Free
Irving Nature Park
A free coastal park of woods, salt marsh and Fundy shoreline, with trails and lookouts a short drive west of the harbour.
Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick
Saint John
A harbour city on the Bay of Fundy, with a free coastal park, a river that changes direction with the tide, a long waterfront walk and Canada's oldest continuing farmers' market.
Photo: The Reversing Falls gorge and bridge in Saint John, Leonora (Ellie) Enking from East Preston, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
Saint John sits where the Wolastoq, the Saint John River, meets the Bay of Fundy. Twice a day the tide is strong enough to turn the river back on itself at a rocky gorge in the middle of the city. You can watch it from Fallsview Park, then walk Harbour Passage along the waterfront to uptown.
West of the harbour, Irving Nature Park is a free coastal reserve of woods, salt marsh and Fundy shoreline. Rockwood Park is a large forest of lakes and trails inside the city. In uptown, the City Market has been trading since 1876 under a timber roof that looks like a ship's hull.
Outdoors and nature
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
Free
Rockwood Park
A large city park of forest, lakes and trails, close to downtown, for a walk or a paddle.
Free
Harbour Passage
A paved waterfront walk from the Reversing Falls into uptown, with views of the harbour, the bridges and the tide flats.
Free
Reversing Falls
A rocky gorge where the Fundy tide turns the Saint John River back on itself. Watch from Fallsview Park or Wolastoq Park; time your visit to the turn of the tide.
Paid
Reversing Falls jet boat
A guided jet-boat trip through the gorge at the Reversing Falls. Check the official site for trip times and tide conditions.
Season Seasonal; trip times follow the tide (check before you go).
Sights and attractions
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
Free
Trinity Royal and uptown
A walkable historic district of brick streets, shops and restaurants around King Street, Prince William Street and the Market Slip.
Free
King's Square and the Loyalist Burial Ground
A formal public square in uptown, with a historic burial ground of the city's early Loyalist settlers next to it.
Free
Market Slip
The historic landing at the foot of King Street, where the harbour meets uptown, now a place to watch the tide and the waterfront.
Cheap
Carleton Martello Tower
A stone War of 1812 tower on a hill above the west side, with harbour views. A Parks Canada site.
Season Seasonal; check the official Parks Canada page before you go.
Cheap
New Brunswick Museum
The province's museum, with Fundy, river and city history, in uptown Saint John.
Markets, shops and festivals
Main streets, markets and the dates worth planning around.
Free
Saint John City Market
Canada's oldest continuing farmers' market, in a historic building whose timber roof is said to resemble a ship's hull. Vendors Monday–Saturday.
Season Vendors roughly Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; the building opens from 7:30 a.m. (check before you go).
Free
Uptown shops and cafés
Independent shops, bakeries and restaurants in the historic streets around the market.
Book a tour or activity
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
Carleton Martello Tower
Admission to the Parks Canada tower and its harbour views.
Season Seasonal; check the official Parks Canada page before you go.
New Brunswick Museum
Admission to the provincial museum in uptown Saint John.
Also bookable, listed above
These are in the lists above, so we don't repeat them here.
Part of our Bay of Fundy guides.
Make it a weekend
Why stay the night
- The Reversing Falls are a twice-a-day show; one visit is only half the story.
- Irving Nature Park and Rockwood Park are easy half-days you should not rush on the way through.
- The City Market and Trinity Royal are better on a morning when the stalls are open.
Nearby and worth the drive
St. Andrews by-the-Seaabout 80 min · Guide ↗
A loyalist seaside town on Passamaquoddy Bay.
Fundy National Park and Almaabout 1 h 40 · Guide ↗The park, the tides at Alma, and the Hopewell Rocks farther up the bay.
Frederictonabout 1 h 30 · Guide ↗The capital, up the river.
Digbyabout 2 h · Guide ↗The Fundy Rose ferry across the Bay of Fundy, a little over two hours.
Ready-made trips with Saint John
Good to know
- Tides: The Reversing Falls are most dramatic around the turn of the tide, not at mid-tide slack water. Check a tide table and give yourself time to see both directions.
- Tourism: discoversaintjohn.com is the official visitor site.
- We list only places we can check against an official source. Hours, seasons and prices change, so confirm before you go.
Photos on this page
Photo: The Reversing Falls gorge and bridge in Saint John, Leonora (Ellie) Enking from East Preston, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: The coast at Irving Nature Park, Leonora (Ellie) Enking from East Preston, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Harbour Passage along the Saint John waterfront, Cusack5239, CC0
Photo: Rapids at the Reversing Falls, Leonora (Ellie) Enking from East Preston, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Carleton Martello Tower, Janayna Velozo from Japan, CC BY 2.0
Photo: St. Jacobs Farmers' Market, Canmenwalker, CC BY 4.0