Tour or go on own in st. John, nb

Hi, I realize this has been addressed before, but I'm still confused. Will be in St. John's in Oct. for the first time. I'm traveling on my own and don't know if the Bay of Fundy is worth seeing or not. There are conflicting reports about going there. I guess what I need to know if a tour is important in this area, or is it interesting enough by just walking the town. Also what are your thoughts on the hop on hop off bus there?

I appreciate any and all suggestions.

You might be best asking this question in the Canada ports of call forum.

Your plans may be made by now as it's been awhile since you posted, but I wholeheartedly recommend a tour to the Hopewell Rocks area. Not only is it a natural wonder (world's highest tides), but you pass through wild blueberry fields and moose habitat going to and from. If the trees are turning color, it's a pretty drive.

Have fun on your trip!

I'm there in a few weeks and was just planning on walking to Market Square, just a few blocks from port. There is a nice museum there, and many shops.

I was looking into Hopewell Rocks, but seems they are a VERY far drive, and are far less interesting if you don't catch the tide right (which his hard to do when you are fixed to the ship's schedule). Same might be said about the reversing "falls" (they are hardly falls), but at least being closer to port they are easier to catch.

A closer picturesque alternative might be the St. Martins and the surrounding coast, about an hour away. There are even some nice sea caves, although these are also somewhat tide dependant.

Also worth noting for clarity, Canadians always spell out Saint John when talking about the New Brunswick port. It avoids confusion with St. John's, Newfoundland.

Not trying to start a brawl here, but... ;)

IMO, it was the opposite. St. Martins was like a photo stop to me, with scenery similar to what you can see in a thousand other places near coastline. Hopewell Rocks, on the other hand, iexceeded my expectations. It is far more than flower pot rocks, it is world class. We were there near low tide and the magnitude of the tidal changes was quite visible, even during the half-hour we were there. I cannot emphasize enough the vast scope of the area affected. You cannot get it all in your camera's viewfinder, it's so big. At high tide, you are left to simply wonder how much the sea has changed. At low tide, you can see it. It was one of the highlights of an already stellar cruise itinerary.