Rideau Canal

UNESCO Site · Ottawa, 🇨🇦 Canada

Area 0 km²

Time zone America/Toronto

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D. Gordon E. Robertson / CC BY-SA 3.0

Rideau Canal Unmissables

The Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, serves as the historic backbone of Ottawa’s landscape. This collection spans the canal’s northern terminus at the Ottawa River locks, overlooked by the Gothic Revival architecture of Parliament Hill and the Bytown Museum. The route follows the waterway through urban green spaces like Major’s Hill Park and Dow’s Lake to the artificial cascades of Prince of Wales Falls. Nearby cultural landmarks, including the Supreme Court of Canada and the Central Experimental Farm, highlight the canal’s integration into the capital’s civic and agricultural history.

14 places

Ottawa's Sacred Sites

Ottawa’s religious landscape features a diverse collection of historic architecture and cultural landmarks. This list includes St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, the city’s oldest Presbyterian church, and St. Paul's-Eastern United Church, home to one of Ottawa’s earliest congregations. From the Anglo-Catholic traditions of St. Barnabas to the Italian heritage of St. Anthony of Padua in Little Italy, these sites reflect the city's growth. Architectural highlights range from Gothic Revival structures to modern centers of worship representing various global denominations.

16 places

Henry Pierce Bone / Public domain

Art & Sculpture Highlights

This collection features prominent public artworks and monuments situated along the Rideau Canal and Parliament Hill. It includes bronze statues of Canadian prime ministers, British royalty, and the 'Famous Five' suffragettes. Military history is represented through the War of 1812 Monument and the Valiants Memorial. Beyond political figures, the list encompasses cultural pieces like the 'Dancing Bear' Inuk sculpture, the whimsical 'Alley Cats' in the ByWard Market, and tributes to sports legends like Maurice Richard and Frank Clair.

15 places

P199 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Ottawa's Parks and Gardens

Ottawa’s green spaces span from the historic Major's Hill Park overlooking the Rideau Canal locks to the specialized research grounds of the Central Experimental Farm. This collection includes the Dominion Arboretum’s extensive tree species and the native habitats of Fletcher Wildlife Gardens. Many locations, such as Bordeleau and Brewer Park, offer Rideau River access and designated dog-friendly areas, while the Old Hedge Collection displays decades of horticultural trials.

19 places

Winter Ice Activities

This collection features a variety of winter sports facilities in Ottawa, ranging from historic indoor curling clubs to seasonal outdoor ice rinks. It includes the Ottawa Curling Club in Centretown and the Royal Canadian Navy Curling Club, alongside community-maintained rinks in Arnott, Lexington, and Paget Parks. These venues provide infrastructure for both competitive curling and casual skating, with select locations offering refrigerated ice, wheelchair accessibility, and public restrooms.

11 places