Ottawa

What are interesting things to do in Ottawa, or Kingston, Ontario? Try an Ottawa walking tour to discover the city. It is self-guided and takes less than 3 hours. We call them Tourist Scavenger Hunts.

You will find 7 Tourist Scavenger Hunts spread around the city, including one in Gatineau across the Ottawa River. There are also 2 walking tours in Kingston, not far away.

A Tourist Scavenger Hunt is a 2-3 hour self-guided walking tour with instructions through our mobile website on your smartphone. A MINI tour is less than a 2-hour walk. You’ll learn the history of a city or neighborhood, and the significance of various sites, monuments, and historical figures. Also, you’ll enjoy solving our various challenges at almost every stop along the way.

Our Tours

Ottawa #1 Regular – or MINI: This is the central tour that takes you from the Château Laurier, down the Rideau Canal to City Hall, and on to the Bank of Canada Museum and the Supreme Court. Return by way of Parliament Hill and Major’s Hill Park and ByWard Market with everything in between. The MINI version is half as long, skipping a few locations and not extending to Major’s Hill Park and Byward Market.

Ottawa Embassies: Walk from Strathcona Park to MacDonald Gardens Park, Laurier House, and back again. Throughout, you’ll see over 20 different embassies, churches, historic mansions, and more.

Ottawa Rideau: Walk from Rideau Falls Park, where the Rideau River merges with the Ottawa River, to the Green and Maple Islands. Then, continue on to Rideau Hall Grounds and 24 Sussex Drive. See several embassies, memorials, and churches as you walk.

Gatineau: Across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill, walk from City Hall to the river’s edge, next to the Canadian Children’s Museum and Museum of History. Continue to Jacques Cartier Park and into the city through walking and cycling paths and back again.

Kingston Regular – or MINI: This tour takes you from City Hall, along the waterfront, to City Parks near Queen’s University and beautiful Frontenac County Courthouse. Return by way of historical houses and St.George’s Cathedral. The MINI version is half as long, skipping a few locations.

Additional details

Further, they all end within a few blocks of their starting point. Indeed, you’ll never walk more than 5 minutes between 2 stops. However, this isn’t a race. Take as much, or as little time as you want. Each one is available in English and in French.