Canada

Roadtrip Itinerary: 10 Days in Newfoundland

Newfoundland is the easternmost province of Canada and is an island that has so much to explore. It has rugged beauty, fantastic national parks, dramatic coastlines, and the nicest people you’ll meet in the country. Many people overlook Newfoundland as a travel destination and let me tell you, it’s such a Canadian gem and should be a part of any East Coast itinerary.

A few years ago my partner and I road-tripped through Newfoundland on a whirlwind, 10-day adventure. We hiked, enjoyed live music, kissed a cod, and had the comforting jigg’s dinner. We learned that what they say about Newfoundlanders is true, that they truly are the nicest people, and we had such a fun time driving the coastline and exploring more of our country.

This itinerary is just a suggestion on how you can spend 10 days in Newfoundland based on our itinerary. I will caveat this by saying that adding Gros Morne National Park into this itinerary was ambitious and you’ll find many blogs that tell you that you need more time to get to that side of the island and truly enjoy it. We managed to make it work, and it was worth it even though we only had 2 days in the park and took a few extra hours of driving. However, you can eliminate this stop on the island’s west coast and spend more time on the east coast.

Signal Hill

Day 1-2: St. John’s

You are likely going to fly into the capital and largest city, St. John’s. This is a great starting point for your road trip but before you immediately head out to your next stop, you won’t want to skip this beautiful city. Here are some of my highly rated activities to enjoy in the city:

  • Signal Hill: Signal Hill is a hill that overlooks the harbor and city of St. John’s. Choose a hiking route to take when visiting to make the most of your time there and take in some of the most incredible views.
  • The Rooms Museum & Gallery: This gallery and museum has multiple floors of local art and artifacts. This is the perfect activity for a rainy day.
  • Downtown: Walking around all the colourful houses and Jelly Bean Row downtown St. John’s. The main strip is Water St. and you’ll find cute little shops, restaurants, and bars to enjoy.
  • Brewery/Pub Crawl: Visiting St. John’s and not taking in the live music scene would be a shame. Plan to bar crawl on St. George St. to enjoy all the musicians in their glory one night. Even if you don’t drink this is so much fun!
  • Get Screeched In: They say to become an honorary Newfoundlander, you have to be screeched in and it’s such a fun experience. Several places offer this but Cristian’s Pub is the OG (and where Anthony Bourdain did it). Book in advance and arrive early to get a seat at the bar. Be prepared to kiss a cod. 😘
  • Quidi Vidi: Quidi Vidi is a neighbourhood that is known for its cute coastal homes that surround a lake. There are several small businesses to shop at, the Battery Provincial Historic Site, and a must-do brewery.
  • Cape Spear: Home to the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland, Cape Spear overs fantastic coastal views and two hiking trails.

For my full guide on St. John’s, click here.

Gun Hill Trail

Day 3-4: Trinity (w/ stop in Dildo)

Wake up at a decent time but don’t leave too early because you’ll want to make a pit stop in Dildo on your way to Trinity and I highly recommend a stop at Dildo Brewing Co. for lunch which opens at 11 am. Dildo is a cute little fishing village located about 100km (just over 1 hour drive) from St. John’s.

If you’re not ready for lunch and feel like you want to pass over Dildo, you can pit stop for a more active stop at Chance Cove. This is a moderate 3.7km hike that will take you about 1.5 hours to complete but is a beautiful route along the coast with spectacular views.

Finally, you’ll reach Trinity and Port Rexton. In total Trinity is about 3.5 hours from St. John’s without any stops. Both Trinity and Port Rexton are very close to one another and it doesn’t matter if you stay in either place if you have the freedom of a car. We stayed in Port Rexton because I found this adorable cabin on Airbnb which had incredible views and amazing hosts!

Some things to do in the area:

  • Port Rexton Brewery: A great local spot for some drinks or food.
  • Theatre: If you’re traveling during the right time Trinity has a thriving theatre scene where you can catch some fantastic shows.
  • Whale & Wildlife Tours: This area is a great place to partake in a tour to go bird watching or whale watching. Whale-watching season is from May to September.
  • Gun Hill Trail: Hiking this easy 2km trail takes you up to the town of Trinity for fantastic views of the historic town sitting among rolling hills on the coastline.
  • Sherwink Trail: moderate, 4.7km loop, 2 hours, one of the most scenic in Eastern Canada

Trinity is a great base point for a lot of nearby towns you can visit in under an hour’s drive. We opted to visit Bonavista which was a 45-minute drive from Trinity with a stop in Elliston along the way to visit the famous Puffin Viewing Point (puffin season is May-September, otherwise this may not be a worthwhile stop for you).

Bonavista is an important port for the fishing industry and an adorable day trip from Trinity. The town has several trails you can hike, and cute restaurants and shops to visit. Here are some things to do:

  • Cape Bonavista Lighthouse: This lighthouse operated from 1843 to 1962 and is now a historic site you can visit.
  • Dungeon Provincial Park: This park has scene sites and easy coastal trails.
  • Visit the Shops & Galleries: Bonavista has many cute locally owned shops and galleries to stroll through.
  • Get Ice Cream at Sweet Rock Ice Cream: Head to Sweet Rock for some homemade ice cream and treats. They also have a location in Trinity if you don’t get to it while in Bonavista.
  • Iceberg Tour: We didn’t visit during iceberg season (May-July) but if you do you need to join an iceberg tour to get up close and personal with them.

