Moncton, New Brunswick is a great hub for exploration. It’s a small city perfectly situated between some other small towns and plenty of restaurants & attractions along the way. From quirky attractions to fresh seafood, here’s why Moncton should be your next getaway.

Welcome to Moncton

I decided to take a solo trip to somewhere I’d never been before, and Moncton happened to be a short, inexpensive flight from Toronto. Yes, it’s often referred to as “the armpit of New Brunswick” - but that only made me want to visit more. I knew that I could find something there.

Moncton is a city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It’s a university town, English & French speaking. People don’t seem to think of it as a destination. It’s an in-between - a place you stop on your way to Charlottetown or Fredericton or Halifax. I had done very little planning before heading out to Moncton and it seemed the only well-known attraction there was Magnetic Hill.

If You Love Seafood

The first reason you should get out to Moncton is the food. Let me tell you: I love seafood. I went to a gastropub called Tide & Boar. Oysters, mussels, scallops, lobster - I’m salivating just thinking about it. There was another restaurant called Catch 22. Amazing food and service. Fresh, local, inventive, without any of the pretension that you can find in some of the bigger cities.

Only in Moncton…

Which leads me to my next reason to visit Moncton: smaller towns are quirky, in a very charming way. There’s a laundromat that they turned into a cafe. There’s the CBC, our national public broadcaster, located in the same building as a supermarket (Where you can get… donair chips. It’s a thing. There’s a river that they’ve affectionately dubbed the Chocolate River. It’s just really brown.

The Perfect Base for Roadtrips

Moncton is a great base for roadtrips. Within 30 minutes to 2 hours, you could be in another city.

Within under an hour, there’s Bouctouche, where I practically had the entire beach to myself. And there’s Shediac, home of amazing lobster. And a giant lobster. And one of the most beautiful sunsets I’d ever seen.

THE TIDE

What really made me fall in love with Moncton and the surrounding area was being able to observe the tide.

I drove out to Hopewell Rocks, which is just on the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy. A beautiful spot. And every day, you can observe the ocean coming in and going out. There are tons of trails to explore if you like nature. And you can actually walk on the ocean floor. I haven’t had the chance to do that anywhere in the world.

YOU’VE JUST GOT TO EXPERIENCE IT YOURSELF

There is just something to love about the simplicity of a city like Moncton. If you’re looking for an affordable destination that will open up a whole new world of exploration, book your flight today!

Want to explore more of Atlantic Canada? Check out some things to do with 24 hours in St. John’s!