viking65

My husband and I plan to visit Newfoundland in June or July specifically to see L'Anse aux Meadows. We would probably fly in to Deer Lake and would welcome suggestions on the best time to visit there. We hope to see whales and icebergs while up on the peninsula. Do you have any tours to recommend and any B and B's to suggest? We would rent a car and would like to know if a week is enough to see the best places in Newfoundland. Is it enought time to drive around the island? We do have lots of time but not lots of money.. Are there any must-sees you could recommend because we are not likely to go back ever again...we are in our 60's and still have lots of the world left to see.
Thanks for any help.

gannetmusic

One week will suffice for western Nfld but is not nearly enough time to see the whole island. You need minimum 2 weeks.

If you can stretch your visit to 2 or more weeks I would be delighted to offer plenty of suggestions.

cheers

Jerry

Molly2

I agree - two weeks would be lots better. Near L'ans aux Meadows, the Tickle Inn is fantastic, right on the water, great views and ambiance, hosts, dinners. There is an excellent whale/iceburg tour that leaves from that area, but I can't recall the name of the outfit.

kodi

I have to agree with the others. You need a minimum of two weeks to even scratch the surface.
It would be great if you had the time to work you way over to St.John's and to drive around the Avalon Peninsula. At the end of June is a great time to see the Puffins nesting. There are great boat tours leaving from Bay Bulls, south of St'John's.

Also, on your way across the island , take time for Terra Nova National Park, and Trinity.
Oh, there is so much to see! As Jerry says, if you decide to stay longer, we can give you lots of help.

Also in Gros Morne National Park you must do the Western Pond Boat tour. Very, very worthwhile.

viking65

Thanks for the advice. We will try to do 2 weeks.

viking65

I would appreciate some tips on renting a car to do a 10 or 14 day trip including L'Anse aux Meadows. What would the lileage be to land in St John's and drive to L'Anse aux Meadows and back and what are the must see sights along the way. Is 10 days enough or should we do 14?

gannetmusic

St. John's to St. Anthony is 655 miles [not km....] -a good 12 to 13 hour drive.

If arriving in St. John's you could sample the 'recent' [mostly after 1600] history of the Avalon Peninsula before heading out to L'Anse aux Meadows.

cheers

Jerry

rabever87

We are planning a trip from June 7-July 3. I see some of you are most willing to give advice of where we should go. I'd love to hear what you think are the highlights. We like staying at least 3 nights in an area so we don't have to move too often - either in a cabin or B*B. What about spending a night in Labrador? Thanks.

Tanya

Last year we drove across Nfld and back again. Arrived in Port Aux Basques and headed to Gros Morne. We only had six days so it was a fast trip. Gros Morne is a rugged beauty with exceptional friendly people. We stayed the night in Rocky Harbour (Hilltop B&B) which was clean, inexpensive and very comfortable. We drove the next day to St. John's. We stopped along the way in the major towns/cities - not much there to explore. Spent two night in St. John's - great spot. Next we drove to Twillingate - which I would recommend as a spot to stop when driving from Deer Lake to St. John's. It is out of the way, but charming. You may get to see icebergs unfortunately we didn't. In my opinion, I would spend the majority of my time in Gros Morne and St. John's. Totally two different examples of what Nfld has to offer!

George

Hi:

rabever87

I'm glad to see that you have almost a month to spend in Newfoundland.

I assume that you have the Provincial Travel Guide and have made your ferry reservations.

In the Werstern portion I would be sure to take the drive out Rt. 450 to Lark Harbour & Bottle Cove. Great scenery! Of course you'll be stopping in Rocky Hbr. On the way north on the Viking Trail (Rt 430) stop at "The Arches" near Portland Creek and then north to St. Anthony. With regard to going over to Labrador, the schedule for the ferry is at http://www.tw.gov.nl.ca/FerryService...s/J-apollo.stm. I would recommend two nights in Labrador. There are great efficiency appartments at "Seaview Cabins & Restaurant" in Forteau. The "Northern Light Inn" in L'Anse-au-Clair is also very nice.

Travelling further east from Deer Lake be sure to drive up to Twillingate. There is plenty to do there - icebergs(?), boat tours, museums, shopping, etc. A day trip to Fogo Island (ferry from Farewell) is also interesting.

A drive to Bonavista is very worthwhile with a stop in the historic town of Trinity.

From there I would plan to spend at least one week on the Avalon Peninsula visiting St. John's and other attractions such as Ferryland, a whale/puffin boat tour from Bay Bulls, the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve, a drive to St. Vincent's (Rt 10) where whales come right up to the shoreline, and Cape Spear.

I would figure three nights in St. John's. There are plenty of hotels/B&B's to choose from. We usually stay at the Murray Premises Hotel.

For a place more central to touring the Avalon, I heartily recommend "Comerford's Oceanview Suites" in Holyrood, about 30 kms. from St. John's www.irishloop.com. These are fully furnished apartments in a small, quiet, town just off the Trans Canada Hwy.

There are many other interesting spots - too many to list.

I hope this helps a bit. If you have specific questions, please post.

Regards.