Taking the ferry to Newfoundland: Everything to know!

Last updated on January 22nd, 2026

Being an island, there are only a handful of ways to get to Newfoundland, Canada. And while you could fly, in our opinion the ultimate way to get there is to take the ferry to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia.

Ferry to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia | Newfoundland Ferry

However, taking the Newfoundland ferry is not as simple as showing up and hopping on. It requires advance preparation, plus an understanding of its rules. And in this guide we’re sharing everything you need to know to take the ferry to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia. Including where to get tickets, the different seating options, what to expect onboard, and more!

Table of Contents

[show]

Why trust us when planning a trip to Atlantic Canada?

We spent over 3 months traveling all around Atlantic Canada in our self-converted Sprinter van, visiting many of the popular sites, plus off the beaten path gems along the way. And instead of rushing through these areas like most people are forced to on vacation, we traveled slowly, allowing us to experience them more as locals. Because of this, we have tons of tips to help you plan your own Atlantic Canada adventure, whether it’s just for a week or for multiple months.

About the ferry to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia

The ferry to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia is run by Marine Atlantic, a Canadian ferry service that offers year round service between the two provinces.

In Nova Scotia, all ferries leave from North Sydney, which is located on Cape Breton Island. Getting to this ferry terminal is a journey in itself, as it’s almost 4.5 hours from Halifax. But there are tons of fun things to do on Cape Breton Island to make the journey extra worth it.

On the Newfoundland side, there are two different ferry routes you can travel to from North Sydney. One that goes to Channel-Port aux Basques (7 hours) and one that goes to Argentia (16 hours). We’re outlining both below!

Taking the ferry to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia: Everything to know!

North Sydney to Channel-Port aux Basques (7 hours)

The North Sydney to Channel-Port aux Basques ferry route is the shortest (yes, even at 7 hours one way!) and most popular option. This route takes you to the southwestern tip of Newfoundland, which is a great starting point if Gros Morne National Park is at the top of your Newfoundland bucket list.

Out of the two routes, this is the only one that runs year-round, with two sailings every day (12:15 PM and 11:15 PM), plus an additional 5:30 PM sailing on Wednesdays in the summer.

North Sydney to Argentia (16 hours)

The North Sydney to Argentia route is significantly longer than the other route, at 16 hours one way. This route takes you to the southeastern tip of Newfoundland, about 1.5 hours from the capital city of St. John’s.

Despite being close to the largest city on the island, this ferry ONLY runs from June-September and only on specific days:

Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday going to Newfoundland
Monday, Thursday, and Saturday going back to Nova Scotia

Because of this limited schedule, plus the length of the ferry, we personally wouldn’t suggest taking this one. Especially if you have pets, which we will touch more on in a bit.

You instead could spend the extra 9 hours this ferry takes and road trip to Channel-Port aux Basques, which takes 9 hours to get to from St. John’s. Not only will this save quite a bit of money, as the Argentia route is more expensive, but you’ll also get to see more of Newfoundland along the way.

Important note: Newfoundland is on its own time zone (NT). This is 30 minutes ahead of Atlantic Time, which is what the rest of Atlantic Canada is on, and 1.5 hours ahead of Eastern Time. Make sure to change any clocks once arriving and keep this in mind when planning your journey on the Newfoundland ferry!

Why should you take the ferry to Newfoundland?

You may be thinking, “Spending 7-16 hours on a ferry? Why on earth would I want to do that?” And there are a few main reasons you would want to take the ferry to Newfoundland:

If you are traveling in a RV or campervan (like we were), this is the only way to get there.
Newfoundland is huge, offers endless things to do, and driving around takes a long time. So if you plan to spend 2+ weeks on the island, it will be more cost effective in the end to have your own vehicle.
While flying is quicker, you will likely have a layover, which could make the experience just as long (or longer) in the end.
If traveling to Newfoundland with a pet, especially one too large to be in the airplane cabin, this is a safe way to get them there.
Plus, it’s fun! We LOVE getting to experience other methods of transportation, like overnight trains, so taking the ferry was a unique way for us to arrive in Newfoundland.

However, the ferry may not be for everyone. If you plan to just visit Newfoundland for a week, we would suggest flying instead. The island is too big to fully explore in a week and the ferry is a long experience, so it makes more sense to fly and rent a car. You can fly into either Deer Lake (western side) or St. John’s (eastern side), depending on where you want to visit in Newfoundland.

Buying your Newfoundland ferry tickets

How to buy tickets for the Newfoundland ferry

Once you decide that the ferry is right for you, plus know the date you want to arrive, it’s time to book your tickets! You will want to buy your Newfoundland ferry tickets directly through Marine Atlantic.

When booking your tickets, you will first need to decide on the route and if you want one way or round trip tickets. We chose one way tickets, since we were in Newfoundland for 6 weeks and weren’t sure what day we wanted to leave until closer to our visit.

You also will need to know how many people are traveling with you, if you plan to bring a pet, and the vehicle you’ll bring, as pricing varies depending on the vehicle type.

Seating options on the Newfoundland ferry

Another important decision you will have to make is what type of seating you want. The Newfoundland ferry offers a handful of different options to choose from, including private cabins with their own bathrooms and showers!

Regular seating

For the cheapest Newfoundland ferry experience, book the regular seating. This is the standard choice you will get if you do not book a cabin or pay extra for reserved seating. With this option, you will just find whatever open seat you can. For the shorter ferry (and during the day), we think this is a totally fine option, as you likely won’t be at your seat the entire time anyways.

However, the downside of this choice is that you do risk losing your seat if you plan to walk around the ferry or go outside. So if traveling with more than one person, you may want to take turns holding the seats.

Reserved seating

If you want to have your own designated seat, book reserved seating. This starts at $20 CAD extra per person, so it may be worth it if you want the flexibility to wander around without losing your spot. Plus, this seating area is enclosed and requires a card to enter, making it a bit more secure.

Private cabins

Private Cabin on Ferry to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia

For the ultimate Newfoundland ferry experience, book a private cabin! Depending on the route and ship, these range from one bed (this deluxe cabin is only on the Argentia ferry), two beds, or four beds (in bunk bed style). And what is extra nice is that when you book a cabin, it is only for your party, so you will not be sharing it with strangers.

Each cabin has a TV, small desk, a power outlet, announcement speaker, bedding, towels, a hairdryer, and mirror. But the best part is that they also include their own private bathroom with a SHOWER!

We booked a two bed private cabin for our ferry to Newfoundland and LOVED it! The bed was comfortable and it made for a nice place to hang out during the majority of the ride. Plus getting to shower on the ferry was such a fun experience for us. The water pressure was pretty solid and it stayed hot for the both of us!

The only complaint we had with the room is that we did not have a window. Unfortunately you are not able to pick your cabin, so if you get assigned one of the inside ones, you will not have a window.

Passenger pods

On the longer ferry to Argentia there is one other option: a passenger pod. These are very small rooms with just bunk beds (two beds total). Unlike the other cabins, they do not have private bathrooms or showers. You will instead use the public bathrooms (there are no public showers).

A+K Tip: If you take an overnight ferry and do not have a cabin, make sure to bring a blanket, sleeping pad, and pillow. We got stuck on an overnight ferry unexpectedly when leaving Newfoundland and the chairs were not comfortable for sleeping. Many people were sleeping on the floor with sleeping pads and it looked much more comfortable.

How much does the ferry to Newfoundland cost?

The cost for the ferry to Newfound varies heavily depending on the route (Argentia is about double the cost), your age, the type of vehicle you’re bringing, and if you choose a cabin or reserved seat. You can see the current rates here!

For our exact ferry configuration (private cabin there and regular seats on the way back), it currently costs $406 CAD ($282 USD) for the cabin and $260 CAD ($180 USD) for the regular seating. This pricing is for two people and a 23 foot long Sprinter van. So as you can see, it’s not super cheap, but when you consider flight prices and rental cars, it’s likely more affordable.

Should you take a daytime ferry or an overnight ferry?

This is up to your personal preference, as well as your travel schedule. Here are some pros and cons for each!

Pros of taking the daytime ferry

The biggest pro of the daytime ferry is that the experience can be a lot cheaper, since you do not need a cabin (although it is fun if you want to splurge!). Plus, you get to see scenery along the way. However, it’s important to know that there is really only scenery to see the first hour and last hour, when you’re closer to land. The rest of the ride is just wide open seas, which is still pretty cool to see. And if you’re lucky, you may spot a whale!

But even without scenery the entire time, there are quite a few things to keep you occupied on board, which we will cover in a bit!

Cons of taking the daytime ferry

The worst part of the daytime ferry, in our opinion, is that it eats up a whole day. You have to arrive at the ferry early and by the time you arrive, it’s almost dark. And since driving in the dark is not advised in Newfoundland due to moose, you will have to find somewhere closeby to stay for the night.

Pros of taking the overnight ferry

One pro of taking the overnight ferry is that you get to combine your lodging and transportation into one. So instead of having to book a hotel or campsite for before and after your ferry experience, you get to save one night’s lodging and just stay on the ferry.

Also, the overnight ferry takes up time that you’d normally be sleeping, so you’re not missing out on a day of exploring. You also will arrive early in the day and have a full day to go explore, assuming you’re not too tired.

Cons of taking the overnight ferry

A major con of the overnight ferry is that you will likely not get the best sleep. Even though the ride is 7 hours, you will probably only get about 5-6 hours of sleep. And if you don’t get a cabin, it will be a pretty miserable experience.

Which do we prefer? We took both the daytime and overnight ferry, although the overnight ferry was due to a canceled ferry and was not by choice. And since we did not have a cabin on the overnight ferry, our experience on the daytime ferry was MUCH better! However, we would definitely try an overnight ferry again, as long as we could have a cabin.

But we think for your first Newfoundland ferry, a daytime trip to Newfoundland is worth it just so you can experience it in the daylight.

How far in advance should you buy tickets?

We suggest booking your Newfoundland ferry tickets, especially if you want a cabin, as far in advance as possible. For our ferry to Newfoundland, we booked our tickets about 6.5 months in advance for a daytime cabin. If you plan to book an overnight ferry, cabins sell out well in advance, especially pet friendly cabins. As we write this article at the end of December, we already see some cabins sold out for overnight sailings in June.

If you don’t care about the type of seating, make sure to book a few weeks in advance, as some ferries do sell out. We booked our return ferry about 1 month in advance for normal seats.

Make sure your schedule is flexible

Regardless of which seating option you choose and your ferry time, one of our biggest pieces of advice for taking the ferry to Newfoundland is to not have a strict schedule after arriving on the ferry. Ferries can be delayed or canceled due to weather.

On our way back from Newfoundland, we had multiple cancellations due to weather and had to wait 36 hours to get on a ferry. Thankfully, we didn’t have firm plans for when we arrived back in Nova Scotia, so we didn’t have to miss out on anything we had planned.

This is another reason why we’d suggest flying if you only plan to spend a week in Newfoundland, as a delay or cancellation could limit your time even further.

Bringing a pet on the ferry to Newfoundland

One of the best things about taking the ferry to Newfoundland is that your furry friend can join you! Dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, and small birds are all able to join you on the ferry (as long as you follow the rules). Which as someone with a dog that is too big for under an airplane seat, we GREATLY appreciated!

When traveling with your pet, you have a few options of how they can travel on the ferry.

Pet friendly cabins

If you want your pet to join you on the ferry, you can book a pet friendly cabin. These are mostly available in the bunk bed (four bed) configurations. Pets are not allowed on the bed or to be left unattended in the cabin.

Onboard kennel space

You can also reserve onboard kennel space, which is a room in the back of the ship where you can put your dog in a hard plastic kennel (you must bring your own). As well as an area for them to go to the bathroom. It’s important to know that there is no staff to monitor this area.

During our daytime ferry, we noticed quite a few people using this option. However, most of them kept their dogs outside of the kennel and stood with them on the deck. While this could be a good option so your dog isn’t cooped up the whole time, if it’s raining, windy, cold, or dark, it would not be fun to stand outside.

Keep them in your vehicle

The final option is to leave your pet in your vehicle. While this option may not sound ideal, we actually think it’s the best choice for many pets.

For some pets, being in a kennel on the deck would be anxiety inducing and while a pet friendly cabin could be a great option, it does cost more and they are very limited.

Our dog Kona doesn’t settle down well in new environments, so we felt that she would be the most comfortable in our van, which is her home. And it worked out great! During both ferry trips she just napped the entire time and did not seem stressed whatsoever when we returned.

While this option is most ideal for those with an RV or campervan, we do know of people who have done it with regular cars and as long as you make it comfortable for your pet and ensure there is airflow, it is a good, safe option.

If you go with this option, keep in mind that you cannot get back to your vehicle on the parking deck. So your pet will have to be able to hold their business for the duration of the ride. For that reason, we only suggest doing this for the shorter ferry.

What to expect on the ferry to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia

Checking in for the Newfoundland ferry

You will need to check in at least two hours in advance for your ferry to Newfoundland. So make sure to keep this in mind when booking!

When arriving, you will show your tickets, get your key card (if you have a room), plus a note for your windshield stating you have a pet on board (if applicable).

You will then be told to go into a certain line. While you wait you can visit the ferry terminal, which has seating, restrooms, and vending machines. Or if you have a dog you can take them to the dog park to get their energy out and go to the bathroom before boarding.

While arriving over two hours in advance may seem a bit excessive, boarding begins well before the cruising time, so the time goes by quickly!

Boarding the Newfoundland ferry

When it’s time to board, the ferry staff will organize who gets to board first. Make sure to be in your vehicle and have your windows down, so you can hear any announcements. As you get onto the ferry, you will be told where to park and there will likely be someone there to ensure you’re parked as close as possible to the person ahead of you.

Once parking, it’s time to head up into the ferry. Keep in mind that you are NOT allowed back down into the vehicle area during the cruise, so make sure you have everything you need with you when you leave your vehicle.

Entertainment & dining on the Newfoundland ferry

Now that you’re on board, it’s time to make the next 7 (or 16!) hours fly by! And thankfully there is quite a bit to keep you occupied. While each of the vessels offer slightly different dining options and amenities, here is what you can expect to find on all of the ferries!

Restaurants

While the restaurants vary a bit from ship to ship, each ferry offers a handful of dining options, from sit down restaurants to a cafe with coffee and grab and go items. During our cruise, we ordered burgers and a curry from one of the restaurants. And let’s just say it was very subpar. So we personally would suggest bringing your own food and maybe just grabbing coffee and a small snack on board.

Movies

Not only can you watch movies on the TV in the private cabins, but you can also watch movies for free on your own device.

Free games

One of the coolest features of the Newfoundland ferry is the game counter! You can rent games (for free!) to play in your cabin or at your seat. They have some of the classic games, but also some fun games we had never heard of. This is a GREAT way to pass the time!

Children’s play area

If you have kiddos, take them over to the play area so they can have some fun while you cruise!

Retail store

There is also a small retail store on the ferry, with Newfoundland gift items, plus clothing, snacks, and toiletries for sale.

Watch our experience on the Newfoundland ferry to see more about how we spent our time, what our cabin was like, and more!

Arriving in Newfoundland

After (hopefully) a fun ferry ride, you will arrive in Newfoundland. Make sure to head out to the deck about 45 minutes before arriving to catch your first glimpses of the island! The scenery truly took our breath away.

Once you disembark, head to the Newfoundland Visitor Information Centre to get a photo with the welcome sign, before heading to your lodging for the night or starting your road trip (depending on when you arrive).

If you take a daytime ferry, we suggest staying near the Channel-Port aux Basques the first night, to avoid driving in the dark. Here are a few options!

Hotels and B&Bs: Hotel Port aux Basques, Right Off ‘Da Boat B&B, and St. Christopher’s Hotel
Camping: JT Cheeseman Provincial Park and Grand Codroy RV/tent Camping
Boondocking: Wreckhouse parking lot

Things to bring on the ferry to Newfoundland

Portable charger

While there are some outlets on board, we suggest packing a portable charger, just in case you cannot get one.

Charger cords

Make sure to bring charger cords for any devices you want to have on board, like your laptop or phone.

Downloaded entertainment

While the ferry does have free entertainment you can watch, we’d suggest downloading some of your own entertainment, like books, podcasts, music, and TV shows/movies. The boat technically has WiFi, but we struggled to get it to work and we did not have cell service for most of the cruise.

Snacks or meals

We suggest bringing your own food on the ferry, so make sure to pack any snacks or easy meals to keep you from getting hungry on board.

Water bottle

To avoid buying water on board, make sure to bring your own water bottle. We love our Hydro Flask bottle!

Medicine

It’s a good idea to bring a handful of medicines with you on board, in case you get a headache, your stomach gets upset, etc. You can buy medicine on board, in case you forget.

Also if you get seasick, make sure to take some sea sickness medicine beforehand!

Shower supplies

If you have a cabin and want to shower, make sure to bring shower supplies, like shampoo, conditioner, soap, and any other products you normally use. Plus a change of clothes!

Sleeping Gear

If you book an overnight ferry (or get stuck on one like we did), make sure to bring a blanket, sleeping pad, and pillow.

Binoculars

There is a small chance you may see whales from the ferry, so bring binoculars just in case! These will also come in handy if you want to look at anything on shore at the beginning or end of the cruise.