Recently Viewed
Historic Walking Tour in Canada: Explore the City on the Bay of Fundy
4.9
153 Ratings
Saint John
Discover the rich history of Canada’s first City on the Bay of Fundy through a guided walking tour. Explore hidden gems and learn about Saint John’s fascinating past.
Duration:
2 hours, 5 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Water Street - On Water Street ,on the way to Market Square, the tour passes by the Jardine Building and the St. Andrews Society Bicentennial Green.
- Market Square - From the exterior area or Market Square, your guide will show where the Loyalist Landing in 1783 occurred, where the Great Fire of Saint John began, and the location of the Prince Charles and Lady Diana walkabout Details and history are provided. Inside Market Square is the Marco Polo sailing ship model; the history of the famous ship is given.
- Canada Games Aquatic Centre - After leaving Market Square this Olympic- sized Pool is viewed from an indoor pedway and the history of the facility is recounted.
- Saint John City Hall - Here in city hall the history of Pete’s Pub, owned by your tour guide is told. Stories about sports and entertainment and 35 years at the pub.
- Saint John City Market - Architectural features of the city market, along with its history, are shared by your guide. Extra few minutes to shop here .Oldest continuously operating market in Canada.
- Charlotte Street - On Charlotte Street after leaving the City Market your guide will show you large murals of famous Saint John people. This is a hidden gem, down an alley.
- Loyalist Burial Ground - Your guide will show you all of the beautiful features of this cemetery from 1783,including the beaver fountain.
- Sydney Street - After leaving the Loyalist Burial Ground, the tour proceeds to the old county courthouse on Sydney Street. History of the courthouse and jail is related including the last hanging in Saint John.
- King’s Square - All of the main points of this park established in 1785 will be pointed out by your guide, including a mass of molten metal from the Great Fire, the William Young statue, the Charles Gorman statue, and the King Edward vii Bandstand.
- Irving Oil Home Office - Across from King Square on King Square South Street is the Irving Oil Headquarters. The history of the Irving family in New Brunswick is told by your guide ,beginning with K.C. Irving in 1899.
- Imperial Theatre - The history of the theatre is given by your guide ,beginning as a vaudeville theatre in 1913.The chandeliers and other features are explained.
- Admiral Beatty - As the guide shows you the Admiral Beatty building, beside the Imperial Theatre on King Square South ,its history is told, beginning as a luxury hotel in 1925.Famous visitors are noted ,including Amelia Earhart before the famous transatlantic flight .
- Trinity Church - Your guide will describe all of the features and history of the Loyalist Church ,including the four main artifacts held there.
- Germain Street - Your tour proceeds on Germain Street, after leaving Trinity Church ,named after Lord George Germain, whose history will be noted. Directly across from the front of Trinity Church on Germain is the Union Club, a business club from 1884. The club’s interesting history is examined.
- Princess Street - At Germain and Princess Streets the tour turns right on Princess Street in order to reach Prince William Street. There is a good example on this corner of the way in which a newer building has been constructed to conform to preservation standards. Next to this is the historic Ritchie building, and its features will be explained by your guide.
- Prince William Street - After a downhill on Princess to Prince William ,your guide will show you all of the main buildings and other features of this street ,once known as the Wall Street of Canada. These include Chubb’s Corner with the carved stone heads ,old City Hall, the old post office, the Jarvis building, Bank of New Brunswick Palatine building ,and the Seamen’s Mission .Directly across from the mission is the Partridge Island mural, depicting the history of the island and immigration. Immigration and quarantine at Partridge Island will be explained, especially the Irish during the Potato famine.
- Three Sisters Lamp - The tour proceeds to the Three Sisters Lamp in St. Patrick Park at the foot of Prince William Street. The reasons for the name and how the lamps saved lives are explained.
- Marco Polo Cruise Terminal - The tour finishes at the Marco Polo cruise terminal and Area 506 Waterfront Container Village. Your guide will tell a history of the cruise industry in Saint John, including how it all began.
