I've never been to a mint and was very excited to learn more about coin making. Canadian coins used to be made in the UK but the production shifted to Ottawa last century. Today, they only make collector and investment coins while the facility in Winnipeg makes normal coins that circulate with the public. The Ottawa mint offers a 45 minute guided tour and has a boutique where you can shop for coins afterwards. You will learn a couple of things here and there during the tour, but it's nothing to write home about. Overall, it's a fun way to spend an hour if you're near the National Art Gallery or the Basilica. I would also suggest checking out the Bank of Canada Museum, which has a free admission and an interactive exhibit about money. read more

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Oops...I should have read more in detail first, but our tour of the Royal Canadian Mint was still cool to learn about the collector coins. This mint does not mint coins used in circulation nor does it print bills (but the Royal Bank of Canada does....and their tour is free!). We enjoyed some of the displays you could stick your face into just outside the mint to make you look like a coin...sort of lol. Inside, the gift shop was definitely aimed towards collectors but it also sold a hodgepodge of items like that for the Canadian Air Force, indigenous tribes, and generally cute Canadian stuffed animals. If you are looking for a specific coin, they probably also won't have it as they only carry the most current collections given their "first to handle" policy. I thought it could have done better by including some general "royal canadian mint" souvenir items. Downstairs is where the tour takes place - bummer the manufacturing floor wasn't active when we were there. No photos or videos are allowed either. Our tour was informative but only because we had a pretty inquisitive group, otherwise our guide seemed to try to use the silent videos to guide the tour and only pointed to a few machines along the way. It's an interesting tour but compared to say Parliament, this is definitely lower tier. read more

This is a pretty neat stop even without a guided tour. We were on a Grayline tour of Ottawa and went to the Mint on our "free time". We didn't have enough time to get into one of the guided tours, but even seeing the Museum without a tour was enough to enjoy. We got to watch a video about how they make the coins, see several displays of collector/retired coins, and we got to hold a brick of gold that was worth $400,000! read more

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Sadly, they were close for the tours when we came. Tours start 10AM-5PM pre-registration is required of their website. Guide said walkins maybe accomodated if there is a free spot during the time read more

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I had a goal of visiting both Royal Canadian Mint locations. I managed to visit the Winnipeg location several years ago. When I was in Ottawa in 2015, it was going through some renovations, so I had to wait. I was pleased that I got to visit it earlier this month. The Mint's Web site said to book a tour in advance. I took a chance and showed up. I had about half an hour before the tour started, so I was thrilled. I parked underground by the National Gallery of Canada. I then walked over. Easy peasy! You first go through a castle-like part of the Mint, which is really security. You then enter through another door, where a helpful staff member asks that you either walk up a flight of stairs or use the elevator. I did the former. The gift shop greets you. You can buy various coin collections, get souvenirs, and lift a heavy gold bar that is 28 pounds. There is a security guard watching you, in case you think that you can grab this bar and go. Don't try it! The bar will literally wear you down. It was a cool highlight of the tour. We all met in front of the steps to go see all the action. You are not allowed to take photos during the tour. It makes sense, as you could have aspirations of having a counterfeiting side hustle. Cameras and cell phones have to be turned off. One person in our group pulled out his cell phone to look at a text, which caused our tour guide to give him a warning. Had he done it again, he would have been kicked out of the tour. It was fascinating seeing the entire process, from melting the metals, to verifying that the coins are flawless. The Ottawa location does commemorative coins. Winnipeg does circulation coins. This location showed off our Canadian Olympic medals, focusing on the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics. Our tour guide said that if you put all the medals together, it produces two full images of an orca and a raven. In other words, each medal is unique. So cool! The Mint was the first to make 0.999 pure gold in the world. It has since upped its standard to 0.99999 pure gold, which is the highest degree of purity in the world. Go, Canada! I also learned that the Australians are our main rivals when it comes to producing coinage. We had to help the Australians out one year, as they took on more contracts than they could handle. You get to see all currencies that Canada has helped make over the years here. The tour was roughly 45 minutes in length. Our tour guide was nice, knowledgeable, and terrific. I enjoyed the tour and recommend stopping by. I also bought a gift for a friend at the gift shop. Debit and credit cards, and cash are all accepted. (261) read more

