There's music for every taste, from a harpist in a hotel restaurant, to jazz, rock and traditional, toe-tapping jigs and reels. It's like a permanent Mardi Gras without the excesses. Art galleries, a theatre, the Newfoundland Museum and a fine wine cellar are just a few of the attractions. From atop Signal Hill, where Marconi ushered in the modern era of communications, the ancient city stretches out before you. Brightly-coloured houses ramble up a hill topped by a cathedral.
Ships move in and out of the harbour.
Off to the south is Cape Spear, the most easterly point in North America and a must-see spot for any visitor. The older part of town is criss-crossed by narrow alleyways that have been used for hundreds of years. Outside St. John's the richness and diversity of the landscape is captivating. Just 30 miles from the capital city in the Witless Bay Ecological reserve, you can take a cruise to see whales, millions of seabirds and, in late spring and early summer, icebergs. On the southern tip of the Avalon Peninsula you'll find the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve where thousands of gannets, murres and other seabirds nest to raise their young.