Ottawa Small Group Premium City Tour
Badge of Excellence
Ottawa, Canada
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Have only a limited time to explore Ottawa? See the best of the city—and travel by air-conditioned minivan and by boat—on this time-saving, two-in-one tour. With just a small group for company, you'll see Rockcliffe Park, which is off-limits to larger tour vehicles. Next, trawl the Ottawa River and admire a new perspective on the sights. Then, go for a narrated drive past the Parliament Buildings and more, plus time to sightsee on foot.
- Hit the highlights of Ottawa in one time-saving, convenient day out
- This small-group tour offers a more personal way to explore
- Round-trip transportation from your downtown hotel included
- See dozens of Ottawa landmarks from the water's edge
What's Included
- Rideau Canal Cruise (Admission Included) (Seasonal: April-November)
- Complimentary Hotel Pick-Up and Drop-Off in Downtown Ottawa
- Canadian Museum of History (Admission Included) (Seasonal: November-April)
- Small Group Driving Tour (Max 9 Guests)
- Stop at Parliament Hill for self-guided walking tour of the grounds
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Departure Point: Centrally located Ottawa hotels *Contact for meeting location if you are not staying in the downtown area *Order of activities may occur in a different order
Itinerary
1
Ottawa
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Rockcliffe Park Pavillion (Pass By)
Notre-Dame Basilica (Pass By)
Supreme Court of Canada / Cour Supreme Du Canada (Pass By)
2
Parliament Hill and Buildings
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Rideau Canal National Historic Site
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Ottawa River cruise is a seasonal attraction, when the cruise is not operating it will be replaced with a Canadian War Museum of History tour
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.3
based on 159 reviews
Nori_C, Sept 2025
We were a group of 6 (3couples) Dani our tour guide did a good job in bringing us around the main tourist sites, river cruise was relaxing and saw more of Ottawa, we ended in By Ward Market and drove us around showing which resto serves good food.
Response from Host, Sept 2025
Sounds like a perfect day out with Dani! 🚐
We're so glad you enjoyed the destinations, the cruise, and the tasty recommendations. Showing off Ottawa’s beauty and flavors is what we (we mean Dani) do best!
We'd love to know how we could've grabbed that fifth star, and we hope to next time you're with us! 😊
Gord_L, Aug 2025
Very friendly guide (Trevor). Customized the tour based on our interests. Would recommend it to anyone wanting a quick overview of Ottawa
David_D, Aug 2025
Not a river cruise. Otherwise it was fine. Denis was very accommodating and tailored the tour to our interests.
Edward_B, Aug 2025
The tour was very informative referencing the history of Ottawa. The sites are beautiful, the tour guide was very courteous and fun.
Response from Host, Sept 2025
We're delighted you enjoyed learning about Ottawa's history and sightseeing the city. Our guides love sharing fun facts and making the tour both engaging and courteous – it sounds like your guide nailed it!
We hope you left with fantastic memories and photos. Out team can't wait to welcome you back on another tour soon! 🍁
James_D, Aug 2025
Great overview of Ottawa. Mostly drive by sightseeing with a few brief stops for a photo op of scenic views. Would have been nice to walk inside a couple government buildings to at least see the lobby or entry areas.
Response from Host, Sept 2025
We're glad you enjoyed the driving tour and scenic stops around Ottawa 😊. We appreciate your suggestion about visiting inside some government buildings – access can sometimes be limited due to official events or security, but we'll definitely look into including interior visits whenever possible.
We hope you still captured some great photos and enjoyed seeing the beautiful sights of the capital. Hope to welcome you back on a future tour! 🏛️📸
Richard_D, Aug 2025
Great sights. Denis was a great guide/driver.
Boat ride was great, but guide on boat spoke a lot of French.
Totally enjoyable and would highly recommend
Response from Host, Sept 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad you enjoyed the beautiful sights and that Denis made the day so enjoyable with his guiding and driving. The Hornblower cruise is always a highlight, feeling the spray while taking in the Falls is something unforgettable. Even with the mix of French commentary, it’s wonderful to hear the experience was still a highlight for you. Thanks for the warm recommendation! 🌊
Robert_C, Jul 2025
Tour guide was nice, but he said it was his second day and he “didn’t know much”. Took us around, but didn’t see much other than parliament and a couple other buildings. Drove by a park and said “I’m supposed to stop here and show you around, but there’s nothing here, so let’s keep going”. The river cruise was nice, and that guide was informative. But this was worth no where near the $433 it cost for me and my three kids. Total ripoff.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
We’re genuinely sorry to hear the tour didn’t meet your expectations. It is clear that your guide faced some challenges during your, we'll be getting in touch with him about how to avoid them in the future.
