Canada · WALKING & GHOST TOURS IN OTTAWA
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 9 walking & ghost tours in Ottawa worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Walk downtown Ottawa by lantern with guides such as Monica, Jack, Clare, and Paul, hearing ghost stories linked to Grant House, Château Laurier, and a haunted high school. The 75-minute route is easy, outdoors, family-friendly, and available in English or French.
“Excellent tour! Very well organized and our tour guide Dominique was amazing, knowledgeable and interacted with the group! Highly recommend - A MUST DO!!”
Walk central Ottawa with Taf, a passionate guide who keeps groups to four adults plus children. Over about 2.5 hours, you’ll see major sights, study architecture and history, hear modern city stories, and pause at museums or elegant hotels along the way.
“We had a great tour. The guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about his city. He touched on all of the key highlights and provided both historical and current perspectives. He accommodated our schedule and he made the information interesting and fun. We would highly recommend him and this tour to get a good overview of and orientation to Ottawa.”
Meet a private Lokafyer in central Ottawa and shape a two to six hour walk around your interests. Guides such as Violeta, Roberta, Maura, and Temo have tailored walks to parks, sculpture, art, neighborhoods, and local food tips. Transportation and attraction tickets cost extra.
“Temo was fantastic. Nice personal n and tailored to our interest (parks, walk, outdoor sculpture)”
Spend about three hours walking from the National War Memorial to ByWard Market with an English, French, or Spanish-speaking guide. You’ll see the Rideau Canal, Confederation Park, Château Laurier, Major’s Hill Park, and city landmarks, with stories, food tips, and local recommendations along the way.
“Demeter was a fantastic guide. The tour was perfect. Ottawa was a great city. We recommend to do the tour at the beginning of your trip.”
Meet your guide near the National Gallery, then walk past Notre Dame Basilica, the Royal Mint, ByWard Market, Chateau Laurier, and the Centennial Flame. Finish with a narrated cruise, or a seasonal National Gallery visit. Groups are capped at 10.
“We were late arriving. Actually planned to be there one hour early. Glad we did. Highway lanes were closed due to construction. Also, we were not advised by Viator where to park. We had to walk/run 3-4 blocks arriving 20 minutes late. Our guide was very nice and knowledgeable of the area. The canal cruise was just ok.”
Start near Sparks Street at 11:00 am and walk with an English-speaking guide through Ottawa’s main historic sights. Hear the stories behind Parliament Hill, the War Memorial, Château Laurier, the Rideau Canal, and ByWard Market. Guides may include Sophia, Sam, Claudette, or Philip.
“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!”
Walk central Ottawa from Sparks Street to Major’s Hill Park while your English-speaking guide explains how a rough frontier town became Canada’s capital. Expect historic buildings, museum views, stories of mischievous mayors, furry fighters, and costly city mistakes.
“Our tour guide Zak was great! Very noligable about the city and it’s interesting facts :)”
Walk from Sparks Street to the York Steps with Haunted Walk of Ottawa guides such as Rachel and Talia. Expect unusual Ottawa stories about Parliament, mayors, the Château Laurier, Major’s Hill Park, and the city’s Uniseco heritage site.
“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…”
Meet your English-speaking guide at Louise Bourgeois’s Maman outside the National Gallery, then walk through ByWard Market past Ottawa landmarks before boarding a seasonal Rideau Canal cruise. The boat is replaced by National Gallery admission in the off-season. Groups are limited to 10.
“I waited for the guide from 10.15 to 11.00 but he/she never came. At 10.45 I left a voice message with my numbers but nobody called me back. At 11.00 I called again and I was explained that there had been a misunderstanding with the guide. The proposition to rescheddule the visit was not possible as I had to leave Ottawa to go to Montréal in the afternoon. Now, I’m still waiting for the mail from your organisation for a full refunding as told.”
Pick a mountain, a shoreline or a table.
