The one to see in Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada
This is a list led by museums or galleries, 80 of its 113. The city limits itself has 93 places on our list; 20 others are within 5 km of its edge. About 1.3M people a year visit Canadian Museum of History. Of the places on our list, one is looked after by Parks Canada. At 20 km, Camp Fortune is worth the journey.
Most famous in Ottawa
The rest of the best known are 4 museums and a castle.
Art galleryNational Gallery of Canadain town · 237K visitors a year (2014)
MuseumCarleton Universityin town
MuseumCanadian Museum of Naturein town
MuseumCanada Science and Technology Museumin town · 348K visitors a year
MuseumCanadian War Museumin town
CastleRideau Hall and Landscaped Groundsin townEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
The map view
Arnprior & District Museum marks the outer edge, 52 km away.
The dashed line is Ottawa’s city limits; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · Statistics Canada 2021 outline
How the list breaks down
80 museums or galleries and 17 forts or historic sites top the count.
Green: inside Ottawa. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
In the care of Parks Canada: Commissariat Building.
The full list
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Science museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Rideau Hall and Landscaped Grounds
(officially Governor House) is the official residence of the Canadian monarch.
7Notre-Dame Roman Catholic Basilica
Church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
8Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Aviation museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
9
10
11Diefenbunker / Central Emergency Government Headquarters
Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War museum in Carp, Ontario.
12
13
14Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
Agricultural museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
15Christ Church Cathedral
Anglican cathedral in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
17St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral
Church in Ontario, Canada.
19
20
Cumberland Township Heritage Museum
Open-air museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
War art collection of the Canadian War Museum.
Canadian Children's Museum
Children's museum in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.
St Joseph Cathedral
Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gatineau.
The 93 inside Ottawa come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Provincial and city parks are on the Outdoors page instead.
Historic places in Ottawa → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Ottawa →
The wider area
Places well known beyond Ottawa (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a Parks Canada property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Your questions on Ottawa
What are the main attractions in Ottawa?
The best known inside Ottawa’s city limits are Carleton University, Canadian Museum of Nature and Canada Science and Technology Museum.
Does Ottawa have a museum?
Yes, Canadian War Museum, Canada Aviation and Space Museum and Humanics Sanctuary and Sculpture Park, all in Ottawa or within 5 km.
Is there a Parks Canada property near Ottawa?
Yes: places in or within 5 km of Ottawa are in the care of Parks Canada; the chart above names them.
What are the best-known days out near Ottawa?
For a day out within 40 km: Calypso Park (40 km).
How is this list made?
Places come from four open sources (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Statistics Canada’s ODCAF, the federal and Québec heritage registers), each site once. A building counts as a place to visit only with opening hours, a fee, a website, a heritage operator or a Wikipedia article; hotels, restaurants and tour firms are dropped. The town’s 2021 outline and 5 km around it set the reach.
Places to visit: Canada publishes no open tourism list, so this one is assembled from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0), Statistics Canada’s ODCAF museums and galleries (2020, Open Government Licence – Canada), the federal and Québec heritage registers and CPCAD’s national parks, and it reflects what mappers and editors have recorded. Forts, houses, lighthouses and churches count only with a sign that visitors are welcome. Places sit in each town’s 2021 census outline; visitor counts are Wikidata’s latest, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (34)
- National Gallery of Canada: Wladyslaw [Disk.], CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carleton University: Harleyd613, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Museum of Nature: RealGrouchy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Canada Science and Technology Museum: Ajadams94, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian War Museum: Balcer~commonswiki, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Rideau Hall and Landscaped Grounds: Peregrine981, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Notre-Dame Roman Catholic Basilica: Daryl Mitchell from Saskatoon, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canada Aviation and Space Museum: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Humanics Sanctuary and Sculpture Park: Dmitri Lytov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bank of Canada Museum: Bank of Canada - Banque du Canada from Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Diefenbunker / Central Emergency Government Headquarters: P199, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chaudière Falls: Charles John Colville of Culross, 1818-1903, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Rideau Falls: The original uploader was SimonP at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canada Agriculture and Food Museum: P199, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Christ Church Cathedral: Misterpartel, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Hog's Back Falls: D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Commissioners Park: P199, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ottawa Art Gallery: Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Portrait Gallery of Canada: The original uploader was SimonP at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Commissariat Building: D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cumberland Township Heritage Museum: Fdesjardins, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dominion Observatory: Lezumbalaberenjena, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Laurier House: Suwannee.payne, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Canadian Mint: Suwannee.payne, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Parliament Hill, Centre Block: Arctic.gnome, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Museum of History: Wojciech Dittwald, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Children's Museum: Wojciech Dittwald, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Joseph Cathedral: Dmitri Lytov, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jacques Cartier Park: Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Vintage Wings of Canada: Armchair Aviator's, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Symmes Hotel: RaynaultM, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rosamond Woollen Mill: D. Gordin E. Robertson; derivative work: Skeezix1000, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Camp Fortune: Fil.Al, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Calypso Park: P199, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).