Museums
Ottawa, as the capital city of Canada, is home to some of the largest museums in Canada. From fine art to steam trains, Native culture to war planes, there is something to please everyone. Let OC Transpo be your guide!
Plan your Route
Consult our Travel Planner for a customized itinerary to your event. Look in the “Museums” category under the Landmarks tab. Be sure you have selected the day of your event.
Museums in Ottawa
Below is a listing of Ottawa’s museums and galleries. Exlpore what Ottawa has to offer, and then use the Quick Planner at the left of your screen to plan the most efficient route. You can also click on the thumbnail below to see a larger map featuring a few sites of interest that are found in the downtown area.
Canadian Museum of Civilization
100 Laurier Street
Hull, QC
Tel: 819-776-7000 or 1-800-555-5621
Fax: 819-776-7003
www.civilization.ca
The Canadian Museum of Civilization
explores the history of a wide array of cultures and civilizations, from local colonial adventurers to the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The museum maintains a number of permanent exhibits, but also secures some of the most sought after travelling international exhibits. The on-site IMAX theater plays a wide variety of films, and a diverse assortment of family events and activities are offered year-round. Visit the Museum of Civilization and explore 10,000 years of Canada’s history and culture!
Canadian Postal Museum
100 Laurier Street
Hull, QC
Tel: 819-776-8200
Fax: 819-776-7062
www.civilization.ca
Before the advent of email and telephone, the world was connected largely by the international postal system. Letters and packages travelled thousands of miles by ship, train, horse, and f
oot, and were often the only means of communication for millions of people. An offshoot of the larger Museum of Civilization, the Canadian Postal Museum explores the evolution of postal communication, from authentic Mesopotamian clay tablets to the contemporary forms of email, phone, and text messaging. The Canadian Postal Museum has a diverse collection that ranges from antique stamps to mail boxes, fine art, and much more.
Canadian Museum of Nature
240 McLeod Street (at Metcalfe), Ottawa
Tel: 613-566-4700
Group Rates: 613-566-4701
Toll-Free: 1-800-263-4433
www.nature.ca
Where Ottawa’s Museum of Civilization explores over 10,000 years of human civilization, the Museum of Nature examines the evolution of the natural world, delving as far back as the mes
ozoic era - an era more commonly known as the Age of the Dinosaurs! Located in a Heritage Building near one of Ottawa’s oldest neighbourhoods (the Glebe), the Museum of Nature houses a vast collection of life-sized replicas, fossils, and even an industrious colony of bees! The Museum of Nature is a genuine treat for all ages. Visit their website for current information on activities and events.
Canada Science and Technology Museum
1867 St. Laurent Blvd.
Ottawa, ON
Tel: 613-990-6302
www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca
The Canada Science and Technology Museum takes a “hands-on” approach to exploring mechanics, transportation, and technology. Perhaps the most enjoyable museum for inquisitive kids and curious adults, this museum offers genuine steam trains for the family to explore, hundreds of interactive displays, and special exhibits (ie: mysteries to be solved Crime Scene Investigation style!). It is located 10 minutes east of downtown.
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
380 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON
Tel: 613-990-1985
www.cmcp.gallery.ca
Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada
245 Sparks Street, Ottawa
Tel: 613-782-8914
www.currencymuseum.ca
Discover a complete collection of Canadian bank notes, coins, and tokens - from shells, to teeth, to cocoa beans, the Currency Museum has it all! Learn about the history of Canadian currency and explore the current methods of bill and coin design and manufacture. One of the main attractions is the extraordinary Yap stone from the island of Yap in the South Pacific. Valued for their shiny nature, size, and history, these stones were used as currency and could reach diameters of up to 4 meters. The stone at the Currency Museum is over two meters in diameter, and weighs about three tons.
Canadian War Museum
1 Vimy Place, Ottawa
Tel: 819-776-8600
Toll-Free: 1-800-555-5621
www.warmuseum.ca
Ottawa’s newest major museum, the Canadian War Museum explores, interprets, and presents historical events that have been instrumental in shaping Canada. The museum provides a rich sensory experience through the use of mixed-media, modern technology, and tactile displays.
Exhibits vary widely in topic and can range from a comprehensive history of camouflage (both on the battlefield and on the catwalk), to powerful and moving stories of the human face of war. The Canadian War Museum provides a richly detailed and informative exploration of war that is both insightful and poignant. The museum is appropriate for all ages.
National Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
Tel: 613-996-5115
Toll-Free: 1-866-578-7777
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca
Overlooking the Ottawa river, the National Archives is conveniently located a stones throw from the Parliament Buildings, Ottawa’s finest hotels and restaurants, and the OC Transpo transitway. Established in 1953, the library collects, restores, and preserves historical documents, government records, Canadian film and literature, and more. The Archives also maintains a busy schedule of events and activities that range from poetry and book readings to screenings of independent films and multi-media exhibits. Visit the National Archives website for their current schedule.
National Gallery of Canada
380 Sussex Dr.
Ottawa, ON K1N 9N4
Tel: 613-990-1985
Toll-Free: 1-800-319-ARTS
www.gallery.ca
Indulge in visual arts from around the world at one of Ottawa’s most spectacular destinations. The National Gallery is nestled between the bustling Byward Market and the Ottawa River, making it a short walk from a huge variety of restaurants, retail stores, and tourist sites . The gallery’s award-winning architecture features the stunning atrium-like Great Hall, large galleries, and interior courtyards replete with fountains and gardens.
