St. Stephen printable guide

St. Stephen

Give St. Stephen one night as a border stop between Maine and Saint John: the Chocolate Museum and a Ganong shop fill an afternoon, not a trip.

St. Stephen is a town of about 4,400 on the St. Croix River, directly across from Calais, Maine. It is Canada's chocolate town: Ganong has made candy here since 1873, and the old factory now holds the Chocolate Museum. Most travellers use it as a half-day border crossing stop on Route 1 between Maine and Saint John, or as a base for the Fundy coast and the Passamaquoddy Bay islands. The town itself is small; one night is enough unless you are using it as a launch point.

Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.

Country

Canada

Best months

Jun–Sep

Avoid

Nov–Mar (cold, many seasonal businesses closed)

Stay

1 night

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency: CAD
Money: Currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD, $). Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere.
Daily spend: Budget C$90–140 excl. bed · Mid C$140–220 excl. bed · High C$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data: Rogers, Bell and Telus plus cheaper brands (Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile); prepaid SIMs in malls and stores. Canadian data is expensive — an eSIM is often cheaper.
Emergency: Police, fire, ambulance 911 · RCMP non-emergency 1-888-506-7267
Plugs: Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Same as the US.
Tipping: Restaurant: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: CAD 1–2 per drink.; Taxi: 10–15%.; Housekeeping: CAD 3–5 a night.; Guide: 10–20% of the tour price.
Water: Tap water is drinkable; treat water from lakes and streams (giardia).
Toilets: Free in malls, Tim Hortons, stations and park visitor centres.

What things cost

Item	Price
Coffee	C$2–4
Diner meal	C$15–25
Chocolate Museum entry, adult	C$10 plus tax
Beer at the brewhouse	C$7–9
Motel room, summer	C$89–160
eSIM or data SIM, about a week	C$20–40

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

YSJ · Saint John Airport: About 1 h 15 min by car via Route 1; the nearest scheduled airport.
BGR · Bangor International Airport, Maine: About 2 h by car via US Route 1 and the Calais border crossing; useful for US arrivals.
YHZ · Halifax Stanfield International Airport: About 4 h 30 min by car; the main international gateway for the Maritimes.

Typical fares

Taxi in town: short hop, about C$8–12
St. Stephen → Saint John by car: about 1 h 15 min via Route 1
St. Stephen → Calais, Maine: about 5 min plus border wait

Get around

The town centre is walkable in 15–20 minutes end to end. Route 1 and Route 170 are the main roads; a car is needed for Saint Andrews, Saint John and the Fundy coast. Friendly Cab (+1 506 466-5500) is the local taxi. The Calais, Maine border crossing is a short drive across the river.

See and do

Known for

Ganong chocolates, made here since 1873
The Chocolate Museum in the old Ganong factory
Chocolate Fest in early August
St. Croix River border crossing to Calais, Maine

Day trips

Where	How	Time
Saint Andrews	Drive Route 1 east, about 30 min	About 40 min
Calais, Maine	Drive across the St. Croix River border crossing, about 5 min	About 15 min with the border check
Saint John	Drive Route 1 east, about 1 h 15 min	About 1 h 30 min
Campobello Island	Drive Route 1 east then Route 774 through Lubec, Maine; two border crossings	About 2 h
Grand Manan Island	Drive to Blacks Harbour, then the ferry	About 2 h 30 min including the crossing
Fundy-St. Martins	Drive Route 1 east then Route 111	About 2 h 30 min

Sleep

Milltown Blvd / downtown: Walk to the Chocolate Museum, Ganong Chocolatier and the waterfront; the Blair House Heritage Inn is here.
King St: The main street for diners and the Picaroons brewhouse; a short walk from the river.
Route 170 / Oak Bay: Motels north of town on the road to Saint Andrews; you need a car.

Phrase card

English	Say or show
Thank you	Thank youEnglish is the main language
Where is the border crossing?	Where is the border crossing?ask at any shop on King St
Can I pay by card?	Can I pay by card?most places take cards

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

Greeting: Handshake; 'Bonjour' first in Québec; avoid: Assuming everyone speaks English
Queues: Line up and wait your turn; avoid: Pushing in
Apologising: 'Sorry' is politeness, not admission of fault; avoid: Loud confrontation
Canada vs US: Treat Canada as its own country; avoid: Calling Canadians American
Indigenous culture: Buy from Indigenous-owned businesses and ask before photos at ceremonies; avoid: Wearing headdresses as costume

Scams and watch-outs

The US border crossing at Calais can queue in summer; carry your passport and check current entry rules before you cross.
Many businesses are seasonal and close or shorten hours outside Jun–Sep.
Distances between Fundy coast towns are longer than they look on the map; plan driving times, not just kilometres.
Cell coverage is fine in town but patchy on some coastal roads.

St. Stephen is a small, safe town; the real issues are winter driving on Route 1, moose and deer on rural roads at dusk, and the US border crossing, where you need your passport and a check on current entry rules.

One and two days

No timed day plan for St. Stephen yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

Ganong chocolates, made here since 1873
The Chocolate Museum in the old Ganong factory
Chocolate Fest in early August
St. Croix River border crossing to Calais, Maine

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Town of St. Stephen: town.ststephen.nb.ca
Ganong Chocolatier: ganong.com/the-chocolatier-store/
International Homecoming Festival: internationalhomecomingfestival.org/
Wikivoyage: St. Stephen, revision 5241559 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241559

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

St. Stephen

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Police, fire, ambulance911
RCMP non-emergency1-888-506-7267

Canada has no embassy here; US travellers: the nearest US consulate is in Halifax. Canadian services: Service Canada in Saint John.

Small town; carry a card and some cash, and check opening hours outside summer.

Voykit · checked 2026-09