Halifax Explosion Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour

3.8
(5 reviews)
Halifax, Canada

listing image 1
Show all photos
1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes (approximately)
Offered in: English and 1 more

Walk through the Halifax neighbourhoods shaped by the devastating 1917 explosion on a flexible GPS-guided audio tour. Stories play automatically as you follow the 5 km route through memorials, historic streets and the rebuilt Hydrostone district.

See the HALIFAX EXPLOSION MEMORIAL BELL TOWER, FORT NEEDHAM MEMORIAL PARK, RICHMOND STAIRCASE and HYDROSTONE MARKET while hearing remarkable accounts of survival, rescue and rebuilding. Optional trivia adds to the experience.

Start whenever you like, pause for photos or breaks and finish at your own pace. Download before you arrive; no mobile data or signal is needed during the tour.

What's Included

Download on WIFI before (no signal required or data used during tour)
Live GPS map shows route & your location
Flexible dates - tour is yours to keep and enjoy anytime on Tripvia Tours.
Customer Service via Phone & Email
Trivia questions at each stop (optional)
Tour guide commentary automatically plays at each point of interest
Smartphone/tablet/headphones (audio will play from device speaker)
**Recommended attractions may be closed/inaccessible due to season or reasons beyond our control.
Attraction tickets
Parking fees
In-person tour guide

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

The tour begins and ends at Hydrostone Park.

End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes (approximately)
  • 1

    HYDROSTONE PARK. Begin a 5 km walk through the neighbourhoods transformed by the 1917 Halifax Explosion and their remarkable recovery.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 2
    St. Joseph's Square

    ST. JOSEPH'S SQUARE & PARISH. Pause at the memorial to the Catholic parish and community devastated by the explosion.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 3
    Novalea Drive & Hennessey Place

    FORT NEEDHAM MEMORIAL PARK. Walk through the historic military hilltop reshaped as a neighbourhood park and memorial landscape.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 4

    SS MONT-BLANC, SS IMO & THE EXPLOSION. Discover how the two ships collided and set the disaster of December 6, 1917 in motion.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 5
    Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower

    HALIFAX EXPLOSION MEMORIAL BELL TOWER. View the striking hilltop monument honouring the people of Halifax and Dartmouth affected by the blast.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 6
    Fort Needham Memorial Park

    RICHMOND STAIRCASE. See the symbolic staircase and railings bearing the names of businesses destroyed in the explosion.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 7
    Canada Family Court

    SUPREME COURT FAMILY DIVISION & RICHMOND SCHOOL. View the civic site while uncovering the post-explosion school and the tragedy of Roome School.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 8

    SECRET OF THE TREES. Discover the surprising natural feature that once made these trees notorious in lumber mills across North America.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 9

    FRANCIS MACKEY. Meet the Mont-Blanc harbour pilot whose life was forever changed by the explosion and its aftermath.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 10

    ROBIE STREET WATER RESERVOIR. See the 1913 reservoir that survived the blast and later received heritage recognition.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 11

    PATRICIA & HER CREW. Pause at the firefighters' memorial and learn about the engine crew who lost their lives responding to the disaster.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 12

    FIRE, ICE & BLACK RAIN. Picture the brutal weather and terrifying conditions survivors faced after the explosion.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 13

    TSUNAMI. Stand above the harbour slope reached by the powerful wave triggered moments after the blast.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 14

    HOUSE HOLES & THE RAZING OF RICHMOND. Look for traces of vanished homes in the landscape of a neighbourhood levelled by the explosion.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 15

    VINCENT COLEMAN. Discover how the railway dispatcher's final warning helped save hundreds of lives.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 16

    CAMPBELL ROAD. Trace the former dirt road once lined with North End shops and homes before the disaster reshaped Richmond.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 17

    THE MIRACLE OF ASHPAN ANNIE. Hear the extraordinary survival story of a baby found alive after the devastation.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 18
    IRVING SHIPBUILDING INC.

    IRVING SHIPYARDS CONTROVERSY. View the modern shipyard and consider the debate surrounding its development on this historic waterfront.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 19

    THE AMAZING ADVENTURE OF BILLY WELLS. Follow the astonishing escape of a young survivor caught in the explosion's path.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 20

    HALIFAX PROTESTANT ORPHANAGE. See Veith House, now an active community hub, and its memorial to children lost in the explosion.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 21

    HALIFAX AT WAR & THE ROYAL NAVY COLLEGE. View the former college site and discover how wartime discipline helped its occupants survive.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 22

    TO THE RESCUE. Discover the extraordinary international relief effort and the tradition of gratitude that continues today.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 23

    HYDROSTONE DISTRICT & OUT OF THE ASHES. Explore the landmark garden suburb built as Halifax rebuilt after the disaster.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 24

    QUAINT FUNCTIONALITY: THE HYDROSTONE'S BACK LANES. See how practical service lanes shaped daily life in the rebuilt neighbourhood.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 25
    Hennessey Place

    TUDOR REVIVAL DESIGN. Admire the English-inspired rowhouses created for families rebuilding their lives after the explosion.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 26

    HALIFAX RELIEF COMMISSION BUILDING. View the heritage building that coordinated recovery and reconstruction after the disaster.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 27

    HYDROSTONE MARKET. Finish among the active shops and eateries of this restored commercial block at the heart of the historic district.

    5 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Supplied by Tripvia Tours

Tags

Private and Luxury
Private Sightseeing Tours
Audio Guides
Historical Tours
Walking Tours
Nature Walks
Best Conversion
Low Supplier Cancellation Rate
Low Last Minute Supplier Cancellation Rate
New Product
Short term availability

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Show more

Rating

3.8 Based on 5 5 reviews
5 stars
2
4 stars
1
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
0
from per person
Was {{formatPrice(summaryFromPriceBeforeDiscount, currency, 2)}}
Book Now