Hotels near Parliament Hill

Four separate tours run in 2026 and every one is free, but you need a separate reservation for each through the Parliament of Canada booking system. The House of Commons at West Block takes about 40 minutes and includes the temporary Commons chamber built under a glass roof in the old courtyard. The Senate of Canada Building, 30 minutes, puts the Senate chamber inside Ottawa's 1912 Beaux-Arts former Union Station. East Block, 35 minutes, opens for the summer only and shows four restored 1860s rooms including Sir John A. Macdonald's office. And Parliament: The Immersive Experience at 211 Sparks Street is a 30-minute 360-degree recreation of Centre Block, open daily on timed entry.

Practical rules: arrive 20 to 30 minutes early for airport-style screening, bring government photo identification if you are 16 or over, and expect one small bag maximum. Tours in English and French, with the Immersive Experience also offered in Indigenous languages. Neither chamber tour runs while that house is sitting, and Parliament states plainly that access cannot be guaranteed and schedules change without notice. Same-day walk-up tickets exist but are not guaranteed.

The Changing the Guard ceremony does still run: 10:00 daily on the east lawn, about 45 minutes, free, with the full parade Thursday to Sunday and a band-only performance Monday to Wednesday. The season runs roughly late June to late August, though Parliament never published exact 2026 dates, so confirm before you plan a morning around it. Weather cancels it. The grounds themselves are open year round with no ticket, and the evening architectural illumination continues despite the construction.

Pro Tip: Book the Senate of Canada Building tour rather than West Block if you only have time for one. It is the more beautiful room by a distance, the former railway station setting is a story in itself, and it is three minutes from Rideau station instead of a walk across a construction zone.