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from the airport.and beyond

Argentia ferry to St. John's

Distance
132.8 km
Roads
Route 100Route 1Route 2
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A row of brightly painted wooden row houses in red, green, yellow and blue climbing a street in downtown St. John's.
A row of brightly painted wooden row houses in red, green, yellow and blue climbing a street in downtown St. John's.Photo: Paul · source · CC BY 2.0

Places to stay in St. John's

No place to stay in St. John's is listed on Best Kind Stays yet. Every place it lists →

A place listed in St. John's shows on 32 pages here: the airport page, 6 drives to St. John's, 21 arenas and stages and 4 trails nearby.

Own a place in St. John's? List it, free →

Guests book with you directly. Nothing paid changes the order.

Why list here: every town's count →

Art in and near St. John's

By road, from the open map. Shops and galleries keep their own hours. 14 more: All the art, by region →

Out on the water from St. John's

Boat tours that leave from here. The sea and the season decide what you see: ask them what is about. Times and prices are on each one's page.

  • Ocean Safari (Zodiac) and cod fishing ↗

    Ocean Quest Adventures · Main Road, Petty Harbour (per province listing)

    Our rigid-hulled inflatable Zodiac boats are built for safety, stability, and getting close.

  • Quidi Vidi Charters ↗

    57 Barrows Road, Quidi Vidi Village

    An authentic 3-hour experience on the water and wharf in historic Quidi Vidi Village located 5 mins from downtown St. John's.

Every tour in the province, by kind →

Filmed here: Frontier. The Frontier drive · every spot from every airport

You arrive by ferry — North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Argentia

Marine Atlantic runs this crossing seasonally, against year-round sailings into Port aux Basques. People choose it for where it lands. Marine Atlantic publishes sailings and fares.

Marine Atlantic: crossings & current schedule →
Driving route from Argentia ferry terminal to St. John's: 132.8 km by road, via Routes 100 · 1 · 2.Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Tiles by OpenFreeMap. Route line measured along OpenStreetMap's roads.
  1. Commissariat House, a grey clapboard Georgian house with white trim, among trees in St. John's.
    Photograph: Mo Laidlaw · CC BY-SA 3.0

    Stop 1: Terry Fox Mile 0Detour

    Terry Fox's statue at Mile 0 of his Marathon of Hope, which began in St. John's on April 12, 1980, when he dipped his right leg in the Atlantic Ocean.

    Stopping here adds 2.1 km to the drive.

    Directions →
    Other map appsApple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze
    Show on map: Terry Fox Mile 0 ↑
⛽ Fuel and gravel, road by road ▾
  • Route 100 →Whole road: 3 fuel stations mapped, longest gap 63 km. Unpaved mapped: none; 0% has no surface tag, so unknown.
  • Route 1 →Whole road: 54 fuel stations mapped, longest gap 119 km. Unpaved mapped: none; 68% has no surface tag, so unknown.
  • Route 2 →Whole road: 10 fuel stations mapped, longest gap 28 km. Unpaved mapped: none; 70% has no surface tag, so unknown.

Drive measured Oct 16, 2026, Argentia ferry terminal to St. John's. Your maps app gives the time on the day. How we measure

Add to a trip →Staying here? Days out ↓Ferry info: Marine Atlantic →

132.8 km. Off the ferry at Argentia to St. John’s, on Routes 100, 1 and 2.

When you get to St. John's

Sunrise and sunset at St. John's, by month
The 15thFirst lightSunriseSunsetLast light
Jan7:09 am7:44 am4:35 pm5:09 pm
Feb6:35 am7:07 am5:22 pm5:54 pm
Mar6:44 am7:15 am7:05 pm7:36 pm
Apr5:40 am6:12 am7:48 pm8:21 pm
May4:47 am5:23 am8:29 pm9:06 pm
Jun4:21 am5:02 am8:59 pm9:40 pm
Jul4:39 am5:18 am8:55 pm9:33 pm
Aug5:22 am5:56 am8:14 pm8:48 pm
Sep6:06 am6:37 am7:14 pm7:45 pm
Oct6:47 am7:18 am6:14 pm6:45 pm
Nov6:32 am7:05 am4:25 pm4:59 pm
Dec7:06 am7:42 am4:10 pm4:45 pm

Worked out for the 15th of each month at this spot, in local time. First and last light are when the sun is 6° below the horizon: light enough to see and shoot by. The weather line at the top has today's.

Places to eat on the way

Near St. John's, the places are on the town's own list: where to eat near St. John's →

66 places to eat within 2 km of this drive, in the order you pass them. The longest stretch with none is 71.5 km, after Mary Brown's.