This isn't the experience we aim to provide and your feedback helps us raise the bar. Please email us your booking details at at info@seesight-tours.com, your eligible for a partial refund for any missed attractions or destinations.
We hope you'll gives us a chance to make it up to you on your next tour, red carpet and all!
Angelina_S, Jul 2025
Very convenient. Driver comes to your residence to pick you up. Get a little history of Ottawa. Boat tour is great
Jarrett_H, Jul 2025
The tour itself was just ok. Guide was fairly knowledgeable and tried to be helpful when the tour wasn't what it said it was. Honestly it you are doing it to save time and don't want to rent a car it's good but if you have a car you Can do anything on this yourself. The thing that really upset me was that the description on viator specifically stated and I read it to the guide that the boat was described to be a tour on the ottawa River and they said not for the morning tour. The morning tour was a Rideau canal tour which was also just ok but something you can go hope on anytime yourself on Elgin st
Because the tour said specifically it was a river cruise not the canal I had booked a canal tour later in the day. Luckily I was able to call and switch my canal tour for a river cruise for the same day just be aware the tour may not be as described and you can do everything yourself very easily minus the knowledge of the area.
Stephanie_P, Jul 2025
This tour could have been fantastic, but I think the tour guide (I cannot remember his name) was not the right person for the job. Very nice man and he wanted to accommodate us, but his English was not fluent enough and he did not give a lot of information on the tour. Also, we did not make all the stops that we were supposed to. I travelled with my 18 year old daughter. There was another English speaking couple in the group. It was a minivan. Pick up was at the hotel. All good. He drove to the highlights and pointed out things. Traffic was great. We made a couple of stops, but missed others. Per the itinerary, we did not stop at the Supreme Court, and we did not get the 1 hour Parliament Hill audio walking tour. Instead we stopped for a restroom break at the National Arts Centre for a long time, to wait for our boat tour. There was nothing to do at the Centre, so we walked to the war memorial to watch an event in progress just to pass time. Then he took us to the boat. The boat tour was very good. It was with a different tour guide. But here too was an issue. Our tour guide from above should have told us there was going to be a line up for the boat instead of us "passing our time" and not really doing anything, and he should have coordinated with the 4 of us and the boat operator. We didnt know there was going to be a line and therefore we were at the back of the line. Boat Tour was of the Rideau Canal. Enjoyable. Good guide. But was it supposed to be the River tour or Canal tour? It's hard to say whether I would recommend this tour. Per the description, it sounds great, and per other reviews, people have been pleased. Based on not having a complete tour, I would say no.
Philip_A, Jul 2025
You see the main parts of Ottawa, Gatineau, government residences.
Very informative and educational.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for Sight Seeing with us!
We’re glad to see you recognise our aim with your Ottawa sightseeing tour. We definitely hope to cover major parts of Ottawa with our guests small group tour.
The tour is designed to go from the Rockcliffe Park Area to the Rideau Canal and then Downtown Ottawa (including Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Canadian Museum of History. We try to immerse our guests in the stately and natural splendor of the capital of Canada.
We’d be pleased to host you on another small group tour soon!
Andree_L, Jun 2025
This tour did not deliver as per the itinerary. Denis was well informed, though struggled at time to find the appropriate English terms, so I had to help him out on a couple of instances since I was more bilingual than he was. This was an English tour. We didn’t stop at the Supreme Court building, he seemed surprised our90 min Roseau canal cruise came back in less than 2 hrs. His minivan would be a tight squeeze for 6, though a little tired, well maintained. What bugs me the most is the itinerary said we would have a walk around the parliament grounds with a self guided audio tour. No such tour exists. So we finished without the parliament grounds tour and got no refund for that hour we were supposed to have. I’d steer clear of this one.youre better off booking the cruise yourself, book the free parliament ahead of time. We were supposed to stop at the Supreme Court building and we didn’t. I requested a partial refund, Seesight hasn’t even acknowledged my message.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We’re sorry to hear your experience didn’t go as expected.
It sounds like your guide may have encountered some challenges during your tour, which understandably impacted your overall experience.
We’d appreciate the opportunity to look into this further. Please email us at
info@seesight-tours.com with your booking details—we’d love to make it right.
Clara_B, Jun 2025
Gabriel was absolutely fantastic! We traveled in his van for a very private, enjoyable and informative tour :-) the boat tour was also quite nice ‘
Johanne_M, May 2025
It was great, very informative - our tour guide Gabriel was amazing.
After the mini-van ride, we went on a boat tour of the canal.
