While in the middle of planning a vacation to Prince Edward Island in summer 2015, I suddenly found myself intrigued by the oddly shaped island to the northeast. It had an air of mystery about it, and the more I scoured the internet for pictures and details, the more enchanting Newfoundland became in my mind.
Long story short: our 3-week vacation included more days in Newfoundland than on PEI. And they were still too few. Here are 5 reasons you should consider a visit to Newfoundland:
Get away from it all
Literally. Newfoundland is the epitome of “out of the way”. Except for maybe Svalbard. Or Kamchatka.
Once you’re there (which isn’t an easy trek), you are in a province with one of the lowest population densities in Canada. There are wonderfully few people in Newfoundland, and those you meet are sure to be friendly.
There is so much to explore; the island has an exquisite, rugged beauty. While you’re in or near St. John’s, make sure you visit Cape Spear, the easternmost point in North America (sans Greenland). You’ll actually technically closer to Greenland than to Toronto.
See puffins and moose
The wildlife in Newfoundland is abundant. One of my favorite experiences was taking a boat tour of Witless Bay Ecological Reserve where we saw an abundance of puffins, kittiwakes, and common murres.
Moose are also abundant on the islands. They were actually introduced to Newfoundland from nearby New Brunswick, and within just a few decades, there were plenty to hunt. Now you’ll be reminded by road signs to slow down (especially at night) so as to avoid hitting one of the huge creatures.
My wife and I *did* see one moose while in Newfoundland, but it was unfortunately from a long distance away.
Then see icebergs!
Iceberg tours are a staple of Newfoundland tourism. Every spring the glacial remnants make their way slowly south through “iceberg alley” along Newfoundland’s east coast, to their eventual demise.
You can find a number of tour companies that operate iceberg tours. My wife and I went on one in Twillingate. The best time for iceberg tours is typically late May / early June. We were lucky to see a couple bergs in July.
This year a huge iceberg parked itself off the eastern coast of Newfoundland, drawing numerous tourists, and even some locals to take a gander.
Visit Gros Morne, a UNESCO-listed park
Gros Morne is a spectacularly beautiful national park. You can visit this year with your free parks pass (SEE: 7 great parks to visit with your Parks Canada free pass in 2017) as Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary.
There are an abundance of hiking opportunities, ranging from easy day hikes to multi-day treks far from civilization. You can also take a boat tour of Western Brook Pond, which I highly recommend. We spent a day in Gros Morne. You should take a week.
Be surprised when everyone sounds Irish
The Newfoundland accent is an odd one. While I can now pick out the typical Canadian, everything is different in Newfoundland. The Newfoundland accent isn’t even comparable to the rest of Canada. Heck, many Newfoundlanders don’t even claim to be Canadian! They’d honestly rather be called Irish.
For the most part, the people were moderately easy to understand. The accent is soft in St. John’s where most of the population resides. But it you visit the rural areas, be prepared to envision yourself in Waterford or Cork. Newfoundland might be the most Irish place outside of Ireland.
Inspired to visit?
I hope you are. Newfoundland ranks near the top of my list of favorite places ever visited. I’m looking forward to returning someday for a MUCH longer time than our first visit. Our 5 days on the island were so cursory that the trip just left me dreaming of heading back.
Just don’t visit in winter. It’s frightfully cold.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
How did you get there? Which airport did you fly into?
We actually took a ferry from Nova Scotia. Cost a bundle (’cause we sprung for the “deluxe” accommodation), but that’s why I saved a bunch of Arrival+ miles. Took ferry from Sydney, NS to Argentia, NL, drove across the island over several days, and then headed back to Nova Scotia via ferry from Port-aux-Basques.
As far as flights go, Air Canada is your best bet, using United miles. St. John’s has the most flights, but you can also fly into Deer Lake or Gander. Most award tickets require a midnight-ish arrival. WestJet also has some flights, and so does Porter. Expect a 2+ stop ticket from most places in the U.S.
Great place to visit. Thanks for sharing. I did not know about Newfoundland. It’s great.
My husband was stationed in Greenland for a year in the 1950’s. It was not a pleasant duty. Now I can’t get him to go anywhere where there are glaciers, ice bergs, etc. as he says he has seen more than he wanted. We did an Alaska cruise which he disliked for the same reasons.
Of course, he has been to NS and NF, but my chances of getting there are slim and none.
We do enjoy river cruising in Europe though.
Tell him that July and August in Newfoundland are actually quite nice. The bergs will (almost certainly) be long gone, and the weather will be mild to warm (like 60s to mid 70s, Fahrenheit). I’m sure he would enjoy himself. 🙂
He was there for a year, and saw it in all climes. Not end of the world, plenty other places to go. We are in our 80’s so not too many good trips left. I always try to book somewhere we will both enjoy. It’s too bad as we have been all over Canada together, except to the Maritimes. I can deal with it.