Day trips from Fredericton

Everything within about two hours: Kings Landing and Mactaquac up the road, Saint John and its Reversing Falls, seaside St. Andrews, mural-and-covered-bridge Sussex, Moncton’s Magnetic Hill, and the warmest saltwater beaches in Canada at Shediac and Cap-Pelé.

Updated August 8, 2026

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Quick answer

Fredericton sits in the middle of the province, so the radius is generous. Under an hour: Kings Landing living-history village and Mactaquac Provincial Park (both ~25 min west), plus riverside Gagetown (~45 min). An hour to 90 minutes: Saint John and its Reversing Falls (~1h15 via Route 7), seaside St. Andrews by-the-Sea (~1h20), Sussex, covered-bridge and mural capital (~1h25), and the world’s-longest Hartland Covered Bridge (~1h15). The two-hour reach, worth the drive: Moncton’s Magnetic Hill (~1h45), the Grand Falls gorge (~1h45), the Bay of Fundy at St. Martins / Fundy Trail (~2h), and the beach day at Shediac & Cap-Pelé (~2h).

Last verified July 18, 2026

At a glance: how far is what

Destination	Drive	Go for	Best season
Kings Landing	~25 min W	Living-history village	June–Oct
Mactaquac Prov. Park	~25 min W	Beach, golf, trails, camping	Year-round
Oromocto / CFB Gagetown	~20 min SE	Military museum, riverfront	Year-round
Gagetown village	~45 min SE	Galleries, cidery, cable ferry	May–Oct
McAdam railway station	~1 hr SW	Château-style rail landmark	Summer
Saint John	~1 hr 15 S	City Market, Reversing Falls, Fundy	May–Oct
Hartland + Woodstock	~1 hr 15 NW	World’s longest covered bridge	Year-round
St. Andrews by-the-Sea	~1 hr 20 SW	Gardens, whales, Ministers Island	Mid-May–mid-Oct
Sussex	~1 hr 25 SE	Murals, covered bridges, Poley Mtn	Year-round
Moncton	~1 hr 45 E	Magnetic Hill, tidal bore, casino	Summer (best)
Grand Falls / Grand-Sault	~1 hr 45 NW	75-ft falls and gorge	May–Oct
St. Martins / Fundy Trail	~2 hr SE	Sea caves, coastal drive	May–Oct
Shediac & Cap-Pelé	~2 hr E	Warm-water beaches, lobster	July–Aug

Everything above is genuinely doable in a day. Past about 90 minutes, be honest with yourself: pick one anchor, leave early, and consider an overnight if you want to pair, say, Moncton with the Fundy coast.

Under an hour: the backyard classics

~25 min W · June 6–Oct 12, 2026

Kings Landing

A living 19th-century Loyalist village on the Saint John River (5804 Route 102), staffed by costumed interpreters who stay in character while you wander farmhouses, a sawmill and a working forge. 2026 note: an infrastructure-renewal project means reduced site access June 6–Aug 31 at a lower admission (adult $19.55, family $46.80); the full site and regular pricing (adult $25.30, family $60) return Sept 1–Oct 12. Under the Canada Strong Pass, ages 17-and-under are free June 19–Sept 7. Open daily 10–5. 2. ~25 min W · Year-round

Mactaquac Provincial Park

New Brunswick's biggest provincial park, wrapped around the headpond: a supervised sand beach, two marinas, an 18-hole championship golf course, 15+ km of trails and a large campground (season May 15–Oct 11). Come winter, locals swap the hiking boots for snowshoes and cross-country skis on the day-use trails. The whole thing is 25 minutes from downtown, which is faintly ridiculous. 3. ~20 min SE · Year-round

Oromocto & CFB Gagetown

The first town downriver, and home to one of Canada's largest military training bases. The New Brunswick Military History Museum on base is the draw, free, surprisingly deep, and an easy family morning. Add the Oromocto riverfront boardwalk and you've filled a low-effort half-day. 4. ~45 min SE · May–Oct

Gagetown village

A gentle riverside village of potters, weavers and boat-watching, the anti-itinerary day trip. Visit the Queens County Museum in the Tilley House (birthplace of a Father of Confederation), ride the free seasonal cable ferry across the river, and stop at Gagetown Distilling & Cidery for a tasting. The Folly Fest music weekend takes over each summer.

