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From the shores of the Bay of Fundy to the northern Appalachian Mountains, those looking for places to visit in New Brunswick have a variety of stunning landscapes to choose from.
As the largest of Canada’s three Maritime Provinces, New Brunswick is known for pristine beaches, salmon-rich rivers and untouched wilderness, but there are many fantastic places to discover, including some exciting cities.
In this post, we’ll be sharing our top picks for places to visit in New Brunswick, including the coolest man-made attractions and the best natural wonders.
We hope you enjoy learning about this Atlantic Province and be sure to let us know in the comments which New Brunswick must-sees we should add to our list!
Saint John
One of the best vacation spots in New Brunswick is the coastal city of Saint John, which is also home to a fascinating natural phenomenon known as the Reversing Rapids or Reversing Falls.
Saint John is located where the mouth of the Saint John River flows into the Bay of Fundy, and it’s the powerful tide waters from the Bay of Fundy which makes the river flow in reverse twice a day. The Reversing Falls Skywalk and Bridge is the best spot to see the natural phenomenon from above.
Other attractions in Saint John include beautiful Victorian-era architecture on Prince William Street, the lively Market Square, and King’s Square, which is a park laid out in the shape of the UK flag!
PS: For excellent views over the town, head to the Carleton Martello Tower (pictured below), a round defensive fort from the 19th-century.
Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park
For some truly unique and natural geological formations, head to the Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, which is one of the most visited tourist places in New Brunswick.
This provincial park is centered around the Hopewell Rocks, a series of sea stacks caused by tidal erosion that look very strange during low tide. When the tide is up they just seem to be small islands topped with trees and grass, but when the tide is out visitors can see how the waves have sculpted them into these iconic shapes.
The best time to visit Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park is during low tide, as then the fascinating rock formations can be admired from below. There are three main access points to the sea floor within the park, one with stairs, one with a ramp and one with a gently descending trail.
Grande Anse Lighthouse
The Acadian Coastal Drive is a beautiful trip to experience in New Brunswick, and the Grande Anse Lighthouse is a must-stop destination along the way!
This square wooden tower with sloping sides was originally a lighthouse, although now it serves as a visitor center, painted with the colors of the Acadian flag.
If you are exploring the Acadian Coastal Drive, this is wonderful spot to stop for a picnic and some photos of the breath-taking views over the Bay of Chaleur. You are more than likely to see local fishing boats in the distance and there’s also a giant lobster pot here that people can fit inside of for a funny photo opp!
Hartland Bridge
New Brunswick is home to a number of world record-breaking places and the Hartland Bridge is one of the most famous.
The Hartland Covered Bridge is the longest covered bridge in the world, stretching 391 meters (1,282 feet) across the Saint John River from Hartland to Somerville. When the bridge was first constructed in 1901 it wasn’t covered, but the cover was added during repairs done between 1920 and 1922.
Cars can only cross the bridge from one side at a time as it’s only one lane. It feels a little claustrophobic to drive through the wooden tunnel, but pedestrians can also walk across on a small covered side gallery, which does provide views over the water.
Fundy National Park
The Fundy National Park of Canada is easily one of the most popular New Brunswick tourist attractions, with stunning coastline and more than 25 waterfalls!
Fundy Bay has some of the highest tides in the world, measuring up to 19 meters deep in the funnel-shaped bay. These dramatic waves beating against the coastline for millennia are what created the many caves, cliffs and rock formations which can be seen in the national park.
Some of the most popular attractions within the park include the sandstone St. Martins Sea Caves, which can be explored on foot when the tide is out. It’s not all about the coast in Fundy National Park though. Head further inland to see some spectacular waterfalls such as Laverty Falls, Dickson Falls and Third Vault Falls.
In summer this national park is popular with bird-watchers who come to see migrating birds on the tidal mudflats, while in winter there are 40 kilometers of trails for cross-country skiing.
Anderson Hollow Lighthouse
While it might look like just a pretty lighthouse for a photo opp, the Anderson Hollow Lighthouse is actually a structure with a fascinating (and transient) history!
The original lighthouse was constructed on the Anderson Hollow wharf at Waterside in 1889 but damaged during a storm in 1891. It was repaired, before being completely torn from its foundations in another storm in 1892. This structure was repaired and then completely carried away (including the pier it stood on) during a gale in 1895.
A new tower was built on the site in 1898, before being destroyed in a storm in 1902. The third Anderson Hollow Lighthouse was built on the opposite side of the breakwater where the others had stood, and managed to remain standing from 1903 until around 1949, when it was moved (not by a storm this time, at least) into the residence of Herbert Armstrong.
In the late 1980s the lighthouse was donated to the Albert County Heritage Trust and it was moved again to the village of Riverside-Albert, before finally being moved to its current location in Harvey Bank in 2001!
If you wish to see the most well-traveled lighthouse in the world, it’s been done up to look very picturesque with a wharf and replica sail ship constructed next to it, along with space for a picnic.
St George
The town of St George is one of the most beautiful New Brunswick places to visit, especially the famous St George Falls pictured below.
St George was once a bustling center of industry, with five shipyards, ten sawmills and seven granite mills operating in the 1800s. St George is most famous for the red granite that was mined in the area and even though production petered out after WWII, it is still often called “The Granite Town”.
St George uses a ‘run of the river’ hydroelectric plant (meaning no water is stored in the dam) which can be see in the gorge at St George Falls. Where the waters fall from the dam there is also a special salmon ladder which enables migrating salmon to go up over the top! Make sure you check it out as well as getting the famous photo from the South Street bridge.
Confederation Bridge
The Confederation Bridge holds a number of titles, including the longest bridge in Canada as it connects the province of New Brunswick with the province of Prince Edward Island.
