Holiday Overview
Experience the real Newfoundland! Visit both the highlights and the special places few travellers ever see. Abundant wildlife, deep fjords, wild islands and untouched rivers form the landscape. People live only in towns and villages where they have fishing ports on the ocean. This rugged lifestyle has produced a culture unique in Canada.
You explore the most dramatic eastern edge of the North American continent... a land of huge expanses of wild country, icebergs in August heat, and just enough development to allow you to discover this pioneer land.
Explore Newfoundland and Quirpon Lighthouse includes:
- Return flights from UK
- Car Hire
- 17 nights accommodation including 1 night in cabin on board of ferry
- Ferry Crossing North Sydney to Argentia, St. Barbe to Blanc Sablon and return; Port aux Basques to North Sydney for persons booked + 1 car
Day 1 - Arrival in Halifax
This is Canada’s traditional gateway to the world, combining charming old wooden homes and Victorian parks with modern shopping centres. The largest city in the region, it is home to 5 universities and several colleges and has the ambience of a lively university town. Ships, from tall ships to naval vessels, can still be seen in the harbour, and old warehouses and shipfitters’ shops have become part of the exciting boardwalk along the waterside.
Featured accommodation
Atlantica Hotel, Halifax
Day 2 - Halifax – Baddeck (ca. 320 km)
As you follow Marine Drive several parks provide sandy beaches and wild seascapes of rocky islands. En-route, why not visit Sherbrooke Village - one of the largest “living museums” in the Maritimes which has been partially restored to its frontier days. Cross by causeway to Cape Breton Island and continue to Baddeck.
Featured accommodation
Inverary Resort
Day 3 - Baddeck – Ferry – Argentia (ca. 175 km)
Explore the attractions of the Island, including the Bras d’Or Lake, wild seabird colonies or the Fortress of Louisbourg, Canada’s largest National Historic Site, and the strongest French fortress ever built in the Americas. Between June and September, costumed “animators” live in the fortress, making it come alive as it was in the summer of 1744. Then board your ferry (included) to Newfoundland later today where you will spend the night on board.
Day 4 - Argentia – Trepassey (ca. 225 km)
The Avalon Peninsula was the first area of the province to be settled and is filled with tales of the early adventurers who laid claim to this New World. Stop at Castle Hill, Placentia to see the remains of France’s 17thcentury fortress, The Castle Hill National Historic Site. Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve is one of the best and most accessible places in the world to see tens of thousands of nesting seabirds at least until late summer. What makes it so spectacular, is that the birds can be seen from land, as close as 10 metres away.
Featured accommodation
Edge of Avalon Inn
Day 5 - Trepassey – St. John’s (ca. 225 km)
Visit the lighthouse in Trepassey, enjoy a picnic by a lighthouse (not included) sitting at the end of a cliffy headland and watch for whales, delve into the rich history of this region where one of the first permanent European settlement in North America was established in 1621, or you may want to go whale watching tour at Bay Bulls. Nearby are Witless Bay and the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve which contains North America’s largest Atlantic puffin colony with more than 260,000 pairs of the province’s official bird. St. John’s is a combination of a booming oil town and picturesque wooden buildings from the Victorian period. Pubs and restaurants abound, and it seems as though the streets are never empty of pedestrians. Here you can shop in modern malls, tiny boutiques, or old time fisherman‘s outfitting stores; wander the brightly lit docks, or eat fresh seafood by the harbour.
Featured accommodation
Alt Hotel, St John's
Day 6 - St. John’s – Trinity/Port Rexton (ca. 210 km)
The Bonavista Peninsula is one of the most historic and beautiful parts of the province. Some say that this is where John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) landed in 1497 and claimed this ”New Found Land” for England. Whale cruises are available in the Trinity area.
Featured accommodation
Rosewood Suites
Day 7 - Trinity/Port Rexton – Twillingate (ca. 240 km)
Terra Nova National Park features mountains and islands jutting into Bonavista Bay. Excellent walking trails and a boat tour provide chances to view the magnificent landscape. Follow the “Road to the Isles”, which takes you by a series of little causeways to remote Twillingate on Notre Dame Bay. This is one of the best areas for observing icebergs in early summer, and boat tours go out to the icebergs several times most days.
Featured accommodation
Harbour Lights Inn
Day 8 - Twillingate – Grand Falls (ca. 225 km)
You travel through the vast interior of Newfoundland, go past old company towns by the Trans-Canada Highway, through forests once inhabited by the now vanished Beothuk Indians. Moose are frequently seen by the roadside. You spend the night in a village surrounded by beautiful Gros Morne National Park.
