30+ BEST things to do in New Brunswick, Canada

Last updated on January 23rd, 2026

New Brunswick is one the most underrated destinations in Canada. And we’re sharing all of the best things to do in New Brunswick, Canada to help you plan your trip!

Canada is easily one of our favorite countries and in the summer of 2023, we spent 3 months road tripping around its four Atlantic provinces. And one of the biggest surprises was New Brunswick!

This often overlooked province is loaded with gorgeous scenery, from beautiful mountains, to raging waterfalls, nice beaches, lush forests, and so much more. All of which you can experience by hiking or along scenic drives! Plus, it is home to TWO national parks, the highest tides in the world, and a handful of charming towns, including the oldest incorporated city in all of Canada.

Watch our adventures in New Brunswick, including visiting two national parks, trying Acadian food, and driving the Fundy Trail Parkway!

So it’s safe to say there are A LOT of things to do in New Brunswick, Canada. And in this guide we’re sharing our favorite stops from our multiple weeks in the province, plus other helpful tips for your trip!

Table of Contents

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• About New Brunswick
• The best things to do in New Brunswick, Canada
• Grand Falls
• Mount Carleton Provincial Park
• Acadian Coast
• Moncton
• The Bay of Fundy 
• Saint John
• Saint Andrews by-the-Sea
• Planning your trip to New Brunswick
• What to bring to New Brunswick

About New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of the three Canadian Maritime Provinces, along with Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. And together with Newfoundland and Labrador, these four provinces make up Atlantic Canada.

Similar to many of the Atlantic Canada provinces, New Brunswick is home to the Acadian culture, an ethnic group that are descendents of French people who settled in the area in the 1700s. And because of this, French is a very common language across the province. So much so, that New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province (English and French) in all of Canada!

The best things to do in New Brunswick, Canada

Looking for the best things to do in New Brunswick, Canada? We’ve gotcha covered! Below are over 30 fun things to do across the province. This isn’t an exhaustive list of all the best things to do in New Brunswick. But it does include all of our favorite things we did, plus a few spots that we missed that we’d love to visit next time!

We’ve organized this list by region, which we’ve color coded on the custom Google Map above. You can even save this map to your own Google Maps, so you can access it on the go!

Grand Falls

Located in northwestern New Brunswick, right by the border of Maine and Quebec, is a town with one of the most epic waterfalls we’ve ever seen, Grand Falls! This was our first stop when crossing into New Brunswick and it definitely kicked things off with a bang.

This waterfall is 23 meters (75 feet) tall and extremely wide, as it rushes down rocks, before flowing down into a gorge. To experience it, there are various viewpoints at the Malobiannah Tourist Information Centre. You can also zipline over the falls here! 

But our favorite way to see the falls was walking along the Grand Falls Gorge Trail. We were able to see the main falls, plus explore deeper into the gorge. There were so many gorgeous (pun intended!) viewpoints!

While there isn’t much to do in Grand Falls besides the falls, if you’re crossing into New Brunswick from further north in Maine, it’s a MUST stop! Even if just for a few hours.

Mount Carleton Provincial Park

Mount Carleton Provincial Park is home to the highest point not only in New Brunswick, but also all the Maritime Provinces, Mount Carleton at 817 meters (2,690 feet). You can hike to this peak along the Mount Carleton Summit Trail, which is home to a fire lookout at the top. It’s a steep and difficult hike, but 100% worth it. Well, if you have good weather.

During our visit we unfortunately had a few rainy days. Which meant that when we got to the top of Mount Carleton, it was completely covered in fog. But despite less than ideal weather during our visit, we can confidently say that Mount Carleton is one of the best things to do in New Brunswick. Especially if you’re a mountain lover, like us! The photos we have seen from a clear day are beautiful!

But besides its namesake peak, the park has other impressive mountain peaks to hike, like the Mount Sagamook Loop and Mount Bailey. Plus Williams Falls and Nictau Lake, where you can kayak or fish!

The park is open year round, but there are a couple transitional periods that the park is closed, including from early October to early January and from March to mid-May. 

Acadian Coast

The Acadian Coast stretches 750 km (466 miles) from Dalhousie in the north to Port Elgin in the south. And it is filled with sandy beaches, quirky roadside stops, a beautiful waterfall, a national park, and of course Acadian history and culture. 