For my full guide on Bonavista, Trinity & Port Rexton, click here.

Day 5-6: Twillingate

Wake up and head from Trinity to Twillingate, about a 2.5-hour drive without any stops. Twillingate when we were visiting was a quick overnight stop because we needed to break up the long drive as we headed toward Gros Morne National Park. It was quite a quiet time mid to the end of September when we visited, and lots of things were closed or had weird hours, but it’s much busier during peak tourist season in the summer. Here are some things to do:

  • Lunch or Dinner at Doyle Sansome & Sons Ltd.: This spot is a little off the beaten path but worth a visit for fresh seafood. Located right on the water with a great enclosed patio to enjoy even on a cold rainy day.
  • Hike: As you’ll notice we did a lot of hikes in Newfoundland because there are so many beautiful trails. One that we loved in Twillingate was Spillers Cove which is a moderate 4.8km loop with fantastic views.
  • Split Rock Brewing Co.: Stop by for a local pint or lunch at Split Rock Brewing Co. They also have a fantastic beer garden during the summer months.
  • Long Point Lighthouse: Unfortunately this was closed when we went to visit but the Long Point Lighthouse is one of the most photographed landmarks on the northeast coast of Newfoundland. They also have a Titanic exhibit you can visit and trails that you can walk.
  • Great Auk Island Winery: A fun little spot to stop in to shop unique souvenirs and do a wine tasting. I will admit, Newfoundland is not known for its wine but it was still a fun experience! They have several different fruit wines you can try and friendly service that makes the tasting fun!
  • Iceberg Spotting: Twillingate is another great spot for iceberg spotting. The best viewing is from May-June but you can often see them through to September.
  • Museums: There are a ton of different museums and galleries you can visit in this area. Here are just a few that you may be interested in: Beothuk Interpretation Centre, the Durrell Museum, the Twillingate Museum, the Twillingate Historic Fishing Vessels Museum, the Isles Wooden Boat Museum, and the Ted Stuckless Fine Arts Gallery.

If you’re looking for a cute spot to stay in Twillingate there are 3 adorable cabins right on the water that are perfect for a small family or couple. We stayed in the red one.

Day 7-8: Gros Morne National Park

After Twillingate, you’ll have the longest drive of your journey so far which is to Gros Morne National Park. I recommend grabbing some groceries to pack a lunch or picking something up before you leave Twillingate so you don’t have to make any stops. The drive today will be just over 4 hours so I would leave early so you arrive at a decent time and can make use of the second half of the day.

One thing you should know about Gros Morne is that it is very large and is very spread out. You’ll need a car to make the most of it. There are several little towns you can base yourself in. We stayed in Norris Point.

  • Hikes: Gros Morne National Park is a hiker’s dream and there are so many gorgeous hikes ranging in difficulty in the park. Some of my favs were: Lookout Hills Trail (Moderate, 5.5km loop, 2-2.5 hours), Tablelands Trail (Moderate, 7.7km out & back, 2 hours but can turn back at any point), and Green Gardens Trail (Moderate, 10km out & back, 3.5 hours).
  • Drive the Scenic Route 431: Honestly, all the driving around the park is stunning. However, the road between Woody Point and Trout River is truly one of the most spectacular you’ll see.
  • Dinner & a Show: Enjoying some live music while in Newfoundland is a must and in Gros Morne you’ll want to catch an Anchors Aweigh Show at Anchor Pub in Rocky Harbour. It was such an entertaining show and you can eat at the pub, their restaurant upstairs, or any other spot in Rocky Harbour.
  • Northern Lights: If you happen to be in Gros Morne at the right time it’s possible to see the Northern Lights in Gros Morne & Arches Provincial Park nearby.
  • Western Brook Pond Tour: Taking a Western Brook Pond Tour is a must-do on your itinerary in Gros Morne where you can see fantastic fjords. It feels out of this world and hard to believe you are in Canada! Book this in advance during the high season.

For my full guide on Gros Morne National Park, click here.

Day 9: Glovertown (Terra Nova National Park)

Glovertown was a pit stop that we only stayed one night in to break up our drive from Gros Morne back to St. John’s. So we didn’t have a ton of time here to do too much. At this point, we were also quite tired from all our adventuring and driving. However, you can visit Terra Nova National Park here for another hike. A couple I saved:

Quidi Vidi

Day 10: St. John’s / Fly Home

On the last day, you’ll head onwards to St. John’s where you’ll drop off your rental car and fly home. The drive from Glovertown to St. John’s is just shy of 2.5 hours. You can either choose to spend your morning in Glovertwon and Terra Nova National Park and then head to St. John’s or you can go right to St. John’s to enjoy some more activities in the city before you head out to the airport.

Bon voyage!

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