Downtown Moncton: one wave, one market, one old theatre

The tidal bore

Twice a day the Bay of Fundy's tide pushes a single wave up the Petitcodiac River, against the current, right through downtown. The City says it can be half a metre to a metre high and moves upstream at about 8 to 13 km/h, so the wave front passes you in a few minutes, but the river keeps rising for 30 to 60 minutes. Within two hours the river goes from almost empty to nearly overflowing.

Best spot

Bore Park, 10 Bendview Ct., next to the Treitz House, with an amphitheatre facing the river

Timing

Two arrivals a day; check the City's timetable for your date

Margin

Times can differ by 20 minutes; arrive 30 minutes early

Parking

Paid parking downtown; the closest City lot is Moncton Place

Access

Level paths; accessible for most mobility needs

The City notes that the biggest bores tend to come around full moons and "supermoons", and that spring offers some of the most impressive events. For children, the trick is to keep them interested while you wait: count the seconds between the first sound and the wave, or guess how high the water will reach on the bank.

The Saturday market

The Marché Moncton Market at 120 Westmorland St gathers over 100 Atlantic Canadian growers, producers, artisans and cooks under one roof every Saturday, all year round, until 2 p.m. Get there early for breakfast and the best choice. On weekdays a smaller food court with a few kitchens is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a family staying at a hotel without room service, this is the best breakfast of the weekend.

• 811 Main Street

  Capitol Theatre

  Built in 1922 beside the 1908 Empress, gutted by fire in 1926 and rebuilt in under seven months; bought by the City in the early 1990s and restored as a performing arts centre. Box office opens two hours before each performance.

• 20 Mountain Road

  Resurgo Place

  The Moncton Museum and the Transportation Discovery Centre, with a tourism information centre. Phone 506 856 4383.

• 150 Canada St.

  Avenir Centre

  The city's largest arena: 8,800 fixed seats and room for 10,000, used for hockey, concerts and trade shows.

• 801 St. George Blvd.

  Centennial Park

  94 hectares with trails, a summer splash park, playgrounds, and skating and tobogganing in winter.

• 1155 Elmwood Dr.

  Irishtown Nature Park

  890 hectares in the north end, one of the largest urban parks in Canada, with 4.7 km of surfaced trails.

A downtown half day

Here is a plan that works with children: market breakfast at 9, a walk along the Riverfront Trail, the tidal bore if it arrives before lunch, and Resurgo Place if anyone needs to be indoors. If the bore comes in the afternoon, swap the order and leave the market until last, remembering it closes at 2 p.m.

Getting downtown from the hotel

By our OpenStreetMap measurement, the Capitol Theatre, the market and Bore Park are each about 11 km from the hotel by road. Driving is the simplest option. Codiac Transpo runs the city bus network; its trip planner and the Codiac+ app show which buses connect Casino Drive and downtown on your day. The links below open Google Maps routes from downtown to the hotel.

Capitol Theatre to the hotel, by car·By public transit