Pabineau Falls

One of the best hidden gems we discovered during our time in New Brunswick was Pabineau Falls. This rushing river is home to a few different small falls along its rocky riverbed. While the falls may not be tall, the scenery around it is very picturesque! 

You’ll likely come across some locals here, either fishing for salmon, snapping a quick photo, or sitting out on the rocks. But it was never very busy! And we were even able to boondock here for the night. It was pretty magical to fall asleep to the sound of rushing water and enjoy our coffee overlooking the falls.

Note: When leaving Pabineau Falls to head to your next destination, do NOT turn left and continue down the dirt road. This road gets very narrow and rough and is not suitable for larger vehicles.

Village Historique Acadien

The Village Historique Acadien is an open air living history museum located on the Acadian Peninsula, just east of Bathurst, New Brunswick. Here you can travel back in time to visit historic buildings inhabited by interpretive guides who portray the daily lives of the Acadian people from 1770 to 1949.

You’ll not only get to learn from the guides, but you can also try lots of different Acadian food items at their restaurants and stay in the one of a kind Château Albert. 

Entry into the village costs $23.41 CAD per adult (less for kids and seniors) and gives you access to two days on the property. But make sure to visit from June to September! This is when they are fully open and have all of their programs running.

Looking for more great history in Atlantic Canada? Be sure to visit St. John’s, Newfoundland, one of the oldest cities in all of North America!

Miramichi 

Located at the mouth of the Miramichi River, just west of Kouchibouguac National Park, lies Miramichi. It is a great basecamp for exploring the national park and the Acadian Peninsula!

This area is known for world class salmon fishing, which you can experience on your own, or at a sporting camp or lodge. Not a fan of fishing, but still want to get out on the water? Go tubing down the river with Vickers River Tubing instead!

Beyond the river, Miramichi has a lot of history and culture to explore. The area has been home to many different groups of people over the years. In fact, it’s the Irish Capital of Canada! Make sure to grab some Irish eats at O’Donaghue’s Irish Pub and if you visit in late July, you may have the chance to attend Canada’s Irish Festival.

But besides the Irish, you can learn the history of the Mi’gmaq people at Metepenagiag Heritage Park, the Acadians at Beaubears Island, and lumberjacks at the Woodmen’s Museum.

Visiting the Ritchie Wharf Park for live music and to see the historic lighthouse is also a must!

Kouchibouguac National Park

New Brunswick is home to two national parks and first up is Kouchibouguac National Park (pronounced koo-shee-boo-gwack)! This park is located on the Acadian Coast and means “river of long tides” in the Mi’kmaq First Nation language. It is known for its barrier islands, beaches, marshes, bogs, golden sand dunes, estuaries, and rivers.

We spent about 24 hours exploring this serene park. Here are some of our favorite things we did!

Canada National Parks have a fee to enter. Kouchibouguac costs $9.00 CAD per adult to enter, or $17.50 CAD per family (up to 7 people) during peak season. If you’re visiting multiple Canadian National Parks, we suggest getting the Discovery Pass, which is $75.25 CAD for one adult or $151.25 CAD for up to 7 people. This gets you into all Parks Canada sites for one year!

Bike

There are 60 km of bike paths in the park, including the 26.8 km (16.7 mile) Kouchibouguac River Bike Loop. This trail winds through the forest and along the coast for amazing views! Along the way you’ll also come across some of Parks Canada’s iconic red chairs.

Don’t have your own bike? We rented bikes from Ryans Rental Center inside the park. 

Kayak or Paddleboard

You can also rent kayaks and paddleboards from Ryans Rental Center. There are a handful of paddling routes you can do in the park!

Hang out at Kelly’s Beach

Quite possibly the most popular spot in the park is Kelly’s Beach and to get there, you’ll walk the Kelly’s Beach Boardwalk Trail. This is a really nice boardwalk, with great views of the marshes, dunes, and wildlife. While we enjoyed the beach, we may have loved the walk out to the beach just as much, if not more!

We recommend coming here in the afternoon, to lay out and relax on the beach. And then return in the morning for sunrise, since it faces east. We got to witness a very colorful sunrise from the boardwalk!

