Parliament Hill

Parliament Hill is probably the best know tourist attraction in Ottawa, as well as a national symbol of Canada.

You can enjoy just walking through the grounds on Parliament Hill, checking out the architecture and the monuments, as well as enjoying the green space.  You may well run into a Mountie, decked out in his traditional scarlet outfit.  A “Discover the Hill - Self-Guiding Booklet” is available for free to help you learn about the history and significance of what you can see on Parliament Hill.  Guided tours are also available.

The Parliament Buildings themselves consist of three main buildings.  The main one is the Centre Block, which contains the Peace Tower, and is where the House of Commons and the Senate are located.  The East Block is where the Senators have their offices and the West Block is where the Members of Parliament have their offices.

There are daily guided tours of the Parliament buildings.  These tours are free of charge and tickets cannot be booked in advance - the tours are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.  Tours may also be cancelled or reduced if Parliament is in session.  To attend a tour, simply show up at the entrance to the Peace Tower. 

At night time during the summer, there is celebration in the air with a free light and sound show offering beautiful light projections on the Parliament buildings, accompanied by lively music.

Every morning at 10:00 a.m., the Changing of the Guards, a majestic military drill, takes place. 

The Peace Tower carillon is played every weekday during the summer from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the rest of the year from 12:00 noon to 12:15. 

Parliament Hill is the focal point of Canada Day celebrations.  Every year, tens of thousands of locals and visitors from across the country go to the Hill for a day of celebration, which usually includes musical concerts from prominent Canadians, the RCMP musical ride, and a performance by the Governor General’s Foot Guards.

You can find out more about Parliament Hill on the official website.  You can watch the Hill live on their webcam.

Canadian War Museum

The Canadian War Museum is a national museum covering the history of Canada’s participation in war, peacekeeping missions and other military conflicts.

It is located a bit to the west of Parliament Hill, at 1 Vimy Place, near the corner of the Ottawa River Parkway.  During the summer, the museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily, with extended hours until 9:00 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.  During the rest of the year, the museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, except Mondays when it is closed.  On Thursdays, the museum is open late until 9:00 p.m.  Admission for adults is $10, and $6 for children 3 and up. 

The museum has been at its current location since 2005, and the building that houses it has won numerous awards for its modern srchitectural design. 

The War Museum houses four main permanent exhibits, as well as temporary ones.  The first permanent exhibit is “Battleground” which covers the pre-Confederation period, including military conflicts with Natives, the conflicts between the British and the French, and the conflicts between the British and the Americans.

The second permanent exhibit is “For Crown and Country” and covers wars in Canada’s early days up until 1931.  There is extensive coverage of the First World War and the Boer Wars.

The third permanent exhibit is “Forged in Fire” which primarily covers the Second World War and Canadians involvement in it.

The fourth and final permanent exhibit is “A Violent Peace” which covers the post World War Two world, including the Korean War, the Cold War, and recent peacekeeping duties.

You can find out more about the War Museum at their official website.

Museum of Civilization

The Museum of Civilization cover the story of the Canadian people from when the Natives first came to Canada, to its settlement and explorations by the French then the British.  Learn about the heritages of various Aboriginal communities, learn about famous personalities that have shaped Canada, and what life was like in the early days when Canada was a French and English colony.

This museum also has a number of additional separate facilities.  The first is the Canadian Postal Museum, which outlines the story of the mail in Canada from early times until today. 

The next is the Canadian Children’s Museum, which is the place to spend most of your time if you have young children.  With lots for children to see and do while they learn, you will have trouble getting your little ones to leave.

In summer, there is also an outside park open known as Adventure World, which includes games from around the world, waterways where children can fish, and visual arts that you can see and even try out.

There is also an IMAX Theatre, which offers exciting films that change regularly but which include films about space, sea monsters, ancient Greece, and more.

The museum is located at 100 Laurier Street, in Gatineau, Quebec, which is just across the Portage Bridge from downtown Ottawa.  Admission is $10 for adults and $6 for children, with discounts for additional adults and children.  The museum is open 7 days per week from May 1 until October 13;  the rest of the year, the museum is closed on Mondays.  The museum opens at 9:00 a.m. and normally closes at 6:00 p.m. except on Thursdays when the museum is open until 9:00 p.m. and on Fridays in July and August when the museum is also open until 9:00 p.m.

To learn more about the Museum of Civilization, visit their official website.

Science and Technology Museum

The Science and Technology Museum explains and celebrate Canadian scientific and technological achievements.  The most enjoyable part of the museum is that there are lots of “hands on” opportunities to try and learn from.

One of the more popular galleries is the train gallery, which not only allows you to see how train technology has progressed and help keep this large country together, but also allows you to go inside old locomotives. 

Another popular gallery is the one devoted the cycling.  Learn about the history of bicycles, see what old bicycles looked like, the importance of bicycles in transportation, and more.

There are also galleries about the development of television, lighting, electronic music, and more.  Learn about Canadian accomplishments in these fields, see how these technological developments have shaped Canada, while getting to try various things out.

The museum is located at 1867 St. Laurent Boulevard, near Smyth Road.  To get there, take the Queensway (East from downtown) and get off at the St. Laurent exit.  Admission costs $7.50 for adults and $3.50 for children.  The museum is open 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. seven days per week from May 1 to Labour Day, and six days per week the rest of the year, being closed on Mondays.

To learn more about the Museum of Science and Technology, visit their official website.

Museum of Nature

The Museum of Nature is housed in a beautiful building that looks like a castle.  The building was built between 1905 and 1911 and as a result, over time, it became in need of renovations.  Those renovations are now ongoing, resulting in about half of the museum being closed.  Despite this, the museum is well worth a visit.

Likely the most exciting gallery is the fossil gallery, which displays fossils of early animals.  There is an emphasis on the extinction of the dinosaurs and the subsequent rise of the mammals.  See several fully built skeletons of dinosaurs!

There is also a gallery about mammals and another about birds.  There are constantly new temporary exhibits as well.

Kids will love the discovery zone, which normally has ongoing organized craft or other activities.  Most galleries also have small theatres, in which brief 5 to 10 minute movies are shown (alternating in English and French), which help give a better understanding to what is being shown in the gallery.

The museum is located exactly one mile south of Parliament Hill at end of Metcalfe Street (at the corner of McLeod).  It’s an easy walk from anywhere downtown, or take the Queensway to the Metcalfe street exit. 

Admission is a modest $5 per person, with free admission Saturday up until noon.  From May 1 until September 1, the museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily, except on Wednesdays and Thursdays when the museum stays open late until 8:00 p.m.

To learn more about the Museum of Nature, visit them at their official website.

Supreme Court of Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada is Canada’s highest court.  There are nine Supreme Court Justices.  They hear cases dealing with issues of national importance, primarily constitutional and criminal law issues, on appeal from the Courts of Appeal in every province and territory.

During the summer, there are regular guided tours given by law students.  During the rest of the year, guided tours are available, but must be scheduled in advance.

During the guided tours you will not only get to see the courts, but learn more about the Canadian legal system and how it works, as well as how cases get to the Supreme Court, what type of cases are heard, and more.  If an appeal is being heard, you are permitted to go in and watch it.

The building itself is quite impressive, both inside and out.  If you are interested in architecture, this building is a must see.

The Canadian Supreme Court is located at 301 Wellington Street - just west on Wellington Street from the Parliament Buildings.  The building is a public one, open to the public from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. seven days per week from May through August, and five days per week (closed on the weekends) the rest of the year.  There is no admission fee. 

You can learn more about the Supreme Court of Canada on their official website.