Three days is enough to see the Bay of Fundy's biggest sights if you let the tide set the order. This plan is written for the main season, roughly mid-May to mid-October, when Hopewell Rocks, the Fundy Trail Parkway and the St. Andrews attractions are open, and it notes what to swap if you travel in winter. Before you start, download or bookmark a Fundy tide table, because every day below is built around high and low water.
Day one: Saint John
Start uptown at the Saint John City Market, which is open Monday to Saturday and is the easiest place to pick up breakfast or a picnic. Walk the Uptown Saint John Heritage Walk through King Square and down to Market Square, then follow Harbour Passage along the water. Time your visit to the Reversing Falls Rapids for the part of the tide cycle you most want to see: Tourism Saint John suggests high tide for the rapids and low tide for the exposed rocks. If you have energy left, finish at Rockwood Park for a lake walk, or at Irving Nature Park for the shore and, on a clear night, the stars. Stay at the Delta Hotels by Marriott for a walkable base, or at the Homeport Inn if you want a historic house with breakfast included.
Day two: the coast to Alma
This is the long driving day, so leave early. Hopewell Rocks is the headline: plan to arrive an hour or two before low tide and walk down 99 steps to the ocean floor, then use the two-day ticket to come back near high tide if you can. Cape Enrage is a short drive from Hopewell and makes a good lunch stop with a lighthouse, cliffs and views over the bay. In the afternoon continue to Fundy National Park for one or two walks, a waterfall and a look at the shore. Sleep in Alma, where Parkland Village Inn is a five-minute walk from the park entrance in the months it is open. If you want to cover the St. Martins end of the coast instead, swap Cape Enrage for the Fundy Trail Parkway and the St. Martins sea caves on a separate day.
Day three: St. Andrews
From Alma or Saint John, drive west to St. Andrews by-the-Sea, a seaside town on Passamaquoddy Bay. In summer, take a morning whale-watching cruise, which runs from June to October, then have lunch on Water Street. In the afternoon visit Kingsbrae Garden, which is open from mid-May to mid-October, and the St. Andrews Blockhouse, which keeps summer hours. If the tide suits, add Ministers Island, which you reach by driving across the ocean floor at low tide. Spend the night at the Algonquin Resort for the spa, the pool and the golf, or at the Treadwell Inn if you would rather be in the middle of town.
How to swap in winter
From November to March, most of the coastal attractions are closed: Hopewell Rocks, the Fundy Trail Parkway, whale watching, Kingsbrae Garden and the Blockhouse all keep seasonal dates. A winter version of the three days keeps the Saint John day as it is, adds a visit to the Moosehead Brewery Tour or the heritage streets, and uses Rockwood Park for snowshoeing or skating. Fundy National Park remains open for access with reduced services, and the Algonquin Resort keeps its indoor pool open year-round.
Driving times and pace
Saint John to Hopewell Rocks is under two hours by road, Fundy National Park is a little closer, and St. Andrews is roughly an hour and a half in the other direction. Do not try to add more than one big sight in the morning and one in the afternoon, because the tide, the stairs and the driving all take longer than they look on a map. Fill the tank before the coast roads, bring food and water, and carry a windproof layer.
What to book ahead
Reserve hotels early for July, August and the autumn colour weeks, and check the dates for whale watching and the garden in spring. Hopewell Rocks, the City Market, Harbour Passage and Rockwood Park need no reservation.
Eating and resting
Services thin out quickly once you leave Saint John, so treat the City Market on day one as your supply stop. Buy sandwiches, fruit and baking there for the drive to Hopewell Rocks, and carry water, because the stairs and the shore walks are more tiring than they look. In Alma and St. Andrews, restaurants keep seasonal hours, so ask your hotel which ones are open on your nights. If the weather turns foggy, which is common on this coast, move the Saint John city sights into the bad-weather slot and keep the coastal ones for clearer hours.
