Rideau Hall is the official residence of the Governor General of Canada, the person who represents the British monarch, who is the formal monarch of Canada.

The unassuming grey building is surrounded by a beautiful, peaceful park and is located in the Rockcliffe area of Ottawa's suburbs.

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Enjoy the tranquillity of a beautiful park

Head to Rideau Hall for a break from walking around the museums and sights of central Ottawa.

In fact, the residence is surrounded by a beautiful park with a rose garden.

It's not a large park and can be walked through in 20 minutes, but it has beautiful grassy areas to walk or picnic freely, plenty of benches and quiet corners.

Rideau Hall

Tours of the Governor's Residence

The residence itself is open to the public only with a guide and with a reservation made at least 72 hours in advance through the official website: gg.ca/en/visit-us/rideau-hall.

Tours are usually held daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and only until 3:00 pm on some weekend days.

Admission is free.

How to get there

Rideau Hall is on the eastern edge of Ottawa, but is accessible from downtown within 15 minutes by public transit.

About 200 metres from the main entrance on Sussex Street is the stop for the Line 9 bus, which runs once every 30 minutes to the central ByWard Market district.

A trip to the Governor's Residence can be well combined with a visit to nearby Rideau Falls.