Note: While most areas in the park are dog friendly, Kelly’s Beach is not. To see what we do whenever Kona can’t join us, check out this blog post. While we were at the beach, she enjoyed a nice nap in the van!

Hike the Bog Trail

The Bog Trail may have been our favorite experience in the park. This 2 km (1.2 mile) hike leads you to a 6 meter (19.6 feet) tall observation tower. Up here, you’ll be able to see an almost endless bog, which is a freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground that consists of partially decayed plant matter. This bog started forming over 6,500 years ago and is about 6 meters thick at its deepest!

The views from the tower are so vast and after admiring them for a bit, make sure to follow the boardwalk through the bog to get a closer look at its vegetation. Please always stay on the boardwalk and do not step on the bog!

WARNING: The first part of the trail can be extremely muddy! We attempted this hike twice and the first time, we turned around because the mud was so thick. But we are really glad we tried it again because there are ways to get (mostly) around it. There are also lots of mosquitoes, so come prepared!

La Dune de Bouctouche

Located just south of Kouchibouguac National Park is La Dune de Bouctouche, one of the few remaining great sand dunes on the northeastern coast of North America. 

This dune stretches for 12 km (7.5 miles) across Bouctouche Bay. And it’s the result of the constant action of wind, tides, and sea currents since the last ice age. With every major storm, its shape changes. So if you visit multiple times, you may get a slightly different experience each time!

You can experience the dune a few ways. There is an observation tower near the entrance, a beach that you can lay on, and our favorite, a winding 800 meter (0.5 mile) boardwalk! 

Note: Dogs are NOT allowed here. 

Giant Lobster in Shediac

If you’re looking for a quirky roadside stop in New Brunswick, look no further than the giant lobster in Shediac, the “Lobster Capital of the World!”

This giant crustacean is 11 meters long (35 feet) long, 5 meters (16 feet) tall, and 5 meters (16 feet) wide. And it weighs 55 tons! It makes for a very fun photo opp while exploring the Acadian Coast.

You can also try a lobster roll at Lenny’s Take Out and if you happen to be traveling through in early July, you can check out the Shediac Lobster Festival. 

Moncton

Moncton is the most populous city in New Brunswick and is perfectly positioned between the Acadian and Fundy Coasts.

Moncton itself has a handful of things to do, but it also makes for a great basecamp to explore some of the best things to do in New Brunswick, like Hopewell Rocks, Fundy National Park, Shediac, and more! 

It is also one of the best towns to resupply on a road trip, as it will have more amenities than most towns in New Brunswick.

Explore the street art

One of our favorite things to do in a city is find street art. And Moncton has lots of beautiful murals to check out dotted throughout town! You can pick out a few to see from this street art map. 

Moncton Magnetic Hill

One unique attraction in Moncton is Magnetic Hill. This is a gravity hill that will make you feel like your car is rolling backwards…uphill! Back in the 1950s it was Canada’s third most popular tourist attraction behind Niagara Falls and Banff National Park. 

So what causes this? Is it a big magnet?! Is it aliens?! Paranormal activity?! Apparently it’s an optical illusion and your brain misinterprets the slopes because there is no view of the horizon line. It was an odd feeling to put the van in neutral, be looking straight ahead to what looks like downhill, and then start rolling backwards! 

It costs $6 CAD to do it (you can go multiple times too!) and was totally worth it for the amusement.

Try Acadian food

As we mentioned, this region of Canada was home to French settlers, who arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries, known as Acadians. There is a lot of Acadian pride across the province and one of the best ways to experience Acadian culture is through food. 

In Moncton, we recommend visiting Chez Memere Poutine & Râpe Inc to try a few items.

We tried the râpure (also known as rappie pie), which is potato and meat baked with a crust, as well as poutine râpée, which are boiled potatoes with meat inside. 

But the star of the show was the pets de soeur! This is an Acadian pastry that is akin to a cinnamon bun or roll. And the name roughly translates to “nuns farts.” 

There are a couple theories behind the name and one says it refers to the sound that the dough makes when being fried. Another says that a nun passed gas in a kitchen and made another one laugh so hard that she dropped some pastry in hot oil and it ended up tasting delicious. Whatever the real reason behind the name…they are darn tootin’ good!

The Bay of Fundy 

The Bay of Fundy is home to the highest tides in the WORLD, with some areas rising 16 meters (52 feet)! For reference, a typical tidal range in the open ocean is 1 meter (3 feet).

And during its 6 hour tide cycle, over 160 billion TONS of water flows in and out of the Bay of Fundy. Which is apparently enough to fill the Grand Canyon!

And the reason for such large tides here is due to the natural rocking motion of the water, called seiche, plus the shape of the bay. It is a wild thing to witness and there are quite a few spots along the coast where you can see this phenomenon occur!

Hopewell Rocks

One of the best spots to witness the power of the Bay of Fundy is Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. This park is just 35 minutes southeast of Moncton and is easily one of the best things to do in New Brunswick and all of eastern Canada.

Hopewell Rocks is home to famous flowerpot rock formations and one of the best things to do here is walk around the formations along the seafloor (it’s muddy!) at low tide. And then at high tide, you can view the exact area you were just walking, but filled with water! Another fun way to see high tide is through a kayaking tour with Baymount Outdoor Adventures. We LOVED this tour and the different perspective it gave us!

You can see the hours of operation, fees to enter (your entrance gets you in for two consecutive days), and the tide schedule here. It’s also possible to buy your entrance in advance (use our code APLUSK10 for 10% off!).

And for more information about what to do in the park, check out our complete guide to visiting Hopewell Rocks!

Fundy National Park

Fundy National Park lies on the shores of Goose Bay, the northern arm of the Bay of Fundy, near the small town of Alma. And it offers a lot to see and do!

Here you can find 25 waterfalls, over 62 miles of hiking and biking trails, forests, beaches, various campgrounds, a golf course, and even a heated saltwater pool! Below are some of our must-visit spots while in the park.

Canada National Parks have a fee to enter. Fundy National Park costs $9.00 CAD per adult to enter, or $17.50 CAD per family (up to 7 people). If you’re visiting multiple Canadian National Parks, we suggest getting the Discovery Pass, which is $75.25 CAD for one adult or $151.25 CAD for up to 7 people. This gets you into all Parks Canada sites for one year!

Third Vault Falls 

The 7.4 km (4.6 mile) out and back Third Vault Falls Trail takes you to, in our opinion, the most impressive waterfall in the park!

The trail winds through the forest for a bit, before you reach a set of wooden stairs that take you down to view the falls. When we visited, the stairs ended right at a small stream. While you may think the trail is over, you still have a bit to go! We had to carefully step on the stones in the stream to keep our feet from getting wet. 

Continue following the water downhill and hug the left side of the stream. Right before you get to the falls, you will need to cross the stream with the help of a wire strung across. Once you get across, it’s only a few more steps until you get a view of the magnificent Third Vault Falls! 

Dickson Falls

Because of its accessibility, Dickson Falls is one of the more popular waterfalls in the park. The short loop trail (1 km/0.6 miles) mostly follows a wooden boardwalk and some stairs to the falls. While the waterfall itself is super nice, we loved the entire hike, with its rushing, crystal clear river, and moss covered walls.

We often underestimate the shorter, popular hikes and think they’ll be a bit underwhelming, but this one really surprised us! And with its short distance, it’s a great bang for your buck.

Fundy Coastal Trail

The Fundy Coastal Trail follows the jagged coastline of the park for about 9.6 km (6 miles) one way. It’s a challenging trail that has constant climbing and descending and the trail surface is rocky and rooty so it is slow going. 

Because of its difficulty, if you prefer to only hike a portion of it, it can be experienced through a few different options, including the Matthews Head Trail and Fundy Coastal Trail East. Our top pick would be the Fundy Coastal Trail West, which follows the coastline the majority of the time.

This route is about 12.8 km (8 miles) round trip. But due to fog, we only hiked a portion of this, turning around after Matthews Head 1.9 km (1.2 miles) in.

Love to hike as much as we do? Make sure to visit the Twillingate Islands and the Bonavista Peninsula in Newfoundland for some other great hiking opportunities!

Play golf at Fundy National Park Golf Course

National Park + golf course = a happy recipe for Adam! This is one of seven national park golf courses designed by prominent golf course architect Stanley Thompson. It is a picturesque 9 hole, par 35 course with fun challenges and elevated tee shots. Adam had a blast playing here!

