Fredericton

Legislature tour to walking bridge sunset in one Fredericton day

Morning. Begin at 706 Queen Street with the free guided tour of the Legislative Assembly, a sandstone Second Empire building with a domed tower, then cross the road to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the province's main collection. On a Saturday, swap this for an early start at the Boyce Farmers Market on George Street and do the gallery after.

Midday. Walk east along Queen Street into the Historic Garrison District. In summer the Changing of the Guard takes place in Officers' Square, and the Guard House and Soldiers' Barracks are open to look round. Step into City Hall to see the tapestries that tell the city's history. Lunch on King Street, a block back from the water.

Afternoon. Wander the streets behind Waterloo Row, where Loyalist-era houses date from the late 1700s, then pick up the South River Front Trail. Follow it to the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge and cross to the North Side as the light drops over the river; from midway across, the whole downtown waterfront lines up in front of you.

Evening. Return for a pint on King Street or, in summer, the Garrison Night Market. With a second day, drive about half an hour upriver to King's Landing, where costumed staff run a 19th-century village, and stop at Mactaquac on the way back.

Fiddleheads, Boyce Market Saturdays and King Street donairs

Fredericton eats like the farm town it sits inside. The Boyce Farmers Market on George Street is the weekly ritual, open on Saturday mornings, with local growers, bakers, smoked fish, maple products and stalls cooking breakfast to order. Arrive early; the best bread goes by mid-morning.

In May and early June look for fiddleheads, the coiled young shoots of the ostrich fern that grow along the Saint John River's banks. They are steamed or sautéed with butter and taste somewhere between asparagus and green beans. New Brunswick is one of Canada's big maple syrup producers, and market vendors sell it in everything from bottles to fudge.

Downtown, King Street and York Street hold most of the pubs and casual places, including Dolan's Irish pub with live music. The city has a strong craft beer scene, with breweries on both sides of the river. For something after midnight, the pizza and donair shops on King Street stay open until about 3am at weekends; the donair, spiced beef with a sweet garlic sauce, is the Maritimes' own late-night food. Prospect Street on the South Side and Main Street on the North Side are where the chains cluster, useful for a quick bite on the way out of town.

Harvest Week, Frostival and the river through the year

The climate here is properly continental, more so than on the coast. January averages about -4C by day and -15C at night, and the Saint John River freezes over. Odell Park's trails turn into cross-country ski runs, and Frostival fills late January and early February with indoor and outdoor events to make the cold sociable.

Spring arrives in a rush in late April and May, when highs jump from about 10C to 18C and the river runs high with snowmelt. This is fiddlehead season and the quietest time to visit. June to August is the main event: highs of 23C to 26C, warm evenings on the riverfront, the Changing of the Guard every summer day in the Garrison District, and the Garrison Night Market drawing crowds downtown. July is the warmest month, with about 89 mm of rain spread through it, often as short thunderstorms.

September is the month to aim for if you like music. The Harvest Music Festival, still strong on blues, takes over downtown for about six days with stages in tents, pubs and halls, and hotel rooms are scarce. Highs still reach about 21C, and by early October the hardwoods along the river and on the road to King's Landing turn red and gold. November is grey and damp, with the wettest month of the year (about 110 mm).