Ottawa Boat Cruise - Rideau Canal Cruise
Ottawa, Canada
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
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Overview
The Rideau Canal links Canada’s capital—Ottawa—with majestic Lake Ontario. On this tour, cruise in comfort along the UNESCO World Heritage–listed waterway and admire sweeping views over top attractions including the Canadian Museum of Nature, Château Laurier, Dow’s Lake, and the National Arts Centre. Along the way, listen as your guide sheds light on centuries of colorful Canadian history.
- Cruise along the UNESCO–listed Rideau Canal with your guide
- Uninterrupted views over canal-side sites of interest including Château Laurier and Dow’s Lake
- Gain insight into Ottawa’s rich history and heritage
- The world's-largest, certified, 100%-electric, passenger vessel.
What's Included
- Guide
- All Fees and Taxes
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5W1, Canada
Departures are on the National Art Center side of the canal We are located behind the National Art Center (1 Elgin Street). Right beside the 1 Elgin St Cafe. Directions: Below the Plaza Bridge (Rideau Street Bridge)
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Your adventure begins when you board your fully-electric passenger boat and set sail along the Rideau Canal.
Admire the sights of Dow's Lake and the Château Laurier as you cruise by. Discover amazing facts and untold tales as your guide takes you through centuries of vivid Canadian history.
Then, learn the tales of thirty historical locations that have influenced this city, such as the German and Armenian embassies, the University of Ottawa campus, and more. This voyage promises to be both a fascinating journey and a lot of fun. Take in the final view of the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Admire the sights of Dow's Lake and the Château Laurier as you cruise by. Discover amazing facts and untold tales as your guide takes you through centuries of vivid Canadian history.
Then, learn the tales of thirty historical locations that have influenced this city, such as the German and Armenian embassies, the University of Ottawa campus, and more. This voyage promises to be both a fascinating journey and a lot of fun. Take in the final view of the Canadian Museum of Nature.
1
Rideau Canal Cruises
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Canadian Museum Of Nature (Pass By)
National Arts Centre (Pass By)
2
Rideau Canal National Historic Site
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Lansdowne Park (Pass By)
Dows Lake Pavilion (Pass By)
Ottawa City hall (Pass By)
Rogers Centre Ottawa (Pass By)
Ottawa Locks (Pass By)
University of Ottawa (Pass By)
TD Place (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Please note- there is no rescheduling
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 95 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
SophiaGibbs_K
This was a highlight of our family vacation to Ottawa! Melody, our guide, was extremely engaging, friendly, and knowledgeable. The weather was beautiful but good to note is that since the boat has a covering, we would have been fine even if it had rained. Since we took the boat ride on our first day here, we were able to feel informed about the area for the rest of the trip.
Reviews
4.3
based on 1,253 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Rebecca_B, Aug 2026
My only issue is that parking in Ottawa is a challenge. Just be prepared to find a place or space. The tour was incredible.
Caroline_A, Aug 2026
Very slow moving electric boat. Beautiful scenery. Bilingual commentary well done, but noisy, with people talking during the French Commentary.
Marcus_R, Aug 2026
Great tour down the Rideau Canal to Dow's Lake. Traveled in style on an all-electric vessel that is very quiet and allowed our guide (Cameron) to point out sights without shouting. Cameron was assisted by Sophie, who operated the snack bar and Trevor, our pilot. Hope I got the names right as these three did a great job. We saw lots of interesting sights and learned lots about the history of the canal. Thanks for the great tour.
Joanne_D, Aug 2026
The crew was super friendly, welcoming and helpful and Cam, our primary guide was excellent at keeping the group engaged and informed. I was hoping to see more of the locks and the view of the parliament buildings, but I guess that was a different tour option. That's the only reason for the 4. It was lovely, relaxing and informative.
Julia_L, Aug 2026
Peaceful, informative cruise on the Rideau Canal. Departure point was a little confusing. It is between the restaurant and the bridge. Otherwise, a really beautiful day!
Walter_G, Aug 2026
Great boat. You can sit on either side; great views. Has bathroom on board and drinks available for sale
Peter_G, Aug 2026
Easy to book - an informal but very informative 1.5 hour cruise; our guide was excellent, especially as this was his first day on the job!
Jim_W, Aug 2026
It's great. Could be longer ride down the canal past carleton university. But over all great. Cam was very knowledgeable.
Mobeen_U, Aug 2026
We came from Toronto. There was not info provided for the boarding. We had to struggle finding the location.
Bad experience.
