The best museums in Ottawa in March 2023

These are the top 20 best museums in Ottawa, Canada, ranked by their rating and popularity in 2023. Click a museum for more information about the museum, including visitor information, exhibitions and reviews.

For a complete overview of museums in Ottawa, their exhibitions and discount cards & passes, see our overview page with all museums in Ottawa.

These are the best museums in Ottawa:

  1. Canadian Museum of Nature1

    Canadian Museum of Nature

    Ottawa
    The Canadian Museum of Nature ( French : Musée canadien de la nature ; CMN ) is a national natural history museum based in Canada's National Capital Region . The museum's exhibitions and public programs are housed in the Victoria Memorial Museum Building, a 18,910 square metres (203,500 sq ft) stru
  2. Canadian War Museum2

    Canadian War Museum

    Ottawa
    The Canadian War Museum (French: Musée canadien de la guerre ; CWM ) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa , Ontario , Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history, in addition to serving as a place of remembrance. The 440,000 squa
  3. National Gallery of Canada3

    National Gallery of Canada

    Ottawa
    The National Gallery of Canada ( French : Musée des beaux-arts du Canada ), located in the capital city of Ottawa , Ontario , is Canada's national art museum . The museum's building takes up 46,621 square metres (501,820 sq ft), with 12,400 square metres (133,000 sq ft) of space used for exhibiting
  4. Watson's Mill4

    Watson's Mill

    Ottawa
    Watson's Mill is an historic flour and gristmill in Manotick , Ontario , Canada. It is the only working museum in the Ottawa area and one of the very few operating industrial grist mills in North America. Watson's Mill still sells stone-ground whole wheat flour which is made on site. The mill is al
  5. Canadian Museum of Science and Technology5

    Canadian Museum of Science and Technology

    Ottawa
    The Canada Science and Technology Museum (abbreviated as CSTM ; French : Musée des sciences et de la technologie du Canada ) is a national museum of science and technology in Ottawa , Ontario , Canada. The museum has a mandate to preserve and promote the country's scientific and technological herita
  6. Bytown Museum6

    Bytown Museum

    Ottawa
    The Bytown Museum (French: Musée Bytown) is a museum in Ottawa located in the Colonel By Valley at the Ottawa Locks of the Rideau Canal at the Ottawa River , just below Parliament Hill . Housed in the Commissariat Building, Ottawa's oldest remaining stone building, the museum provides a comprehensiv
  7. Canadian Aviation and Space Museum7

    Canadian Aviation and Space Museum

    Ottawa
    The Canada Aviation and Space Museum (French: Musée de l'Aviation et de l'Espace du Canada ) (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum and National Aeronautical Collection ) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The museum is located in Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, at the Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport .
  8. Bank of Canada Museum8

    Bank of Canada Museum

    Ottawa
  9. Canada Agriculture and Food Museum9

    Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

    Ottawa
    The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum ( French : Musée de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation du Canada ) is a national agricultural museum in Ottawa , Ontario , Canada. Occupying several buildings within the Central Experimental Farm , the museum operates as a "working farm," and provides public p
  10. Diefenbunker - Canada's Cold War Museum10

    Diefenbunker - Canada's Cold War Museum

    Ottawa
    The Diefenbunker , formerly known by its military designation, Canadian Forces Station Carp (CFS Carp) , is a large underground four-storey reinforced concrete bunker and nuclear fallout shelter located in the rural area of Carp, Ontario approximately 30 km (19 mi) west of downtown Ottawa . Betwee
  11. Pinhey's Point Historic Site11

    Pinhey's Point Historic Site

    Ottawa
    Horaceville is a historic site located on the Ottawa River in eastern Ontario , Canada. The site remained the property of the heirs of Hamnett Kirkes Pinhey until the 1970s, when the property was sold to the township. Today, The 88-acre (360,000 m ) heritage site is owned and operated by the City o
  12. Billings Estate National Historic Site12

    Billings Estate National Historic Site

    Ottawa
    The Billings Estate National Historic Site is a heritage museum in Ottawa , Ontario, Canada. It is located at 2100 Cabot St. in the former home of one of the region's earliest settlers. The oldest wood-framed house in Ottawa was built in 1827-9 by Massachusetts -born Braddish Billings . It became th
  13. 13

    Little Ray's Nature Centre

    Ottawa
  14. 14

    Nepean Museum

    Ottawa
  15. James Bartleman Archives and Library Materials Centre15

    James Bartleman Archives and Library Materials Centre

    Ottawa
  16. 16

    Cumberland Heritage Village Museum

    Ottawa
  17. 17

    Dickinson House Museum

    Ottawa
  18. 18

    Vanier Museopark

    Ottawa
  19. 19

    Osgoode Township Historical Society and Museum

    Ottawa
  20. 20

    Goulbourn Museum

    Ottawa

All museums in Ottawa