Several tour companies operate
in the city, but the best
land-based sightseeing
tours of
St John's and its environs are
by McCarthy's Party Tours,
Topsail, Conception Bay (May to
early Sept daily; tel 781-2244,
781-2266 or 1-888/660-6060,
mccarthys.party@nf.sympatico.ca
,
www.newfoundland-tours.com
). They charge $25 for a
three-hour trip that includes
all the main sights, but it's
the historical gossip that makes
it worth the money. They also do
tours to Cape Spear and Petty
Harbour ($25), plus other
excursions, including ones to
Bay Bulls and Conception Bay
($35-50). There's also one
particularly good boat trip
organized by Adventure Tours, on
the
Scademia (May-Oct
daily 10am, 1pm, 4pm & 7pm;
2hr-2hr 30min; $30; tel 726-5000
or 1-800/77-WHALE,
www.nfld.com/scademia
), a refurbished two-masted
schooner that sails to Cape
Spear and offers a chance to see
some whales and icebergs; it
leaves from Harbour Drive, near
the railcar tourist information
booth. Similar and slightly
cheaper sea trips are organized
by J&B Schooner Tours,
departing from the waterfront at
Pier 6 (mid-May to mid-Oct daily
9am, noon, 3pm & 6pm; 2hr;
$28.75; 9pm moonlight cruise
with live entertainment; 1hr;
$15; tel 753-7245,
www.schoonertours.com
). If the above tours are
overcrowded, try Dee Jay
Charters (mid-May to mid-Oct, 3
tours daily; 2hr 30min; $25
adults, $10 under 16; tel
753-8687 or 726-2141), departing
from the railcar tourist
information booth, for boat
tours around the harbour, or
Morrissey's Boat Tours, which
offers tours of the harbour or
out to Cape Spear, the most
eastern point in North America
(mid-May to Oct, several tours
daily; tel 748-5222 or 579-4195,
www.atyp.com/morrisseys
), from Pier 6, on their 76-foot
yacht the
SeaKruz.
There are also several
walking tours that give you a
feel for the city's historic
past. St John's Historic Walking
Tours (May-Oct by appointment;
$20; tel 738-3781) organizes a
thorough walk around the city,
including diversions down lanes
and back alleys; departure point
is Le Petit Paris Restaurant
, 73 Duckworth St. Legend Tours
(reservations tel 753-1497,
information tel 753-1498) does a
Signal Hill Walk (daily 2pm; 2hr
30min; $25) and a tour of
historic locations in the city
centre (daily 9.30am, 1.30pm
& 4.30pm; 2hr 30min-3hr;
$25). A self-guided Women's
History Walking Tour (2hr),
beginning at Cavendish Square,
covers the homes and workplaces
of several eighteenth- to
twentieth-century St John's
women who have contributed to
the history of the city and
Newfoundland. There's also a
highly recommended Haunted St
John's Tour (Aug Tues &
Thurs 9.30pm; June, July &
Sept Mon & Thurs 9.30pm; $5;
tel 685-3444, www.avint.net/hardticket
) departing from the west
entrance of the Anglican
cathedral, Cathedral Street; the
local historian points out the
scenes of murders and ghost
sightings, accompanied by
dramatic readings and
re-enactments.
On Your Own Tours (OYOT), 112
Duckworth St (tel 753-5353, oyot@nfld.com
), designs customized tours -
ranging from one-day boat or
hiking tours to four-week
excursions around the entire
province. If your feet are sore,
you can take a ride through the
city in a horse-drawn coach,
driven by a coachman in
eighteenth-century dress (daily
10am-midnight; 30min for $30,
1hr for $50; tel 738-6999),
departing from beside the Hotel
Newfoundland or from
Kilometre 0 beside City Hall. (Kilometre
0 is where the Trans-Canada
begins its long trek across the
country.) Double-decker buses
also take people around the city
centre and to outlying areas
such as Quidi Vidi Village
(daily 9.30am & 1.30pm; 3hr;
$20; tel 738-8687); buses depart
from the Newfoundland Museum on
Duckworth Street, the Delta
St John's Hotel on New Gower
Street or the Holiday Inn
on Portugal Cove Road (free
pick-up at other hotels and some
B&Bs).
