The story of a place
A Norse foothold on an Atlantic shore
L’Anse aux Meadows preserves evidence of a Norse presence in North America around a thousand years ago. The low archaeological remains require a different kind of looking from a monumental ruin. Interpretation and clearly identified reconstructions help visitors imagine the scale and practical life of the settlement.
The coastal setting matters. Looking across the land and water makes the Atlantic story more tangible, while the distinction between original remains and reconstructed buildings keeps the experience honest. This was an episode in a much longer Indigenous history of the region, not the beginning of the continent’s human story.
The essential experience
Make time for this.
Combine the archaeological remains with the interpreted reconstruction, then spend time considering the settlement’s coastal position.
Explore the highlights
Look a little closer.
L’Anse aux Meadows’ turf buildings recall a Norse settlement on Newfoundland’s Atlantic shore.
Low earthworks
Look for the outlines that preserve the site’s archaeological evidence.
Reconstructed buildings
Use labels to distinguish interpretation from original fabric.
Atlantic setting
Consider shelter, landing and the relationship between land and sea.
For the curious reader
History, landscape
and context.
L'Anse aux Meadows is an archaeological site, first excavated in the 1960s, of a Norse settlement dating to approximately 1,000 years ago. The site is located near St. Anthony on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. With carbon dating estimates between 990 and 1050 AD (mean date 1014) and tree-ring dating of 1021, L'Anse aux Meadows is the only undisputed site of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact of Europeans with the Americas outside of Greenland. It is notable as evidence of the Norse presence in North America and for its possible connection with the accounts of Leif Erikson in the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red, which were written down in the 13th century.
Background reading: an abridged extract from L'Anse aux Meadows, by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and shortened for this guide. Retrieved 22 September 2026. Source revision ↗.
Turn curiosity into a visit
Plan your visit.
- Physical demands
- Mostly a site visit rather than a demanding hike, but outdoor paths and exposed coastal weather matter.
- The practical detail
- Do not mistake a reconstruction for an excavated building. Read the labels and compare both parts of the visit.
Before you set off.
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A place in the world
Find your bearings.
Select the pin to open a detailed map. Use Closer look to see the surrounding region. Drag to move a zoomed map.
Map: Natural EarthA closer view.
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- 1L’Anse aux MeadowsOpen directions ↗ · Location reference ↗
A sense of place
In pictures.
Keep looking.
10 photographs, with full-size views and individual credits.
Go a little further
Sources & further reading.
The UNESCO link names the specific inscribed property. A broad entry in this project can extend beyond that property’s boundaries.
