Things to Do in Ottawa, Canada: Walking Guide

Ottawa is Canada’s capital, situated in the province of Ontario where the Ottawa River meets the Rideau Canal. The city blends national landmarks, world‑class museums, and scenic waterways, offering visitors a mix of history, culture and outdoor recreation throughout the year. Neywo provides a free audio guide for Ottawa with 197 narrated places, letting you explore at your own pace.

Top sights in Ottawa

Billings Estate Museum

The Billings Estate Museum occupies Park Hill, the house erected by Braddish Billings between 1827 and 1829. It is recognized as Ottawa’s oldest surviving residence and the city’s oldest wood‑framed building. The estate once formed a large farm that supplied the early settlement of Bytown, and the grounds still contain a cemetery with graves dating back to 1820.

Notre‑Dame Cathedral Basilica

Notre‑Dame Cathedral Basilica stands as the oldest and largest church in Ottawa, designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990. Construction began in 1841 in a Neo‑classical style, but under Father Pierre‑Adrien Telmon it evolved into a soaring Neo‑Gothic structure completed in 1858. Inside, stained‑glass windows, painted wooden pillars mimicking marble, and richly carved decorations create a vivid interior.

National Gallery of Canada

The National Gallery of Canada features a striking glass and granite façade designed by Moshe Safdie, opened in 1988. At its entrance the giant spider sculpture Maman welcomes visitors. Inside, the gallery holds more than 93,000 works spanning Canadian, Indigenous, European, American and Asian art, and offers a direct view of Parliament Buildings from its windows.

Rideau Hall

Rideau Hall serves as the official residence of the governor general of Canada and the Canadian monarch when in residence. Built in 1838 for Scottish businessman Thomas MacKay, it became the viceregal home after Ottawa was chosen as the capital in 1858. The estate has hosted state ceremonies, award presentations and the swearing‑in of prime ministers, and its grounds once included an indoor tennis court and a tobogganing hill.

Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal stretches 202 kilometres from Ottawa to Kingston on Lake Ontario and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Completed in 1832 for commercial shipping, its lock system comprises forty‑six chambers that raise boats 83 metres toward the Rideau Lakes before descending 50 metres along the Cataraqui River. Today the canal carries pleasure boats in summer and transforms into the world’s largest skating rink in winter.

Booth House

Located at 252 Metcalfe Street, Booth House (also known as the John R. Booth Residence) was erected in 1906 for lumber baron John R. Booth, designed by architect John W. H. Watts. The Booth family occupied the home until 1947; it later housed the Laurentian Club and, after the club’s closure in 2000, was acquired by Trinity Western University.

Bytown Museum

Just below Parliament Hill at the lower locks of the Rideau Canal, the Bytown Museum resides in Ottawa’s oldest remaining stone building, the former Commissariat Building. Since 1917 it has displayed over 7,000 artefacts tracing the evolution from Bytown to modern Ottawa, with a strong focus on the construction of the Rideau Canal. The museum is also noted for reports of paranormal activity, including phantom footsteps and moving objects.

Bell Block

Bell Block stands at 40 Elgin Street, erected in 1867 for John George Bell and designed by William Hodgson. This building forms part of the streetscape near Central Chambers and exemplifies the commercial architecture of its period, later repurposed as office space for the National Capital Commission.

Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Situated in Confederation Square, the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier forms part of the National War Memorial, a granite arch surmounted by twenty‑two larger‑than‑life bronze figures. The memorial commemorates Canadians who have died in military conflicts and is surrounded by other notable structures such as Château Laurier and the National Arts Centre.

Château Laurier

The Château Laurier, a Fairmont hotel, rises opposite Parliament Hill with a French Gothic Revival (Châteauesque) silhouette. Completed in 1912, it was commissioned by railroad magnate Charles Melville Hays, who perished on the Titanic before its opening. Inside, the hotel features Tiffany stained‑glass windows, Belgian marble floors and ornate plaster ceilings in rooms such as the Adam Room and the Laurier Room.

Canadian Museum of Nature

Housed in the Victoria Memorial Museum Building, the Canadian Museum of Nature presents natural history exhibitions within a castle‑like stone structure erected between 1905 and 1911. Designed by David Ewart in a Scottish baronial style, the building underwent a major renovation from 2004 to 2010, reopening on May 22 2010. Its collections include fossils, minerals and specimens representing Canada’s living world.

Centre Block

Centre Block is the principal building of Canada’s parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, home to the House of Commons, the Senate and ceremonial spaces such as the Hall of Honour. The current Gothic Revival structure replaced the original after the 1916 fire; the Library of Parliament is the sole surviving element of the earlier building. The Peace Tower rises from its façade, and the block has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

Royal Canadian Mint Building

The Royal Canadian Mint Building on Sussex Drive displays a neo‑Tudor design and was constructed between 1905 and 1908, with a refinery added from 1909 to 1911. It produces Canada’s circulation coins, the renowned Maple Leaf gold bullion, and medals for international clients. The facility also houses one of the oldest and largest gold refineries in the Western Hemisphere.

Canadian War Museum

The Canadian War Museum narrates Canada’s military history through thematic galleries: Battleground (pre‑Confederation conflicts), For Crown and Country (early wars to 1931), Forged in Fire (Second World War) and A Violent Peace (Korean War, Cold War and recent peacekeeping). Its LeBreton Gallery exhibits large artefacts such as tanks, artillery and a Voodoo jet, while open storage areas allow close inspection of additional military objects.

CFS Carp (Diefenbunker)

Located roughly thirty kilometres west of downtown Ottawa in Carp, the Diefenbunker is a four‑storey underground bunker built of reinforced concrete during the Cold War to shelter government leaders from a nuclear attack. After serving as Canadian Forces Station Carp, it reopened in 1998 as the Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War Museum, offering visitors a chance to explore its preserved offices, dormitories and decontamination chambers.

Explore Ottawa with Neywo

Neywo’s free audio guide covers 197 narrated places across Ottawa and includes seven walking tours, one bus route and one bike route. The walks are:

• “Parliament Hill: Gothic Towers on the Ottawa River” – 1.95 km, 89 min, 12 stops
• “Canal, Castle Hotel and Spider: Where the Rideau Canal Meets the River” – 1.44 km, 91 min, 11 stops
• “Sussex Drive to Rideau Hall: Coins, Prime Ministers and a Governor General” – 3.53 km, 94 min, 8 stops
• “Confederation Square and the Capital’s Heart” – 1.29 km, 79 min, 11 stops
• “Byward Market and Lowertown: Markets, Galleries and a Jail Hostel” – 3.72 km, 112 min, 12 stops
• “Centretown: Churches, Mansions and the Museum of Nature” – 3.48 km, 102 min, 10 stops
• “LeBreton Flats and the Ottawa River: War, Memory and Falls” – 2.3 km, 75 min, 8 stops

The bus tour is “Bus 12: Rideau Street to Confederation Square and the Arts Centre” – 3.2 km, 14 min, 6 stops.
The bike route is “Ottawa River Pathway: Victoria Island to Commissioners Park” – 4.7 km, 24 min, 5 stops.

As you walk, cycle or ride, the app plays the story of each location exactly when you reach it, allowing you to set your own pace without a group or a fixed schedule. Narration is available in eleven languages, so you can choose the language that suits you best.

Whether you are drawn to the grandeur of Parliament Hill, the tranquillity of the Rideau Canal, or the deep stories housed in Ottawa’s museums, Neywo’s audio guide turns every step into an opportunity to learn more about Canada’s capital. Download the app, select a tour, and let Ottawa reveal itself at your own rhythm.