St Johns NL (Newfoundland-Labrador Canada)

St John's NL is a major seaport, capital and biggest city in Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador province (abbrev NL), with population around 110,000 (metro around 210,000).

Positioned along the Atlantic Ocean coast, the city is the province's biggest and the second-largest in Atlantic Canada (Newfoundland-Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island) following only Halifax NS. The downtown area is to the west and north of Saint John's Harbour, while the rest of the city expands from downtown in all directions.

The area was permanently settled in 1528. In 1583, the community was claimed for England and served as a major British naval base during the War of 1812 and the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). St Johns was rebuilt after several major fires in the 19th century, leaving the town with a heritage of different architectural styles.

A center of commerce and manufacturing, as well as a major seaport, St Johns is built around a natural harbor navigable by large-sized ships. The port is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a long channel (called "The Narrows"). Besides its port, the city is also served by St Johns International Airport (approx 10 min northwest from downtown). In 2011, the airport handled 1,4+ million passengers, ranking it Atlantic Canada's 2nd busiest airport.

Signal Hill National Historic Site features a tower in which Guglielmo Marconi received in 1901 the first transatlantic wireless telegraph message. Another very popular tourist attraction is the Newfoundland Museum (with an auditorium, maritime museum, art gallery). The St John's Regatta is a renowned annual event dating back from 1826.

During season 2017, the cruise port handled a total of 64 ship calls and 144,000+ passengers plus 58,000+ crew. Port Saint John's is Canada’s 3rd largest cargo port (by trade shipping volume), with a diverse cargo base, including bulk (dry, liquid, break) and TEU-containers.

In the pre-COVID season 2019 (early-May through late-October), the cruise port handled 32 ship calls and 29882 tourists (passengers+crew).

For 2020 were booked 39 berthings (ship calls with an estimated ~48,000 tourists) and maiden port calls scheduled for 4 liners - Disney Magic, Island Princess, Empress of the Seas (RCI-Royal Caribbean) and the superyacht Le Champlain (Ponant).

St Johns NL cruise terminal