Best Museums in Ottawa
A guide to the best museums in Ottawa, from national institutions with world-class collections to hidden gems like a Cold War bunker and a working farm. Includes admission prices, free hours, and tips for visiting.
Ottawa is home to seven of Canada's nine national museums — more than any other city in the country. Add in a Cold War bunker, a working farm, and a museum about money, and you have one of the strongest museum cities in North America.
This guide covers the best museums in Ottawa, with practical details on what to see, how much it costs, and how to visit for free.
National Museums
Canadian Museum of History
The Canadian Museum of History is Canada's most-visited museum. Located across the river in Gatineau, it's a 15-minute walk from Parliament Hill across the Alexandra Bridge.
The Grand Hall is the centrepiece — a dramatic hall with floor-to-ceiling windows facing Parliament Hill, housing the world's largest indoor collection of totem poles and six reconstructed Indigenous houses from the Pacific Northwest Coast. The Canadian History Hall spans 15,000 years of history across 4,000 square metres.
The Canadian Children's Museum is one of Ottawa's best destinations for kids — an immersive space where children explore cultures from around the world through role-play and interactive exhibits. Arrive early on busy days; access is first-come, first-served.
- Admission: 24 (family $65)
- Free: Thursday 5–7 PM
- Hours: Mon–Sun 9 AM – 5 PM (Thu until 7 PM)
- Location: 100 Laurier Street, Gatineau
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada houses the most comprehensive collection of Canadian art in the world. The building itself — designed by Moshe Safdie, with its iconic glass and granite towers — is a Sussex Drive landmark.
Highlights include works by the Group of Seven and Emily Carr, a significant collection of Indigenous and Inuit art, and the reconstructed Rideau Street Convent Chapel. Outside, Louise Bourgeois' giant Maman spider sculpture is one of Ottawa's most photographed landmarks.
Thursday evenings often include live music, art-making activities, and themed tours — making it more of an event than a regular museum visit.
- Admission: 20
- Free: Thursday 5–8 PM. Always free for Indigenous Peoples
- Hours: Tue–Sun 9:30 AM – 5 PM (Thu until 8 PM, closed Mon)
- Location: 380 Sussex Drive
Canadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum is Canada's national museum of military history. The building, designed by Raymond Moriyama, sits on LeBreton Flats west of Parliament Hill — its jagged roofline meant to evoke a landscape scarred by war.
Four permanent galleries trace Canada's military experience from pre-contact Indigenous conflicts through Afghanistan. The LeBreton Gallery is a massive hall filled with tanks, artillery, armoured vehicles, and a fighter jet suspended from the ceiling. Memorial Hall is designed so that sunlight illuminates the headstone of Canada's Unknown Soldier at exactly 11 AM on November 11.
- Admission: 22 (family $60)
- Free: Thursday 5–7 PM
- Hours: Mon–Sun 9 AM – 5 PM (Thu until 7 PM)
- Location: 1 Vimy Place
Canadian Museum of Nature
The Canadian Museum of Nature is housed in a striking castle-like heritage building on McLeod Street — the Victoria Memorial Museum Building, which served as Canada's temporary parliament from 1916 to 1920.
Highlights include dinosaur skeletons, a full blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling, the Bird Gallery with over 450 Canadian species, and the Animalium — a gallery exploring the diversity of the animal kingdom. The building's glass lantern tower, added during the 2010 renovation, is worth seeing lit up at night.
- Admission: 24
- Free: Thursday 5–8 PM. Youth 17 and under always free
- Hours: Tue–Sun 9 AM – 5 PM (Thu until 8 PM)
- Location: 240 McLeod Street
Ingenium Museums
Three museums in the Ingenium network share the same free daily window: 4–5 PM every day. They're spread across different parts of the city, so pick one per visit.
Canada Aviation and Space Museum
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum has the most extensive aviation collection in Canada — over 130 aircraft, from early biplanes to modern fighter jets. Standout artifacts include the original Canadarm, the nose section of the Avro Arrow, and a replica of the Silver Dart (the first powered aircraft to fly in Canada).
- Admission: 19
- Free: Daily 4–5 PM
- Location: 11 Aviation Parkway, Rockcliffe
Canada Science and Technology Museum
The Canada Science and Technology Museum reopened in 2017 after a major renovation. It's built for hands-on exploration — exhibits are designed to be touched, tested, and experimented with.
The Zoom children's innovation zone lets kids build and solve challenges through play. The Crazy Kitchen — a tilted room that plays tricks on your sense of balance — has been a visitor favourite for decades. The transportation gallery features vintage locomotives and vehicles that shaped Canadian industry.
- Admission: 19 (family $49)
- Free: Daily 4–5 PM
- Location: 1867 St Laurent Blvd, East End
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is a working farm on the Central Experimental Farm, just south of Dow's Lake. Unlike Ottawa's other museums, this one is largely outdoors — you walk between barns to visit cows, horses, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, and rabbits.
