Welcome to Newfoundland and Labrador

Welcome to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada’s easternmost province and a destination like no other place in the country.

With its windy bluffs, rocky shores and green spaces, anyone with a fondness for quaint fishing villages and Celtic-infused culture will feel at home here. You might even want to participate in a “screech-in” ceremony and become an honorary “Newfie.” You down a shot of screech rum, recite a limerick, kiss a fish on the lips and you’re in the club.

St. John’s on the far eastern coast is the province’s “big” city, referred to aptly as “the town” by locals. Highlights include the Signal Hill lookout and any number of guided boat tours that highlight everything from whales and puffins to icebergs.

Adventure

Split into two parts—the island of Newfoundland and the mainland region of Labrador—the province’s population is mostly spread across a smattering of small towns and villages that cling to the coast of the former. In Labrador, meanwhile, you’ll find lots of open and unpopulated spaces.

Outdoor enthusiasts should make time for a thorough exploration of Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland. Perched on the shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Entertainment

Rollicking festivals abound in Newfoundland and Labrador. Summer reigns supreme on the events calendar. Throughout July and August, there’s the Salmon Festival in Grand Falls-Windsor, the Strawberry Festival in Deer Lake, the Gros Morne Summer Music Festival, the Shakespeare By the Sea Festival in St. John’s, the Folk Festival in St. John’s and the Tuckamore Festival in St. John’s.

Heritage

The history of Newfoundland and Labrador goes all the way back to the year 1001, when Vikings led by Leif Ericson are said to have landed in Labrador.

Those interested in exploring some of North America’s earliest history shouldn’t miss the L’Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site, where you can see the remains of a Viking settlement dating to Ericson’s attempt to colonize the area.