Heritage
Loyalist roots
Saint John was founded in a single year by 14,000 Loyalist refugees from the American Revolution. The Loyalist Burial Ground in the middle of downtown — and the King's Square layout — still trace that founding moment.
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Bay of Fundy · New Brunswick
Saint John
Canada's oldest incorporated city, where the Bay of Fundy reverses a river.
- Best time
- May – October; foggy Junes are an authentic Fundy experience.
- Getting there
- Saint John Airport (YSJ), or 1 hr drive east of the US border at St. Stephen.
- Suggested stay
- 1 – 2 nights
- Known for
- Reversing Falls · Saint John City Market · Trinity Royal
A portrait of Saint John
An essential stop.
Founded by Loyalists in 1785 on a rocky harbour where the Saint John River meets the Bay of Fundy, Saint John is a port city of cast-iron architecture, working harbour markets, and the famed Reversing Falls — where the tides actually push the river backward twice a day.
Field notes
Three ways to feel the place.
On the map
The six places
to anchor your trip.
A tour through the icons and the under-the-radar corners — laid out the way a local would walk you through.
- 1
Saint John City Market
Continuously operating since 1876 — Canada's oldest farmers' market.
- 2
Reversing Falls Rapids
Bay of Fundy tides push the Saint John River backward twice daily.
- 3
Trinity Royal
26 blocks of intact 19th-century brick and brownstone in the old town.
- 4
Irving Nature Park
Coastal park on a peninsula southwest of town — seals, eagles, and Fundy views.
Saint John City Market
Reversing Falls Rapids
Trinity Royal
Irving Nature Park
N
Year-round
Saint John through the seasons.
Spring
Bay of Fundy fog rolls in; rivers swell with snowmelt.
Summer
Area 506 festival on the waterfront and uptown patios open late.
Autumn
Fundy Trail Parkway gold and the Saint John Sea Dogs hockey season starts.
Winter
Steaming bowls at Vito's and quiet uptown brick streets under snow.
Insider tips
From people who live there.
- 01
Eat brunch at East Coast Bistro and brunchy donuts at Bourbon Quarter.
- 02
Time the Reversing Falls visit for slack tide for the most dramatic shift.
- 03
Picaroons Brewing's General Store taproom is the warmest welcome in town.
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