Conception Bay Tour: Explore Historic Outports

Explore Conception Bay’s rich history with tales of pirates, WWII, and aviation. Discover charming outport communities and savor authentic Newfoundland cuisine.

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Holyrood - Take a leisurely walk along the Holyrood Boardwalk, a picturesque trail that meanders through verdant landscapes and follows the tranquil coastline, providing breathtaking views of the bay, nearby hills, and diverse wildlife.
  • Conception Harbour - Explore the remains of the SS Charcot, a Norwegian whaling ship that sank off…
What's Included
  • Pickup and Dropoff at major hotels and B&Bs
  • Live guide in English
  • 3 Course Lunch
  • All Fees and Taxes
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on a scenic drive to explore the charming outport communities along the shores of Conception Bay. This area is rich with fascinating tales of ancient pirates, World War II submarine encounters, the beginnings of transatlantic flight, Arctic expeditions, and North America’s first European settlement. Visitors will truly appreciate this authentic…

Location
Holyrood
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(23 Ratings)
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Susan_d
May 14, 2026
Adventure Day NFL - The trip was great - Larry does a fantastic job teaching you about the area Lunch was sooooo good and our group was amazing
Review provided by Viator
Inspire56568968773
May 11, 2026
Excursion Around the Bay - My mom and I are in St. John's for five weeks for cancer treatment. With our weekends free, we thought we'd take some tours to explore parts of the island that we hadn't visited before. Ellis was our guide around Conception Bay. He kept us laughing and entertained with many jokes and stories. We had a wonderful day with a great group. And we got some lovely pictures, including one of an iceberg near Cupids. I'd wholeheartedly recommend the tour to anyone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightsee08395757107
May 8, 2026
Go for that old boy whose name is Steve Gosse - Steve is among the best Newfoundlanders you can befriend with. He has plenty of ways to make the trip entertaining.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sheilapl1973il
Sep 28, 2025
Wonderful day trip, with a great scenery and a lovely driver too! - This was my 2nd day trip with McCarthy's Party and I was lucky enough to have the same driver again! Steve really knew his stuff and made the trip even more enjoyable with his singing, stories and knowledge. The scenery was beautiful and well worth the trip. I'd highly recommend the company, the trip and their great driver, Steve!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ajdornier
Aug 1, 2025
Don't miss this day tour! - Steve was a great guide and definitely gave a lot of historical background on all the stops we visited, and everything in between. The views of the bay and the coves were so beautiful, and understanding the role that these played (and in some cases, continue to) in Newfoundland's history was enlightening. The lunch stop was also excellent and the food was great (we were quite full afterward). I loved that there was not a lot of crowds in our photo stops. Steve was also very knowledgeable and so we were able to ask questions during our photo stops. I would definitely recommend this day tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrea_l
Jul 27, 2025
Fun and knowledgeable... - Fun and knowledgeable tour guide (Steve) and a well paced visit to all the beautiful sites. Lunch was lovely, and the restaurant staff were very welcoming.
Review provided by Viator
Tborys
Jul 22, 2025
- Great experience in July 2025. . The entire tour with McCarthy's was excellent! Dave was very informative and entertaining !! We highly recommend this to anyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mjb41
Sep 5, 2025
A great day out. - The bus was clean, punctual and driven carefully. The driver, Steve Gosse was friendly, funny and informative. I am happy that I took this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brenlove
Jul 25, 2025
- Conception Bay full day tour and The Outports half day tour both in vans that were okay for the short time in them but not very luxury for viewing the sights along the road. A different tour guide for each tour. Both were fairly knowledgeable but had their own interests in what to share. The full day tour guide was a little more personable, knew everyone on the bus and looked to give each one the best attention for their interests. The half day tour guide spoke a lot about his own and ancestor's life in Newfoundland so it was a slightly different perspective. The half day tour was combined with others who were with the driver for five days so it wasn't the same feeling on the bus or connection with the driver for being the first time with the bus and driver. Bus tours in Newfoundland are not my favourite thing to do since there are so many places to stop and enjoy along the coast and that is not possible on a tour. I felt that especially on the half day tour when we drove by the beach where Terry Fox was going to take water to the West Coast and I was told that we wouldn't be going to the beach from the view stop above it. If you are going to tell that story then it would have been really nice to stop at the beach. We went to a beach further along the road. Overall both tour itineraries were fairly well planned for the time and the distance.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_t
Aug 15, 2025
Beware - It’s not a boat tour it’s a bus, maybe you have motion sickness like me so I would have been prepared, like I need the front seat
Review provided by Viator
From $152
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).