Canada · WALKING TOURS IN OTTAWA
A shortlist to send to whoever is planning: 14 walking tours in Ottawa that hold up, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the thing to know before you commit.
Lantern-lit ghost stories in downtown Ottawa with cloaked guides. Hear Grant House and Château Laurier tales on a 75-minute walk.
“Nathan was a very engaging tour guide. Great stories and a different look at this beautiful city.”
Haunted Walk of Ottawa (1h15) near Parliament Hill. Lantern-lit ghost storytelling, stops at Rideau Canal, Château Laurier, and Bytown.
“Excellent tour. Very interesting and informative. Monica, our guide was an enthusiastic storyteller. Highly recommended.”
Ottawa downtown walking tour for $36, led by Taf. Small groups, history and photo stops, plus museum and hotel breaks.
“We enjoyed the tour. Taf is a very good guide. He showed us many different places and some interesting insights in history. Booking this tour was a very good experience and decision.”
A 100% private Ottawa walking tour with a local who tailors the route, pace, and stops to your interests, starting near the Tomb.
“Roberta was punctual and pleasant throughout the evening. I would never have seen so much in one evening without a guide. Thank you Roberta!”
Ottawa highlights on foot: 3-hour route from National War Memorial to ByWard Market with Rideau Canal history, gratuity-based guidance.
“Wouldn’t waste money next time The guide was reading from her notes. I could have done this with google search instead very poor. Wouldn’t recommend”
Small-group Ottawa walk to Maman, ByWard Market, and Centennial Flame, then a narrated river cruise or National Gallery time for a solid 3.5 hours.
“Both the walking tour and cruise were enjoyable. The walking tour guide was very nice. We loved the narrator on the cruise.”
Parliament Hill to ByWard Market in about 2 hours, with stops at the war memorial and Rideau Canal for a great first look.
“Our guide Sam was a nice young man who met us at our hotel and showed us all the sites. He was as very friendly and informative. Because it was only the 3 of us, we covered a lot of territory and saw a lot more of Ottawa’s historical sites than we thought. He was very knowledgeable about how the Canadian government works, why the capital is in Ottawa, the reason the canal was built, etc. He as a great guide for us. For a great walking tour of Ottawa, book with Ottawa Walking Tours!”
An engaging 90-minute Ottawa walking tour from Sparks Street to Major’s Hill Park, mixing frontier-capital history with photo stops and quirky stories.
“We really enjoyed our tour. Cody was fabulous ~ really knowledgeable, engaging and invested in everyone having a positive experience. We are Canadian but learned a lot of new information. It was nice to cover some area during the tour. Cody was funny and we really enjoyed our time with him.”
Ottawa’s weird side in 90 minutes, $25.31. A small-group walk from Sparks Street to York Steps with odd stories.
“September 2024 - We have hugely enjoyed numerous Viator tours in Europe; however this one was not as interesting as expected given Ottawa's history. It was hard to figure out what the "hidden secrets" were. Our Guide could not capture and retain the interest of his group who, gradually drifted away including us, leaving 3 remaining. His research seemed to consist of recent google searches. We felt embarrassed for the European visitors in the group whose own long history made this tour - to learn the quirks about Ottawa, the capital of our country, laughable. (While visiting the Bytown museum the Barrista provided lots of intersting historical facts about the…”
Join a 75-minute haunted walk at Ottawa’s Beechwood Cemetery, with guided headstone stories and a mausoleum visit included.
“They tell good stories I have been coming last year. It’s a good way to meet new people to. If you like to learn history. If that’s your thing. I highly recommend it. It’s just as good as the jail tour.”
See Louise Bourgeois Maman, walk Ottawa landmarks, hit ByWard Market, then finish with a scenic downtown river cruise or National Gallery time.
“Well a pleasant young women, our guide had a shockingly lack of basic knowledge about Ottawa, our history, government, key figures and buildings and locations. We had to Google things that she did not know. On the other hand, Ellen, the guide on the Ekeau boat was great. We learned so much from her vs getting "I don't know" as an answer.”
Hand-feed chickadees and spot Ottawa wildlife on a 150-minute guided walk with hotel pickup, bird food, and a handy $43 price.
“Fun and interactive. Vivi was an excellent guide. We were given bird food to hold out and straight away the birds and squirrels came. So many Chickadees, Woodpeckers and Tree Creepers. There were also juvenile Turkeys. The Fall colour was beautiful and we saw our first Beaver Dam. We would highly recommend this trip.”
A low-cost, self-guided smartphone walk through Ottawa’s key downtown landmarks, with step-by-step stops, replay anytime, and no human guide.
“It’s a quick tour of some key places in Ottawa. And I quite liked it. You can pause anytime, explore more of a specific area, then move on. Loaded with info and tips about the city. It was very nice self-guided tour.”
A private 2 to 3 hour walk through Ottawa’s big sights, from the Rideau Canal to Parliament Hill and ByWard Market, with a local guide.
“Aliya was a great guide! So kind and Easy explanations towards my family. Highly recommended! Ottawa was Easy going with her.”
Six time zones of days out, sorted by the kind of day.