At 12.9-kilometers (8 miles) long, the Confederation Bridge is also the longest bridge in the world over ice-covered water, as the Northumberland Strait (and Abegweit Passage where the bridge crosses) is covered in sea-ice between December and April.
Constructed between 1993 and 1997, the bridge is a two-lane toll bridge, so you do have to pay if you want to drive over it. Depending on traffic and weather, it usually takes 12 minutes to cross the bridge!
As of 2022 the Prince Edward Island legislature is in the process of urging the Canadian federal government to rename the bridge to “Epekwitk Crossing”, as Epekwitk is the the traditional Mi’kmaq name for Prince Edward Island.
Edmundston
If you’re looking for more inland destinations rather than coastal ones, then Edmundston is one of the prettiest places to go in New Brunswick.
Edmundston is located in the Appalachian Mountains, right on the border of Maine, USA, which can be seen directly across the Saint John River. Because of this location, one of the most popular sites in Edmundston is the Petit-Sault Blockhouse, a recreated fort that was used to defend the town during the Aroostook Bloodless War – a boundary dispute between Canada and the United States.
The Bernard-Valcourt pedestrian bridge (pictured below) is one of the most picturesque spots in Edmundston, allowing people to walk across the Madawaska River and featuring a little covered pavilion in the middle. This is the best place for lovely photos of the river and the Petit-Sault Blockhouse.
Cape Enrage
One of the best places to visit in New Brunswick for incredible views is Cape Enrage, a peninsula not far up the road from Fundy National Park.
There’s a small lighthouse on the tip of Cape Enrage, overlooking the jagged cliffs and reef below, which can cause violent waters, hence the name of ‘Enrage’. This lighthouse is automated now and the buildings around it were falling into disrepair until they were renovated by students from nearby Moncton.
Today the Cape Enrage Lighthouse site offers kayaking, rock-climbing, zip-lining and rappelling adventures for visitors to experience the incredible views with some added adrenaline! There’s also a restaurant and gallery with work by local artists to explore.
World’s Largest Axe
One of the most unusual places to visit in New Brunswick is the World’s Largest Axe, located in Nackawic, not far from the US border.
In 1991 Nackawic was named the Forestry Capital of Canada and a colossal axe was installed to celebrate this honour. The axe is 15 meters (49 feet) tall and weighs over 55 tons, with the axe-head being 7 meters (23 feet) wide.
There is also a time capsule embedded into the axe head, although it’s unclear when this will ever be re-opened. Regular musical and theater performances are held on the ‘stump’ under the giant axe, which would be fun to experience, or you can just stop by for some fun photos.
If you’re stopping to see the axe make sure to also visit the Big Axe Brewery in Nackawic and head to the pretty Trout Brook Falls on Nackawic Stream.
Fredericton
Fredericton is both the capital of the province and one of our personal favorite nice places to visit in New Brunswick.
Located on the Saint John River a bit further inland from the town of Saint John, Fredericton was founded by the French but retains more remnants of British influence in its buildings and street names. The Neo-Gothic Christ Church Cathedral is a prime example.
Where the British Garrison was located between 1784 to 1869 is now the site of Fredericton’s Garrison District, which contains the Fredericton Region Museum and is the site of daily Changing of the Guard ceremonies. This area is often used for summer concerts and theater performances as well.
Fredericton has a thriving arts scene, with many art galleries and craft shops to explore, especially the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Other sites worth a visit include the beautiful Government House building (which is also where the Highland Games are held in summer), Odell Park and the Fredericton Botanic Gardens.
Moncton
The city of Moncton is a fun destination by itself, but it’s also home to two very unique and cool places to visit in New Brunswick.
Moncton is the most populous city in New Brunswick, containing some great attractions such as the Moncton Museum, Transportation Discovery Centre and Magnetic Hill Zoo.
Magnetic Hill is north-west of the city center and a strange optical illusion makes it seem that gravity works in reverse. If you put a car in neutral and take off the brakes, it will appear to roll uphill!
The Moncton Tidal Bore is another unique sight, where the rising tide from the Bay of Fundy creates a single large wave traveling upstream in the Petitcodiac River. Twice a day this single large wave travels up the river, often drawing surfers who want to ride the continuous wave. Head to Bore Park for the best views of the phenomenon.
Campobello Island
While Campobello Island is part of New Brunswick, it sits very close to the border of the United States, and actually connects by bridge to Lubec in Maine.
In fact, you can only reach Campobello Island from Canada without crossing a border if you catch two ferries, which is only possible during summer!
Campobello Island is also famous for being the favorite holiday spot of former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his family; their former holiday house is now the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, which is open to visitors to see how the Roosevelts summered.
There are a number of good hiking trails throughout Campobello Island, and for some of the best views you should all the way to the northern tip of the island, where Head Harbour Lightstation is located on a rocky islet. The lighthouse here is apparently the most photographed in the entire world, and you can actually walk across to it at low tide.
La Dune de Bouctouche
A little way north of Moncton on the coast is La Dune de Bouctouche, a 2,000-year-old sand dune that’s of ecological importance.
The Irving Eco-Centre: La Dune de Bouctouche was developed specifically to protect the 12 kilometer long sand dune and is a fantastic spot to explore if you are at all interested in wildlife and conservation. The main feature is a 1.8 kilometer long boardwalk on stilts which allows visitors to see the different ecosystems without causing any damage to the dune.
Many marine plants, animals and birds make their homes in the dune and salt marsh here, plus there’s a visitor center with more information on the area, which also contains an observation tower. After exploring you might like to relax on Bouctouche Beach in front of the dune, which is quite popular with locals.
Did We Miss Any of Your Favourite Places to Visit in New Brunswick?
Let us know on the comments so we can add more amazing spots to our list!