. Built for the television miniseries Random Passage, the site offers a powerful sense of what life may have been like in a remote Newfoundland fishing outpost in the early 1800s.
Day 4 Trinity | Bonavista Peninsula Sightseeing
Spend the day exploring Trinity and the Bonavista Peninsula, where colourful clapboard houses, sheltered harbours and dramatic coastal scenery reflect the history and character of rural Newfoundland. In Trinity, wander past restored white and pastel-coloured homes and, when available, experience the Trinity Pageant, a walking theatre performance that brings the village’s stories to life.
Time permitting, venture to Port Rexton to hike the Skerwink Trail, one of Newfoundland’s most celebrated coastal walks, with ocean views, sea stacks and rugged headlands. You may also continue north to Bonavista to visit Ryan Premises National Historic Site, where exhibits tell the 500- year story of Canada’s east coast fishery. Nearby, see the red and white Cape Bonavista Lighthouse and the Matthew Legacy, a full-scale replica connected to John Cabot’s 1497 voyage across the Atlantic.
Day 5 Trinity to Twillingate | 309 km/192 mi
Leave Trinity and travel through the landscapes of central Newfoundland toward Twillingate. En route, pass through Terra Nova National Park, where sheltered inlets, boreal forest, quiet ponds and walking trails offer a beautiful place to pause and enjoy the natural setting. Continue toward Boyd’s Cove and visit the Beothuk Interpretation Centre, where the story of an ancient Beothuk village helps reveal the history and culture of Newfoundland’s Indigenous past.
Arrive in Twillingate, one of Newfoundland’s most scenic coastal communities, known for dramatic cliffs, colourful houses, sea views and its location along Iceberg Alley. This afternoon, set out on an Iceberg Watch boat tour, where you may have the chance to see icebergs, whales, seabirds, sunsets and the striking coastal scenery that makes Twillingate such a special place to visit.
Day 6 Twillingate to Gander | 112 km/70 mi
Depart Twillingate and travel south through the Road to the Isles, passing small communities, coastal views and quiet island scenery as you return toward central Newfoundland. Continue to Gander International Airport, where your Newfoundland discovery ends after a journey filled with Atlantic coastline, historic fishing villages, puffins, whales, icebergs and the distinctive character of Newfoundland’s eastern and central shores.
