Canada
L Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada
L'Anse aux Meadows: Where the Norse Reached North America Five Centuries Before Columbus
The low, grassy mounds beside this bay at the tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula are what remains of a Norse camp from about the year 1000, built by sailors who came from Greenland. The weather here can be harsh, with westerly winds, so bring warm, windproof layers even in summer.
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What Cruise Travelers Should Know About L'Anse aux Meadows
The national historic site sits at the end of Route 436, near the fishing village of L'Anse aux Meadows, and how you come ashore depends on your ship, so read its port notes before the day. Once there, allow at least three hours for the visitor center, the Norse remains, the reconstructed buildings and the trails.
- The site opens for a summer season only, so check opening dates and hours before you go.
- Admission is free for anyone 17 or under; adults pay a daily fee.
- The currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD).
- Newfoundland keeps its own time zone, three and a half hours behind UTC in winter and two and a half in summer, the only half-hour offset in the Americas.
- Icebergs drift past this coast in June and July.
L'Anse aux Meadows on Your Own
Everything at the historic site is on foot once you reach the visitor center: the exhibits, the excavated remains, the reconstructed encampment and the coastal trails. Start indoors with the original artifacts, then walk out to the buildings.
- The visitor center: Start here for finds from the dig, among them a ring-headed bronze pin, plus video of Norse iron smelting and a replica of a færing, the small Norse boat, built at two-thirds scale.
- The remains: Of the eight Norse buildings excavated, seven can be traced as low, grassy mounds and hollows in the ground.
- The encampment: North of the remains, reconstructed sod buildings are staffed by interpreters in Norse dress who demonstrate blacksmithing and weaving.
- The trails: Coastal and bog trails lead to viewpoints over the bay, and there are picnic areas.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Watch the clock: All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match local clocks or your phone, so set your watch by the ship.
Getting Around L'Anse aux Meadows
The national historic site is reached by Route 436, which leaves the Viking Trail, Route 430, about 20 km before St. Anthony and runs 30 km to L'Anse aux Meadows. Driving is the usual way to get around the Northern Peninsula.
- Moose are common on Newfoundland roads, and there are no fences to keep them off, so drivers need to watch the verges.
- Roads off the main highway may be unpaved or potholed.
What to Eat Near L'Anse aux Meadows
Fish has always been at the center of Newfoundland cooking, and wild berries are the other local flavor, from jams to wines. The historic site has picnic areas if you bring your own lunch.
- Fish and brewis is salt cod mashed with hard tack, a dry ship's biscuit.
- Bakeapples and partridgeberries, known elsewhere as cloudberries and lingonberries, go into jams and pies.
- Berry wines, from blueberry to partridgeberry, are a Newfoundland tradition.
- Screech is a Jamaican-style dark rum, a reminder of the old trade that sent salt cod to Jamaica and brought rum back.
- The Wild Berry Economusée stands in St. Lunaire-Griquet, on Route 436.
Tipping in Canada
In Canada, restaurant servers usually receive 15 to 18 percent of the bill before tax. The currency is the Canadian dollar.
- Tipping is not expected in cafeterias, fast-food places or takeaway counters.
- Some restaurants add a tip of 15 to 18 percent to the bill for larger groups, so check the bill before you add more.
The Norse Site and Its Story
The finds at L'Anse aux Meadows show who the Norse crews were and what they did here, from smelting iron and repairing boats to spinning thread.
- The buildings were made of sod laid over a wooden frame, the same kind used in Iceland and Greenland around the year 1000, with long fires down the middle of the floor.
- The largest hall was twice the size of Eirik the Red's house in Greenland, and fire-starting stones of jasper show that some of the crew came from Greenland and some from Iceland.
- A spindle whorl and a bone needle show that women were part of the crew.
- Iron slag and boat rivets were the finds that identified the site as Norse; the small smelter produced only enough iron for about 100 to 200 nails.
- Butternuts found in the camp do not grow north of New Brunswick, so the Norse traveled farther south from here.
- The French-English name may come from "L'Anse aux MĂ©duses," Jellyfish Cove, with "Meadows" added later for the grassland around the bay.
Vinland: The Norse Reach Across the Atlantic
Indigenous peoples lived on this coast over thousands of years, before and after the Norse. The Norse camp lay hidden under grassy mounds until a local resident pointed it out in 1960.
- Five Indigenous groups lived at the site at different times, none of them at the same time as the Norse; the Dorset people were here about 300 years before the Norse arrived.
- The Norse camp dates from around the year 1000, and a 2021 tree-ring study dated Norse activity here to the year 1021.
- The Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red, written down in the 13th century, tell of Norse voyages to a land called Vinland, including Leif Erikson's.
- In 1960 George Decker, who lived in the village, led the Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad to a group of mounds that locals called the "old Indian camp."
- From 1961 to 1968 Helge Ingstad and his wife, the archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, ran excavations with archaeologists from several countries and uncovered eight Norse buildings.
- Canada named the site a national historic site in 1968, and UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 1978.
- Parks Canada carried out further excavations in the 1970s, and after each one the remains were reburied to protect them.
- The camp dates from almost five centuries before Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic.
- To learn more ashore, visit the Parks Canada visitor center at the national historic site, at the end of Route 436, where the original finds are displayed.
L'Anse aux Meadows with Children and Families
Interpreters in Norse dress let visitors try the crafts, and admission is free for anyone 17 or under. Most of the visit is spent outdoors, walking between the buildings.
- Younger children: The two-thirds-scale Norse boat in the visitor center is a good photo stop, and the reconstructed sod buildings have Norse costumes to try on.
- School age: The visitor center gives children aged 6 to 11 a free Xplorers activity book.
- Teenagers: Try blacksmithing, woodworking or weaving with the interpreters, or book the Test of Tykir escape room in one of the huts, which has its own fee.
Accessibility at L'Anse aux Meadows
The visitor center, the site and the washrooms are wheelchair accessible, and an all-terrain wheelchair is available on request. Ask at the visitor center desk about any particular needs.
- Bilingual guides, in English and French, are on hand from mid-June to Labour Day, the first Monday in September.
- The trails cross open coastal ground and bog, so ask staff about current conditions before setting out.
- The site map has an accessible version with descriptive text.
Shopping Near L'Anse aux Meadows
The visitor center has the only shop on site, run by the Historic Sites Association, with crafts, books and jewelry made from labradorite, a gray-blue stone that flashes with color.
- Partridgeberry and bakeapple jams are traditional Newfoundland gifts.
- Newfoundland berry wines, such as blueberry and partridgeberry, are sold in the province's liquor stores.
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