Featured accommodation
Carriage House Inn
Day 9 - Grand Falls – Gros Morne NP (ca. 280 km)
You travel through the vast interior of Newfoundland, go past old company towns by the Trans-Canada Highway, through forests once inhabited by the now vanished Beothuk Indians. Moose are frequently seen by the roadside. You spend the night in a village surrounded by beautiful Gros Morne National Park.
Featured accommodation
Ocean View Hotel
Day 10 - Gros Morne NP – Port au Choix/Plum Point (ca. 170 km)
Enjoy the mountain and fjord scenery of the majestic Gros Morne National Park, declared by UNESCO as a “World Heritage Site”. The Tablelands where an 80 sq.km slab of the Earth’s mantle has been shoved up on land from deep beneath the ocean floor, a boat trip on the inland fjord of Western Brook Pond, or one of 22 Giant fossils and some of the most ancient rocks on earth are also among the attractions of Gros Morne. Follow the “Viking Trail” north along Newfoundland’s great Northern Peninsula. Port au Choix is where there is an archaeological site and exhibit centre dedicated to the Dorset Eskimo people who once lived on this coast.
Featured accommodation
Sea Echo Motel
Day 11 - Port au Choix/Plum Point – L‘Anse-auClair (ca. 90 km)
Labrador! One of the world’s last frontiers lies just across the Strait of Belle Isle. A 1½ hour ferry trip (included) from St Barbe brings you to Blanc Sablon, Quebec on the Labrador border. It is only a short drive to the scenic fishing outport of L’Anse au Claire in Labrador.
Featured accommodation
The Florian Hotel
Day 12 - Southern Labrador (ca. 150 km)
An 80km paved road takes you along the southern coast. One of Canada‘s most impressive lighthouses is located in L’Anse Amour, as well as the earliest known funeral monument in America...9000 years old. Continue through small communities with Indian crafts and across clear-flowing salmon rivers to Red Bay. Red Bay is the site of the remains of a Basque whaling station from the 1500’s.
Featured accommodation
The Florian Hotel
Day 13 - L’ Anse-au-Clair – Quirpon Island (ca. 150 km)
A 1½ hour ferry trip (included) brings you to the island of Newfoundland, where you travel to St Anthony to make the 30-minute boat trip (included) to Quirpon Island. Here you will stay in a former lightkeeper’s house.
Featured accommodation
Quirpon Lighthouse Inn
Day 14 - Explore Quirpon Island
Only 7km in length, Quirpon Island is ideally located on the shores of “Iceberg Alley” – a perfect place to watch Icebergs and Whales (June/July). It is also a great spot to watch seabirds that feed along the coastline.
Featured accommodation
Quirpon Lighthouse Inn
Day 15 - Quirpon Island – Gros Morne Nat. Park (ca. 370 km)
Before travelling south on the Viking Trail, why not visit L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, the only known Viking settlement in North America. There is also the Norstead Viking Village nearby – a recreation of a Viking trading port at which is worth a visit.
Featured accommodation
Ocean View Hotel
Day 16 - Gros Morne Nat. Park – Port aux Basques (ca. 350 km)
Traverse the Long Range Mountains and drive through the Codroy Valley, stopping to enjoy the beaches and scenery at provincial parks along the way. Port aux Basques is a very old fishing village established centuries ago by Basque fishermen who came here long before Christopher Columbus.
Featured accommodation
St Christopher's Hotel
Day 17 - Port aux Basques – Sydney Area (ca. 25 km)
A 5-6 hour ferry (included) crossing brings you back to the mainland of Canada. When you come into harbour in Sydney, Nova Scotia, watch out for bald eagles, which are more abundant here than almost anywhere else in eastern America.
Featured accommodation
Clairestone Inn
Day 18 - Sydney Area – Halifax – Departure (ca. 395 km)
Today, you journey to Halifax Stanfield Airport for your departure.
Atlantica Hotel, Halifax
Whether you’re looking for family holiday accommodations, a romantic getaway, or a relaxing home away from home for your business trip in Halifax, the perfect room is waiting for you at the Atlantica Hotel.
Inverary Resort
The Inverary Resort, originally built in 1850, this 11-acre resort sitting on the shores of the glorious Bras d’Or Lakes. This is one of Nova Scotia’s most beautiful resort hotels, offering accommodation right on the waterfront of Baddeck, Alexander Graham Bell’s Cape Breton home and the starting point of the Cabot Trail - regularly voted in the worlds top ten most scenic drives.
