How To Get Here 📥

Arriving By Plane

If you're not from Newfoundland, you're most likely going to be coming in via plane. The St. John's airport code is YYT—make sure you confirm this, as people have accidentally ended up in Saint John, New Brunswick, in the past.

Getting Around When You're Here

St. John's unfortunately doesn't have the best public transportation, so your best bet to get around will be renting a car or relying on cabs/ride shares. Several cab companies have consolidated and share an app; search City Wide Taxi in your respective app store!

If you would like to book a car to get around (which is recommended if you want to see some of the sites outside the city), book early! Cars tend to go quickly. In addition to the standard car rental companies, we've had some good luck with Turo (like AirBnB, but for cars).

Arriving By Car

You'll need to get to the island via ferry with Marine Atlantic (external link) !

Please go book your ferry ASAP—many people use the ferry over the summer, and many people book it quite early to ensure they have the availability they want.

You have two choices for the ferry route. Both start in North Sydney, on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.

To Port Aux Basques This ferry is around 7 hours, and runs multiple times a day. However, you will on the west coast of Newfoundland, and need to drive a further 10+ hours to get to St. John's.

To Argentia This ferry is around 15 hours, an only runs 3x a week. However, it's only about a 2 hour drive to St. John's.

Do I need a cabin on the ferry?

If you are on the short ferry during the day, you don't need a cabin. The ferry has plenty of places to sit, as well as cafés and restaurants where you can eat and relax. I would, however, recommend downloading a few podcasts or bringing a book, as the wifi is basically non-existent.

If you are on any kind of overnight ferry (including the long ferry) please book a cabin! It's absolutely worth it for your sanity and comfort. Some of the cabins have ensuite bathrooms, but anything that guarantees you have a flat place to sleep is worth it.

Oh no! The Cabins are all booked!

Marine Atlantic doesn't charge anything for cancelling a booking, so it's common practice for people to book multiple sailing, including cabins, and cancel when they solidify their plans. Put yourself on a waitlist for all the cabin types—assuming you book ASAP, there's a very good chance you will get a cabin of some kind.

Check out other activities to while you're around

We put a page together: What Else? (external link)