The tour was amazing!…read more Easy to find... we took a $9 water taxi from the locks in Ottawa behind the Chateau Laurier and later we just walked back over the bridge. You want to get off at the Museum on the Gatineau side. The staff were incredible. Super friendly. Young/fun. Laid back. Music was high energy, fantastic. For your $1 donation on their end to CHEO, we could request a song. We were not crowded at all. Very tropical feel with leis, fun sunglasses and that tiki vibe. Sunset was spectator. Any day for me on water is a good day. I saw things/places in the Ottawa area I didn't even know existed! The waterfalls were cool! 5 stars all the way. Of course we tipped extra (18% already gets added to your on board bill) Book from them and not through a 3rd party. My friend booked through Trip advisor that added $20 EACH to our bill! Have fun!!! Aloha!

Very well organized and on time. We were a full boat (wedding party). Captain Mike and Gabi were…read morefun and knowledgeable. The weather could have been slightly warmer, but the drinks tasted great.

It's difficult planning out the day. You research, make reservations, buy tickets, and do…read moreeverything you can. Then the traffic takes longer than anticipated, you got lost on the way, the card was declined because you forgot to call your credit card company. For some people, these little disasters ruin trips. Me? Just roll with it. For our schedule we wanted to do a canal tour, but it wasn't going to work for itinerary, so we opted for the river cruise instead. I am very glad we had done so. Rolling down the Ottawa river was a welcome break from all the walking, and you get to see these beautiful views of the city from the water that you otherwise would be completely unknown to you, like who really shot JFK. Our guide was a sweet and cheery girl, she enjoyed talking with guests and answering questions. The other staff were quite friendly, the boat was clean, and even had a bar (thank you sweet baby Jesus!) which allowed for my wife and I to enjoy a glass of wine on the river. Definitely recommend.

If you are in Ottawa and don't have much time this is the way to see the city, the boat is not the…read moremost beautiful but is big and they have food and drink on board, I really enjoy the tour on this boat, they guy explaining everything was awesome he was funny and he new a lot of stuff so I learn a lot about Ottawa and we know that a lot of Canadian history is in Ottawa, take the tour of u wanna see the city from another perspective, this was my favourite boat ride tour ever!!!!

Great cruise ' from the moment i was solliciated on the road to buy cruise tickets i had a feeling…read morethe experience would be great ' we took a cruise on the Ottawa river - dont get fooled some sell tours on the canal ! We were able to see all 3 parlement buildings from behind, the different museums, the different embassadors house and the house of the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau , our tour guide Katherine was very eloquent and smart she knew exactly how to explain the history of Canada and did it in a very Dynamic way, i understand both french and english and she didnt neglect any of the language ! This boat goes very close to the Rideau falls its too nice ! Brian gave us a great deal! On the tickets The boat is in a good condition for a one hour tour There is 3 floors, and third floor is all open, we got some rain during the tour but all went well ! It reminded of my canadian history classes in high school

We took the sunset cruise…read more Thought it would be a fun and relaxing activity on a family vacation. The sunset and scenery sure was beautiful. The boat boarded on time and passed some scenic sights of Gatineau and Ottawa, including the Parliament building, Rideau falls, Rideau canal, and the residence of the Prime Minister. It was lovely to see all of the Ottawa sights from the different vantage point of being on the boat. Unfortunately, I didn't find it as relaxing as I expected it to be (given that it was a sunset cruise). About 5-10 minutes after departing from Gatineau, music from singer and guitarist Danny Richard blared the whole rest of the ride. The music was loud on both the top and middle levels of the boat, and it was so loud on the middle level that it was difficult to have any conversation. When I questioned the workers at the concession stand about the volume of the music and about the excursion being a "sunset cruise," I was told that this is the way the sunset cruises are on Saturday/Sunday always are. To be clear, the description on their website for the sunset cruise tour said "The Sunday Sunset Cocktail Cruise is perfect for any occasion. Come relax and watch the sunset while you cruise the Ottawa River aboard the spacious Empress of Ottawa. Light live music provides the soundtrack to your evening as the sunset transforms the water into a brilliant, shimmering gold." Wish the music hadn't been so loud. (It certainly wasn't what I would describe as "light.") It seemed to be more of a party boat atmosphere than that of a relaxing sunset cruise. . .

This is a fun way to see Ottawa. You get a nice overview of sites on land then you head into the…read moreriver which gives you a great view of the city. We had an informative host. It was a fun way to start our visit in Ottawa. Thanks!

Not recommended to french speakers. It was not a good experience for us. We are a mixed language…read moregroup and specifically wanted a double language tour (it is advertised as such). The guide wants to speak english only and will ask to do so 2 minutes into the tour. The tour is short and very uninformative, mostly jokes about how bad the streets in Quebec are or how lazy the canadian politicians are. The bus is very loud which makes understanding the few informations given a challenge. I can guarantee you any ferry or bus tour i had in my life was better than this.

We took the River Boat cruise on May 16, 2026 and were quite dissappointed. There were 6 adults and…read moretwo children in our group. We were overcharged by $40 which is now being reviewed and hopefully we will get a refund. The cruise itself was just above an hour, and it was supposed to be 1.5 hours. The PA system had issues so we couldn't hear the guide well. To top it off there was a crowd of people dancing and singing, which didn't help at all. My husband and I have taken this cruise a couple of times before and we had the best experience then. Too bad that we recommended this to the rest of our group.

