St. John’s cruise port

Jellybean houses, Signal Hill and the edge of North America, all from a downtown pier.

St. John’s is the oldest city in North America and the easiest one to walk: ships tie up at Piers 10 and 11 on Harbour Drive, and the candy-colored row houses of Water Street, the pubs of George Street and the Rooms museum start a block from the gangway, with Signal Hill looming over the harbor mouth. Most cruisers climb or cab to Cabot Tower, then ride out to Cape Spear, the easternmost point on the continent, or drink a pint in the fishing village of Quidi Vidi. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at St. John’s from every line, Canada and New England loops, Greenland and Iceland voyages and transatlantic crossings, priced with taxes, fees and port expenses included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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DockedPiers 10 and 11, Harbour Drive, downtown walk-off

Canadian dollarscards everywhere; Newfoundland time, 1.5 hours ahead of Eastern

Jul to Sepwarmest and clearest, highs in the 60s

All inevery price includes taxes and fees

Start here

Three ways to do St. John’s

Signal Hill and Cape Spear with a guide, the old town and Quidi Vidi on foot, or a whale and puffin boat; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Big excursion

Signal Hill and Cape Spear with a guide

Cabot Tower on Signal Hill, where Marconi caught the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901, then the 25 minute drive to the Cape Spear lighthouse, the easternmost point in North America
Ship tours run 3 to 4 hours at about $80 to $130 a person; Holland America’s guided Signal Hill hike down to the Battery is about $89 (as of 2026)
Both sites are Parks Canada: the Signal Hill grounds are free, Cabot Tower and the Cape Spear lighthouse charge a few dollars each

Best for: first-timers, photographers, anyone who wants the postcard

Town on your own

Water Street, Jellybean Row and Quidi Vidi

Walk off the pier onto Water Street, the oldest street in North America, and climb a block to the jellybean row houses of Gower Street and the Rooms museum (about CAD 10)
Fit walkers can hike the Battery path up Signal Hill from the harbor in about 45 minutes; the North Head Trail loop has the best cliff views
Quidi Vidi village and its brewery (Iceberg beer, brewed with 20,000-year-old ice) are about 2 miles out, a CAD 10 to 15 cab

Best for: walkers, pub crawlers, repeat visitors

Boat day

Whales, puffins and icebergs at Witless Bay

Boat tours from Bay Bulls, about 30 minutes south, cruise the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, home to half a million puffins and summer humpbacks
2.5 to 3 hour ship tours run about $90 to $130; the puffins are on the islands May to August and the whales peak June to August
Icebergs drift past the harbor mouth in late May and June on a good year; Signal Hill is the free vantage point

Best for: families, wildlife lovers, June to August calls

Live from the cruise lines

St. John’s cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at St. John’s from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at St. John’s

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

Where you start

Home ports that sail to St. John’s

St. John’s is the far end of the Canada and New England route and the first or last landfall on Greenland, Iceland and transatlantic voyages; pick a home port and the list above narrows to cruises leaving from there.

New York (Manhattan)Oceania and other premium lines sail New York to Reykjavik with St. John’s as the last North American stop, and 10 to 14 night Canada and New England loops reach it in the fall New York (Cape Liberty)Celebrity Silhouette’s 13 and 14 night Greenland and Iceland sailings call at St. John’s on the way out or home BostonHolland America’s longer Canada, Greenland and Iceland voyages round trip from Boston, with St. John’s on day 3 or 4 MontrealHolland America, Seabourn and Windstar 10 to 12 night Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland round trips, several with an overnight in St. John’s ReykjavikIceland to New York crossings and Greenland expedition voyages that end in St. John’s Southampton30 night autumn-color round trips from England and fall transatlantic repositionings make St. John’s the first stop after the crossing

In port

Things to do in St. John’s

The city is at the gangway, the famous lookouts are a short cab away, and the whales and puffins are 30 minutes down the coast.

Signal Hill and Cabot TowerThe 1898 stone tower above the harbor Narrows where Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal, with the Signal Hill Tattoo of redcoat drills on summer Wednesdays and weekends. Grounds free, Cabot Tower a few dollars; a 5 to 10 minute cab (about CAD 12 to 15) or a steep 45 minute hike up the Battery path from the pier.

Cape Spear National Historic SiteThe easternmost point in North America, with the 1836 lighthouse (the oldest surviving in the province), WWII gun batteries and whale and iceberg sightings from the cliffs. About 7 miles and 20 to 25 minutes by cab (about CAD 40 to 50 each way) or on most ship tours; Parks Canada entry a few dollars.

Jellybean Row and Water StreetThe rainbow of painted Victorian row houses on Gower, Prescott and the side streets above the harbor, and Water Street, the oldest commercial street on the continent, with shops, cafes and the Murray Premises. Free, 5 minutes from the ship; the Duckworth Street stairs are the photo stop.

Quidi Vidi village and breweryA fishing village tucked into a rocky gut on the far side of Signal Hill with fishing stages, an artisan studio and the Quidi Vidi Brewery’s Iceberg beer. About 2 miles, a CAD 10 to 15 cab; allow 90 minutes with a flight on the deck.

The RoomsThe provincial museum, art gallery and archives in a building shaped like three fishing rooms on the hill above downtown, with the Beaumont-Hamel WWI gallery and the best indoor harbor view in town. About CAD 10, a 15 minute uphill walk from the pier; allow 90 minutes.

Whale and puffin boat toursBoats from Bay Bulls, 30 minutes south, cruise the Witless Bay islands and their half-million Atlantic puffins, with humpbacks June to August and icebergs in late spring. About 2.5 to 3 hours and $90 to $130 through the ship, or about CAD 80 to 100 booked direct with your own cab.

