Jennifer

I need some help with modes of transport available in Newfoundland: is there a bus service or is it better to hire a car and if so, where would people suggest is a good stop-over point? <BR><BR>Is there a way to get to L'Anse aux Meadows from directly from Montreal and then return to Montreal via St Johns OR - do i fly in to St Johns and book into a return journey schedule (StJ-L'Anse-StJ)? <BR><BR><BR><BR>

Jonas

You cannot fly to L'Anse aux Meadows. But you can fly to St. Anthony which is about 40 km away from L'Anse aux Meadows, but only from St. John's via<BR>Provincial Air (www.provair.com) or Air Labrador (www.airlabrador.com). I do not know if Car Rental or some sort of shuttle bus is available from St. Anthony to L'anse aux Meadows.<BR><BR>There may be some contorted (but I imagine really expensive way) to get to St. Anthony from Montreal by flying through Labrador, but I also think that it would be confusing, expensive, and connection times would be inconvenient. So I am pretty sure you would have to fly from Montreal-St. John's- St. Anthony and then back again.<BR><BR>There are no railways in NF, so that option is out. To drive (if you are going to do it in 2 days)the optimum stopover point would be in Deer Lake, where you would leave the Trans Canada to get on Hwy 430 (The Viking Trail) that takes you through Gros Morne National Park and up the Northern Peninsula, which by the way is an amazingly beautiful drive if the weather is nice.<BR><BR>It should take about 6-7 hours (600 km) to drive from St. John's to Deer Lake and about 5-6 hours to get from Deer Lake to L'anse aux Meadows (450 km).<BR><BR>To take a bus you could take DRL Coachlines (www.drlgroup.com) from St. John's to Deer Lake (it leaves at 7:30 AM and arrives at around 5:30 PM). From there there is a bus service up the Northern Peninsula called the Viking Express that leaves in the late afternoon on mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (you may be able to connect the two buses with no stopover). I don't believe that the Viking Express goes to L'Anse aux Meadows, but goes right into St. Anthony, so again you are stuck with finding a way out to the site.<BR><BR>Phoning or contacting Newfoundland Tourism would give you a much better idea of how to get from St.Anthony to L'anse aux Meadows.

Denise

Jennifer:<BR>How long is your trip and are you planning only to visit L'Anse aux Meadows. While it is historically important,ie Viking landing and settlement, it is off the beaten track. If you are visiting Newfoundland, more particularly the west coast of the island then a day visit might be more than enough. The only way I know of flying from Montreal to St. Anthony is a stop over in Blanc Sablon(?)or Goose Bay and that again is off the beaten track and quite frankly -very expensive.<BR>