This guide lists free museum hours by day, free tours of Parliament, Rideau Hall and the Supreme Court, and the free outdoor areas in each season. All information was verified on an official page as of 2026-10-29.
The short list
The best free things to do in Ottawa include visiting the Senate of Canada Building and House of Commons at West Block for free, the national museums' free hours, the Ottawa Art Gallery, which is always free, free tours of Rideau Hall and the Supreme Court, the Rideau Canal Skateway in winter, and the Gatineau Park and Mer Bleue trails. We verified each on an official page as of 2026-10-29.
You may see some outdated lists that say the Bank of Canada Museum is free and open. It is free but temporarily closed, and there is no date on its website for when it will reopen.
Free museum times, day by day
Thursday evening, 5 to 7 pm: the Canadian War Museum and Canadian Museum of History are free. The Canadian Museum of Nature is free 5 to 8 pm. They all require you to get a ticket, even if it's free, so make sure to reserve your free ticket before you go. The Museum of History's free entry does not include special presentations such as Napoleon, The Immersive Saga. The Museum of Nature is closed on Tuesdays.
Every open day, 4 to 5 pm: the three Ingenium museums are free for the last hour, and they all close at 5 pm. The Canada Aviation and Space Museum is closed on Tuesdays. The Canada Science and Technology Museum is closed on Mondays. The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday only.
The Ottawa Art Gallery at 50 Mackenzie King Bridge is free at all times. It is closed on Mondays and open until 9 pm Wednesday to Saturday. The War Museum and Museum of History are also free all day on July 1, Sept 30 and Nov 11. Our list of museums ranks the War Museum first with 4.8 stars from 10,896 reviews on Google.
Free tours: Parliament, Rideau Hall and the Supreme Court
On Parliament Hill, there are free visits at the Senate of Canada Building and the House of Commons at West Block. The main Parliament building is covered by an immersive multimedia show, not a guided tour, and East Block is open in the summer only. Booking in advance is recommended. Our checker was not able to access the Parliament booking website, so check tour duration and ID requirements there before you go.
Rideau Hall offers free guided tours that are 45 minutes long. From Oct 31 to Dec 20, 2026, tours are offered daily from 10 am to 3 pm, by reservation only. You must reserve at least 72 hours in advance. There are no tours from Dec 21, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027.
The Supreme Court of Canada offers free tours of about 30 minutes at its temporary home, the West Memorial Building at 344 Wellington St. From September to April, tours are offered on weekdays only and you must reserve. In May and June tours are offered daily, and you can walk in on weekends. In July and August tours are offered daily with no reservation needed, but if you have a group of 10 or more you must reserve.
Free outdoors, by season
When the Rideau Canal Skateway is open, it is free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is 7.8 km long and typically open from January to early March depending on weather. No opening date has been announced for 2026-27. Winterlude 2027 has no dates announced either. Winterlude 2026 was held from Jan 30 to Feb 16 at Confederation Park and Jacques-Cartier Park, and there was a free Sno-Bus shuttle.
Gatineau Park is free to enter and all of the walking and hiking trails are always free. Parking is free in the winter. In the summer, parking is not free at the beach lots, boat launches and Mackenzie King Estate, and in the winter the ski, snowshoe and snow-bike trails require a paid pass. The Bog Trail at Mer Bleue is a 1.2 km boardwalk that is free, and parking is free year round at lots P20 to P23. No pets are allowed on the Bog Trail.
The NCC Weekend Bikedays open some parkways to walkers and cyclists instead of cars. They are typically held from May to October. The 2026 season has ended. The Canadian Tulip Festival is free and was held from May 8 to 18 in 2026. Changing the Guard is a free summer ceremony that begins at 10 am daily. No 2027 dates have been announced for either.
With kids, at night, and cheap eats
With kids, the 4 to 5 pm hour at the Science and Technology Museum and Aviation and Space Museum is the easiest free visit. The Canadian Children's Museum is located inside the Museum of History and has the same hours. Until Dec 9, 2026 it is open until 7 pm on Thursdays, which covers the free 5 to 7 pm window. Children under 12 must be accompanied by someone 16 years or older.