The Gallery has a massive collection of world-class pieces, from Renaissance paintings to contemporary art. It also features international exhibits and co-ordinates a wide variety of events and activities for both children and adults. Visit their website for current event information.
Bytown Museum
1 Canal Lane, Ottawa
Tel: 613-234-4570
Email:
www.bytownmuseum.com
The Bytown Museum is housed in Ottawa’s oldest stone building perched on the edge of the famous Ridea Canal Locks. The Bytown Museum’s permanent collection focuses on the history of Ottawa and its founder (Lieutenant Colonel John By), features exhibits on the construction of the Rideau Canal, and highlights the violent days of Bytown (now Ottawa) when it was a thriving lumber town.
Take the bus to visit the Bytown Museum, open from April until November at the Ottawa locks. Consult our Quick Planner to get to the Bytown Museum from your location.
Canada Agriculture Museum
P.O. Box 9724, Station T
Ottawa, ON
Tel: 613-991-3044
Group Tours: 613-991-3053
www.agriculture.technomuses.ca
The Canada Agriculture Museum explores Canada’s unique agricultural heritage. Located on the vast expanse of what is commonly called the Experimental Farm, the museum showcases a wide variety of animals, a greenhouse with exotic flora, and a stunning garden replete with stone paths and lily ponds. As well as housing the museum, the Experimental Farm is actually a working farm, giving Ottawa the distinction of being the only Capital in the world that has working farm in its center.
Billings Estate National Historic Site
2100 Cabot Street
Ottawa, ON
Tel: 613-247-4830
Email:
www.friendsofbillingsestatemuseum.org
Billings Estate National Historic Site’s trained interpreters will guide you through the epic story, spanning four generations, of one of Ottawa’s founding families and the evolution of the surrounding village. Key players in the development of an early Ottawa bridge, its fast-growing timber business, and the conversion of the area’s forest into farmland, Braddish and Lamira Billings and their family stand as testament to the realization of a vision and the creation of a community. Visit this National Historic Site and explore Ottawa’s oldest wood-framed house, reflect on the stories of the people who lived and worked in the accompanying gatehouse, hear the fascinating tales of the smokehouse and icehouse, and stand peacefully in the historic and tranquil family cemetery. As the story of one of Ottawa’s founding families emerges, you will begin to understand the impact of the Billings family on your history and the history of the city.
Cumberland Heritage Village Museum
2940 Old Montreal Road
Cumberland, ON
Tel: 613-833-3059
Email:
more information
Costumed interpreters recreate what rural life was like in the 1920s and 1930s. Cumberland Heritage Village Museum consists of 28 buildings on 25 hectares in the village of Cumberland. On site you will find seven houses and six buildings depicting residential and agricultural architecture and public buildings such as a one-room schoolhouse, fire hall, church and community hall. You can also visit a Canadian National railway station and caboose, a working sawmill and an Imperial garage. The Cumberland Museum is located 30 minutes east of downtown Ottawa and 10 minutes away from Rockland.
Diefenbunker, Canada’a Cold War Museum
P.O. Box 466, 3911 Carp Rd.
Carp, ON
Tel: 613-839-0007, or toll free 1-800-409-1965
more information
Built to protect the government from nuclear attack, this once-secret bunker is now a museum and National Historic Site of Canada. In addition to preserving and promoting Canada’s Cold War history, the museum offers a variety of visitor programs and services. You can learn, play or shop as you discover the bunker’s secrets and relive the experience of the Cold War.
Nepean Museum
16 Rowley Avenue
Ottawa, ON
Tel: 613-723-7936
Email:
nepeanmuseum.ca
Many people are unaware that Nepean actually pre-dates Ottawa. In fact, the Township of Nepean, named and surveyed in 1792, once boasted the lands from Parliament Hill all the way south to Manotick. Ottawa grew out of Nepean, through a series of annexations, the largest in 1950 and the last in the year 2000 when regional municipalities were amalgamated into the “new” City of Ottawa.
The Nepean Museum is dedicated to collect, preserve, research, exhibit and interpret the works of man and nature, and thereby stimulate a greater interest in, knowledge of and enthusiasm for the City among both residents and visitors.
Vanier Museopark
300 avenue des Pères Blancs
Ottawa, ON
Tel: (613) 580-2424 ext. 32001
Email:
Vanier Museopark website
The Muséoparc Vanier Museopark is a non-profit, community museum named for its location in the Richelieu Park. The Museopark’s mandate is threefold: to showcase the natural beauty of the Richelieu Park and protect its heritage forest; to highlight and protect Vanier’s cultural heritage; to showcase the heritage and history of Vanier’s Francophones and, by extension, of all its cultural components, Francophones of Ottawa and all of Ontario’s French-speaking community. It is the only francophone museum in Ottawa of one of the rare Canadian museums outside of Quebec dedicated to the French-speaking community.
Family Pass
Get ahead with a $7.50 Daypass!
On weekends and statutory holidays, the DayPass also serves as a ‘Family Pass’ giving you unlimited same day travel for up to 6 people.