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Informative and cool! The tour was inexpensive, and there were several throughout the day, though I'd recommend making reservations ahead of time. I learned a lot about the mint's history and the technology that goes into making coins of all shapes and sizes (even the million dollar coin!). Highly recommend. read more

Royal Canadian Mint - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Absolutely disgusting outfit! First they tell that they'll 'gladly accept credit cards' then will lie to you that it was declined and then it turns out that they have some 'secret' policy that you have to make first purchases with a wire transfer. So, typical parasitic government-funded outfit. read more

Nice quick little tour. The shop was nice, a lot of collectors items available. The Royal Canadian Mint of Ottawa no longer strikes coins for general circulation, but they make investment coins and collectors coins. They had also made Olympic medals (2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and Paralympics), and mint for other countries also. Apparently, they are rivals of the Australians. One year, they produced coinage for Australia because Australia took on too many contracts and couldn't make their own. This has been a bragging right since then, and they were proud to display the Australian currency in their international case. This is on the tour. There's a lot of fascinating details and stories on this tour. I learned a lot about how the mint operates. I was sad that i could not take pictures on the tour. It's a combination of security reasons, and trade secrets I'm sure. The mint was the first to make 0.999 pure gold, and have refined their process to be 0.99999 pure (highest degree of purity in the world). From melting of bars into spools, then to stretching out the spools, stamping out blank coins, to the stations where the coins are made, you can see every step of the process. For my fellow numismatics out there, worth a stop. read more

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When I visited the US Mint in Philadelphia it wasn't minting anything that day so I was glad there was some production when I visited the Royal Canadian Mint. Really interesting to learn that the Canadian mint has produced coins for most countries around the world at some point. They only produce bullion (precious metals coins) here today but that also means you get to see massive amounts of gold, silver, and platinum and the careful striking and inspection process. Definitely recommend the tour for numismatic enthusiasts. read more

Royal Canadian Mint - Neat coin inlay in the bathroom sink - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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We came here in early June to check out the tour of collectible coins. First we parked at National Art gallery and walked next door to The castle which housed the Royal Canadian mint. My sister paid our tickets at the castle guard window then proceed inside to 2nd floor. The tour is met at the gift shop. They sell wide range of collectible coins Chinese, super heroes, etc. Then our guide announced English only and she was nice and explained the process of how to make the coins. Too bad we couldn't take photos. Overall I highly suggest this place to visit.' read more

It had the potential of being interesting except for the high-octane mile-a-minute, "guide". I could not wait to get out of there. Her speech was so fast and clipped I could barely understand her! And LOUD! Got me very hyper. Place has potential ...beautiful building from the outside. read more

Pretty cool. I learned a lot for $6.They pack the people in on the tours but hey, the mint wants to make more cash, right? You start in the gift shop and end there - I did like that so we could browse while we waited. A guarded 28 lb brick of gold awaits you on a heavy chain/podium if you want your photo with that! The coins and collections are all pretty expensive but some people are into that. Our tour guide Stefan was informative, patient with questions and took his time with us. You basically tour above the factory/mint watching the workers do their thing, learning from tv monitors and wall hangings as you walk in a big square. Not a tour I would need to do again but I would recommend it. The building is old and cool. Photos ok outside and in gift shop, no photos inside the tour. Parking is where you can find it nearby on the street or at the National Art Gallery. read more

Royal Canadian Mint - 28 lbs of gold! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

When visiting Ottawa and doing the tourist thing, I highly recommend going to the Royal Canadian Mint. It's informative, historical, and pretty entertaining. The building itself looks very cool like a castle. The entry way is a nice garden (filled with tulips when we went in May), the gift shop where everyone meets for their tour is filled with all sorts of collectible items (from super heroes to the royal family) and the inside is modern. When you go through the tour you get to see the factory and all sorts of currency and medals. Money isn't made here at this location anymore but it sure is interesting to learn about it and see what is made here now. The tour guide we had was a young college student and was very knowledgeable. Lots of photo ops in the gift shop and garden. If you are planning to visit, make a reservation in advance. Tours book up fast and you will not be allowed in the building unless you do have a reservation. This is a highly secured building and they are very orderly. read more