Edge of Avalon Inn
An award-winning Inn and Restaurant located on the Edge of the Avalon, in Trepassey, on the Irish Loop. Two hours from the capital of St. John’s and neighbours to the UNESCO Mistaken Point fossil site. Come see for yourself and visit one of the best kept secrets in all of Newfoundland!
Alt Hotel, St Johns
In a prime downtown location, at the northeast corner of Water and Prescott Street, and close to the main tourist attractions. The Alt Hotel overlooks the harbour and offers a spectacular view of The Narrows Channel.
Rosewood Suites
In the heart of the historic town of Trinity, Rosewood Suites was designed to provide spacious comfort and modern conveniences. Originally built in 1910 as a railroad hotel the building offers a historic design due to being a listed building.
Harbour Lights Inn
The Inn sits atop a cliff overlooking the Twillinagte Harbour! It's a view you can't beat and just minutes away from Restaurants, Boat Tour and Museums. Relax on our deck after a perfect day and see why it's called the "Harbour Lights".
Carriage House Inn
Located on 6 acres in a quiet residential area in Grand Falls-Windsor. Perfectly located for stops halfway between Gros Morne National Park and Twillingate or Terra Nova National Park. Whether you’re travelling alone or with company, the rooms at The Carriage House Inn are tailored for your needs
Ocean View Hotel, Rocky Harbour
Place yourself in the heart of Gros Morne National Park, with a stay at its premier oceanfront hotel. Nestled in the quietly beautiful town of Rocky Harbour, the Ocean View Hotel is just a stone’s throw from the Park’s many cultural, natural and historical attractions.
Sea Echo Motel
Ideally located on the Great Northern Peninsula - midway between Gros Morne National Park and L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. An ideal location from which to explore the historical, cultural, and natural attractions of North-western Newfoundland.
The Florian Hotel
The Florian Hotel is located with ocean views in the picturesque town of Forteau. Located close to world-class salmon fishing. 20-minute drive from the ferry terminal. Unique, ambient atmosphere for the business or leisure traveller.
Quirpon Lighthouse Inn
Uniquely located on Quirpon Island at the northern tip of Western Newfoundland, close to St. Anthony. In late spring and early summer, it is the ideal location for fantastic iceberg and whale viewing. Only accessible by boat.
St Christopher's Hotel
St Christopher's Hotel is located on a hillside, with panoramic harbour views, in the small town of Port aux Basques. Only a short journey from the Marine Atlantic Ferry Terminal.
Clairestone Inn, Arichat
The Clairestone Inn, nestled in the coastal town of Arichat on Cape Breton Island, provides a bright and airy ambiance reminiscent of a beachfront cottage, radiating Arcadian charm. It serves as an idyllic retreat, ideal for unwinding while gazing upon the serene tides, savouring the soothing melodies of seagulls, and marvelling at the twinkling stars in the night sky. With numerous attractions to discover in the vicinity, you'll find plenty to explore. The warm and welcoming local staff will make you feel right at home from the moment you arrive.
Image Gallery
Long Point Lighthouse, Twillingate
St Johns
Gros Morne
Quirpon Lighthouse
Iceburg in Twillingate
Gros Morne
Hiking Trail, Twillingate
Baddeck
Iceburg, Twillingate
Moose in Gros Morne
Port aux Basques
Trepassey
Lobster Cove Lighthouse, Gros National Park
Alternative Holidays That May Interest You
Below you will find a small selection of 2024, 2025 holidays that may interest you. Remember, we tailor-make each holiday to your exact needs, so please call us on 0800 270 0069 and let one of our Holiday experts design the perfect trip for you
Canada Motorhome Holidays
Newfoundland & Labrador Coast to Coast to Coast
- 20 Nights
- Sydney NS
- St Johns
- Trinity
- Twillingate
- St Anthony
- Corner Brook
- Halifax
Canada Holidays 2024
Newfoundland Discovery Self Drive
- 13 Nights
- St Johns
- Trinity
- Twillingate
- Norris Point
- St Anthony
- Steady Brook
Explore Newfoundland and Quirpon Lighthouse
- 17 Nights
- Halifax
- Baddeck
- Trepassey
- St Johns
- Trinity
- Twillingate
- Quirpon Island
- Gros Morne National Park
- Port au Choix
- Port aux Basques
- Sydney NS
Newfoundland & Nova Scotia
- 12 Nights
- Halifax
- Sydney, Nova Scotia
- Corner Brook
- St Anthony
- Rocky Harbour
- Grand Falls-Windsor
- Twillingate
- Gander
- Clarenville
- St Johns