Planning a Trip

Getting There

A major relocation and widening of the Trans-Canada Highway near Fredericton has relieved traffic congestion somewhat. Look for signs directing you downtown; from the west, follow Woodstock Road, which tracks along the river. From Saint John, look for Route 7 to Regent Street, and then turn right down the hill.

The Fredericton Airport (tel. 506/444-6100; www.frederictonairport.ca), coded YFC, is located 10 minutes southeast of downtown on Route 102 and is served by cab and rental-car companies. For flight information, contact Air Canada Jazz (tel. 888/AIR-CANA; www.flyjazz.ca). There's also a new direct Delta Connection (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) shuttle service from Boston.

Visitor Information

Always careful to cater to visitors, Fredericton maintains no fewer than three center-city visitor information centers: the original in City Hall at 397 Queen St. (tel. 506/460-2041), open daily 8am to 5pm (to 8pm in the summer); and a second newer one at 11 Carleton St., which also has racks of information year-round (open normal business hours -- weekdays 8:15am-4:30pm). Call tel. 888/888-4768 or 506/460-2041 to reach either. There's a third information center at King's Landing (tel. 506/460-2191), just west of town in River Valley, open from mid-May through early October. No matter which one you find first, ask for a Visitor Parking Pass, which allows visitors from outside the province to park free at city lots and meters in town for up to 3 days without penalty. You can also request travel information in advance by visiting the city's website at www.tourismfredericton.ca.

Fredericton: The Land of Wi and Fi?

Surprisingly, Fredericton has been named one of the most "wired" cities in all of North America; it's easy to find a "hot spot" with your laptop anywhere in the city, thanks to the 2003 installation of citywide Wi-Fi. Known as Fred-e-Zone, the project now offers hundreds of access points -- not only downtown, but at the Greater Fredericton Airport, in shopping malls, and even in parks and sports arenas (think hockey) throughout the city. Fredericton was the first city in Canada to offer such a service -- far ahead of Montréal, Calgary, and Vancouver, for example, which still do not offer such a service. Remarkably, so far it remains free of charge; there's a C$30 (US$27/£15) or so monthly fee for public Wi-Fi access in most every other large Canadian city that has it. You can even rent a portable PC from the Lighthouse Adventure Centre (tel. 506/460-2939) for just C$3 (US$2.70/£1.50) per half-hour. Thumbs up, guys. Now get me my laptop.