George Street and a Screech-inTwo blocks of nothing but pubs, said to have more bars per foot than any street in North America. Get Screeched-in (a shot of Newfoundland rum, a recited oath and a kiss for a cod) at Christian’s or Trapper John’s; the ceremony is about CAD 20 to 25 and the pubs open in the afternoon on ship days.

Basilica, Bannerman Park and the East Coast TrailThe twin-towered 1855 Basilica of St. John the Baptist and the Anglican cathedral crown the hill above downtown, and Bannerman Park is the leafy rest stop between them. Serious hikers can pick up the East Coast Trail at the Battery for the Signal Hill North Head loop, about 3 miles with cliffs, stairs and chains.

Pick your style

Which lines call at St. John’s?

About 36 to 39 calls are scheduled for 2026 between late May and mid October, from big premium ships on Canada and transatlantic routes to expedition vessels finishing Greenland voyages.

      Holland America LineVolendam and Zuiderdam on 10 to 35 day Canada, Greenland and Iceland voyages from Boston and Montreal, the most calls of any lineSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Celebrity CruisesCelebrity Silhouette’s 13 and 14 night Greenland and Iceland sailings from Cape Liberty and Boston, with 11 hour days in portSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Princess CruisesCrown Princess calls on world cruise and transatlantic segments, including the London to Sydney voyage in July 2026SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Oceania CruisesOceania Vista on 14 day New York to Reykjavik voyages that make St. John’s the last stop before the crossingSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Regent Seven SeasSeven Seas Splendor on 14 night Lisbon to New York transatlantic crossings with a St. John’s landfallSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      AzamaraAzamara Journey’s 14 and 30 night Iceland, Greenland and Canada voyages, with an overnight in St. John’s in SeptemberSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Virgin VoyagesValiant Lady’s 13 night Reykjavik to New York repositioning in September 2026SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      SeabournSeabourn Ovation on 12 day Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence round trips from Montreal with an overnight staySmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      WindstarStar Pride’s Quebec and Newfoundland round trips from Montreal, overnighting in the harbor in early OctoberSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
    

Timing

When to go

St. John’s is cool, foggy and changeable in any month; the cruise season runs late May to mid October, with July to September the warmest and clearest and late September the busiest for expedition ships.

Late May to JuneHighs 50 to 60F, the foggiest stretch of the year but iceberg season on the Narrows and the first whales and puffins at Witless Bay; few ships, bring a warm shell.

July to AugustHighs about 68F, the warmest and sunniest weeks, humpbacks at their peak and the Signal Hill Tattoo in full swing; the Greenland and Iceland voyages call now.

SeptemberHighs about 61F and the clearest skies of the season, with the Canada and New England and Montreal round trips in port almost daily; hurricane remnants can bring a wet, windy day.

OctoberHighs in the low 50s, wet and blustery, with the last expedition ships arriving from Greenland and Labrador in the first two weeks; the season ends by mid month.

Good to know

St. John’s questions we answer every day

Where do cruise ships dock in St. John’s, and how far is downtown?

Ships dock at Piers 10 and 11 on Harbour Drive, right in the downtown harbor, with a smaller second ship using Pier 17 when two are in; no line tenders here. Water Street is one block from the gangway and the visitor center is at 348 Water Street, a 5 minute walk. The piers are open to the weather, so there is no terminal building to speak of, just taxis and tour buses on the apron.

How do I get to Signal Hill, Cape Spear and Quidi Vidi?

Taxis wait on the pier and are metered: figure about CAD 12 to 15 to Signal Hill, CAD 10 to 15 to Quidi Vidi and CAD 40 to 50 each way to Cape Spear, or ask for an hourly rate of roughly CAD 60 to 80 to do all three with a driver who waits. Signal Hill is walkable if you are fit, a steep 45 minutes up the Battery; Cape Spear has no transit at all, so it is a cab, a ship tour or a hop-on hop-off bus that runs on ship days in summer.

What currency, language and time zone?

Canadian dollars, about CAD 1.35 to 1.40 to the US dollar; cards work everywhere and some downtown shops take US cash at a rough rate. English is the language, with an Irish lilt you will notice on George Street. St. John’s is on Newfoundland Time, a half hour ahead of Atlantic and 1.5 hours ahead of Eastern, so check whether your ship stays on ship time. Most US carriers charge for Canada roaming unless your plan includes it.

Is St. John’s safe?

Yes. Canada is at the State Department’s lowest advisory level and St. John’s is a friendly small city where the main risks are weather and terrain: fog and rain roll in fast, the Battery and North Head trails have cliffs and stairs, and the rocks at Cape Spear are slippery and exposed to rogue waves, so stay behind the barriers.

What is the best excursion, and should I book through the ship?

Signal Hill plus Cape Spear is the one everyone should do once; a 3 to 4 hour ship tour at about $80 to $130 covers both with a guide, or a cab does it for less if you are two or more. Downtown, the Rooms and the Battery need no tour. For the whale and puffin boat at Bay Bulls, book through the ship on calls of 8 hours or less so the cruise line guarantees your return; on long calls and overnights, booking direct and cabbing down is fine.

Do I need a passport?

On a closed-loop cruise that starts and ends in the same US port (New York, Boston or Cape Liberty), US citizens can sail with a government photo ID plus an original birth certificate, but we strongly recommend a passport, and Canada can refuse entry to travelers with certain criminal records. One-way voyages that start or end in Montreal, Reykjavik, Lisbon or Southampton, and any transatlantic crossing, require a passport book for everyone.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a St. John’s cruise specialist

We know which Canada and New England, Greenland and transatlantic sailings give you a full day or an overnight in St. John’s and which carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit, so call to check availability and book. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560