What is the Ottawa self-guided walking tour?
The Ottawa self-guided walking tour is a walk with no group and no fixed start time: you follow the route in the World City Trail app, and recorded narration takes over whenever you reach a stop. Allow around 3 hours for 10 stops and 2.4 km, with the walking itself taking about 34 minutes. The route stays close to the Ottawa River, so between the stories about Confederation, war and the canal you keep getting views from Parliament Hill, Major's Hill Park and Nepean Point.
On Parliament Hill the narration tells how the Centre Block was rebuilt after the fire of 1916 while the round Library of Parliament survived, and why the Peace Tower honours Canadians who died in the First World War. At the Centennial Flame you hear how Lester Pearson lit it on 1 January 1967 for 100 years of Confederation, and where the coins thrown into the fountain end up. The Famous Five monument brings the Persons Case of 1929 and the empty chair you are invited to sit on, and the Rideau Canal locks the canal Lieutenant-Colonel John By built between 1826 and 1832, its gates still opened by hand. At the end comes Champlain on Nepean Point, raising an astrolabe that is often said to be upside down.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 34 min · 2.4 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
What happens along the route
At each stop
The narration opens with the facts and moves on to the people, the local legends and the odd details that turn a building into a story. Every chapter can also be read as text on screen.
Between stops
Google Maps guides you along the 2.4 km of the route, about 34 minutes on foot in total, and you set the speed.
Whenever you need a break
Stop for lunch, a coffee or a museum visit, and the narration waits where you left it, for later the same day or another day.
Your route, your order
The app points you to local food and shops along the way, and if another starting point is more convenient, you can switch to it or reorder the stops.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of people. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Walk when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the audio walk suits
A few days in Ottawa
The walk ties the main sights together and gives each one its background, so even a short visit feels complete.
People who like their own pace
No group to wait for and no fixed start: you linger where something catches your eye and walk on when you feel like it.
Families and couples
Legends for the children, history for the adults and a pause button for everyone.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Groups of up to 5 work best; larger groups split up, one ticket per person.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
From Parliament Hill along Sussex Drive: the stops in order
10 stops · about 34 min walking · start: Parliament of Canada · finish: Samuel de Champlain Statue
The walk opens on Parliament Hill with the Parliament of Canada and the Centennial Flame, crosses to Confederation Square for the National War Memorial and comes back up the hill to the Famous Five. It then drops beside the eight Rideau Canal locks between Parliament Hill and the Château Laurier and climbs into Major's Hill Park. Sussex Drive leads past Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica and the Royal Canadian Mint to the National Gallery of Canada and its giant spider, and the Samuel de Champlain statue on Nepean Point is the last stop. You can start elsewhere in the app, and no stop needs a ticket.
Open the route map ↗
1Parliament of CanadaStart
The Gothic Revival buildings on Parliament Hill rise above the Ottawa River. The Centre Block was rebuilt after a fire in 1916, and its Peace Tower, completed in 1927, honours Canadians who died in the First World War, while the round Library of Parliament behind it survived the fire.
2Centennial Flame
The Centennial Flame was lit on 1 January 1967 by Prime Minister Lester Pearson to mark 100 years of Confederation. It burns above a fountain ringed by the shields of the provinces and territories, and the coins visitors throw in fund a research award for people with disabilities.
Read the full story →
3National War Memorial
The National War Memorial in Confederation Square, called The Response, shows Canadians of many services passing through a granite arch. King George VI unveiled it in 1939, and in 2000 the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed at its foot.
4Famous Five Monument
The Women Are Persons monument by Barbara Paterson honours the five Alberta women who won the Persons Case in 1929, when Canadian women were recognised as persons under the law. The bronze figures gather around an empty chair, which invites visitors to sit and join them.
5Rideau Canal Locks
Between Parliament Hill and the Château Laurier, a flight of eight locks lifts boats from the Ottawa River to the Rideau Canal. The canal was built between 1826 and 1832 under Lieutenant-Colonel John By, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its locks are still opened by hand.
Read the full story →
6Major's Hill Park
Major's Hill Park is the oldest park in Ottawa, on the bluff between the Rideau Canal and the Ottawa River. Colonel By had his house here while he built the canal, and the park offers some of the best views of Parliament Hill.
7Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica
Built from 1841, Notre-Dame is the oldest surviving church in Ottawa and the seat of its Catholic archbishop. Its twin silver spires rise above Sussex Drive, and behind the stone façade lies a richly coloured Gothic Revival interior.
8Royal Canadian Mint
This castle-like stone building on Sussex Drive opened in 1908 as the Ottawa branch of Britain's Royal Mint and became the Royal Canadian Mint in 1931. Collector coins, medals and gold bullion are made here, while everyday Canadian coins are produced in Winnipeg.
9National Gallery of Canada
Moshe Safdie designed the glass and granite gallery, opened in 1988, and its glass tower echoes the shape of the nearby Library of Parliament. In front of it stands Maman, Louise Bourgeois's giant bronze spider, more than nine metres tall.
10Samuel de Champlain StatueFinish
On Nepean Point stands a bronze statue of Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer who founded Quebec City in 1608 and travelled up the Ottawa River in 1613. Unveiled in 1915, it shows him raising an astrolabe, which is often said to be held upside down.
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