Planning a Trip

Getting There

Saint John is located on Route 1. It's 106km (66 miles) from the U.S. border at St. Stephens and 427km (265 miles) around the bend from Halifax. If you're driving north from Maine on Route 1, note that there is a C50¢ toll to cross the Saint John Harbour Bridge (though you can actually avoid it by taking slower Route 100). Reach downtown by taking exit 122 or 123 off Route 1.

A year-round ferry service connects Saint John with Digby, Nova Scotia. Saint John's airport, coded YSJ (tel. 506/638-5555; www.saintjohnairport.com), has regular flights to and from Montréal, Toronto, and Halifax on Air Canada (tel. 888/237-2262; www.aircanada.com). WestJet (tel. 800/538-5696; www.westjet.com) also operates flights from Toronto. There are auto-rental kiosks in the terminal, and a taxi ride into the city costs about C$30.

Visitor Information

Saint John (www.tourismsaintjohn.com) is fully stocked with three visitor information centers (VICs). Arriving from the west, look for the contemporary triangular building near the Route 1 off-ramp: This is the Route 1 West visitor information center (tel. 506/658-2940), open from mid-May through early October until 8pm in mid-summer (until 6pm in the shoulder seasons). You'll find a trove of information and brochures here.

There's also a seasonal VIC, the Reversing Falls information center (tel. 506/658-2937). It's located inside the observation building overlooking those popular falls on Route 100, which is also labeled on maps as Bridge Road. Get there from Route 1 by taking exit 119 or 119B; just like the Route 1 center, this VIC opens from mid-May through mid-October.

If you're already downtown, or you're visiting town outside the peak seasons, look for the City Centre Tourist Information Centre (tel. 886/463-8639 or 506/658-2855) inside Market Square, a central shopping mall just off the waterfront. You find the info center by entering the mall at street level, at the corner of St. Patrick and Water streets. It's open 6 days a week (closed Sun) year-round; during peak season (mid-June to mid-Sept), from 9am to 7pm and the rest of the year usually from 9am until 5:30 or 6pm.