A Trip to the City of Saint John in Eastern Canada
Itineraries: Detailed Itineraries in Canada (Free)
General
Saint John is the second-largest city (after Moncton) in the province of New Brunswick in eastern Canada, with a population of about 70,000. The city is situated on the shores of the Bay of Fundy, which is famous for its extreme tides that are also felt in the river crossing the city.
It has the third-largest port (in terms of cargo volume) in all of Canada and also a cruise port located in the city center that is especially active in late summer and autumn.
The city serves as a starting point for trips in New Brunswick and the neighboring province of Nova Scotia across the Bay of Fundy. Between Saint John and the town of Digby in Nova Scotia, a passenger and car ferry operates twice a day, with a sailing duration of about two hours.
During the Acadian period in the 17th and early 18th centuries, the area was controlled by the French, who were expelled by the British in 1755. The city was founded in 1785 by the union of two towns on either side of the harbor, which were populated by thousands of refugees from the American Revolution who wanted to remain under British rule. In the mid-18th century, the city was flooded with waves of immigrants from Ireland, numbering about 150,000. Today, 88 percent of the city's population is white, with various minorities making up the rest. About 5 percent of the city's population today is French-speaking Francophones, and the rest speak English. In New Brunswick, both of these languages are official languages.
Recommended Hotels in Saint John
It is recommended to stay in the city for at least 2 nights, allowing for a full day of sightseeing in the city. Those continuing their trip to Nova Scotia can take the ferry to Digby early in the morning after the second night.
Chateau Saint John Trademark Collection by Wyndham
A 4-star hotel of the Wyndham chain reminiscent of a castle, featuring spacious rooms. Each room is named after a different castle around the world. The hotel features a fitness center, a bar, and the price includes breakfast, free internet, and free parking.
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Saint John Harbour Side
A 3-star Holiday Inn hotel. The hotel features an indoor pool, a jacuzzi, and a fitness center. The price includes breakfast, free internet, and free parking.
Mahogany Manor Bed & Breakfast
A bed and breakfast located in a historic 1905 building in the heart of the old city. The price includes a high-quality breakfast. The place features a courtyard with garden furniture and a barbecue, as well as free internet and free parking.
Attractions in the City and Its Surroundings
♦ Recommended Guided Tours in the City. Purchase from Viator:
♦ Recommended Guided Tours Outside the City of Saint John (via Viator):
Note: Tours marked as "Shore Excursion" are intended for cruise ship passengers and include pickup and drop-off at the port.
Reversing Falls Phenomenon
The most impressive and special attraction in the city is the Reversing Falls, an extreme tide phenomenon in the river flowing through the city: during low tide, there is a strong flow with powerful whirlpools toward the sea, and during high tide, the river flows in reverse: inland. As a result, standing waves are created because the incoming tide opposes the natural flow of the river toward the sea. Twice a day, between the tides, the river is calm, and only then can ships navigate it. There are several impressive vantage points to observe this unique phenomenon, especially from the Reversing Falls Bridge, which crosses the narrowest point of the gorge, and from the new Skywalk Saint John located at the end of the bridge.
This is a viewing platform protruding more than eight meters from the cliff with a glass floor from which you can see views of the waterfalls and whirlpools 30 meters below you. The viewing building houses a restaurant with a view of the river and the bridge, and the entrance ticket to the balcony includes an interesting video explaining the phenomenon. Nearby, there is a zipline over the river for the brave ones.
It is recommended to view the river from several locations at both peak low tide and peak high tide.
Reversing Falls Bridge + Sky Walk
Video Presenting the Reversing Falls Phenomenon - Reverse Flow in the River
In another article of mine about trips in the city of Moncton in New Brunswick, a video is presented showing the special phenomenon of the strong tide in the river crossing the city of Moncton. There, during high tide, a wave arrives from the sea reaching a height of about seventy centimeters! The aforementioned article also includes a description of a trip to the Bay of Fundy where extreme tide and ebb phenomena can be witnessed.
City Tours
It is worthwhile to walk around the city center among the abundance of impressive historic homes.
♦ To book via Viator, a guided walking tour of about two hours in downtown Saint John: Saint John Walking Tour
A must-visit site is the historic indoor Saint John City Market:
Adjacent to the cruise port, a new entertainment area opened in the summer of 2022 with food stalls, shops, and galleries inside colorful shipping containers: AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village.
About three hundred meters north of these containers along the docks is a commercial center called Market Square, and the area next to it along the waterfront and piers is undergoing renovation and upgrading to become a long and beautiful waterfront promenade.
Market Square:
Parks
The city features a large and beautiful municipal park named Rockwood Park with lakes, a swimming beach, and a nice restaurant on the shore of one of the lakes, near which you can rent kayaks and paddleboats, alongside numerous walking and biking trails.
At the southern entrance to the city, situated on a peninsula, is a nature park named Irving Nature Park with a road surrounding it that offers stops at viewing points. The park features a variety of scenic walking trails through forests as well as an elevated wooden boardwalk trail to preserve the vegetation.
Adjacent to the nature park is a long swimming beach named Saints Rest Beach.
A visitor center is located at the entrance to the city, adjacent to Highway No. 1 opposite the Irving Nature Park.
Historic Sites
The city has two small historic forts offering successful views of the city center; one is called Fort Howe
and the second is Carleton Martello Tower.
The city also houses a museum dedicated to Jewish history, the Saint John Jewish Historical Museum.
Trip to the Town of St. Andrews
You can take a day trip to the charming town of St. Andrews Saint Andrews, located about 100 km (an hour's drive) southwest of Saint John.
Weather and When to Visit the City
The pleasant season for traveling in the city is between June and September, though it is preferable to arrive in July and August, which are the warmest months of the year. The range of average maximum temperatures is between 21 degrees Celsius in June, 24 degrees in July and August, and 20 in September. The average minimum temperature in July and August is about 11 degrees Celsius, and in June and September, it is 8 degrees.
July and August are also the least rainy months of the year with 80-90 mm of rain per month, while the rainiest are November through January with 125-135 mm per month.
Maximum sea water temperature in August: 15 degrees Celsius, cold...
In winter, during the months of January and February, the average maximum temperature is minus 1 and the minimum is minus 13.
Recommended Restaurants in Saint John
Italian By Night – A high-quality Italian restaurant in the city center.
Thandi – An Indian restaurant in the city center.
Splash Thai Cuisine – A Thai restaurant in the northeast of the city near shopping centers.
LiLily's – A seafood and typical Canadian food restaurant, also suitable for vegetarians. Located on the shore of a lake of the same name in Rockwood Park.