Downtown St. John’s · House guide

The Guest Guide

Emergency: 911. Anything at the house: (709) 691-2666, call or text.

Where to eat, what to do, and how things work at the house. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.

Stayed with us before? Book direct next time for 10% less — call or text (709) 691-2666.

House info

The House

So you can stop reading and go out.

Check-in: 3:00 p.m. Self check-in by keypad. Your access code is sent the day before arrival.
Check-out: 11:00 a.m.
Wi-Fi: Network name and password are posted inside the house near the router.
Parking: Specific to each house and included in your check-in instructions.

Appliances & amenities

Coffee maker and kettle, with coffee and tea
Fully stocked kitchen — pots, pans, utensils, dishes, cookware
Washer and dryer for guest use
Smart TV with streaming apps — log into your own accounts
Air conditioning and/or fans (varies by house)
Fresh linens, towels and extra blankets
Iron and ironing board
BBQ on the deck, propane provided

Before you come

Before You Come

The Avalon — the peninsula St. John’s is on — makes its own weather. Plan for it and the rest is easy.

July & August: Highs around 20°C, less on the coast and on the water. Fog some days, wind most days, and it changes fast. Bring layers, a rain shell and closed shoes; you will wear a jacket in July. Fog rolls in quickly near the coast — don’t let it stop you. Locals don’t.
Drive times: From downtown: airport 15 minutes; Cape Spear 20; Bay Bulls (boat tours) 30; Harbour Main 45; Brigus about an hour via Roaches Line. Bonavista and Trinity are a full day, three hours or more each way.
Nearest grocery: The Hill House — Sobeys/Dominion downtown; details in your check-in email.
Hill Flat — Sobeys/Dominion downtown; details in your check-in email.
LaCour House — Sobeys/Dominion downtown; details in your check-in email.
Phones: Canadian phones work as at home. US and European phones roam on Bell, Telus or Rogers; check your plan or buy a travel eSIM before you fly. Coverage drops on the East Coast Trail and south of Bay Bulls.
Liquor: Wine and spirits are sold at NLC stores only; the closest to the houses is on Duckworth Street. Beer is also sold at corner stores. NLC stores keep shop hours — daytime into the evening Monday to Saturday, shorter or closed on Sunday. Buy Saturday if you want it Sunday.
Sundays: Many shops open late or not at all; grocers and most restaurants open, some with shorter hours. Book Sunday brunch.
Tipping: 15–20% at table service, as elsewhere in Canada. Taxis round up.

Where to eat & drink

Where to Eat and Drink

From a long dinner to a proper pint.

Book ahead. Dinner tables fill on weekends and all summer (June to September). Reserve early.

Worth trying while you’re here: cod tongues if you see them; a Jiggs dinner (salt beef, root vegetables and pease pudding — the same roots we grow) is a Sunday thing, at Mallard Cottage or a church supper; toutons (fried dough with molasses) for breakfast at Rocket or Classic Café East; fish and brewis; partridgeberry or bakeapple anything. Fresh cod from the Fish Depot on Duckworth or off the boats at Petty Harbour.

If there is a bag of vegetables on the counter when you arrive, it is from our ground at Harbour Main; what to do with it is on the card.

Dinner

Portage: Share plates, Newfoundland ingredients, no fuss. Book a week ahead.
Mallard Cottage: Quidi Vidi village, five minutes from LaCour House. Newfoundland cooking in an old house; the Sunday brunch is the one to book.
The Merchant Tavern: Water Street, in the old bank. A long bar and a proper kitchen; easy for a group.
Adelaide Oyster House: Water Street. Oysters and small plates; loud, small, and there is usually a wait.
Terre: In the Alt Hotel on Water Street. Local ingredients, menu changes often; also does lunch and coffee.
Basho: Japanese-influenced cooking on Duckworth. Closed and reopened; check hours before you go.
Blue on Water: Pub food done well; a busy downtown room. A safe bet for a casual night.
St. John’s Fish Exchange: Seafood on the harbourfront. The place for a straightforward Newfoundland fish dinner.

Lunch & brunch

Classic Café East: Big breakfasts, open early. Toutons here.
The Bagel Café: Big brunch portions. Expect a line on weekends.
The Rooms Café: Inside the museum, with the view. Brunch or a light lunch.

Coffee & bread

The Battery Café: Coffee and baked goods at the foot of Signal Hill.
Toslow: Café by day, bar by night, on Duckworth. Small plates.
The Parlour: Gelato and coffee.
Rocket Bakery: Water Street. Pastries, light meals, fishcakes; toutons in the morning.
The Georgetown Bakery: Hayward Avenue. Bagels and bread; mornings only, sells out early, bring cash in case.
Birdie Bakery: Bakery — French pastries and bread. Not a sit-down café.
The Postmaster’s Bakery: Small and traditional; good sweet things.

A drink

The Duke of Duckworth: Proper pub downstairs off Duckworth Street. Fish and chips and a pint; no reservations.
Yellowbelly Brewery: Beer brewed on the premises, pub food, on Water Street at Beck’s Cove.
Bannerman Brewing Co.: Taproom in the old fire hall on Duckworth. Beer, coffee, small plates.
Quidi Vidi Brewery: On the water in Quidi Vidi village. Tours and tastings.
Annie’s: Wine bar down Water Street, same owners as Portage. Drinks, not dinner.
O’Reilly’s Irish Pub: Irish-Newfoundland music most nights, George Street.
Broderick’s on George: Cocktails and local music on George Street.

Things to do

Things to Do

You can do a lot in a few days. Start here.