Point Wolfe Beach

One of our favorite spots in Fundy National Park is Point Wolfe Beach! To access the beach, you will need to follow the 2 km (1.3 mile) Shiphaven Trail, which is only fully accessible at low tide. 

The hike starts at a covered bridge and within the first few seconds, you’ll already have views of the water. Make sure to read the signs to learn some interesting history about the impact of logging in the park!

The trail continues along a boardwalk and ends at a rocky estuary, which is a great spot to really get a sense of the size of the tides! Once down here, you’re able to explore wherever you’d like. Just be sure to keep an eye on the tide, it rises quickly! 

Fundy Trail Provincial Park

Located a few miles southwest of Fundy National Park is the Fundy Trail Provincial Park (formerly called the Fundy Trail Parkway). This is a 30 km (18.6 miles) scenic drive along the Fundy Trail Parkway, which features various overlooks, beaches, waterfalls, and trails to hike.

Despite being very close to Fundy National Park, it is not part of the park. And in our opinion, the Fundy Trail Parkway is even better than Fundy Trail National Park!

Fundy Trail Provincial Park is only open from mid May to the end of October and has set hours, which vary by month. Outside of these hours, you are unable to drive the road, as it is gated. There is also a fee of $12.17 CAD per adult to drive the road and take advantage of its many sights.

We highly recommend spending a full day on this road, as there is a lot to see and do!

Walton Glen Overlook, Eye of the Needle, & McLeod Brook Falls

Quite possibly our favorite thing we did at the Fundy Trail Parkway was Walton Glen Overlook and Eye of the Needle!  

The Walton Glen Overlook is a short and easy hike, with a big pay off! You can either walk a shortcut from the parking area with steps, or a slightly longer option. From the overlook you’ll have spectacular views of “the Grand Canyon of New Brunswick!” This gorge is over 300 feet deep and across from the overlook you can spot Walton Glen Falls. This waterfall is the second highest waterfall in New Brunswick! 

After admiring the view, head down into the gorge to hike to the Eye of the Needle! It’s a pretty steep and rugged journey down, with waterfalls along the way. 

At the bottom of the canyon, the walls get more narrow and you’ll have to cross a river to continue towards the narrow canyon walls. And then, the trail ends! From here, you can wade through the water to walk through the canyon. It was SO much fun and felt like a miniature Narrows at Zion National Park. It was easily one of our favorite experiences in all of New Brunswick!

On our way back to the van from the Eye of the Needle, we decided to go a different way and take a trail to McLeod Brook Falls. This is the perfect final addition to an already epic hike!

Check out the overlooks

Besides hiking, there are 20+ lookouts along the Fundy Trail Parkway, each providing a different perspective of the Bay of Fundy and surrounding area.

To be honest, you don’t need to stop at every one of them. There are so many to pull over at that some start to have similar views. So it’s okay to stop at one then skip ahead a few to get a different angle. 

But here are some of our favorites listed from east to west:

Champlain Lookout
Martin Head Lookout
Long Beach Observation Deck
Hairpin Turn Lookout
Big Salmon River Lookout
Black Point Lookout
Melvin Beach Lookout

Big Salmon River suspension bridge

Back in 1845, William Davidson built the first sawmill at the Big Salmon River. This area was said to have some of the best wood in the world and became an extremely successful milling site, with wood being used to build ships and pulpwood for the paper industry. Today it is home to the popular Big Salmon River suspension bridge, which spans 84m (275 ft) over the Salmon River.

This is a huge highlight along the drive! The bridge is not only fun to walk on, but has some incredible surrounding scenery.

Check out the beaches

There are a handful of beaches to enjoy while in Fundy Trail Provincial Park. The most popular is Long Beach, which is one of the best places in Canada to witness the horizontal tide. At low tide, the beach extends about a third of a mile into the bay. This beach makes for a great picnic spot!

We also loved Melvin Beach, which requires a hike to get down to. You can access this from Fuller Falls or a separate parking lot. This beach is only accessible at low tide, so plan ahead!

Fuller Falls

Last, but not least, check out Fuller Falls! This waterfall only requires a short walk, but is well worth a quick stop.