Brenda_H, May 2025
We would recommend this tour. It was very informative and the Tour guide was highly educated in the history and all the sights and more. Very friendly we all really enjoyed ourselves we would recommend definitely get your moneys worth and more
David_H, May 2025
Gabriel was great as our guide, very informative and easy going. My 20 yr old daughter and I had essentially a private tour. Overall a nice overview of Ottawa.
Chris_K, Nov 2024
TripShepherd Never Again... Turned up with a very small van with no spare seats. At the next pick up the couple refused to get in because of the size of the rear seat so my wife gave up her seat. The driver/guide told us the proper van was in the shop and was given the small one. The guide rang the Tripshepherd office and then offered our money back to leave the tour. Not some of our money, all of our money. We agreed and walked back to the hotel. They refunded just over half not what was agreed to. Never again Tripshepherd
Cathy_M, Oct 2024
We had a great time! Our guide was so much fun and very knowledgeable. We didn't get to do the boat ride because it was too cold but we still saw lots of great sights. There were only 2 of us on the tour so I really appreciated that they did it anyway and didn't cancel. At the end of the tour he gave us a perfect recommendation for a restaurant. It was really a fun experience. Thank you.
Jan_W, Oct 2024
Our guide wad very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor. Very accommodating to my husband with some mobility issues. I highly recommend viator. We gave another discussion booked with them in a few months!
Susanne_M, Oct 2024
The Ottawa small group tour was very informative. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. The river cruise was awesome. A wonderful relaxing afternoon. Thank you.
Patricia_S, Oct 2024
Gabe our tour guide was excellent and very informative of the history and area. The cruise through the canal was very nice as well.
Patti_P, Oct 2024
What an awesome tour we had with Gab, our tour guide! Gab was really informative, friendly, professional, knowledgeable and engaging. The weather was glorious and we did all the things during this comprehensive tour. Gab picked us up at our hotel promptly at 8:30am and we set off on our adventure. We drove around the city and learned all about the history of Ottawa. In addition, we drove through the beautiful neighborhood where the various, unique embassies are situated. Then, we boarded a river barge and enjoyed an interesting 90 minute, live narrated tour on the beautiful Rideau canal and learned more about the city, interesting landmarks and historical events. We wrapped up with a walking tour around Parliament, the Library of Congress and the Peace tower. Gab explained the history and significant events associated with these beautiful and important buildings and assorted monuments. Gab then dropped us off at our requested lunch destination at the end of our adventure. He also gave us tips and suggestions on other things to see and do while we're in town. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and highly recommend this special tour when you're in Ottowa.
Constance_B, Sept 2024
Our driver didn’t meet us at our door and was 40 minutes late although we did get a phone call. However, the vehicle provided was a 6 seater sedan but was small for 6 adults to share with the driver. Windows in the back were hard to see out of and the 3 ladies (the shortest) had to climb through the middle seats to get in. The boat cruise along the Rideau Canal however was serene, delightful and informative. Our driver/ guide drove too fast and the information he gave felt like he was reciting from a training manual.
Jessica_A, Sept 2024
Such a worth while tour!! I can’t believe how much I saw and learned. Guide was very kind, informative and knowledgeable! Canal cruise is a fun, relaxing way to wrap up all the sightseeing!
Norma_R, Sept 2024
The overall experience was amazing. The tour guide was professional and knowledgeable about the area.
Peter_M, Aug 2024
This was a great tour! We were lucky enough to have a private tour for the three of us. Gabby was a great guide. He showed us a lot of things you would not see on a larger tour since we were in a mini-van rather than a tour bus. The canal tour was peaceful and scenic but seeing the city on a walking tour was the main highlight. We walked all around the Parliament area and got many good insights. And the changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was quite memorable. I would definitely recommend this tour.
Karen_D, Aug 2024
This was a unique time with generations of family members being able to attend. The tour provided a chance to see Ottawa by car, boat & land. Gabriel (Gab) explained the history of Canada along with current events and conditions. We loved the variety and the overall experience!
Romilda_C, Jul 2024
We had an incredible tour with our guide Gabriel. He provided us with rich detail of the history of the area and even gave us recommendations on where to try the know food for the area “ beaver tails” which were amazing. Highly recommend this tour. Our guide was top notch.
Anita_H, Jul 2024
Angela was very informative of all the area of Ottawa taking us to places no one would think of going. We were the only ones on the tour so that was nice also. We spent the morning at the Ottawa Museum of Nature where she picked us up and that was well planned. The canal ride was the relaxing part of the tour. Pasquel was excellent on that canal ride.
danielleandre5, Jul 2024
Our tour guide Gabe was amazing!!! He was so informative and helpful. He zipped around Ottawa and showed us all of the hi lights of our beautiful countries capital.
Gabe was on time and even squeezed in a little treat time as a request from the kids. Thank you!!
From $104.47
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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