Show all 66
  • A&Wfast foodkm 45
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 45.3
  • Subwayfast foodkm 45.3
  • Mary Brown'srestaurantkm 45.9
  • Robin's Donutsfast foodkm 117.4 · 1762 m off the road
  • Donovan's Irvingrestaurantkm 118.3 · 1243 m off the road
  • Subwayfast foodkm 118.3 · 1881 m off the road
  • Costco Food Courtfast foodkm 118.3 · 478 m off the road
  • Starbuckscafékm 118.4 · 378 m off the road
  • Five Guysrestaurantkm 118.5 · 439 m off the road
  • A&Wfast foodkm 118.7
  • A&Wfast foodkm 118.7
  • Pizza Hutrestaurantkm 118.8 · 383 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 119 · 306 m off the road
  • Old Town Pizzeriarestaurantkm 119 · 1708 m off the road
  • A&Wfast foodkm 119 · 324 m off the road
  • McDonald'sfast foodkm 119.1 · 1614 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 119.1 · 1834 m off the road
  • Wendy'sfast foodkm 119.1 · 296 m off the road
  • Mary Brown'sfast foodkm 119.1 · 1735 m off the road
  • Fat Bastard Burritorestaurantkm 119.1 · 405 m off the road
  • KFCfast foodkm 119.1 · 1656 m off the road
  • McDonald'sfast foodkm 119.1 · 1614 m off the road
  • Taco Bellfast foodkm 119.2 · 1684 m off the road
  • Acropolis Pizzarestaurantkm 119.2 · 382 m off the road
  • Full House Restaurantrestaurantkm 119.2 · 323 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 119.2 · 345 m off the road
  • Asian Caferestaurantkm 119.3 · 1619 m off the road
  • McDonald'sfast foodkm 120.3 · 156 m off the road
  • Extreme Pitafast foodkm 120.4 · 331 m off the road
  • Smitty'srestaurantkm 120.5 · 353 m off the road
  • Harvey'sfast foodkm 120.5 · 464 m off the road
  • Thaï Expressfast foodkm 120.5 · 328 m off the road
  • Harvey'sfast foodkm 120.5 · 466 m off the road
  • Subwayfast foodkm 120.6 · 391 m off the road
  • Pizza Delightrestaurantkm 120.6 · 330 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 120.6 · 325 m off the road
  • Booster Juicefast foodkm 120.6 · 173 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 120.6 · 326 m off the road
  • Little Caesarsfast foodkm 120.7 · 282 m off the road
  • Dairy Queenfast foodkm 120.8 · 276 m off the road
  • Landwash Brewerypubkm 122.5 · 964 m off the road
  • Johny & Mae'sfast foodkm 122.5 · 960 m off the road
  • The Sweet Newfie Kitchenfast foodkm 123.7 · 1941 m off the road
  • Oscars Eatery & Caférestaurantkm 123.7 · 1852 m off the road
  • Jasmine's Restaurantrestaurantkm 124.8 · 1610 m off the road
  • New Moon Restaurantrestaurantkm 125 · 1517 m off the road
  • Ches's Fish and Chipsfast foodkm 125 · 1359 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 125 · 1475 m off the road
  • Topsail Road Pizzeria and Loungefast foodkm 125 · 1483 m off the road
  • Big Cheese Pizzafast foodkm 125 · 1377 m off the road
  • Jungle Jim'srestaurantkm 125 · 1374 m off the road
  • Sushi Makirestaurantkm 125 · 1374 m off the road
  • Dairy Queenfast foodkm 125 · 1500 m off the road
  • Starbuckscafékm 125 · 1487 m off the road
  • Redrock Bar & Grillrestaurantkm 125 · 1524 m off the road
  • Mary Brown'sfast foodkm 126 · 1398 m off the road
  • Mary Brown'sfast foodkm 126 · 1406 m off the road
  • Burger Kingfast foodkm 126.5 · 983 m off the road
  • McDonald'sfast foodkm 126.5 · 975 m off the road
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 126.5
  • Tim Hortonscafékm 126.6 · 953 m off the road
  • Peter's Pizzarestaurantkm 126.6 · 1190 m off the road
  • Rack and Roll Lounge and Games Roompubkm 126.6 · 1294 m off the road
  • Red Pepperrestaurantkm 126.6 · 1202 m off the road
  • Subwayfast foodkm 126.6 · 1094 m off the road

Not ranked or complete, and nobody pays to be here. No opening hours: phone ahead. Open map data, read 2026-10-17 (how we measure). Missing one? Add it to the map or email us the details.

Access, as its own page says: Step-free: The Rooms (every floor, wheelchairs to borrow), the Johnson Geo Centre (elevators, wheelchairs to borrow) and the Colonial Building (a lift between floors). Audio cues at some downtown traffic lights. The Rooms: ASL for many programs, booked two weeks ahead; listening headphones in the theatre. The Rooms: headphones that link to the theatre's sound system, to borrow or bring your own; ask Visitor Services before you come. Hearing devices to borrow, and ASL interpreters to book, through local groups with text lines. Accessible travel, with the sources →

Short drives from St. John's

An easy day out from St. John'sFather Troy's Path 14 km awayA walk: 8.9 km point to point, one way · easyDirections from where your phone is now:
Directions →
Other map appsApple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze

Or any of these: nearest first, measured by road from St. John's. Each one's page has directions.

More, up to 33 km (10)
  • Torbay Beachstop12 km

    Start of the Father Troy Trail along the shore, past fields of farm animals and wildflowers, per the province's tourism site.

  • Blackhead One Room Church and School Museumstop12 km

    In Blackhead, on the road out to the cape, a small community museum by this name.

