Saint John New Brunswick

On the east side of Brunswick's downtown harbor is the new Marco Polo cruise terminal. Downtown can be explored on foot despite some hills; extra cruise berths are at neighboring Diamond Jubilee Cruise terminal and Long Wharf, farther into the harbor but still in the downtown area.

AREA506 Waterfront Container Village opened on the Saint John, New Brunswick waterfront in June 2022. Its 60 shipping containers hold local food, drink and retail vendors, creating shopping, dining and entertainment for over 147,000 passengers from 68 cruise ships, the port’s total visitors this year. Standard hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11AM to 7PM, extended when a cruise ship docks.

Harbor Passage leads from each cruise dock to Reversing Falls. In Saint John, taxis have no meters and instead use a zoned fare system, so ask the driver what the ride will cost. Do not assume exclusive taxi use: drivers can pick up and drop off another fare while you are travelling.

Take a printable map with you.

Collect a map from the ship terminal Welcome Kiosk.

Within Uptown, underground and pedway links connect City Market, Brunswick Square Mall, Market Square, Canada Games Aquatic center, Mercantile center and harbor Station without going outdoors: the "Inside Connection". It is especially useful in winter. At other times, Uptown Saint John offers pleasant accessible walking, with clear maintained sidewalks, crosswalks and straightforward navigation. Unlike many older cities, its Uptown uses a simple grid design.

Saint John has so many events that choosing where to begin is difficult.

In the city center, Reversing Falls is a one-of-a-kind attraction: at the world's highest high tide, Saint John River rapids reverse direction. City Hall’s Bus #1 goes there, but Bus #2 is needed for the return.

St. John is highly walkable, and its climate controlled Pedway system is simple to follow.

The most popular excursion is St. Martin's, 50 minutes from Saint John, a fishing village with some of the world's highest tides. Timed properly, you can "walk the ocean floor" and enter a sea cave. Historic resort town St. Andrew's by the Sea is 70 minutes away, with shops, museums, galleries and fabulous 27 acre Kingsbrae Garden. In Saint John, horse drawn trolley tours of the historic area are popular.

Big Pink hop on/off buses run three city routes: A, All about Town; R, Reversing Falls; and T, Top of the Market. One ticket covers all three continuous daily routes, and part of each fare supports breast research. Adults cost $40 and children $30.

An Avis car rental is near the dock.

At Hopewell Rocks National Park, the experience includes a beach walk along the ocean’s floor among flowerpot-like formations. Because the Bay of Fundy's tidal range is extreme, water covers the bases of these formations twice a day. At low tide, however, they can be viewed from ground level.

Saint John City Market provides a unique experience for locals and visitors: nowhere else locally combines a traditional "farmers market" with such a broad selection of goods and services.

Brunswick Square is a 3-level shopping complex with many different stores.

Canadian dollar is used, though USD is widely accepted, including by local transit.

ATMs appear in grocery stores, malls, airports and elsewhere, mostly connected to international networks such as Cirrus, Plus, Star and Maestro. Major credit cards can withdraw cash too, but it is generally more costly because a service fee applies and interest is charged immediately.

Marco Polo terminal has free WiFi. At Saint John Regional Library in Market Square near the ship, access is free: enter Market Square’s second level, go to the top of stairs, and arrange use at the reference desk. Computer terminals are limited and busy cruise days may mean waiting.

Canada's main languages are English 59.3% and French 23.2%, both official, while other languages make up 17.5%. Quebec and New Brunswick are the most "French"; the rest of the country speaks English.