Must-do

Signal Hill & North Head Trail: The hilltop over the harbour and the Atlantic. Walk up or drive, visit Cabot Tower, take in the view. The North Head Trail (2–3 km loop) runs along the cliffs above the Narrows, the harbour entrance — finish at The Battery Café for coffee.
Cape Spear Lighthouse: The easternmost point in North America, a 20-minute drive from downtown. Old lighthouse, coastal trails, whales in season. Worth getting up for sunrise.
Quidi Vidi Village: Say “kiddy viddy”. A fishing village inside the city. Walk the harbour, visit Quidi Vidi Brewery, and see the Artisan Studios for local work.
Downtown walk: Water Street is one of the oldest commercial streets in North America; most of what stands is post-1892 — the Great Fire took the rest. Water Street’s pedestrian mall, Duckworth Street, the courthouse, the Basilica.

Hikes

Sugarloaf Path: 8.9 km, moderate to difficult. A rugged East Coast Trail section with steep bits and long Atlantic views. Seabirds and foxes. One of the best coastal hikes in the province.
Cobbler’s Path: 8.2 km, moderate. Quiet trail with harbour and hill views. Starts at Middle Cove, a 20-minute drive.
Fort Amherst Trail: About 3 km loop, moderate. Lighthouse, Second World War bunkers and coastal cliffs.
Cuckold’s Cove Trail: About 5 km, moderate. Connects Quidi Vidi to Signal Hill through woods with ocean views.
Harbourfront walk: 1–2 km, easy. A gentle stroll from Harbourside Park with fishing boats and a view of the Narrows.

Parks & swimming

Bannerman Park: Walking paths, playgrounds and an outdoor pool.
Bowring Park: Ponds, gardens and an outdoor pool. A good afternoon.
Topsail Beach: A 20-minute drive. A dip in the Atlantic or a campfire on the shore. Nearby Topsail Bluff is a short drive plus a 5-minute walk to one of the best views on the Avalon.

Museums

The Rooms: Provincial museum and art gallery with the best view in the city. Newfoundland history, Indigenous culture, contemporary art; the provincial archives are here too.
Newman Wine Vaults: The wine trade, maritime history and the city’s early commerce.
Titanic & Iceberg Museum: Artifacts, film props and the story of the Titanic.

Seasonal

Icebergs & whales: Iceberg season runs roughly early May to early July; whales mid-May to September (peak mid-July to mid-August). Puffins at Witless Bay June to August. Watch from shore at Signal Hill, Cape Spear or Fort Amherst, or book a boat with O’Brien’s or Gatherall’s in Bay Bulls (30-minute drive).

Conception Bay — our side of the bay

Cupids: About an hour. John Guy’s 1610 plantation, the first English colony in what is now Canada; the Cupids Legacy Centre and the dig beside it.
Brigus: About an hour via Roaches Line. Hawthorne Cottage, Captain Bob Bartlett’s house, a national historic site; and the tunnel cut through rock in 1860 to reach his wharf. Blueberry festival in August — check the dates.
Harbour Main: About 45 minutes. Where our two acres are. The stand — hours on the farm page.
Bell Island: Ferry from Portugal Cove, 20 minutes from downtown; walk on or take the car. Iron mines ran 1895–1966 and you can tour a tunnel under the bay. In 1942 German U-boats twice attacked the anchorage and sank four ore carriers; the community museum tells it.

Day trips

Petty Harbour: A working harbour 25 minutes away. The Mini Aquarium, craft shops, puffin and whale tours. Cod jigging with Fishing for Success; fresh cod off the boats.
Dildo: About 1 hr 10 min. Waterfront, Dildo Brewing, trails and a local museum.
The Irish Loop: 3–4 hour loop. Coastal cliffs, small villages, and iceberg and whale spotting on the way.
Cape St. Mary’s: 2.5-hour drive. The most accessible seabird rookery in North America.

Culture

George Street & nightlife: North America’s densest bar street — pubs wall to wall, live music most nights. Traditional Newfoundland music at O’Reilly’s; a kitchen party with music and storytelling at Shamrock City Pub.
St. John’s Farmers’ Market: Saturdays 9–4 at Freshwater Road. Produce, baked goods, crafts; the growers we buy alongside are here.

Essentials

Groceries & supplies

Sobeys & Dominion: The main grocers, various locations across the city. The one nearest your house is in your check-in email.
Shoppers Drug Mart: Pharmacy, snacks and essentials. Open late. Multiple locations.
NLC (liquor store): Beer, wine and spirits. Closest to the houses is on Duckworth Street. Also inside some Dominion stores.

Getting around

Driving: Most attractions outside downtown need a car. Roads are hilly and can be narrow downtown. Watch for one-way streets.
Walking: Downtown is very walkable. Water Street, Duckworth and George Street are all close together.
Taxi: Jiffy Cabs 709-722-2222 and City Wide 709-722-7777.
Rideshare & rentals: Uber, Turo (car rental), and Pedego Electric Bikes on Water Street. A hop-on hop-off bus runs in summer.

Weather

Changes fast. Bring layers and a rain jacket, even in summer. What to pack is under Before you come.

Need something?

Need Something?

We’re local. If something in the house isn’t right, or you just want a recommendation, get in touch.

(709) 691-2666
info@harbourandhillsnl.com

Emergency numbers

911: Police, fire, ambulance
811: HealthLine — non-emergency medical advice, 24/7
RNC (police): (709) 729-8000
St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital: (709) 777-5000
Health Sciences Centre (ER): (709) 777-6300

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