Canadian Museum of History: Explore Indigenous Cultures

Discover the rich and diverse Indigenous cultures at the Canadian Museum of History. Explore galleries, art, and personal stories that have shaped Canada. Fun for all ages!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Canadian Museum of History - An architectural gem crafted by the Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal, this Museum is a mere stone’s throw from Ottawa’s downtown and the Parliament Hill.\n\nDelve into the vast tapestry of Canada’s history and the remarkable contributions of its First Peoples. Be in awe of the largest indoor collection of totem…
What's Included
  • Admission to special exhibitions and CINÉ+
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Transportation to/from attraction
  • Guided Tours
  • The Canadian Children’s Museum requires separate tickets.
Additional Information

The Canadian Museum of History in the National Capital Region gives you a fulfilling museum experience that is hard to miss. The Museum, conceived and built by the Native architect Douglas Cardinal, is one of Canada’s most visited. It brings to life the rich history, narratives, and cultures of its Indigenous Peoples with its compelling gallery exhibits…

Location
Canadian Museum of History
100 Laurier St,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(129 Ratings)
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Lealana
Aug 28, 2024
Beautiful museum but too little time - Very beautiful and very interesting museum located in Gatineau near Ottawa. I mainly wanted to visit this museum for the Aboriginal Collections part. Once there, I was impressed by the greatness of the establishment and the wealth of Collections and Exhibitions. Unfortunately I arrived around 4pm-5pm and could not see everything that interested me. To really enjoy it you have to count at least 3h/4h. I will return on a future trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travellerdu42
Aug 24, 2024
Great! - Very interesting museum that sweeps the history of Canada from the primitive peoples to today in a beautiful staging. There is a lot to look at and read so you have to plan several hours on site to be able to do everything. Outside beautiful garden with views of Ottawa and government buildings.
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694manuelp
Aug 9, 2024
Nice visit. - A museum to visit without hesitation during a stay in Ottawa. Each room is splendid and you can discover the History of Canada. The totem room is impressive. Parking is easy (fees apply).
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Phvi2617
Jul 20, 2024
Journey through the history of Canada - This is a large and really excellent museum with tons to see. The comprehensive Canadian History Hall starts on the third floor and includes three galleries covering early, colonial, and modern Canada. As an American, I learned so much about the country, particularly the development of its unique national identity. The lower level focuses on Indigenous history, and includes models of native houses and displays on the first peoples of Canada. Also on the lower level is the Stamp Collection, which houses every stamp issued by Canada. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to view the special First Royals exhibition on the ground (second) floor. The building also houses the Canadian Children's Museum, a large-screen theater, two cafes, and a nice gift shop. With all of these engaging exhibits, it's probably best to allot several hours to explore. Although the museum is actually in Gatineau, Quebec, it's an easy 25-minute walk from Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
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Joiev279
Jul 13, 2024
A beautiful architectural experience at the museum - The experience was amazing - starting with the architecture of the building. Each element of the building and each exhibit was perfectly assembled. I have visited numerous museums and have never seen the quality and professional assembly of not only the attractive buildings, but also each and every exhibit. My regret is that I didn’t allow more time. But there will be a time in the future to devote more time. I would only recommend a little more variety in the restaurant menu.
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Stphn2408
Sep 29, 2024
exceptional - very nice museum. All the history of Canada gathered in this magnificent building. many beautiful pieces heritage of Aboriginal people. a great deal of emotion about the history of a people who have fought for their survival for decades, as well as many poignant testimonies. the only black spot: the air conditioning melted what chilled me throughout the visit is 4 Hours in a Siberian cold!!!
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K6623iksteveb
Sep 8, 2024
A little overwhelming…. - A little overwhelming with hundreds of artefacts to see. Trouble was, way too dark to see all of the displays. The totem poles were great and well set out. Lower floor better than upper floor.
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Ced
Sep 3, 2024
An interactive and informative museum - Usually a museum is dusty and boring. It is interactive. Between the cultural news, lots of fun little games, catching beavers on a screen, creating the new flag of Canada... and a beautiful totem room for the end.
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R1a14
Sep 2, 2024
To see - Interesting museum, to visit on rainy days. Canadian history and history well done. The architecture of the building is voluminous and very illuminated, especially the large gallery. A little disappointed by the exhibition on Europe which presented mainly jewelry, some swords, stone blocks. The Museum has a large paid parking very easy to access. To see
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Martaad1186yg
Jul 25, 2024
Very good but overwhelming - This certainly is a good museum; however, it’s totally overwhelming. Plus, the lower floors, with many indigenous artifact on display, are better than the higher ones, which include unappealing corridors of Canada’s modern history with hundreds of artifacts impossible to go through (not to memtion remember). Coming from Stockholm, Sweden, where we have the fab Skansen with numerous original houses and other buildings from different epochs, which you can enter and see/explore from the inside, I was extremely disappointed to learn that The Canadian Museum of History used to use the same interctive and truly appealing concept. But then everything was changed into something more ‘educational’. Meaning, you’re going to walk around among innumerable artficts and, unless you spend days reading their lenghty descriptions, which is impossible for an average person, you won’t remember a thing. What a shame. The only original building left on display is a Ukrainian church - it’s really great that you can enter it and explore the architecture and atmosphere hands-on. Many other visitors were looking for it as well. Why change the winning concept…? No idea 🤷‍♀️
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From $19
up to 6 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).