An hour to 90 minutes: the real day trips

Saint John, the working port with the tides · ~1 hr 15 via Route 7

Canada's oldest incorporated city, and the one that best rewards a Fredericton day trip. Start at the Saint John City Market (47 Charlotte St), the oldest continuously operating farmers' market in Canada (1876), roofed like an inverted ship's hull, grab chowder and a bag of dulse. Time a stop at the Reversing Falls Rapids to the tide chart, because the whole point is the Bay of Fundy's 8-metre tide bullying the river into flowing backward through a gorge; the glass-floored Skywalk hangs right over it. Wander the red-brick Uptown / Trinity Royal heritage blocks (the largest concentration of heritage architecture in Atlantic Canada), walk Irving Nature Park or Rockwood Park, and refuel at a Picaroons taproom. Heads-up: the New Brunswick Museum has no public venue right now (its new building isn't due until 2028), and Reversing Falls at dead-slack tide looks like… flat water. Check the tide table first.

St. Andrews by-the-Sea, the seaside resort town · ~1 hr 20

The prettiest town in the province, and unapologetically seasonal (roughly mid-May to mid-October). The headline acts: Kingsbrae Garden, 27 acres of themed beds and sculpture with a café (open ~May 16–Oct 17); whale-watching tours from the town wharf (mid-June through October, minke and humpback whales, porpoises, seals and eagles); and Ministers Island, where at low tide you literally drive across the ocean floor to Sir William Van Horne's estate (tide-timed, so mind the crossing window or get stranded). Add the 1889 Algonquin Resort for the architecture, the Fundy Discovery Aquarium for touch tanks, and Water Street for galleries and lunch. You can't cram Kingsbrae + Ministers Island + a whale tour into one day, so choose two.

Sussex, murals, covered bridges & a ski hill · ~1 hr 25

A dairy town punching above its weight on charm. It's the self-styled Mural Capital of Atlantic Canada (~24 large outdoor murals you can walk between downtown and in Sussex Corner) and the Covered Bridge Capital, 16 covered bridges in Kings County, eight of them within about ten minutes of town, which makes for a lovely back-road photo loop. Poley Mountain is southern NB's alpine hill: skiing and snowboarding in winter, a lift-served mountain-bike park in summer. Time a visit for early-to-mid September and you catch the Atlantic Balloon Fiesta (the weekend after Labour Day), up to 30 hot-air balloons lifting off twice daily. Sussex is also the natural staging point for the Fundy coast (below).

Hartland & Woodstock, the covered-bridge run · ~1 hr 15 NW

The Hartland Covered Bridge is the world's longest at 391 m, opened in 1901, and still a working single-lane crossing (load limit dropped to 3 tonnes in 2023, so it's cars-only and gentle). Tradition says hold your breath and make a wish crossing, unenforced, universally obeyed. The drive up the Saint John River valley is half the reward; the Covered Bridge Potato Chip factory sits nearby. Pair it with Woodstock 20 minutes on, New Brunswick's first incorporated town (1856), with a handsome Main Street and the c.1833 Old Carleton County Court House.

McAdam railway station, the offbeat pick · ~1 hr SW

A grand Château-style former Canadian Pacific station (1900), now a restored National Historic Site with a period dining room and guided tours. Improbable, magnificent, and almost never crowded, the sleeper of this whole list for anyone who likes their history with a side of "wait, this is here?"

The two-hour reach, and worth it

These push past a tidy day-trip radius. Do them, but leave early, pick one focus, and don't pretend you'll also stop everywhere along the way.

Moncton, Magnetic Hill & the tidal bore · ~1 hr 45 E

The province's biggest city and its most kid-friendly cluster of attractions. Magnetic Hill is the famous gravity illusion, put the car in neutral and appear to roll uphill ($10/car, open ~May 16–Sept 1), anchoring a precinct that also holds the Magnetic Hill Zoo (Atlantic Canada's largest) and summer-only Magic Mountain water park. Downtown gives you Resurgo Place (science + museum, year-round), Casino New Brunswick, and the tidal bore on the Petitcodiac at Bore Park, stronger since the causeway gates opened, though still a modest wave, so check the posted daily schedule. Moncton is also the gateway to Hopewell Rocks (~40 min further); wanting both in one day is how you end up with five hours of driving. That's an overnight.

Grand Falls / Grand-Sault, the gorge · ~1 hr 45 NW

Up the valley, the Saint John River drops 23 m (75 ft) over rock ledges, "La Chute", into a gorge up to 75 m deep and 1.6 km long. The Malabeam interpretive centre, a zip-line across the gorge, a 401-step stairwell to the river, and the strange rock "wells" (potholes) round it out. A properly dramatic bit of geology most Frederictonians drive past on the way to Québec without stopping.