St. Martins Sea Caves

Just 10 minutes from the western entrance of the Fundy Trail Parkway is the tiny village of St. Martins. And here you’ll find the St. Martins Sea Caves! 

These caves were created by years of water erosion and if you come at low tide, you can walk into them! We had so much fun wandering around in the caves and admiring the views of the Bay of Fundy.

Just keep in mind that the tide rushes back in very fast and the caves are not accessible during high tide. So please keep an eye on the time and plan your visit accordingly, so you do not get trapped.

Saint John

Saint John is Canada’s oldest incorporated city, dating back to 1785. The city flourished as an industrial center because of its ice free harbor and in the 19th century it was one of the world’s leading shipbuilding centers. 

We really enjoyed our one day in Saint John. The city has a historic feel, there are unique sights to see, and some delicious local foods. It makes for a great day trip while exploring New Brunswick!

Grab coffee at Catapult Coffee & Studio

Want some good coffee while helping a good cause? Check out Catapult Coffee & Studio! All of their proceeds go to Outflow, which is a charity that focuses on addressing unemployment, hunger, homelessness, and medical costs in Saint John.

Stroll around Uptown

One of the best things to do in Saint John is wander around Uptown! Uptown is the city’s downtown area, given the name “up” because it was “up” from the water when the ships were arriving in port.

This is where you’ll find many of the city’s beautiful, historic buildings. Unfortunately in 1877, a huge fire broke out and destroyed over 1,600 structures. So some of the buildings you see are not original. But even so, they still have a lot of charm!

See the murals at AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village

For the mural lovers, head to AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village! This is a village full of colorful, mural coated shipping containers, which each house some sort of business. So not only can you snap some fun photos here, but you can grab some food or support a local business.

It is a seasonal destination and was closed when we visited Saint John in October. To see its hours, check their website! 

Reversing Falls

Saint John is the only city along the famous Bay of Fundy and one of the most popular things to see in town is the Reversing Falls. This is a phenomenon where the Saint John River, which flows into the Bay of Fundy, changes direction as the tide changes.

What happens is as the tide rises, it slows the flow of the river, actually stopping the flow, which is called slack tide. This lasts for about 20 minutes. Then as the tide continues to rise, the flow of the Saint John River gradually reverses! 

While you can visit at slack tide and watch this process, beware that it happens very slowly. We hear it’s not super exciting. Instead, we recommend coming at both low and high tides to see the more dramatic difference. You can view the falls from a few different vantage points, but our favorite is the Reversing Falls Lookout Point.

Saint John City Market

If you can only do one thing in Saint John, make sure it’s the Saint John City Market. This market was built between 1874 and 1876 and is one of the oldest continuous farmer’s markets in Canada!

It’s not a large market, but it offers a lot in a small space. Inside you’ll find gifts, produce, a meat market, grocery items, and of course lots of delicious food! 

Our favorite stops were Katsubi for katsu. We also tried dulse from H&S Meats, which is edible red seaweed that grows nearby on Grand Manan. Plus a Pal-o-mine bar, which has been manufactured in New Brunswick for over 100 years and is one of the oldest continuously produced candy bars in North America.

As you walk around the market, make sure to look up. The ceiling of the market is one of its defining features, as it resembles the inverted keel of a ship, a nod to the city’s shipbuilding past. 

Enjoy delicious ice cream at Bella’s Traditional Ice Cream

One spot that we were dying to try (but was closed during our one day in the city) was Bella’s Traditional Ice Cream! This small ice cream shop in the heart of Uptown has some delicious looking flavors, including vegan options.

Irving Nature Park

For a nature experience close to the city, head to Irving Nature Park. This park has different boardwalks, beaches, and lookouts to enjoy!

Black Beach

Last, but not least, head about 20 minutes out of town to Black Beach. Which is a unique black sand beach! 

Usually black sand beaches are found in areas with volcanic activity, but the black sand here is likely caused by the presence of magnetite within the dark sedimentary rocks. We loved the contrast of the black sand with the green trees. It is unlike any beach we saw in Atlantic Canada! 

We suggest going at low tide, when there is more sand visible, for the full effect. There is also a trail you can hike here too!

