The 11 Tours in St Johns That Earn Their Price

1.Newfoundland Puffin and Whale Watch Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 837 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $94Our pick

From Bay Bulls, about 25 minutes south of St. John’s, you’ll cruise aboard a catamaran into the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. Expect live commentary, Newfoundland music, seabird colonies, and seasonal chances to see puffins, icebergs, whales, dolphins, and more. Hotel pickup is available for an added fee.

“Great tour! We saw a couple of whales up close and many from afar. The staff was amazing! The puffin island was also very cool. A great trip for anyone. Definitely recommend!!”

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2.2 Hours Guided Whale and Bird Boat Tour in Bay Bulls

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 557 reviews · 2 hours (approx.)

From Bay Bulls, you’ll cruise past the four islands of Witless Bay Ecological Reserve with a naturalist guide. Expect millions of nesting seabirds, puffins, auks, and petrels, plus a chance of whales or dolphins. The family-run crew adds local stories, songs, and optional screech-in fun. A shuttle from St. John’s is available for CAD 35.

“Family owned and run tour. Great commentary about the various birds and sea creatures we saw. Crew sang some local songs and a few passengers opted to get “Screeched”. Highly recommend (thousands of puffins).”

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3.2 Hour Award-Winning Whale and Seabird Boat Tour from St. John’s

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 455 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $112

Join Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours at St. John’s Harbour for a two-hour coastal cruise toward Cape Spear. Your captain and crew explain local history, seabirds, whales, sea caves, and ocean life while you watch for bald eagles, puffins, gannets, sunfish, and whales. Glen, Tyler, Barry, and other crew members are praised for their humour and clear commentary. A heated cabin helps on chilly days.

“Beautiful scenery! Although we were too late in the year to see whales or puffins , it was still a very pleasant experience with great service.”

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4.Historic St. John’s Newfoundland and Cape Spear Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 248 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $66

See St. John’s highlights with a local driver-guide such as Larry, Cliff, Steve, Bill, or John. This small-group tour visits Cape Spear, Petty Harbour, Jellybean Row, Signal Hill, and Quidi Vidi in about 3.5 hours, with hotel pickup and short walks at each stop.

“Our guide was very knowledgeable of the area and because of that, came away with things I did not know about St John’s.”

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5.St. John’s Downtown Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 219 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $44

Walk downtown St. John’s with guides such as David, Sam, Pierre, Bob, or Tyra. Expect local stories, colorful architecture, George Street, Water Street, Jellybean houses, Colonial Building, and the War Memorial. Morning and afternoon departures are available, with groups capped at 18.

“Historical and truthful walk about in St. John’s. The journey to becoming the 10th Province of Canada is both insightful and funny albeit a little crazy too.”

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6.St. John’s NL: Cape Spear & City Tour with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 80 reviews · from $64

Visit Cape Spear Lighthouse, North America's most easterly point, then tour Signal Hill, Cabot Tower, Quidi Vidi Village, Jelly Bean Row, and central St. John's. An English-speaking local guide such as Steve, Larry, Brian, or Cliff leads up to 15 people in an air-conditioned vehicle, with pickup from many area hotels.

“very enjoyable tour. our guide (Brian) was excellent and provided lots of local, traveling tips.”

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7.St John’s Premium Driving Tour with Signal Hill & Cape Spear

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 50 reviews · from $78

Explore St. John’s in a small group of up to six with a local English-speaking guide. Visit Cape Spear Lighthouse, Signal Hill, Quidi Vidi Village, Jellybean Row, the Terry Fox Memorial, and major downtown sights. Guides such as Keith and Will add local stories, while downtown hotel pickup and drop-off keep this three- to four-hour tour simple.

“Our guide (Keith Butler) was fun. charismatic and knowledgeable. We had adequate time to check out each stop. I recommend him. 👍”

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8.3 hour City Tour of St. John’s, small group up to ten quests

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 48 reviews · 3 hours · from $65

You’ll ride in a late-model van with an English-speaking guide such as Dave, Jeff, or Geoffrey, visiting Signal Hill, Quidi Vidi, Jellybean Row, Cape Spear, and Petty Harbor. Hotel, Airbnb, and cruise-ship pickup is included. With groups capped at 10, this is a practical first look at St. John’s for $65.

“From the time we got in the van and Jeff introduced himself and welcomed us, we knew we were in for a great excursion! Jeff was so engaging and informative making our experience super interesting as well as entertaining and fun! Our tour was definitely one of the highlights of our too short stay and time in St John’s…highly recommend Jelly Bean Tours!!”

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9.St Johns Premium Tour with Iceberg Quest Boat Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 37 reviews · from $169

This six-hour small-group tour combines Cape Spear, Signal Hill, downtown St. John’s, and a two-hour Iceberg Quest boat cruise. Your local guide, often Keith or Kevin, handles the driving and city stories, while the boat crew searches for whales, puffins, seabirds, and seasonal icebergs. Hotel, Airbnb, and cruise-ship pickup is included.

“Keith from Seaside Tours was absolutely amazing and a delight as a guide. He was already waiting for us at the pick up spot and his car was clean and comfortable. He told us some great stories and we enjoyed his company Brilliant at sorting out our Quest tickets which were not properly logged in system Only complaint is pick up info poor and misleading especially address names We’re astounded when we then go right past the pier we were anchored at !! Strongly suggest you change the pickup point or provide the street address”

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10.St. John’s: Guided Walking Tour of the City

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 30 reviews · 2h 30m · from $43Best value

Spend 150 minutes walking through St. John’s with an English-speaking guide. Follow Water Street and Duckworth Street, visit Bannerman Park and the Colonial Building, and stop for photos near Jellybean Row. Guides such as Sam and Tyra bring local stories, humor, and even a song to the route. Expect some uphill walking.

“The guide was terrific. The tour was a highlight of our time in St. John’s.”

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11.Newfoundland Beer Tasting Tour in St. John’s

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 9 reviews · 2h 30m · from $62

Meet your English-speaking guide at George Street’s A Time statue for a 150-minute walk through St. John’s beer culture. You’ll sample seven local beers, including a sea-salt sour and stout, visit three breweries and bars, and hear tales of prohibition, beer strikes, an accidental port discovery, and Jimmy Kimmel. The tour ends at YellowBelly Brewery.

“Pierre was very knowledgeable about the history of beer in Newfoundland and the province in general. In addition to the factual side, Pierre also added a number of anecdotes (mainly around the beer strikes) which made the tour feel more personal. The beers themselves were decent with a good variety of styles including a stout, sour and a number of ales and lagers. Overall the tour is well organized and a pleasant couple of hours, especially if the weather holds out.”

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