This used to be the mint where all the Canadian coins were made; but all of that mass-production stuff is now done in Winnipeg. This mint handles special/collectible/commemorative/investment coins. They offer ~30 minute tours of the museum in English and French. I think it cost me $3.50 to see it on the weekend, but they didn't really have much production going on the weekend, either. The tour goes along a glass-walled hallway above the production areas, so you get a good view of everything, while staying safely away from the furnaces, machinery, and millions of dollars. It's a definite must-see for anyone interested in coins; and not bad at all for everyone else. Of course, no tour would be complete without ending in the gift shop! Cool fact #1: this mint also produces some coinage for other foreign countries that don't have their own mint, like Malawi for one. Cool fact #2: this mint produced the award medals for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and have an informative display about them! read more

Royal Canadian Mint - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

First off, the Royal Canadian Mint is a beautiful, old building that is definitely worth taking a look at. I did the tour, admittedly not quite knowing what I was getting myself into. The tour through the actual factory explains in detail the process of how coins are being produced in the mint. What I appreciated was that the Tour Guide (who did a pretty good job) carried multiple examples of what was being produced around us with her, allowing the visitors to get a closer look. The long and detailed explanation starting to bore me at some point since there was no actual interaction but, for the most part, just the plain explanation which could have been read in a book as well. Overall this was not the right experience for me, but I believe if you are a coin collector or just decently interested you will probably enjoy the tour. read more

Royal Canadian Mint - Front / Entrance - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

3.5 stars If you are in the area, the Mint is worth a stop. It is inexpensive, you learn some fun facts and you get a tour of where collector and investment coins are made. Cost: $9 for two adults on Saturday Note: - Circulation coins are not made here, they are made at the Mint in Winnipeg. - Canadian bills are made at the Bank of Canada which is separate from the Mint. The group was fairly large, approx 20 people. We were up at the front so we could hear well, but sometimes people at the back had to ask the tour guide to repeat what she said. The tour guide was pretty fantastic though, very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. You walk around the factory where they are made and she described the process; she also goes into fun facts. From the fact that we make other countries coins, to why the Queen has different heads on Canadian coins, you will definitely learn something you didn't know before. It was 30 minutes long, and you end in the small gift shop that has a large selection of specialty coins that range in price from $20- $100- $1000. There are also coin gifts to commemorate Canada's 150th anniversary as well as a birth in 2017. Worth a stop and then you can mosey onto a great view from the back of Parliament with the water surrounding it. It is a one stop, worth it, but probably wouldn't do it again kinda outing. read more

I found the tour to be interesting, well-paced, and the guide was very knowledgeable. It turns out that Canada's mint is really quite bad ass! Plus you can purchase some glow-in-the-dark coins in the boutique. read more

Came for the tour - was really cool and our guide spoke clearly and was friendly. The tour was exactly 45 minutes and we learned so much about how our coins is made. Also learned about the Vancouver Olympic medals, the million dollar coin and so so much more. I had a great time. Also got to hold a solid gold bar - it's heavy! read more

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You can find the Royal Canadian Mint in a really great historical building downtown, right near the water. It's been there for ages and ages, and I remember visiting it at a few different times in my life. The last time I visited the Mint was with a really large group. The tour really inexpensive as it is, with a maximum of $5 for adults on a weekday, but we got it for even cheaper, as we were a group of nearly 50. The Mint is known for producing special and commemorative coins and medals, and as a bit of a coin collector myself, I found it pretty interesting. I wouldn't necessarily call it a fun or exciting trip, though, since it's more of an educational and a "for your information" kind of tour. The gift shop is pretty cool, with a lot of little souvenirs and collector items, especially for anyone that's into nature, sports, or Canadian history. Other than making coins, the Mint offers storage services. It's only available to businesses, but if you have precious metals you would like to keep tucked away, they will put them in one of their vaults. read more

