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Ottawa Night Tour: River Cruise & City Lights
4.3
26 Ratings
Ottawa
Experience Ottawa’s beauty at night with a river cruise, narrated driving tour, and a stunning light show on Parliament Hill.
Experience Ottawa’s beauty at night with a river cruise, narrated driving tour, and a stunning light show on Parliament Hill.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Parliament Hill and Buildings - Discover the heart of Canada’s capital as Parliament Hill shines against the evening sky. Visitors will have the opportunity to take photos beside the iconic Centennial Flame while enjoying sweeping views of Ottawa’s historic government buildings.
- Supreme Court of Canada / Cour Supreme Du Canada - Pass by…
- Parliament Hill and Buildings - Discover the heart of Canada’s capital as Parliament Hill shines against the evening sky. Visitors will have the opportunity to take photos beside the iconic Centennial Flame while enjoying sweeping views of Ottawa’s historic government buildings.
- Supreme Court of Canada / Cour Supreme Du Canada - Pass by Canada’s highest court, an elegant Art Deco landmark overlooking the Ottawa River. The guide will share insights about the country’s legal system, notable cases, and the architecture of this significant national institution.
- Fairmont Château Laurier - Marvel at Ottawa’s most renowned hotel, the castle-like Fairmont Château Laurier, beautifully lit at dusk. This photo stop provides stunning views of the hotel’s grand exterior and nearby Rideau Canal locks.
- Ottawa Boat Cruise : River Cruise (Ottawa Departure) - Enjoy a scenic drive toward the Ottawa River while learning about the city’s history, waterways, and key landmarks along the shoreline. Guests will then be dropped off at the dock for their river cruise adventure.
- Kiweki Point Lookout - Experience one of the best nighttime panoramas in Ottawa from Kiweki Point. Overlooking the illuminated skyline, this hidden gem offers breathtaking photo opportunities of Parliament and the Ottawa River after dark.
- Canadian Museum of History - Enjoy a stunning nighttime view of Parliament Hill from across the river near the Canadian Museum of History on the Ottawa side. This viewpoint is a favorite for photographers due to its unobstructed skyline reflections and dramatic city lights.
- ByWard Market - Explore the vibrant atmosphere of Ottawa’s famous ByWard Market district after dark. Visitors can enjoy a short walk surrounded by local restaurants, cafés, nightlife, and historic streets filled with energy and character.
- Rockcliffe Park and the Rock Gardens - Drive through the prestigious Rockcliffe Park neighborhood, home to embassies, historic estates, and official residences. Along the way, hear stories about 24 Sussex Drive, the former Prime Minister’s residence, and the nearby Royal Canadian Mint.
What's Included
- Narrated driving tour with multiple points of interest
- Rideau Canal Cruise admission included
- Skip the ticket line entry
- Small group tour, max 6 guests
- Complimentary hotel pick up and drop off in Downtown Ottawa
- Narrated driving tour with multiple points of interest
- Rideau Canal Cruise admission included
- Skip the ticket line entry
- Small group tour, max 6 guests
- Complimentary hotel pick up and drop off in Downtown Ottawa
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Your See Sight Tours Guide will meet you at your downtown Ottawa hotel to start your fully guided night tour in the comfort of one of our vans.
To begin your evening adventure, your guide will take you on a serene River Cruise. As you glide along the Ottawa River, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views of the city’s landmarks and attractions beautifully…
Your See Sight Tours Guide will meet you at your downtown Ottawa hotel to start your fully guided night tour in the comfort of one of our vans.
To begin your evening adventure, your guide will take you on a serene River Cruise. As you glide along the Ottawa River, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views of the city’s landmarks and attractions beautifully illuminated at night.
Following the cruise, experience the vibrant city on a fully narrated driving tour, passing by several attractions lit up at night, including the Supreme Court, Parliament Hill, Nepean Point, and the Canadian Museum of History.
At the conclusion of your tour, your guide will return you to your downtown Ottawa accommodations.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Wheelchair must be able to be folded and fit in back of van, guests will need to be able to get into van
Location
Parliament Hill and Buildings
111 Wellington St
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.3
(26 Ratings)
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Catbass46
Aug 18, 2023
A Full Night of Sights - The river cruise and the light show on Parliament Hill. The tour guide on the cruise did an excellent job of pointing out interesting places along the river and giving some history about the area.
Andrew our van driver offered lots of facts about the city/area. Very careful driver.
Review provided by Viator
Stephanie_p
Aug 15, 2023
BEST TOUR BY FAR - We had a wonderful evening on the river and watching the light show on Parliment hill. Our tour guide Tyler was the BEST! He had camp chairs for all of us at the light show and he was a fountain of information about the city, the canal system and the history. The narrator on the boat was great too. The tour is mostly by van and boat but there is a 10 min walk to the boat landing. Our guide was very accommodating, as were the other people in our group, as we had to make a few stops so my husband could sit and rest on the way to the boat. We were so glad we took this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Grandtour07960870577
Aug 1, 2023
Leave the itinerary to the experts so you can simply enjoy and learn about Ottawa better - I did not originally plan to tour around Ottawa for I was here to attend on something in the morning. Thus, this night tour perfectly fitted my tight schedule; I really think it was a very good decision.
