L’Anse aux Meadows

L'Anse aux Meadows in Canada's Newfoundland is the only known Viking settlement in North America, and the Vikings were also the region's first European visitors. The location of L'Anse aux Meadows had been occupied from prehistoric times before the Norse settlement, but it is the advent of the Vikings in around 1,000 AD that makes this place so interesting. Today, it is considered one of the most beautiful historical sites in Canada.

Eight houses consisting of timber frames covered in turf were discovered on the site. The main structure included numerous rooms, while three smaller structures could have been servant or slave quarters. Workshops were discovered because they had a forge and iron slag, as well as a carpentry workshop with wood debris. A weaving loom and spindle were found also suggesting women settled with the Norse men.

L'Anse aux Meadows is a UNESCO World Heritage Site today. Visitors at L'Anse aux Meadows can take a tour of three reconstructed 11th-century wood-framed Viking structures, as well as see archaeological dig artifacts at the interpretive center.

There is also an aboriginal hunting camp near the Norse ruins. Enjoy a picnic amid the magnificent coastline scenery after journeying back in time to the Viking era, keeping an eye out for icebergs and whales passing by.

Location: Newfoundland and Labrador A0K 2X0, Canada