Go to see all the beautiful collective coins in the gift shop for free. You can also take a tour of the factory, $6/adult, which we did, but we didnt see too many workers in action. The videos were the best part. Considering that ive taken a tour at the washington dc mint/reserve, this was very similar. read more

Touring the mint was kind of neat. The tour itself was super short and it seemed like the tour guide was kind of rushing it, but it was cool to see the rooms where everything was made. Plus, I learned that the Canadian mint makes coins for other countries! Looking at all the coins was nifty. The tour ends at the store because they have to make some money! They also have an actual gold bar at the store that's connected by a chain so you can't steal it, but they invite you to lift it up. It's super duper heavy! Wow, I couldn't imagine lugging that thing around. read more

I was a little upset that we missed the tours (completely our fault) but we got great information and very helpful answers to our questions from the attendant at the front info station. The building itself is gorgeous and the detail in the stonework had me smiling as soon as I saw it. Once inside, you can visit the gift shop which I found to be fun and informative as well. Price ranges from about 3 dollars (magnets, pictures, etc) to well in the thousands for commemorative and historic pieces. I regret not buying more but hope to visit again soon. read more

Great tour and visit in Ottawa. I first had come here over ten years ago and decided to bring my daughter here to learn about where money was made. It starts of fun in the gift shop as you browse around and wait for your tour guide and time. In the gift shop is a brick of gold worth over a $ million clams. No I'm not a germ-a-phobe but What was going through my mind as I picked it up is how many unclean hands have done the same. Someone pass me a bottle of alcohol based hand sanitizer. Back to the tour, you have a guide led explanation of many of the processes done here at the mint. It's a great family activity. Learning about how specialty coins are made and stamped. If you enjoy (the somewhat nerdy show) "how it's made" then you will love is tour. Our tour guide was excellent. She was a young student and did a great job explaining the working principles of the mint. The tour ends back in the gift shop and I bought a special lucky Loonie for my daughter as a memory of our visit. Good times. read more

Royal Canadian Mint - Growl like a velociraptor - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Coin buyers beware! No doubt tours of building are fine, but Royal Canadian Mint is among the very worst coin sellers out there. A Better Business Bureau rating of, "F", ,is the result of poor quality, extremely overpriced coins, with extra surly phone reps thrown in for good measure. And that's only if you have 20 to 30 minutes to wait on hold. Remember too that these are the folks that expect you to accept "some white spotting" on silver Maple Leaf coins as, "normal, and to be expected..." (read no returns, you're stuck with them). Moreover, earlier this month they weren't at all concerned when some poor collector got stuck with a counterfeit gold Maple Leaf (complete with assay card encapsulation)...at least until the media showed up. Her Majesty would not be pleased. read more

Great products and good to go on a tour and see how everything is done. We had a lot of fun and it is certainly one of the best Canadian attractions if you are in the Ottawa area. There is something for everyone here and plenty of photo opportunities for you and the family. I would visit again, its interesting to see how the coins are made and the gift shop to add to my growing collection is good and they really treat the kids well on the tour. read more

Amazing opportunity to see the operations in this castle. I have a new appreciation for coins !!!

A neat and short tour (I wouldn't have wanted it longer) showing the process of making their coins. Pretty cool. Make sure you come on a weekday when they are actually producing coins. Very inexpensive. read more

This is a fabulous stop for anyone who likes coins or has an interest in how they are produced. Here are a few key points... 1. Take the tour. While it can be a bit rushed (they are starting new tours every 15 minutes or so on busy weekends), the tour will give you loads of information. 2. No pictures allowed on the tour, but you will see rolls of gold valued at 20 million each, machines that produce the coins, lots of history, and many different specimens. 3. This mint produces commemorative and investment coins. All the standard coins (as well as coins made for many countries around the world) are made in Winnipeg, though some are displayed here. 4. They have a nice gift shop where you can find all the recent commemorative coins and sets on sale. While they do sell their more mass market sets at Canada Post, there are a few that you can only find here. 5. At the ticket booth they will give you coupons that are good for a discount at other museums. 6. Come during the week if you want to see people working on the factory floor. read more