Saint Andrews by-the-Sea

For a charming seaside experience check out Saint Andrews. This small resort town, located right by the US border, is a National Historic District. So it is loaded with historic charm! 

Here you can go whale watching, drive on the ocean floor at low tide to Ministers Island, and stay at one of Canada’s best resorts, the Algonquin Resort!

There are also tons of independent businesses and art galleries along Water Street. As well as restaurants serving up delicious seafood, like William and Water Restaurant or The Gables Restaurant.

And last but not least, visit the award winning Kingsbrae Garden. You’ll find a diverse collection of flowers, trees, and shrubs across several themed gardens. There is also a labyrinth, maze, ponds, and a Dutch windmill!

Planning your trip to New Brunswick

How to get to New Brunswick

New Brunswick borders the US state of Maine, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, making it relatively easy to get to!

Flying to New Brunswick

If you’re flying to New Brunswick, both Moncton (YQM) and Saint John (YSJ) have airports. However, depending on where you’re coming from, your flights may be limited. Both airports only have direct flights within Canada, with Moncton offering some select “warm destination” flights to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Florida in the winter.

The closest US airport to fly into would be in Bangor, Maine (BGR), which is a 2 hour drive to the Canadian border in New Brunswick. Portland, Maine (PWM) is another option, but it’s closer to a 4 hour drive. 

Once arriving at the airport of your choice, you definitely will want to rent a car to explore New Brunswick!

Things to know before visiting New Brunswick

It’s in the Atlantic Time Zone

The Atlantic Time Zone is 1 hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone. If you’re traveling in from Maine, make sure to set your clock ahead 1 hour! 

Beware of the tides!

The Bay of Fundy is no joke. With its dramatic tides, you really have to be mindful of the tide schedule when planning your days, as some hikes and activities will not be accessible or safe at high tide. We like to use this website to look up the tides when visiting coastal destinations!

Respect wildlife

New Brunswick is home to moose and black bears. We saw both while in the province! Within our first 20 minutes driving in New Brunswick, we saw a bear off the side of the highway. And days later, a moose was right next to the road. Thankfully he turned back into the woods, instead of running in front of us.

Please never approach wildlife and always keep a safe distance. And it’s a good idea to avoid driving in the dark, as moose can be very hard to spot and can do some serious damage (or worse) to you and your vehicle.

How much time do you need in New Brunswick?

It depends on what you’d like to see! If you’re just interested in seeing the Bay of Fundy, you could easily do so with just a few days. But if you want to visit some of the less popular spots, like Kouchibouguac and Mount Carleton (which we recommended), we’d suggest between 5-7 days. Just like any destination, the more time you spend, the more hidden gems you’ll discover.

For detailed New Brunswick itineraries, check out our Atlantic Canada eBook! We not only share itinerary options for New Brunswick, but also itineraries to road trip around multiple Atlantic Canada provinces.

What to bring to New Brunswick

Here are some specific items that you especially want to make sure you pack for your time in New Brunswick! For a more general packing list, you can download our go to packing list here.

Hiking Gear

Since many of the best things to do in New Brunswick involve hiking, make sure to bring hiking gear, including good shoes and water storage (like a Camelbak)! We also always suggest having the 10 essentials on you, just in case.

Chacos or other adventure sandals

We highly recommend having some sort of adventure sandal, like Chacos for New Brunswick. These will come in handy when exploring the Bay of Fundy, especially Hopewell Rocks! They do have hoses to hose off your muddy feet and shoes, but these are a much better choice than sneakers.

Layers

This list of the best things to do in New Brunswick covers a variety of terrains and elevation. We always recommend bringing layers, like pullovers and puffy jackets.

Rain Jacket

During our time in New Brunswick we got rained on….a lot. So make sure to bring a rain jacket!

Offline Maps

Cell service is spotty at times across New Brunswick, so make sure to download offline AllTrails and Google Maps to navigate on the road and on hikes.

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.

Sun protection

Even though we experienced a lot of rain, we also had some sunny days too! Make sure to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat.

Passport

If you are visiting from the US, make sure to pack your passport! And if you have a NEXUS card, bring that too.

Ready to explore New Brunswick?

Pin this guide with all of the best things to do in New Brunswick to start planning!