Ottawa's Original Historical Highlights Public Walking Tour
Description
Explore Ottawa's rich history on this engaging walking tour. Departing from the iconic Bear Catching Fish Statue (89 Sparks St) this 2-hour journey unravels captivating stories behind the city's historic sites, including Parliament Hill. Knowledgeable guides share fascinating insights, making the past come alive as you stroll through the capital. Ideal for history enthusiasts and curious travelers alike, this tour provides an authentic glimpse into Ottawa's cultural heritage. - 2-hour guided walking tour of Ottawa's historical highlights - Depart from the Bear Catching Fish Statue, 1 block south of Parliament - Expert guides deliver engaging narratives and local insights - If you want to get inside Parliament Hill, Museums and the bank of Canada Museum, you may do so after our tour ends. This will be at your own cost.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Discover Parliament Hill’s iconic architecture, history, and landmarks. We head onto Parliament Hill and the tour guide would explain the relevant information, but we don't head inside.
Featuring the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Confederation Square.
Iconic castle on the Rideau Canal. National Historic Site with rich architectural details and a popular landmark.
The Rideau Canal is a 202 km waterway connecting Ottawa to Lake Ontario, completed in 1832.
ByWard Market is a vibrant district in Lower Town, Ottawa, near the open-air market.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(31)
It was informative. Guide was honest about the good and bad of history. Did not take sides (did not push an agenda). Was humourous
Craig provided a real engaging and informative tour of old Ottawa. He gave some interesting backdrops as we walked around the Parliament Hill and Bayward market areas that we would never have known without the tour. I would thoroughly recommend this tour for any visitors to this wonderful city
The Walking Tour was fabulous, very informative and extremely interesting. Sophia was amazing, enthusiastic, engaging and very knowledgeable.
Thank you so much for the 5 star review! We are so pleased you enjoyed you tour with Sophia and we hope you will tell others about your Ottawa Walking Tours experience. Thank you again and safe travels.
This is a fantastic operation. OWT guided my school's students over two separate days, with four guides each day. The teachers and students were so impressed by the guides, who were interesting, knowledgeable and professional. They kept students interested and engaged throughout the whole tour. We all learned lots and had a great time. Craig was easy to communicate and coordinate with. I recommend Ottawa Walking Tours to anyone and everyone.
Thank you so much Jordan for the incredible review! It was a pleasure working with you and your teachers to provide a memorable learning experience for all participants. Ottawa Walking Tours loves working with student groups of all ages. Please share our services with other teachers and school administrators. We'd love to show their classes the amazing city of Ottawa
Laura was an excellent guide. We felt we really got to understand the city and its culture and history. She’s very knowledgeable and dealt with all the questions we’d been storing up! Thank you
Thank you for the 5 star review. We are so happy you enjoyed your Ottawa Walking Tour with Laura. She is amazing and has been a members of our team since 2014. Please share your experience with friends and family and please ask them to contact us when they come to Ottawa. Thank you again and safe travels.
It should have been 6, one of the best walking tours we’ve taken. Sophie had excellent knowledge of Ottawa and the history of the city. A lovely friendly lady , we couldn’t recommend her tour highly enough
We are thrilled to know you enjoyed your Ottawa Walking Tour with Sophia! Please share your Ottawa experience with others as all our guides would love to showcase our incredible city. Thanks again and safe travels.
Sophia was a wonderful guide. Very knowledgeable and interesting. Well paced .
Thank you for letting us know you enjoyed your Ottawa Walking Tour with Sophia. We hope you will share your experience with friends and family members. Safe travels.
Heidi was an absolute gift and so professional. She took the time to enquire what interested us and tailored the tour accordingly. Heidi is clearly an enthusiast for her subject, so knowledgeable, with a warm and easy delivery. We were so fortunate to have her as our guide and could not recommend highly enough
Thank you so much for sharing your Ottawa Walking Tours experience. We are thrilled you enjoyed your tour with Heidi and hope you will share your recommendation with friends and family so Heidi and the rest of our dedicated staff can showcase the amazing city of Ottawa. Thank you again
We had a great tour around Ottawa on the 19th of May 2026. Our tour guide Sophia was very friendly and knowledgeable about the city. She did a great job showing us around the city, making the tour engaging and fascinating. Ottawa is a beautiful city with lovely and interesting historic buildings and a lot of beautiful parks and green spaces to explore. I would recommend this experience to any visitors.
Thank you for your wonderful review and for sharing your impressions of our beautiful city. We really hope reviews such as yours make others consider a trip to the Canadian capital and we sincerely hope they will choose Ottawa Walking Tours and our amazing team to show them the city we call home. Thank you again. Safe travels
We thoroughly enjoyed our historical walking tour of Ottawa yesterday with Sophia as our guide. Sophia’s genuine pride in the city’s and Canada’s history, coupled with her refreshing honesty about its imperfections, made her an exceptional guide. If you’re looking for an entertaining couple of hours of local history we highly recommend the Ottawa Walking Tours team.
Thank ups so much for your wonderful review and the support of our amazing team, of which Sophia is an important member. We're thrilled you had a great experience and hope you will encourage friends and family to visit our amazing city and let us show them around! Thanks again for the great review! Safe travels!