I did not have a vehicle to begin with and this tour included being picked up and dropped off on my accommodation. So I honestly felt safe compared to walking around alone at night. It was a small group, so I instantly met new friends. Moreover, our tour guide, Katherine, did a great job in showing us around the city and discussing the significance of each spot. This helped me decide better on which places I would've really wanted to visit on my next/last day in the city. She also gave us a quick drive to Quebec and showed us a spot to see the beauty of Ottawa City at night. Moreover, I appreciated and comfortably enjoyed watching the Parliament light show since Katherine brought us foldable chairs and placed them in a very good spot; it was an educational moment for me.
The tour also included a boat ride which made this booking more worthy. Eladie ensured it was fun and that we would appreciate and understand the establishments and places that can be seen around the river tour. She's very knowledgeable with a good sense of humor. I must say, it was the perfect way to get a picture of the famous Rideau Falls.
Overall, for someone who did not have enough time to plan a clear itinerary for an Ottawa trip, this booking saved me from a lot of hassle and eventually made me appreciate and enjoy the city of Ottawa.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisafq356pi
Aug 1, 2023
Great experience! Would highly recommend! - It was a fantastic family activity! Wonderful photo opportunities. We loved it! Our tour guide, Tyler, was amazing. He was very polite, courteous, knowledgeable and punctual. He made our evening very relaxing and a great experience. Our tour guide on the boat, Pascale, was amazing too! She was fluent in both English and French, knowledgeable and made our boat tour entertaining. She took the time to ask guests one on one if there were any questions. We could not have asked for better guides. Thank you Tyler and Pascale!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
401hollyh
Jul 25, 2023
The perfect evening in Ottawa - Spectacular tour which ended of being private, as the first of two couples was a no show, and the second couple thought they were booking a bar crawl - we had a wonderful time on the river cruise - very informative and the guide there did an awesome job of going between French and English - beautiful views and relaxing! We then joined the tour guide for a driving tour that was so much fun and had her showing us the best views of the city ! Afterwards , we were treated to the light show at parliament that was a lovely show
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachelgd4191jf
Sep 6, 2024
Nice excursion - Beautiful sunset view. many interesting info given by the Guide with humor and clarity in both French and English, Benoit was perfect! For the city tour, Angela was also great, very clear in her remarks and very friendly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trudy_b
Sep 21, 2025
Not worth the money and time - The canal cruise was nice and the tour guide Lily was really good. The driving part was poor. It was dark so points of interest were not visible. We expected to see beautiful lights but this was not the case. That part of the trip should have been in daylight before the boat trip.
Review provided by Viator
Debra_c
Aug 8, 2024
Not worth the money - Not as advertised. I have taken many tours thru Viator but this one was not worth 200 plus dollars!! A bit of a scam. First of all Gabe the tour guide was fine a very nice guy, but he didn't know the schedule we paid for. I could have bought that boat tour for half the price. I paid for walking tour and drive tour. No walking tour. Please refund 50 dollars and provide me with a voucher for a future trip.
Review provided by Viator
Donna_c
Sep 1, 2024
Tour was the same sights... - Tour was the same sights as on the boat. No light show. Asked the guide to take us back to the hotel. Other family bailed out just before us. Waste of time and money
Review provided by Viator
Fadumo_j
Jul 29, 2024
Unhappy customer 😕 - This going to be a long post. I will start by saying there was miscommunication on both sides. I accidentally put the wrong address for the pick up. I’m new to the country. I didn’t know they had more than one holiday inn in Ottawa . I booked the night before. They never called, emailed, or text me to let me know what time they will pick me up. They called me 30min before the boat leaves. When asked why not let me know what time you guys would pick me up the drive said he get his order last at 6:15pm. And if he picked me up at the right address I would not make it to the boat in time because it’s a 13min walk so he suggested to take the 7:30pm boat but it’s small then the one we picked. When asked why would I go for a small one when I payed for a bigger and more money he had no answer for me. We had a heated discussion. He give me customer service to call. I had to explain the story all over again. I was getting frustrated at this point. I asked why we didn’t get a pick up time. He said we put in 7hrs ago and the was a short notice for them to give us a pick up time. To me that is so unprofessional. You’re running a business no matter what time I book it you be able to handle last minute situation. He pointed me through to his boss. His boss explained to us the small boat is an upgrade more intimate and more pricey but wouldn’t charges the difference and asked us if we wanted that. The drive didn’t explained it that way. If he did we would have said yes and thanked him. We told the manager yes we take it. He told he will talk to the driver and get back to us. He get to us and said the driver refused to drive us and feels uncomfortable driving us. He said he would give us a refund but with subtract $50 cancellation fee. But when we argue, we’re not canceling you’re . He said we call you tomorrow to discuss it. Do you think he called? Nope!!
Review provided by Viator