  • Deadmans Bay Pathtrail · 10.5 km point to point, one way · moderate to difficult13 km
  • Father Troy's Pathtrail · 8.9 km point to point, one way · easy14 km
  • Motion Pathtrail · 13.8 km point to point, one way · moderate to difficult15 km
  • Cape Speartown16 km
  • Portugal Cove ferry terminaltown17 km
  • Piccos Ridge Pathtrail · 14.5 km point to point, one way · strenuous17 km
  • Flatrockstop20 km

    One of the settled coves along this shore, with another view of the coast round each bend, per the province's tourism site.

  • Bay Bulls harbourstop33 km

    On screen: where Wade and Jerry head out at night from the marine base to harvest an iceberg.

Distances by road from St. John's, measured on OpenStreetMap November 7, 2026. Your maps app gives the time on the day. How we measure

Doing it electric

Fast chargers on this drive
Paradise km 117, St. John’s km 119
Longest stretch without one
117 km
Argentia → Paradise, of 133 km driven
Nearest fast charger to St. John's
14.4 km
by road, at St. John’s

The chargers

  • Paradise km 117 of the drive, 2.4 km off it

    Paradise Town Hall 28 McNamara Dr, Paradise, NL A1L 1Y5

    CCS and CHAdeMO plugs · 62.5 kW DC fast charger

    Directions →
    Other map appsApple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze

  • St. John’s km 119 of the drive

    The Shoppes at Galway 42 Danny Drive, St. John’s

    CCS and CHAdeMO plugs · 62.5 kW DC fast charger

    Directions →
    Other map appsApple · Google · Organic Maps · OsmAnd (both work offline, no tracking) · Waze

Charging: about 100 km of range every 15 minutes, and most EVs to 80% in less than an hour. You start it with a free ChargePoint account, with the ChargePoint app or card. NL Hydro, read November 1, 2026.

Coming in 2026 (NL Hydro, October 22, 2026): Whitbourne (km 46; CCS and CHAdeMO plugs · ultra-fast, up to 175 kW to one car, 350 kW where a site has two or more chargers) and St. John’s, a second site in the same town (km 119; CCS and CHAdeMO plugs · ultra-fast, up to 175 kW to one car, 350 kW where a site has two or more chargers). Not counted until it opens.

NL Hydro fast chargers within 3 km of the drive. Check the app for one that's working. Exported October 22, 2026. How we measure

Every route compared →NL Hydro: plan your road trip →

Paved or not, per the map

Mapped as unpaved
none
Not proof it is all paved: 26% has no surface tag.
Mapped as paved
74%
94 km of 132.8 km driven
No surface tag on the map
26%
32.5 km: surface not recorded

In a rental car: Hertz Canada’s terms say “use off paved roads or on roads which are not regularly maintained” voids the damage waiver. Check your own agreement. Hertz’s terms ↗. Source for these figures: OSRM driving profile, stored route query, with node annotations; OpenStreetMap surface tags via Overpass, checked 2026-10-16. Today's road conditions: 511.

Before you go

These change, so we link to the people who keep them up to date.

  • The crossing you arrive onSeasonal — Argentia is not the year-round crossing

    Port aux Basques runs through the winter; Argentia does not. Confirm the sailing first, because the other landing is on the far side of the island.

    marineatlantic.ca →

  • MooseYear round, worst between dusk and dawn

    The province says the likelihood of injury in a moose collision is twice as high between dusk and dawn as in daytime. This is 132.8 km, much of it unlit two-lane highway; plan the drive for daylight where you can.

    gov.nl.ca →

  • Road conditionsYear round, matters most November–April

    Conditions at one end of the island say little about the other. Check before you set off.

    511nl.ca →

The drive back

St. John's back to Argentia measures 134 km — 1.5 km longer than the drive out.

Plan back from your boarding time. Give the planner your sailing time and it tells you when to set off.

How early to arrive depends on the vessel and the season: check Marine Atlantic →

Return measured 2026-10-16, the same way as the drive out. How we measure

Questions

How far is St. John's from the Argentia ferry?＋

132.8 km from the ferry terminal to the centre of St. John's.

What route do I take?＋

Routes 100, 1 and 2. Your maps app has the turns.

Is Argentia the closest ferry for St. John's?＋

Yes. The next closest is Port aux Basques ferry, at 904.5 km.

Do I need a car?＋

Plan on one. Buses between these towns are few, and the drive is the way most people make it.

No recorded track yet.Drove it? Send yours →

Put this map on your site

Run a place to stay, a tour or a town page on this drive? Add this map to your site. It shows your guests the drive and its distance. It is free, needs no account, and we keep the figures current.

<iframe src="https://fromtheairport.xyz/embed/arg-st-johns"
  width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy"
  title="Driving route: Argentia ferry terminal to St. John's"></iframe>
Add ?lat=&lon=&label= to the URL to pin your own property on the map.

Every distance and coordinate on this page was checked against its source on October 16, 2026. Origin: OpenStreetMap node/605220569 — Argentia. Destination: OpenStreetMap node/236053950 — St. John's. Planning only: not live and not for navigation; roads and conditions change. Terms