Ottawa's Hidden History: A Self-Guided Audio Tour
- 0.8–1.2 hour
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Are you looking for a way to explore Ottawa at your own pace? On this self-guided audio tour, you will relive Ottawa‘s turbulent early history when rioters and rogues ran rampant. Ottawa‘s significance extends beyond its Houses of Parliament and famous museums. Before becoming Canada‘s capital, it was a rough, lawless place in the wilderness. On this walking tour through old Bytown, you’ll trace the city’s evolution from a small lumber town to Queen Victoria‘s choice as Canada‘s capital and discover Ottawa‘s hidden backstory. You'll stroll down York Street and learn about the early days of the iconic Byward Market. Ottawa‘s past will come to life in the serene Jeanne d‘Arc Courtyard, where you‘ll hear about the religious and spatial divisions that fueled the feuding Bytown residents. On Sussex Drive, you‘ll explore popular sites from new perspectives and travel back to when rogues, rioters, and disease made the streets unsafe.
Inclusions
What's included
- Get unlimited, lifetime use of this tour, before your booking date and after it
- The virtual playback option, so you can listen to this tour like an audiobook from anywhere
- Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
- Flexibility to explore at your own pace with a self-guided GPS tour
- Directions to the starting point so that when you’re in the right place, the tour will start
What's not
- Smartphone and headphones
- Personal expenses for admission fees not included during the tour
- Transportation
- Food and Drink
Itinerary
Begin your tour at Major's Hill Park, where you'll pay tribute to Colonel John By, the visionary behind the Rideau Canal, at his statue overlooking the Ottawa River.
Pass by the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a marvel of 19th-century engineering connecting Ottawa to Lake Ontario.
Explore Major's Hill Park, a scenic green space offering panoramic views of the Ottawa River and Parliament Hill.
Walk down York Street, passing by the York Steps, which played a significant role in the early development of Bytown.
Pass by the York Street Millennium Fountain, a modern landmark symbolizing Ottawa's ongoing evolution and progress.
Discover the historic ByWard Market, one of Canada's oldest and largest public markets, bustling with vendors, restaurants, and artisans.
Learn about Rochon House, a historic building with ties to Ottawa's early lumber industry and cultural heritage.
Discover the legacy of Élisabeth Bruyère, who founded Ottawa's first hospital to serve the community's healthcare needs.
Pass by LaSalle Academy, a historic educational institution contributing to Ottawa's intellectual and cultural landscape since its establishment.
End your tour at Sussex Drive, where you'll see the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, a magnificent example of Gothic Revival architecture and a testament to Ottawa's rich religious heritage.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.4
- 57
- 41
- 30
- 20
- 11
Ratings come from 9 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- The tour begins at the entrance to Major's Hill Park on Mackenzie Avenue, just behind the Chateau Laurier Hotel. It starts directly opposite 555 Mackenzie Avenue, the Connaught Building.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- VoiceMap Audio Tours
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please bring your own smartphone and headphones
How it compares in Ottawa
- Its from-price is 84% below the median of the 107 experiences we list in Ottawa.
- It is shorter than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 35 of 107.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Ottawa
Ottawa, Canada's capital, stands on the Ottawa River with Gothic towers on Parliament Hill, a historic canal and a string of national museums.
Parliament Hill rises above the Ottawa River, its Gothic Revival towers topped by the Peace Tower and its carillon. Below it the Rideau Canal, opened in 1832 and now a World Heritage Site, winds through the city, and in winter its frozen surface becomes a skating route several kilometres long. Nearby are the ByWard Market, the National Gallery of Canada, with a giant spider sculpture outside its glass pavilion, and the twin-spired Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica.
Top-ranked sights in Ottawa: Rideau Canal, Ottawa Parliament Hill, Canadian Museum of History.
Special offers in Ottawa
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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