Museums

The capital region is home to 29 museums, including 12 national museums and institutions that appeal to all interests and age groups. Many of these attractions line Confederation Boulevard, "Canada's Discovery Route," which links Quebec and Ontario and is the site of a variety of events which animate the capital throughout the year. The architecture of Ottawa's museums, the copper roofs and the Gothic towers of Canada's national symbols will provide a long-remembered sight.

Choose from these Ottawa Museum listings:

Phone: (819) 776 7000

Discover the wealth of Canada's culture as you travel across 1,000 years of history through life-size reconstructions. Get acquainted with some of the remarkable individuals who have shaped our nation, and explore the traditions and achievements of its First Peoples.

Phone: (819) 776 8600

The Canadian War Museum is the national museum of military history, covering Canada's military past from earliest times to the present day.

Phone: (613) 566 4700

Discover dinosaurs, marine reptiles, mammals, birds, insects, spectacular rocks and minerals, and even a 19-metre blue whale at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Housed in a century-old, grand "castle", Canada’s first national museum has played an important role in this country’s history.

Phone: (613) 990 1985

The National Gallery of Canada is a visual arts museum of international stature. Located in one of the most spectacular sites in Ottawa - along Ottawa's historic ByWard Market. Come explore the largest collection of Canadian art in the world!

Phone: (613) 782 8914

The Bank of Canada's Currency Museum has the most complete collection of Canadian bank notes, coins and tokens in the world. You can learn about the history of currency in Canada and how bank notes are designed and printed today. The impressive Yap stone, a curious piece from the island of Yap, is on display in the Garden Court, just outside the Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada.

Phone: (613) 247 4830

The Billings Estate Museum was the home and property of Braddish and Lamira Billings, two of Ottawa's founding settlers. The well-preserved and architecturally unique Billing house, built c. 1827-1828, is one of Ottawa's oldest. It is the focal point of a beautiful heritage site which also includes several outbuildings and a cemetery nestled on 8.4 acres of lush, green parkland.

Phone: (613) 234 4570

Beside the entrance to the locks to the Rideau Canal (just steps away from the Chateau Laurier) stands the Commissariat, the oldest stone building in Ottawa and the home of the Bytown Museum. The Bytown Museum features a permanent exhibit on the history of Ottawa and its founder, Lieutenant Colonel John By, as well as on the Rideau Canal. Open April to November visit the Bytown Museum at the Ottawa locks. Home of Ottawa's history. More information (613) 234-4570.

Phone: (613) 990 1985

The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP) is located in a reconstructed railway tunnel at 1 Rideau Canal (between the Rideau Canal and the Chateau Laurier). Canada's first photography museum maintains a permanent collection of more than 150,000 images focusing on Canadian photography as an art form. More information (613) 990-8257

Phone: (613) 839 0007

Welcome to the Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum. Built to protect the government from nuclear attack, this once-secret bunker is now a museum and National Historic Site of Canada. Only one exit past Scotia Bank Place!!

Phone: (613) 996 5115

Just west of Parliament Hill at 395 Wellington Street, you will discover the National Library and the National Archives. The library established in 1953 by an Act of Parliament, collects, preserves and promotes the published literature of Canada.

Phone: (613) 991 3044 Phone: (613) 993 2010 Phone: (613) 833 3059