Explore The First City

Take in the considerable highlights in and around St. John’s, a city founded in the late 16th century at the very eastern edge of North America.

After departing from the pier, you will enjoy a brief drive through St. John’s to Signal Hill, where signal flags were once flown to announce the names of approaching ships. It was also here in 1901 that Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal. While strolling the hill’s boardwalks, you will learn about the military history of this strategic site.

Then, it’s on to downtown St. John’s, North America’s oldest and most easterly city. As you drive through the narrow crisscrossing streets, you will pass the Government House, the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was constructed of red sandstone quarried from Signal Hill in 1831. Other landmarks include rows of colorful wooden Victorian homes and several churches on the Canadian Register of Historic Places, including the beautiful Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Nearby Cape Spear is also a National Historic Site, as you will discover during an enlightening visit. The cape is noted for being the easternmost point in North America and the site of the province’s oldest surviving lighthouse. There is also an historical gun battery that was manned during World War II to protect Newfoundland from German U-boats.

After visiting Cape Spear, you will return to the pier, passing through the scenic fishing village of Petty Harbour.