Canadian Museum of Nature

National museum of Nature

One of the most popular museums, especially among children, is located on the southern edge of downtown Ottawa and is dedicated to natural history.

The Canadian Museum of Nature is very engaging because inside you'll find plenty of skeletons and models of dinosaurs as well as interactive displays.

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Collections or what to see at the museum

If you want to explore the entire museum, set aside at least 2 hours to visit.

The museum offers various temporary exhibitions (you can always find a list of them on the official website) and extensive permanent exhibitions divided into several thematic areas:

  • Fossil Gallery - by far the most popular part of the museum, with more than 30 complete dinosaur skeletons dating back up to 85 million years.
  • Mammal Gallery - another extremely popular section with models and large Canadian mammals. Meet a polar bear, grizzly bear, moose, cougar and other animals!
  • Bird Gallery - Canada's largest collection of birds with over 450 species, successful models and skeletal remains.
  • Water Gallery - discover everything about Canada's lakes, oceans and rivers.
  • Insect Gallery - a collection of stuffed and live creatures from the insect kingdom.
  • Arctic Gallery - an exhibit dedicated to Canada's far north.

Admission and opening hours

The museum is open daily from 9:00 am.

It normally closes at 5:00 pm during the year, or 6:00 pm from July to September. It is always open until 8:00 pm on Thursdays.

Ticket prices are as follows:

  • Adults - 24 cad
  • Students - 19 cad
  • Seniors over 65 - 19 cad

You can also buy tickets online - in this case you will receive a 10% discount.

How to get there

The museum building is located on the southern edge of the centre. From Parliament Hill, it takes about 20 minutes to get here on foot over 2 km.

From Rideau Central Station near Byward Market, you can take the number 14 bus to the museum.

What to see around

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