Newfoundland Holidays & Accommodation

Canada, North America

newfoundland holiday and accomodation guide

Tickle Cove, Witless Bay, and River of Ponds, these are just a few names of outports in Newfoundland, small towns that dot the coastal areas of this island province of Canada. Eccentric names aside, these small towns, often comprised of just a few clapboard houses, are often dominated by a few close-knit fishing families, tightly connected over generations. Aside from this unique community spiri, the regional parks and chance to spot wildlife makes this province an island nation unto itself.

map of newfoundland america
Map of Newfoundland

Newfoundland Holidays Planner

Newfoundland's outport culture is the building block of its larger society, and the province has a uniquely neighbourly orientation, even in its biggest cities of St. John's, Gander, and Corner Brook. When Vikings first discovered North America, long before Columbus purportedly discovered America in the fifteenth century, it was alleged that their first settlement was on Newfoundland's shores.

The province is also well-known for the second-largest national park in Atlantic Canada, Gros Morne. At 1800 square kilometres, the park is named for a mountain peak contained within the park at a height of over 800 metres. The park is a draw to tourists from Newfoundland and beyond and offers many opportunities for hiking, climbing, and water sports on the sheltered west coast of the province

Newfoundland enjoys a unique culture, and this has led to a musical heritage that has its roots in Gaelic music. You can enjoy live music throughout the capital city of St. John's, and there is a great pub crawl on George Street. For more family oriented musical fun, you can check the local Folk Arts Council.

St. John's is a hilly city that rises out of the harbour. Multi-coloured clapboard homes make the city a bright spectacle in the sunshine and it has a particularly distinctive cityscape.

Marine tours on the east coast of Newfoundland offer the means to view humpback whales and other marine life like the adorable puffin that nest off the coast. Simply arrange this through your tour operator and you can explore coastal and outport life in Newfoundland in a new and exciting way.

Gros Morne Park offers a wealth of different opportunities to explore its alpine glacial topology. It has many trails, and there is a pool of very pure fresh water called Western Brook Pond with a – again a very unusual name – waterfall called Pissing Mare Falls that tumbles into the pond. Caribou, black bear, and arctic hare all call the park home, and you can also explore the park by kayak or canoe in the coastal area of Bonne Bay in rented canoes and kayaks. There is also a marine centre and museum to explore, and guided tours to enlist for more information and access to the area.

If you have the time, explore the towns and outports of Newfoundland by car. The area is rich and diverse and the terrain varies from deposits of glacial till to heavily forested areas that are great to explore. Fishing is always fun in Newfoundland, and you can always fish for Atlantic salmon or cod in the Atlantic, or angle for trout in the numerous streams in the interior of the island. It is an interesting landscape, but the people of Newfoundland are legendary: big-hearted and welcoming.