Discover New Brunswick

Introduction

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces, on the Atlantic coast between Quebec, Nova Scotia and the U.S. state of Maine. It is about 83% forested, with the northern half occupied by the Appalachians, and unlike Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia it has a large sheltered interior, so it is defined by its rivers as much as its coast. The Saint John River runs 673 kilometres through the west, past the capital, Fredericton, to the Bay of Fundy. Some 775,610 people live here, split about two-thirds English and one-third French: New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province, and it holds most of the cultural region of Acadia. Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton are the three main cities.

The Bay of Fundy is the province's signature. Its tides are the highest in the world, averaging about 16 metres, and roughly 100 billion tonnes of water move in and out twice a day, carving the flowerpot sea stacks of the Hopewell Rocks and reversing the rapids where the Saint John River meets the sea. Two national parks protect the coast: Fundy, near Alma, with its waterfalls and forced-march tides, and Kouchibouguac, with barrier-island dunes, seals and a Dark-Sky preserve. On the warmer Northumberland Strait, Shediac calls itself the Lobster Capital of the World and Parlee Beach draws summer crowds.

The human story is Acadian and Loyalist. Champlain founded Acadia in 1604; the British deported the Acadians between 1755 and 1764, and Acadians returned to build the French-speaking north and east. Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution settled the Bay of Fundy after 1783, and the province was carved from Nova Scotia in 1784. A car is essential here; Via Rail's Ocean stops at Moncton three days a week, and 911 and Tele-Care 811 cover emergencies. This page covers the province; its city pages hold the detail.

Geography

72,908 square kilometres between Quebec, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Nova Scotia, the Bay of Fundy and Maine; about 83% forested, the northern half Appalachian, with Mount Carleton at 820 metres the highest point in the Maritimes. The Saint John River runs 673 kilometres through the west; the Bay of Fundy on the southeast has the world's highest tides. Some 775,610 people live here, most in Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton.

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History

Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy homelands; Cartier in 1534 and Champlain's Acadia in 1604; the British conquest of 1713 and the Acadian deportations of 1755 to 1764; the Loyalists after 1783 and the partition from Nova Scotia in 1784; Saint John as Canada's oldest incorporated city in 1785; and the Official Languages Act of 1969.

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Culture

Canada's only officially bilingual province: two-thirds English, a third French, the French being the Acadians of the north and east with their own flag, tintamarre and Chiac. Loyalist and Celtic roots in the south; three First Nations across the land; Fredericton's Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the Saint John museum; and Moosehead, Canada's oldest independent brewery.

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Climate Patterns

A humid continental climate: snowy winters and temperate summers, with slightly milder winters on the Gulf of St. Lawrence side. The Fundy coast is cool and foggy even in summer; the sheltered interior is warmer. July and August are the warm months; winter is long and snowy from about November to April.

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Food & Traditional Cuisine

Seafood and Acadian country cooking: Bay of Fundy and Gulf lobster (Shediac calls itself the Lobster Capital of the World), snow crab, scallops and Atlantic salmon; spring fiddleheads and Grand Manan dulse; and the Acadian table of fricot, rappie pie and the buckwheat ployes of the Madawaska. Moosehead, from Saint John, is Canada's oldest independent brewery.

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How many days do I need?

A week covers the Fundy coast, the Hopewell Rocks and one river or Acadian loop; two weeks covers the province, both coasts and the interior. Long weekends work for a single base like Moncton or Saint John.

Do I need a car?

Effectively yes. Intercity public transport is limited and the sights are spread along two coasts and the river valleys. Via Rail's Ocean stops at Moncton three days a week, but a car reaches everything else.

When are the Fundy tides best?

Any day: two high and two low tides occur roughly every 24 hours. At the Hopewell Rocks, plan a full six-hour cycle to see the sea stacks from the ocean floor and again from the water; check the posted tide tables.

Is New Brunswick French or English?

Both. It is Canada's only officially bilingual province, about two-thirds English and a third French, with the French-speaking Acadian communities in the north and east. English works everywhere.

Do I need a visa?

Visa-exempt visitors flying in need an eTA, applied for at canada.ca; US citizens need neither an eTA nor a visa; others need a visitor visa. Carry a passport valid for your stay.

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