Nice short tour that's very interesting. This is where all the collector coins and investment coins are made. The tour guide offers interesting stories and you get a good sense of how coins are made. Well worth the modest price of admission. $9 for myself and my daughter. Tour lasts about 45 minutes, budget a little over an hour with waiting in the guest shop. Security is high, photos inside are not allowed. read more

The Canadian Mint gives a pretty good tour on how coins are made in Canada. It was inexpensive and I learned a ton about the Mint in about an hour. I would highly recommend it for people who are in Ottawa but do not want to spend a fortune on museum-type places. I even bought a commemorative booklet with coins in it as a souvenir. I don't remember seeing any cool exhibits though. For the price I paid, it was worth it. read more

As the previous reviewer states, this mint only makes collector's coins whereas the Winnepeg mint makes the circulation coins. The tour was pretty informative though it was hard to see what was going on through the windows. Sure, you see machinery and people doing things, but it's a lot easier to figure out what's going on if you watch the short video clips on the monitors mounted around the touring floor. I was impressed that Canada makes coins for other countries. The tour guide told us that the gold standard is 99.99% pure or 4-9 gold. Canada has the technology to make 5-9 gold (99.999% pure) and to show off, they made a 100 kg 5-9 gold coin. It's worth 4.5 million Canadian dollars and has a face value of 1 million Canadian dollars stamped on it. Unfortunately, they did not have the coin on display, but one is supposedly traveling around the world as a museum exhibit. read more

Nice tour in the AIR CONDITIONING... it was hot today! It was Sunday, so there wasn't a great deal of action to see, but the information was quite interesting. I am glad we went. I would say it is worth one's time to go. I do think the entry cost is a bit steep (14.00 per person) and so I would recommend going during the week. You are allowed, of course, to view the gift shop, which has a bar of real gold that you are allowed to try to pick up and take pictures with. (There is a security detail by it, but they were super nice and not at all scary... welcome to Canada, eh!? read more

My kids and I were in Ottawa looking for a fun place to visit and I thought "Hey, what could be more fun than seeing where money is made!" Sadly, there are probably a dozen or so funner places. The mint in Ottawa is responsible for making commemorative coins (like those minted for the Olympics) and coins for certain other nations. Regular Canadian money is actually made at the mint in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Nevertheless, we did get to tour the facility and look down onto the mint floor to see the equipment that melted the alloys, stamped the raw discs and stamped the final images. The highlight was when we exited (through the proverbial gift shop) and were invited to try lifting a real bar of gold. Man, it was so heavy! And, it was chained down and watched over by a huge guard. Oh, and you could trade your regular quarters in for special commemorative ones.... The mint is interesting, but Ottawa has so much more to offer. read more

Royal Canadian Mint - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Went on a tour of the mint with our church group, from Chelsea, Mi. on June 13, 2016. Our guide was Aaron. He was by far the BEST tour guide I have had anywhere. He knew his information and was fast with all the info. and jokes. I recommend going on this tour with Aaron. Because of traffic and construction we were late. He stayed to give us the tour. GREAT JOB AARON!!!!!! read more

Great place. Came here in July in sweltering heat and found it air conditioned. Good choice of Canadian, American, and world currency to look at as well as the history of the Canadian mint. read more

I have been one of the few for the first time in the 59 years of my life that have just ordered from the "MINT". I ordered on of the 1914 Canadian $5.00 gold coins that was made available. I have now been given four different delivery dates, of which now is mid-March 2013. When last contacted, Feb. 5th, 2013 I was given the previous date, and when questioned as to "WHY" there was no accountability, other than this is the way it is. As usual, it is a government agency that doesn't believe in accountability or answering simple questions from those that provide their "wages". Their customer services stinks. The average business would be bankrupt, if it functioned under these rules. I have toured the Canadian Mint 44 years ago and at that time was impressed at the manufacturing process's as I was when touring automotive plants. I blame the upper management for the lack of reqard for their customer's, unfortunately it is a monopoly, to bad like some of the union's in Toronto it couldn't be privatised or at last some sort of civilian component that could provide oversite to make improvements. read more