St John's
airport is about
6km northwest of the city centre
and there's a
tourist
information desk inside (open
year round; tel 758-8515). There's
no public transport from the
airport to the centre, so you may
well need to get a taxi, which
should cost around $14. Oddly
enough, for a city of its size, St
John's has no
bus station .
Travellers come into the city from
towns along the Trans-Canada with
DRL Coachlines and are dropped off
at either the airport or at
Memorial University
. From the university you can take
bus #3 to the city centre. To get
around the city itself, you'll use
the
Metrobus , run by St
John's Transportation Commission (tel
722-9400), although schedules can
be a bit erratic and intervals
between buses are thirty minutes
during the day and one hour during
the evenings. Buses have a
standard single fare of $1.50,
with tickets available from the
drivers - exact fare only; a
Metropass, good for ten rides,
costs $12.50. If you're not quite
sure where you're going, aim in
the direction of the
Hotel
Newfoundland , the city's most
prominent and convenient landmark.
St John's has two downtown tourist
offices : one in the lower
level of the City Hall Annex
building, on New Gower Street
across from City Hall (Mon-Fri
9am-4.30pm; tel 576-8106, www.city.st-johns.nf.ca
), the other in the old railcar
next to the waterfront, halfway
along Harbour Drive at the foot of
Ayre's Cove (June to mid-Sept
daily 8.30am-5.30pm; tel
576-8514). Both outlets have
bucketfuls of free literature,
most usefully a St John's
Visitor Guide , which lists
everything from accommodation and
events through to church services
and radio-station frequencies.
They also have free city and
provincial maps, the tourism
department's comprehensive Newfoundland
and Labrador Travel Guide and
a variety of specialist leaflets
detailing local sights,
guesthouses and B&Bs.