I went on both the canal and river cruise, and I would say this one isn't worth it. From the time…read morewe left the dock and returned, it was only about an hour ride. The scenery wasn't anything special and I felt like our guide, Paulina, kind of ran out of things to talk about, which really wasn't her fault.

Did one of their tours recently and had a blast! The guide was great, the trail was amazing, and I…read morethoroughly enjoyed myself! Some things to note to make it a 5-star experience: I would recommend walking through some basic safety rules at the start. Things to cover include how and where you should park yourself if you have to briefly stop on the trail, how to deal with someone who is stopped in front of you on the trail, or how to pass pedestrians safely, where should you do when you stop as a group if you have multiple people, etc. Given that Ottawa can be busy, a little overview of these rules/guidelines would go a very long way. I also felt that we ended up stopping a little more frequently than I would have liked on the latter half of the tour - mostly buildings I don't really even remember! Nevertheless, had a blast and would recommend it anyway!

Rented the Marin bikes. Well built solid bikes, happy with the quality. This is a busy bike shop…read morewith bike mechanics fixing bikes and sales people running around renting bikes. Not overly friendly to us as tourists, but..whatever. We got a bike route map and the guy explained where to go and off we went. Ottawa is a bike riders heaven with flat routes that go along the canal. We rode for 4 hours easy, but stopped for an hours' lunch by the canal. I'm not too in shape and it was an easy ride. 5 stars for quality bikes and cheap price.

It was a beautiful day for a bike ride! We rented a couple of e bikes, which really allow you to go…read morelong distance without getting too tired, and had a wonderful day on the canal. There were waterfalls, picnic sites and some cool bars overlooking Dow's lake. It was easy to rent online and they were very accommodating and really helped with directions. I might go again tomorrow!

We rented two bikes and rode down to Dow's lake. Somehow in my genius manner, I lost the key to the…read morelock at Landsdowne Park after I locked up the bikes. My wife called the bike shop. The owner was beyond accommodating. He drove down and brought us another key. Since they were closed, he told us to just put the bikes with the concierge at our hotel. He was super nice and very professional. We drove back at our leisure and put the bikes away. My wife got food poisoning that night, so I was unable to return the bikes until after noon the next day, as I was caring for her. They didn't mind at all. I would recommend renting from them to anyone wanting good bikes and good customer service. Well done y'all! Eric

Dow's Lake is a man-made lake on the Rideau Canal. It's the site of many fun activities and there…read moreare several restaurants there with beautiful views of the water. You can rent canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats/paddle boats in the summer. In May there's the Tulip Festival which is technically in Commissioner's Park, but this park surrounds Dow's Lake. In the winter when the lake freezes over, you can skate on it, and it's connected to the Rideau Canal, so you can skate for a pretty good distance. There are 3 restaurants at Dow's Lake. Over the years they have changed, but currently the restaurants are Lago, Umbrella Bar, and Mexi's (aka Mexicali Rosa's). There's a paid parking lot nearby ($3.50 per 30 minutes up to a maximum of $14), or street parking ($0.25 per 6 minutes) a bit further away, or free parking on residential streets in neighbouring Little Italy (3 hour limit as per by-laws).

Dow's Lake Pavilion is a short distance away from the airport and Ottawa's downtown core. I like…read morethat you can escape from your daily routine to this picturesque area without doing a road trip. There are canoes and pedal boats that you can rent. You are required to sign a waiver, wear a life jacket, and put down a $20 deposit. You can use cash, and debit and credit cards, except for American Express. Sadly, Amex doesn't seem to be as widely accepted as it used to be. There are lockers where you can store your belongings when you are on the water. I recommend coming with what you truly need. I parked in the lot across from the Pavilion. Parking is $3.50 for 30 minutes, to a maximum of $14. I paid by credit card, which was great. I didn't risk parking on the street, but I know that I can now. It's cheaper that way, but you do have to be cognizant of the time. You can also dine here after a fun time out on the water. We ate at Mexi's. You have the option of dining in the restaurant or sitting out on the patio. I missed the tulip festival. Perhaps I'll plan my vacation and take them in next time. (254)

It is a unique experience to take a half-day round-trip on one of Canada's last operational steam…read morelocomotives. My fiancé and I were able to do the Fall Colours tour, which made for beautiful scenery. Being on a 103 year old train was interesting and enjoyable to say the least, but the slow speed and pronounced swaying motion could be problematic for those prone to motion sickness. If possible, book early to get a spot on the high class Club Riviera car, or book in groups of 4 to avoid awkward old couples. The 90-minute stop in Wakefield is enjoyable, with lots of shops and restaurants, too many to see at any sort of leisurely pace in fact. The man-powered turn-table used to turn around the locomotive is the highlight of the stop, so be sure to stick around for that before you go exploring.

I've done a number of tours with Brew Donkey over the years (at LEAST 5) and they never cease to be…read moreentertaining. Getting to discover new breweries, distilleries, and mixing it all in with a lot of fun never gets old. The staff are great and really help to make the tour an overall enjoyable experience. If you haven't been on a Brew Donkey tour yet, do yourself a favour and grab a friend (or 15) and hop on that bus! Definitely looking forward for the next tour and every tour is different :)

Highly recommend Brad of Brew Donkey Tours and all of the tours. We highly enjoyed our tour which…read moreincluded a distillery and 2 breweries. The whole experience was well organized and well thought out. Shout out to our great driver Rita, who rocks! Can't wait for the next tour!