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    Rideau Canal Cruises

    4.3 (10 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

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    Jennie L.

    If your feet are aching from all the sightseeing this is a great place to rest and have a different taste of Ottawa. The boat takes you up the Rideau Canal and does a little lesson of history in both French and English. The tour guide was good, and it was neat to see some of the diplomat homes and learn about the history. One huge complaint, and why it looses the star is the boat was way too full. If you are charging this much for your tour, you do not need to squish us like sardines. I felt bad for the people that were left standing. Not impressed. Especially because they run the boats frequently during the summer months.

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    10 months ago

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    5 years ago

    Helpful 7
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    2 years ago

    It was a great experience, a wonderful way to see the city. Our tour guide "Caroline " was very good, knowledgeable and friendly!!

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    3 years ago

    Excellent staff, fun and friendly. Recommend this for sure if you want to relax an hour in between all the walking! Melody was sooo good!

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Très belle excursion. Rien à reprocher. Très bien animé par Mélodie. Bien organisé de A à Z. Merci à tous les organisateurs.

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    7 years ago

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    Paul's Boat Lines

    Paul's Boat Lines

    3.4(15 reviews)
    0.2 km

    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!!!!

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    Paul's Boat Lines
    Paul's Boat Lines
    Paul's Boat Lines - Rideau falls and hydroelectric station

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    Rideau falls and hydroelectric station

    Capital Cruises - Top deck

    Capital Cruises

    2.4(7 reviews)
    1.3 km

    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. . .

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    Capital Cruises - Boat coming to us

    Boat coming to us

    Capital Cruises - Falls

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    Falls

    Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals - Discover unique street art on a bike tour with us!

    Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals

    4.6(7 reviews)
    0.2 km

    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.

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    Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals - Guided sightseeing bicycle tour of Ottawa! A perfect family activity!

    Guided sightseeing bicycle tour of Ottawa! A perfect family activity!

    Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals
    Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals - Our two rented Marin bikes

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    Our two rented Marin bikes

    Dow's Lake Pavilion - Beautiful spot for a long walk. Home of the frozen canal and Tupil Fest in May

    Dow's Lake Pavilion

    3.9(15 reviews)
    3.3 km

    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)

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    Dow's Lake Pavilion - Pavilion

    Pavilion

    Dow's Lake Pavilion
    Dow's Lake Pavilion

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    Rideau Canal Cruises - boattours - Updated June 2026

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