What's Included
- Pete’s Historic Walking Tour
What's Not Included
- Lunch
Additional Information
Welcome to the first city of Canada, located on the Bay of Fundy, recognised for the world’s tallest tidal waves. We’ll begin at the entrance of Area 506 Waterfront Container Village and make our way through historic Water Street towards Market Square to enter the indoor pedway system of the city. This helps us avoid climbing King St, the most uphill main street in the country. The tour mainly stretches out flat, with a downhill portion towards the end. Historical facts from 1783 to the present will prominently feature throughout the tour, accompanied by replicas of rare photographs. You will gain insights into many unique attractions and the hidden treasures of Saint John spanning 240 years of history. The tour concludes on Prince William St, formerly referred to as the Wall St of Canada.
Location
AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village
Water Street
Go to Area 506 Waterfront Container Village entrance on Water Street, beside Marco Polo Cruise Terminal. Look for your guide in a Tilley hat, Pete's Historic Tour. The meeting point is at the entrance fronting on Water Street, across from Steamers restaurant.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(153 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Wayne_q
Sep 1, 2024
Knowledgeable Tour Guides Make a Huge Difference in How to Enjoy an Excursion - The fact that Pete had repeat customers was a vote of confidence that we chose the right excursion to see the sights and hear about the history of Saint John. We were not disappointed! Because we were his only tour for the day, we went beyond the estimated 2 hour tour duration as Pete took the time to answer a slew of questions asked by the group. I'm sure the group appreciated this despite Pete's continued apologies for going overtime...but he completed the tour without rushing.
Review provided by Viator
Brent
Aug 31, 2024
Pete knows - Very knowledgeable of the area. Maybe the best walking tour guide we have had. Enjoyed an afternoon with Pete! Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kenneth_b
Aug 27, 2024
This tour was GREAT! - Wow. We are so happy we took this tour with Pete. We learned so much more about Saint John than we ever expected. Pete took us to all the highlights of uptown (they don’t call it downtown) and gave us the history of the city and its key residents. Afterwards, we knew exactly where we wanted to return to the next day. Pete is an excellent and knowledgeable tour guide and we highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Peter_k
Aug 25, 2024
Excellent tour, outstanding guide - We enjoyed the tour immensely. Pete knows the town, the people and the history. This was the best tour so far on our cruise.
Review provided by Viator
Latonda_l
Aug 23, 2024
Pete’s amazing history tour - We totally enjoyed the tour. He knew a lot of history and even future projects going on in Saint John. Pete is fantastic, but I will say this is not for kids more for adults.
Review provided by Viator
Ronald_a
Aug 22, 2024
Don’t miss this terrific tour of Saint John, New Brunswick - Pete provided a wonderful history of Saint John and New Brunswick. As a native, he used a plethora of knowledge and candor that made this walking tour so enjoyable. The walking was not difficult and if you visit this beautiful city, I strongly advise booking this tour; you won’t regret it! Remember this tour is in New Brunswick and not in another province.
Review provided by Viator
R2449hgmaryc
Aug 6, 2024
Do this your first thing when arriving in Saint John, NB - This was a fabulous introduction to Saint John, NB. You will see parks, some fun art and architecture of the area. Interesting history of the area and future developments. Pete was fabulous entertaining and we really enjoyed ourselves, as did the others on the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sufei10536
Aug 5, 2024
A fabulous tour of St. Johns - This was a most excellent tour and I highly recommend it! The tour gives you a good "lay of the land" and allows you to make a list of places that you will want to return to for more time since the tour allows only brief stops at each site of interest. Pete gives you enough information to keep you engaged, but not so much that it becomes boring or overwhelming.. He is a wealth of knowledge with endless fun facts and even has pictures for further impact! I appreciated learning about the history of Saint Johns and understanding future plans for its development. Pete clearly loves what he does and nothing about his tour felt like he was only going through the motions. He was funny, smart, eloquent, and we fully appreciated that we decided to take the tour-- can't recommend it enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anne
Jul 20, 2024
Great way to learn about St. Johns - Local born and raised guide Pete gave us an interesting, informative and humorous tour in his beloved city. Great history, sights and stories as we walked throughout the “uptown” St. Johns. He knew people everywhere we went. We highly recommend the tour with Pete.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Myriamiler
Jul 15, 2024
Very knowledgeable - Very knowledgeable and funny. Pete really knows his stuff. Pete had lots of pictures and background information on the building and the hole St-John area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor