10 FUN things to do in Twillingate, Newfoundland

Last updated on January 22nd, 2026

Exploring Newfoundland would not be complete without a visit to the Twillingate Islands. Located on the northeast coast of Newfoundland along “Iceberg Alley,” the Twillingate Islands are made up of two islands connected through bridges and causeways. So although they are islands, no boats are needed to visit!

Here you can see the hundreds of icebergs that float down from Arctic Canada and Greenland, go on boat tours, hike incredible coastal trails with stunning views, eat delicious seafood, see local live entertainment, and so much more.

Our time on the Twillingate Islands was one of the highlights of our 6 weeks in Newfoundland. And in this guide we’re sharing the top 10 fun things to do in Twillingate, plus helpful tips and logistics to plan your visit!

Map of The Best things to do in Twillingate

The Best things to do in Twillingate

Take an Iceberg Boat or Kayak Tour

One of the absolute best things to do in Twillingate, Newfoundland, is look for icebergs. Huge pieces of glaciers break off in Arctic Canada and Greenland each year. They then float down “Iceberg Alley” down to Notre Dame Bay in Newfoundland. And what’s really wild is that most of them are over 10,000 years old!

Twillingate Island has named itself as the “Iceberg capital of the world.” As long as you are here during the right time of year, you can watch for icebergs in a few different ways. The easiest way would be to just view them from land. But we recommend you go on a boat tour, or even kayak near them.

On these boat tours you’ll also be spotting whales and other wildlife, like dolphins and puffins. Most tours are usually about 2 hours long and will always guarantee stunning coastal scenery. No trip to Atlantic Canada is complete without seeing some of the island’s coastline!

You can spot the icebergs from late May through early June, and even some stragglers as late as July as well. You can track the icebergs at icebergfinder.com!

Sadly, we explored the best things to do in Twillingate in early September, so the icebergs were long gone by then. But we will make sure to visit during the late spring next time to spot these beasts!

Visit the Prime Berth Fishing Museum

The Prime Berth Fishing Museum is located right over the causeway going to Twillingate, you can’t miss it! Prime berth, refers to the annual lottery that used to happen each year. It was when cod fishermen would find out where they could set up their cod fishing traps in the coming summer. Everyone hoped for the best spot, or the “prime berth.”

This museum is a private collection of fishing equipment, artifacts, and exhibits that share the history and passion for Newfoundland inshore fishing. Created by David Boyd, this museum was put together as a tribute to his fisher forefathers. The museum is fairly large, with several buildings to explore and a massive whale skeleton!

Entry to the museum costs $5 per person, and they are only open seasonally. The hours on Google are not always accurate so if you plan on visiting, you might want to call to make sure when they will be open.

Hike the Rockcut Trails

An incredible trail system called the Rockcut Trails are located throughout the Twillingate Islands. They are some of the best hikes in Newfoundland!

But what makes them extra special are their history. This collection of trails was formed long ago from people in the Twillingate community walking along over and over to pick berries, cut down wood, or check the ocean conditions. And with the constant use, the trails slowly formed. Today, local organizations care for these trails for locals and visitors to enjoy, and they are easily one of the best things to do in Twillingate!

These trails take you along the rugged coastline, where you’ll get to pass by rocky beaches, sea stacks, and of course be treated to stunning views all along the way. If you’re hiking in season, then you’ll also get to find blueberries, partridgeberries, and bakeapples to pick, how fun!

There are 13 official trails that make up this trail system, ranging in length from 1 km (0.6 miles) to 9.5 km (6 miles). But there are even more trail combinations that you create. Here are a few trails we recommend!

Nanny Hole and Long Point Lighthouse Loop 

The Nanny Hole and Long Point Lighthouse Loop (8.9 km/5.5 miles) follows the cliffs and coastline along north Twillingate Island. You’ll get to see the Long Point Lighthouse, along with rocky bays filled with vibrant blue water. This trail is one of the most fun things to do in Twillingate, but don’t let the trail stats fool you, it’s a fairly tough hike, and so worth it!

Spillers Cove and French Beach

Another fun hike is the Spillers Cove and French Beach (4.8 km/3 miles), which is located on South Twillingate Island. This trail takes you to an epic rocky beach cove complete with high cliffs on either side, plus huge rock columns jutting from the water. When we hiked this trail, we decided it would be better to go counter-clockwise. That way we could end the hike at French Beach and go for a dip after working up a sweat on the trail. This was the perfect way to experience it, as French beach was perfect on a warm day!

Spillers Cove to Codjack’s Cove

The Spillers Cove to Codjack’s Cove trail is another great option for things to do in Twillingate. With about 8.3 km (5.2 miles) and 196 meters (643 feet) of elevation gain, this trail is moderately difficult. And since it’s located near the Spillers Cove and French Beach trail, combining the two would make for a great long hike. But along this trail alone you’ll be treated to epic coastal scenery with jagged cliffs dipping down into the cold ocean waters! Plus, this is a great place to spot whales and icebergs.

Captains Coastal Trail Twillingate

For an easy and short hike, check out Captains Coastal Trail. With only 3 km/1.9 miles and 196 feet of elevation gain, you can complete this trail in no time and still enjoy some of the islands best scenery. However, the trail can be kind of tricky to follow, so be sure to have the AllTrails+ membership so you can download the map to follow from your phone!

Want to get 30% off an AllTrails Plus membership? Use our code aplusk30 (you must redeem this code on the website, not the app)!

We use AllTrails Plus on every single hike and it is the most helpful hiking tool out there! Some of the features we love are offline maps (so we can navigate even without cell service), wrong-turn alerts, and its 3D maps feature, so we can get a feel for trails before we hike.

See the Long Point Lighthouse

While we recommend hiking to the Long Point Lighthouse (mentioned above) it’s also possible to drive there. Either way, we highly recommend you stop by!

Reminiscent of the lighthouses we saw on Prince Edward Island, this lighthouse sits 91 meters (300 feet) above the water on a rocky cliff, with great views of the ocean and coastline. And if you visit in the late spring, it would be a good spot to watch for whales and icebergs.

Walking around the property is free, but if you wish to climb up to the light it costs $10 CAD per person. Tours of the lighthouse and museum are also available during the summer months. And there’s an ice cream shop and gift shop too!

Have a time

One of the must-do things to do in Twillingate is to “have a time,” which means to have a celebration or party. And it should be on everyone’s Newfoundland itinerary! There’s plenty of different ways to have a time in Twillingate, like seeing the Split Peas, the Grand Old Shed Party Show, and attending a kitchen party. Or what we recommend the most, the Twillingate / New World Island Dinner Theatre!

If you’re visiting Twillingate between late May and Mid September, then you must enjoy this dinner and variety show. It’s a super fun evening learning about the people and culture of the region through Newfoundland music and comedy skits.

What’s really impressive is that the cooks and servers for dinner are the ones you’ll be watching on stage a little while later. They are definitely multi-talented! It was such a blast and had us tapping our feet to the music and laughing all night, on a belly full of delicious, local cuisine for dinner.

Shows run Monday through Saturday each week. Doors open at 5pm each night and the show can end as late as 10pm, so be prepared for a full night of enjoyment. As of 2024, the price for dinner and the show costs $57.50 CAD or $69 CAD if you want lobster.

It’s one of the most popular things to do in Twillingate, Newfoundland, so you’ll need to make reservations in advance if you want to join in on the fun. Locals and tourists alike attend these shows, which also just shows how incredibly authentic of an experience this is. When they polled the audience, most people there were from Newfoundland, which was a surprise!

Explore town

While exploring the best things to do in Twillingate, Newfoundland, you’ll have to spend some time enjoying downtown Twillingate. It’s not a huge town, much smaller than some of the other towns around Atlantic Canada, like the ones in New Brunswick for example. But what is there is really special and worth checking out. We loved the local shops like Artisan Market, Twillingate & Beyond Inc. and Scot Lewis Pencil Art Studio.

Eat at a Local Restaurant

Since the town is not huge, that means there aren’t tons of restaurants to choose from, but there are a few gems. One restaurant that came highly recommended to us was the Crow’s Nest Cafe, serving coffee, tea, baked goods, soups and sandwiches. It’s located along the Nanny Hole and Long Point Lighthouse Loop, making it the perfect mid-hike stop! Unfortunately during our visit it was closed due to a holiday.

A couple other spots to check out are Canvas Cove Bistro, Stage Head Pub, and Pier 39!

Explore the Rest of Newfoundland

While we loved our time on the Twillingate Islands, we recommend you spend lots of time exploring the rest of Newfoundland! We have an entire guide of the 55 best things to do in Newfoundland and the 12 best places to visit in Newfoundland, but a few of our favorites include: 

• Hiking at Gros Morne National Park
• Watching the sunset at Bottle Cove
• Road tripping around the Bonavista Peninsula
• Backpacking on the East Coast Trail
• Being the first to see sunrise in North America in St. John’s

Planning your time on the Twillingate Islands

When to visit the Twillingate Islands

It is possible to visit Twillingate year-round, but with harsh winters, we recommend you schedule your visit sometime between late May and mid September. This is when you’ll have the best weather and when most restaurants, accommodations, and tours will be open.

And within this timeframe, different months offer different things to do in Twillingate. So if you want to see icebergs, then plan to be there from late May to late June. But the best times to see whales are in July and August. Timing your visit for the end of June would be the best chance to see both.

The best time for hiking in Twillingate is July through early September. There’s no snow and it’s super lush and green!

Our visit to Newfoundland was from mid August through early October, with our stop in Twillingate being in September. And while we loved our time in Newfoundland, we will definitely go earlier in the year next time. In September businesses and campgrounds start to close for the year, so we weren’t able to go to as many places as we would have liked toward the end of our trip.

A+K Tip: Don’t always trust the weather apps! The forecasts were often inaccurate. One day it would say rain and it wouldn’t and another would say no rain and we’d get caught in fog, rain, and mist. Another thing to note about the weather is that it can be very windy here!

How long to visit the Twillingate Islands

While you’ll likely want to spend a long time in Newfoundland, we think about 2 days is probably enough on the Twillingate Islands. That amount of time will allow you to enjoy most or all of the best things to do in Twillingate at a fairly relaxed pace.

Sample Twillingate Islands itinerary

Day 1

On day one, you’ll get to explore a few of the best things to do in Twillingate, like hiking and a fun evening activity!

• Wake up and get hiking on the Nanny Hole and Long Point Lighthouse Loop. Be sure to stop at Crow’s Nest Cafe for coffee and a pastry. It’s located right along the trail!
• Next, explore the Prime Berth Museum to learn about the history of fishing on the island.
• In the afternoon, take some time to wander around town. Have lunch there if you’d like and stop in the different shops.
• Once it’s time for dinner (and a show!) visit the Twillingate / New World Island Dinner Theatre and have a time!

Day 2

During the second day here, you’ll explore more of the beautiful nature activities we included on the list of the best things to do in Twillingate.

• In the morning, take an iceberg and whale boat tour. Whether you’re visiting during iceberg season or not, it’s worth it to see the whales and other wildlife.
• Bring your picnic lunch and head out to another one of the Rockcut Trails, the Spillers Cove and French Beach trail. You’ll pass many great spots to stop and enjoy lunch along the way.
• We recommend ending the day at the Stage Head Pub in town for a yummy local dinner.

Where to stay in Twillingate

Hotels: Admirals Inn B&B, Captain’s Legacy Historic B&B, Anchor Inn Hotel, and Sunshine Inn.

Vacation rentals: The Viking Vacation Home, Old Salt Box Co., The Robins Nest Cottage, andOceanfront Carriage Hill Cottage.

Camping: Peyton’s Woods RV Park & Campground and Dildo Run Provincial Park (yes, that’s really its name!)

Boondocking: Crow Head was easily one of the best boondocking locations in Newfoundland. However, It’s a bit tricky to get up to. So if you’d rather stay a bit lower, then stay at Sleepy Cove instead.

What to bring to the Twillingate Islands

You can see all of our gear here, but when exploring the Twillingate Islands, we suggest packing  the 10 essentials, hiking shoes, layers (including a rain jacket!), binoculars, and AllTrails maps! We highly recommend the AllTrails+ membership so you can download the map. There’s not usually great service on the trails!

Ready to explore Twillingate?

Pin this guide with all of the best things to do in Twillingate, Newfoundland to start planning!

About the Author

This article was written by Tori, one of our Adventures of A+K team members. Learn a bit about her below!

Hi, I’m Tori! I live in Nashville, TN with my husband and two daughters. We travel as much as possible throughout the year, around a 9-5 schedule and with babies in tow! My travel blog, Tori Pines Travels, aims to help people plan action-packed and culture-rich vacations around their busy jobs, fitting in as much exploring as possible. When I’m not working for Adam and Kathryn or entertaining my little ones, I’m writing, cooking, crafting or exploring Music City!