Lesley_H, Aug 2026
There was absolutely nowhere to park a vehicle within 30 minutes walk of the boat tour. The NAC parking was full and remained full.Time to make an agreement with the NAC to keep dedicated parking available for your customers.
Sunil_G, Aug 2026
Nice and leisurely river cruise. Cam was fantastic and so was the crew. Great way to see the City and key points
Maria_I, Aug 2026
It was our guides first day. He kept us entertained. We learned things we didn’t know. Like the Ottawa hockey team won the cup. Then took a leave until 2002. But the nhl won’t recognize the win. Learned what the canel was used for. How it was made. Learning about the history was amazing. Our tour guide recommended restaurants to eat at. He was great.
Kaydeen_T, Jul 2026
Theo did a great job entertaining the group and even had one on one conversations at the end. He was informative and entertaining. Five stars for Theo! Unfortunately, I can't give the tour 5 starts because it was quite a simple tour for the price. You don't walk away with much knowledge from your 1.5hrs tour.. Left a lot to be desired. The views are lovely.
Catherine_S, Jul 2026
Cam was an outstanding tour guide! It was a nice experience and what we expected. Checking in was smooth and the length was as described.
Sylvie_W, Jul 2026
It was interessed to learn about the Canal Rideau . The young man who was talking to us during the tour was very good, funny et very kind.
We recommend this tour.
John_P, Jul 2026
The boat leaves on time. The guide delivers the tour in English and French on the way out (45 mins). The return trip is silent to enjoy the cruise. It's a nice way to spend 90 minutes or so. Young kids might find it long. There is food and drink and a washroom on board.
Highly recommend the trip.
Parthiv_D, Jul 2026
We tried Canal Cruise at Ottawa, it was nothing special .
Parking was big issue. I think there are another place that you can visit.
This one you can skip
Danielle_R, Jul 2026
Niall and Sophia were awesome. Very informative and entertaining. It was a beautiful easy experience. Reasonably priced and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
Scott_C, Jul 2026
It was a pleasure seeing homes and architectural site from angles not normally seen. It was quiet and beverages were available.
Hui_L, Jul 2026
The staffs are wonderful but as for the tour itself, there is really not much to see. So it’s a little boring.
Susie_R, Jul 2026
The staff was amazing - so nice, personable, and considerate. We were on a tour with a large group so the boat was crowded but the staff did a great job of making us feel welcome. I would absolutely recommend this tour!
Malcolm_C, Jul 2026
It was very informative. The pace was very relaxed and supplied a much needed break from the heat of the day.
Michelle_Y, Jul 2026
I'm always a proponent of taking a tour that gives me a great overview of the city I'm visiting (think: walking food tour, a bike tour, or a hop-on, hop-off bus tour). The Rideau Canal Cruise with Ottawa Boat Cruise was the perfect way to see Ottawa in comfort and style. As an added bonus, the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Cam, our guide, was outstanding, effortlessly sharing fascinating information about the city, the canal, and its history in both English and French. His knowledge was impressive. Alex C. (I hope I remembered his name correctly!), the bartender, was also friendly and welcoming. I recommend this cruise to anyone looking for a relaxing and informative way to experience the city.
agnes_P, Jul 2026
This cruise was easy to book, pictures and description are very accurate. Bianca (?) our bilingual guide was very informative and entertaining. The weather was perfect, early morning departure, very scenic. Made us want to cycle along the Canal or do a yoga cruise! A great way to get a different view of beautiful Ottawa.
Valerie_S, Jul 2026
The tour is lovely but does not show the canal locks nor discuss how they have been used through history. We were hoping to get an understanding and view of the locks but the tour is absent this piece, even though it is described as part of the tour.
Paul_M, Jul 2026
Guides were very knowledgeable about the Rideau Canal and surrounding area. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone thinking about it.
Ryan_G, Jun 2026
I'm originally from Ottawa, never sailed the Canal but skated it for many years.
This was a wonderful tour.
Cam was knowledgeable and funny and the other team members Logan and Alexei were outstanding.
Highly recommended
C_C, Jun 2026
Very informative, calming and absolutely lovely. The guide spoke English and French perfectly. What a skill to have !
David_M, Jun 2026
IF you get to the departure site earlier than 20 minutes before the cruise, you will not find anyone or any sign to direct you to the proper departure point.
Raymond_F, Jun 2026
The signage directions from the rodway/sidewalk was was extremely poor ,I would say non existent to get down to the canal side meeting area.
We were definitely not the only one who had difficulty find where to go
From $42.07
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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Ottawa Boat Cruise - Rideau Canal Cruise
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