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Canada Guide

The Maritime Provinces

New Brunswick

The province of NEW BRUNSWICK, roughly 350km long and 270km wide, attracts less tourist attention than its Maritime neighbours, and it's hard to understand quite why. It's true that the forested upland that makes up the bulk of the province is a trifle repetitious, but the long river valleys that furrow the landscape at least partly compensate and the funnel-shaped Bay of Fundy, with its dramatic tides and delightful coastline, is no less than outstanding. Equally, in Fredericton, the capital, the province has one of the region's most appealing towns, a laidback sort of place which, besides offering the bonus of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, also possesses strings of fine old villas and a good-looking cathedral. Handsome scenery is within easy reach of the capital too – most obviously it's a short journey south to scenic Passamaquoddy Bay, an island-studded inlet of the Bay of Fundy that's home to the likeable resort of St Andrews.

Southeast of Fredericton, the Saint John River snakes a tortuous route to the Bay of Fundy at the busy port of Saint John. Like most of the settlements of southern New Brunswick, Saint John was founded by United Empire Loyalists, whose descendants, mingled with those of British colonists, account for around sixty percent of the province's 756,000 inhabitants. Some 126,000 people live here in Saint John, making this the province's big city – it's much larger than Fredericton – and, although hard times have left the place frayed at the edges, the city does boast a splendid sample of Victorian architecture. Also, although industry has scarred the Fundy coast near Saint John, there's still no denying the rugged charms of the city's setting, and not far away are the more pristine land- and seascapes of both the coastal Fundy Trail Parkway and Fundy National Park.

The remaining forty percent of New Brunswick's population are French-speakers, the descendants of those Acadians who settled in the region after the deportations of 1755. They have made Moncton, in southeast New Brunswick, the effective capital of modern Acadia, with a French-speaking university as their cultural centre.