Peace Tower, Ottawa

Peace Tower is one of the most prominent buildings in Canada. It is an iconic image that can be recognized by anyone who has seen a Canadian $20 bill. Peace Tower can be found in the center of the Centre Block of Parliament on Parliament Hill.

Peace Tower was built in 1916 as a replacement for the previous clock tower, Victoria Tower, which was lost in a fire. Peace Tower was designed by architects Jean Omer Marchand and John A. Pearson in the same Victorian High Gothic style as the rest of the buildings in the area. The tower is designed with friezes, grotesques, gargoyles, stone carvings and arched windows.

Visitors can explore Peace Tower as part of the free Centre Block tour. Those lucky visitors who arrive at the right time can watch the changing of the guard. On summer nights, tourists can watch the Northern Lights Sights and Sounds show. The show lights up all of the Centre Block with Peace Tower prominently featured.

Image Courtesy of Flickr and Scazon.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Ottawa. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Peace Tower
Sight Location: Ottawa, Canada (See walking tours in Ottawa)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Historical Buildings Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Ottawa, Canada

Create Your Own Walk in Ottawa

Creating your own self-guided walk in Ottawa is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Historical Buildings Walking Tour

The architecture of Ottawa – formalistic and functional, for the most part – is marked by the city's role as the national capital of Canada. As such, it represents a mix of styles, varying considerably based on the era of construction of any particular object, and reflects the nation's heritage and political significance.

Centermost among these structures is the Parliament... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles

Ottawa Introduction Walking Tour

The name Ottawa comes from the Algonquin word for trade. It is an appropriate name for the Ottawa River, which was once the primary trade route for Eastern Canada. The capital of Canada gets its name from this river due to its location. Resting on the banks of the Ottawa River, Ottawa is a political and cultural city that also offers outdoor activities and beautiful natural sights.

Ottawa was... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles

Statues and Sculptures Walk

As a cultural city, Ottawa abounds in monuments and statues of various sorts. In fact, there are so many of them that the locals, accustomed to their presence, jokingly claim they hardly notice them at all. Still, these artistic creations serve as visual storytellers, sharing tales of courage, peacekeeping, and commemoration.

The Maman Statue, a prominent sculpture located outside the National... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.4 Km or 0.9 Miles

Ottawa's Historical Churches Walking Tour

The city of Ottawa has a number of notable religious sites fit to spark interest in both ardent believers and those keen on ecclesiastical architecture. With most of the churches located in the downtown area or nearby, one can visit these locations without trouble.

The Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, a splendid Gothic Revival masterpiece, is a centerpiece of Ottawa's spiritual landscape.... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles