Cheap flights to St. John's

Quick summary

Why track St. John's with SniperAir

You do not need to compare prices every day

Airport and getting into town

St. John's airport, close to downtown, at the eastern edge of the continent

Distances and times are approximate, based on Wikivoyage, Wikipedia and official sites; timetables change, so check them before you travel. We do not quote fares.

St. John's is the capital and largest city of Newfoundland and Labrador, on the Avalon Peninsula facing the Atlantic (Wikivoyage FR). The city has about 110,000 residents (Wikipedia DE) and more than 200,000 in its metropolitan area (Wikivoyage EN, Wikipedia FR). It lies about 2,100 km (1,339 miles) northeast of Toronto, closer to Dublin than to Vancouver (Wikivoyage EN, ES), and is the easternmost point of the Trans-Canada Highway. It appears on a Portuguese map of 1519, one of the oldest European settlements in the New World (Wikipedia FR).

Landmarks

Colourful houses, Signal Hill, Cape Spear and a harbour under the cliffs

St. John's is a city of harbour, cliffs and brightly painted wooden houses climbing from a natural haven (Wikivoyage EN). The places below are illustrated; Signal Hill, Fort Amherst and The Battery are described in text.

Colourful houses at the foot of the hills

The harbour and the Narrows

Jellybean Row

Cape Spear

Quidi Vidi

Icebergs

Signal Hill, Fort Amherst and The Battery

Signal Hill, a National Historic Site of Canada, overlooks the city; Cabot Tower, built in 1897, crowns the hill, and the first transatlantic wireless message was received there in 1901 according to Wikivoyage (EN, FR). Fort Amherst, with its lighthouse and Second World War fortifications, stands across the Narrows from Signal Hill. The Battery, a village of small houses framed by cliffs, once helped defend the harbour (Wikivoyage EN).

Museums and culture

The Rooms, Johnson Geo Centre and Railway Coastal Museum

The Rooms

The Rooms combines the provincial museum, the archives and the art gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador in a building that has become a landmark, with wide views from the upper floor (Wikivoyage EN, Wikipedia EN). We do not quote admission prices.

Geology and railways

The Johnson Geo Centre, on the slopes of Signal Hill, interprets the region's geology, and the Railway Coastal Museum occupies the old station on Water Street (Wikipedia EN).

History and music

The city was the capital of a colony and then a dominion before becoming a provincial capital in 1949 (Wikivoyage EN). The taverns of George Street and Water Street give pride of place to traditional music, including fiddle (Wikivoyage EN).

Food and drink

Fried fish, cod cheeks and Irish pubs

Newfoundland specialties

Among local dishes, Wikivoyage (EN) lists fries with dressing and gravy, fish-and-brewis, made with hard bread, and cod cheeks. Fish and chips hold a big place, with several well-known addresses in town.

Pubs and beer

George Street and Water Street concentrate pubs, many of them Irish, which is no surprise since St. John's is the North American city closest to Ireland (Wikivoyage EN). Cold beer is sold in convenience stores, but wine and spirits only in provincial liquor stores.

Cafés and brunch

Local cafés and bakeries serve breakfast and soups all day; vegetarian cooking and other world cuisines are also represented (Wikivoyage EN, ES).

Getting around

Limited transport: rely on a car and your legs

Metrobus

The Metrobus network serves almost the whole city, but buses are often early or late and locals do not consider them reliable. Stops are not cleared of snow in winter (Wikivoyage EN). We do not publish fares.

On foot

For trips under 4 km, walking is often faster than the bus according to Wikivoyage (EN). Quidi Vidi Lake, Quidi Vidi and Signal Hill are within walking distance of downtown; in winter, sidewalks and stops can be snowbound.

Rental car

St. John's is a driver-dominated city with a haphazard road layout: a map or GPS is essential (Wikivoyage EN). A car remains the best way to discover the Avalon Peninsula, Cape Spear, Bay Bulls and fishing villages. Outside the city, neighbouring communities have no bus service.

Budget and precautions

A mid-range price level, and weather to plan for

Price level

St. John's sits in a mid-range bracket for Canada; boat tours and a rental car weigh more than meals. The currency is the Canadian dollar. We do not publish figures: sources are dated or disagree.

Flights and alerts

SniperAir tracks flight prices to YYT and compares them with the route's history, but it does not sell or book tickets. The island is far away: direct flights come from Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and a few seasonal destinations.

Safety and weather

The city is generally safe; Wikivoyage (EN) advises care on George Street on weekend nights at bar closing time. Fog, wind and rain are frequent: pack waterproof clothes in layers. Visitors from abroad should check Canada's entry requirements for their nationality.

When to go

Cool, foggy summers and snowy, windy winters

St. John's has a cold, humid temperate climate (Dfb) according to Wikipedia (FR), strongly shaped by the ocean and the cold Labrador Current, which makes temperatures 7 to 8 °C lower than in a French city at the same latitude. Wikipedia (EN) counts about 1,539 mm of precipitation a year and 124 foggy days. The best time for the city runs from June to August, unless you are looking for icebergs: aim for April and May.

By length of stay

What to do in St. John's depending on your length of stay

In pictures

St. John's in pictures

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about flights to St. John's