It's especially popular in spring (late March through May) when baby animals are born. Seasonal tractor rides are available, and the surrounding farm grounds connect to the Rideau Canal pathway network.
- Admission: 14.50 (family $40.50)
- Free: Daily 4–5 PM
- Location: 901 Prince of Wales Drive, The Glebe
Specialty Museums
Bank of Canada Museum
The Bank of Canada Museum is one of Ottawa's most underrated attractions — and it's completely free, year-round. Far more interactive than you'd expect from a museum about money, it features hands-on exhibits about economics, inflation, and the financial system.
Kids can design their own banknotes and use an interactive wristband that personalizes their visit. The museum is small enough to see in about an hour, making it easy to fit into any day downtown.
- Admission: Always free
- Hours: Wed–Sun 10 AM – 5 PM
- Location: 30 Bank Street (at Wellington)
Diefenbunker: Canada's Cold War Museum
The Diefenbunker is a four-storey underground bunker buried 75 feet below the surface in Carp, about 30 km west of downtown. Built in 1959 as Canada's emergency government headquarters during a nuclear attack, it's now a National Historic Site.
Explore the War Cabinet Room, CBC Radio Studio, Bank of Canada Vault, and decontamination showers. The museum also runs an escape room set inside the actual Cold War bunker — one of the most unique escape room experiences in the region.
- Admission: 19.50 (self-guided), 25 (guided tour)
- Hours: Wed–Fri 10 AM – 4 PM, Sat–Sun 10 AM – 3 PM
- Location: 3929 Carp Road, Kanata
- Note: Driving recommended — limited public transit
Saving Money on Museums
Ottawa's museums can add up quickly, but there are several ways to visit for less:
- Thursday evenings — The National Gallery (5–8 PM), War Museum (5–7 PM), Museum of Nature (5–8 PM), and Museum of History (5–7 PM) are all free on Thursday evenings. You can realistically visit two in one evening
- Ingenium daily window — The Aviation, Science & Technology, and Agriculture museums are free every day 4–5 PM
- Bank of Canada Museum — Always free
- Youth under 17 — Free at the Museum of Nature year-round
- Ottawa Museums Passport — If visiting multiple museums at full price, the passport bundles several admissions at a discount. Available at participating museums
- Special free days — Many museums offer free admission on Canada Day, Remembrance Day, and other holidays. Check individual websites
See our guide to free things to do in Ottawa → for more free admission details.
Planning Your Visit
- One museum per visit — Most museums need 2–3 hours to see properly. Don't try to rush three in a day
- Start with the big three — If you're visiting Ottawa for the first time, the Museum of History, National Gallery, and War Museum are the strongest all-around picks
- For families — The Agriculture Museum (animals), Science & Technology Museum (hands-on), and Children's Museum inside the Museum of History are the best bets
- Downtown cluster — Parliament Hill, the National Gallery, and ByWard Market are all within a 15-minute walk. The War Museum is a short bus ride west. The Museum of Nature is a 15-minute walk south
- Bring a lunch — Museum cafeterias are pricey. Most museums have seating areas, and there are parks nearby for picnics
Featured Places
Canadian Museum of History
Canada's national museum of human history, located across the river in Gatineau with sweeping views of Parliament Hill. Features the Canadian History Hall, an immersive Canadian Children's Museum, and the Grand Hall with the world's largest indoor collection of totem poles. Free Thursday evenings 5-7 PM.
National Gallery of Canada
Canada's national art museum featuring the world's most comprehensive collection of Canadian art, plus impressive international works.
Canadian War Museum
Canada's national museum of military history, featuring four chronological galleries, a massive vehicle hall, and the architecturally striking Memorial Hall. Free admission every Thursday 5-7 PM.
Canadian Museum of Nature
Canada's national natural history museum, housed in a landmark Victorian sandstone building. Features dinosaur fossils, a blue whale skeleton, the world's largest display of Canadian birds, and an Arctic gallery. Free Thursday evenings 5-8 PM for all.
Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Canada's largest aviation collection with over 130 aircraft, the original Canadarm from Space Shuttle Endeavour, and the largest surviving piece of the Avro Arrow. Free admission daily from 4-5 PM.
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Canada's national science and technology museum, part of the Ingenium network. Features interactive galleries, a children's innovation zone, transportation exhibits, and hands-on demonstrations. Free daily admission 4-5 PM.
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
A working farm in the heart of Ottawa, part of the Central Experimental Farm. Home to cows, horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, and rabbits. Especially popular in spring when baby animals are born. Free daily admission 4-5 PM.
Bank of Canada Museum
A free, interactive museum exploring economics and monetary history. Home to the National Currency Collection with over 110,000 artifacts, plus hands-on exhibits including a rocket ship inflation simulator and a design-your-own banknote station.
Diefenbunker: Canada's Cold War Museum
A four-storey underground bunker built in 1959 as Canada's emergency government headquarters during the Cold War. Now a National Historic Site, it offers self-guided tours, guided tours, and an escape room experience 75 feet below ground.