St. Martins & the Fundy Trail, the coast · ~2 hr SE

The Bay of Fundy at its most photogenic: the St. Martins sea caves, red-sandstone caverns you can walk into at low tide and kayak at high, beside a pair of twin covered bridges and a working fishing quay. Next door, the Fundy Trail Parkway is a 30-km scenic coastal drive with 20+ lookouts, beaches and waterfalls (some structures, like the Big Salmon River suspension bridge, close for maintenance, check ahead). The tides here run nearly 40 feet. Farther along, Fundy National Park at Alma (~2 hrs) offers Acadian-forest hiking and free admission June 19–Sept 7, 2026.

Shediac & Cap-Pelé, the beach day · ~2 hr E

Yes, it's two hours past Moncton, and yes, it's worth it on a hot day, because the Northumberland Strait holds the warmest saltwater in Canada. Parlee Beach Provincial Park (Pointe-du-Chêne) is the marquee stretch, wide sand, supervised swimming, full facilities, a day-use vehicle fee in season. Prefer it quieter? Aboiteau Beach in Acadian Cap-Pelé is a Blue Flag beach with a boardwalk and an on-site seafood patio. Shediac calls itself the Lobster Capital of the World, guards the 11-metre World's Largest Lobster sculpture, and throws a Lobster Festival every July (since 1949). Go for a full beach-and-lobster day; the water's warmest in August. Grab a lobster roll at Captain Dan's on the Pointe-du-Chêne wharf on the way out.

Pick by mood

Beach day: Shediac / Cap-Pelé (warm saltwater) or Mactaquac's freshwater beach if you'd rather stay close.
History & heritage: Kings Landing, Saint John's Uptown, McAdam station, Woodstock.
With kids: Moncton's Magnetic Hill precinct, the Fundy Discovery Aquarium, Mactaquac. More ideas in our things to do with kids guide.
Foodie: Saint John City Market, Gagetown's cidery, a Shediac lobster supper.
Free / cheap: covered-bridge drives around Hartland and Sussex, Irving Nature Park, the sea caves at low tide, Grand Falls gorge lookouts.
Romantic: St. Andrews by-the-Sea, hands down, gardens, a whale tour, dinner on Water Street.
Rain plan: Resurgo Place (Moncton), the Fundy Discovery Aquarium (St. Andrews), Saint John City Market, McAdam station tour.

Staying closer to home instead? The city's own things to do, trails and parks and weekend events have you covered.

Common questions

What are the best day trips from Fredericton?

Within about an hour: Kings Landing living-history village, Mactaquac Provincial Park, and Gagetown village. Within 90 minutes: Saint John (Reversing Falls, City Market), St. Andrews by-the-Sea, Sussex (murals and covered bridges), and the Hartland Covered Bridge. Around two hours: Moncton (Magnetic Hill), the Grand Falls gorge, the Fundy coast at St. Martins, and the beaches at Shediac and Cap-Pelé.

How far is Saint John from Fredericton?

About 110 km, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes south on Route 7, a divided highway the whole way. It’s the most rewarding single day trip: City Market, the Reversing Falls Rapids, the Uptown heritage district and Bay of Fundy scenery.

Where are the closest beaches to Fredericton?

For a freshwater swim, Mactaquac Provincial Park is only ~25 minutes west. For warm saltwater, the Northumberland Strait beaches, Parlee Beach in Shediac and Aboiteau Beach in Cap-Pelé, are about two hours east and hold the warmest ocean water in Canada, best in August.

Can you do Moncton as a day trip from Fredericton?

Yes, but it’s at the edge, about 1 hour 45 minutes each way via Route 2. That’s realistically time for two or three attractions (say, the Magnetic Hill precinct, or downtown plus the tidal bore). If you also want the Bay of Fundy and Hopewell Rocks, make it an overnight.

How far is St. Andrews by-the-Sea?

About 1 hour 20 minutes southwest. It’s heavily seasonal, Kingsbrae Garden, whale tours, Ministers Island and the aquarium run roughly mid-May to mid-October, so an off-season visit means a quiet town with most headline attractions closed.

Is the Hartland Covered Bridge worth the drive?

If covered bridges stir anything in you at all, yes, it’s the world’s longest at 391 m (1901), and the drive up the Saint John River valley is half the reward. Pair it with Woodstock, 20 minutes on, for lunch.

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