Haunted Walk's Nightmare Before Christmas Tour in Ottawa

Winter ghost stories unfold where most guides won't venture alone

A 90-minute guided ghost tour in Ottawa that begins with a short walk along the Rideau Canal before moving inside the Bytown Museum, Ottawa's oldest stone building, where most of the evening unfolds. The tour weaves together chilling winter folklore, ghostly yuletide legends, and dark tales tied to the city's most haunted sites, including the tragic Titanic connection to the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, the 1,000 workers believed to haunt the canal's construction, and Ottawa's infamously haunted high school. A live English-speaking guide leads the storytelling adventure. Children are welcome from age 10 when accompanied by an adult.

Step-by-step itinerary

Haunted Christmas storytelling tour

• Depart from Haunted Walk ticket office
• Walk along Rideau Canal
• Enter Bytown Museum for stories

The experience

The tour departs from The Haunted Walk ticket office, steps from Parliament Hill in downtown Ottawa. A short walk along the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sets the atmospheric tone before you step inside the Bytown Museum for the darker folklore of the season. The canal's winter stillness and stone walls frame stories of the 1,000 workers believed to have died during its construction, their presence still felt in the water and ice.

Once inside the Bytown Museum, Ottawa's oldest stone building, the 90-minute storytelling adventure unfolds in its cozy, historic rooms. You'll hear why some Haunted Walk guides are too scared to give tours of the museum even at Christmas time. The stories span from a Canadian soldier saved from certain death by a deceased family member's intervention, to the tragic Titanic connection woven into the Fairmont Chateau Laurier's history, to the infamously haunted high school that still holds its secrets. The dimly lit spaces and warm lights create the perfect setting for festive fright.

The tour operates December 5, 6, 13, 20, and 27–30, 2025. A professional guide in English leads the group through the evening. Service animals are welcome, and the museum is wheelchair accessible (though a passenger must provide their own carer if assistance is needed). Dress warmly: the tour operates in all weather conditions, and the combination of outdoor canal-side walking and indoor museum storytelling means layering works best.

What’s included

• Professional guide leading the 90-minute storytelling adventure.
• access to the Bytown Museum's historic rooms and the Rideau Canal walk.
• stories spanning from winter folklore and yuletide legends to Ottawa's most haunted sites and buildings.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 30 Mar 2027

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (15 and older) · Youth (10 to 14 years) · Under 10: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 24

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Haunted Walk of Ottawa

Is this one for you?The tour is a 90-minute blend of outdoor walking and indoor storytelling, so you'll need to be comfortable moving between the cold Rideau Canal and the museum's interior spaces. The pace is steady but not strenuous, and the guide-led format means you follow the stories rather than setting your own route through the sites.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (10 to 14 years). Under 10: they can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the connection between Ottawa and the Titanic that comes up on this tour?

The tour covers the tragic Titanic connection to the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, one of the dark threads woven through Ottawa's haunted history that the guide reveals during the evening.

How much of the tour happens outside versus inside the museum?

The tour begins with a short walk along the Rideau Canal to set the atmospheric tone, then moves inside the Bytown Museum where the majority of the 90-minute evening unfolds in its historic rooms.

What makes the Bytown Museum so central to this particular tour?

The Bytown Museum is Ottawa's oldest stone building and one of the city's most haunted. Its cozy, dimly lit rooms and historic shadows create the perfect setting for the dark festive tales, and the guide explains why some tour guides are too scared to lead tours of the museum even at Christmas time.

What should I wear for this tour in December?

Dress warmly and in layers. The tour operates in all weather conditions and includes both outdoor walking along the Rideau Canal and indoor time in the museum, so you'll move between cold air and warmer interior spaces.