At night, the Museum of Nature is free until 8 pm on Thursdays. The Ottawa Art Gallery is open until 9 pm Wednesday to Saturday. In winter, the Skateway is open around the clock when conditions allow.
Food is not free, but our shawarma, ice cream and fast-food rankings list the highest rated places in those lower-cost categories, based on their public Google ratings. We were unable to verify any free birthday food offer in Ottawa, so check the chain's own app.
Lesser-known free spots in our data
These outdoor locations have high ratings but fewer reviews than the popular spots. Fletcher Wildlife Garden is ranked #9 out of 537 in our parks list with 4.7 stars and 643 reviews. Pinhey Forest is ranked #27 out of 86 attractions with 4.7 stars and 177 reviews. We were unable to verify entry terms for these on an official page, so check before you go.
Among the best-known spots, Major's Hill Park tops our parks list with 4.8 stars and 3,011 reviews, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier tops attractions with 4.9 stars and 182 reviews. These rankings are calculated using a published formula on public Google Maps ratings, pulled 2026-10-29 and updated every 90 days.
Check before you go
Hours will change depending on the season. The War Museum and Museum of History have listed their current hours, including being open until 7 pm on Thursdays, only until Dec 9, 2026. We were unable to access the National Gallery website, so we could not confirm its free Thursday hours; check gallery.ca. For events this week, see our events page. We do not have any verified free events to list here.
Questions and answers
What museums in Ottawa are free?
The Ottawa Art Gallery is always free. The War Museum and Museum of History are free on Thursdays from 5 to 7 pm, and the Museum of Nature from 5 to 8 pm, with a ticket. The three Ingenium museums are free daily from 4 to 5 pm. The Bank of Canada Museum is free but temporarily closed.
Can you tour Parliament for free?
Yes. You can visit the Senate of Canada Building and House of Commons at West Block for free, and East Block is open in the summer. The main Parliament building is covered by an immersive show, not a guided tour. You should reserve your visit in advance.
Is skating on the Rideau Canal free?
Yes. The Skateway is free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when it is open. It is typically open from January to early March depending on weather. No date has been announced for 2026-27.
When is Winterlude 2027?
No official dates have been announced yet. Winterlude 2026 was held from Jan 30 to Feb 16 at Confederation Park and Jacques-Cartier Park.
What can you do in Ottawa cheaply?
Take advantage of the free Thursday evening and 4 to 5 pm hours at the museums. Visit the Senate, West Block, Rideau Hall and Supreme Court for free, and walk the trails at Gatineau Park and Mer Bleue. For food, our shawarma, ice cream and fast-food rankings list the top-rated places in those categories.
Sources
- Canadian War Museum: Plan your visit. Checked .
- Canadian Museum of History: Plan your visit. Checked .
- Canadian Museum of Nature: Admission fees. Checked .
- Canadian Museum of Nature: Visit us (hours). Checked .
- Canada Aviation and Space Museum: Visit. Checked .
- Canada Science and Technology Museum: Visit. Checked .
- Canada Agriculture and Food Museum: Visit. Checked .
- Ottawa Art Gallery: Plan your visit. Checked .
- Bank of Canada Museum: Your visit. Checked .
- Tourisme Outaouais: Parliament of Canada. Checked .
- Governor General: Rideau Hall residence tours. Checked .
- Supreme Court of Canada: Tours. Checked .
- NCC: Rideau Canal Skateway. Checked .
- NCC: Gatineau Park rates. Checked .
- NCC: Mer Bleue. Checked .
- NCC: Weekend Bikedays. Checked .
- Canadian Heritage: Winterlude 2026 programming unveiled. Checked .
- Ottawa Tourism: Changing the Guard. Checked .
- Canadian Tulip Festival. Checked .