The Rideau Canal (UNESCO World Heritage Site): The 8 Ottawa Locks, Bytown Museum & Cruises

Cutting right through the heart of downtown Ottawa before dropping 24.4 metres (80 feet) down a narrow wooded ravine between Parliament Hill and the Fairmont Château Laurier into the Ottawa River is the Rideau Canal, inscribed in 2007 as Ontario's only UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America. Built between 1826 and 1832 under Royal Engineers Lieutenant-Colonel John By after the War of 1812 to link Montreal and Kingston safely inland, the canal's construction camp called 'Bytown' grew into Ottawa.

1. Watching the 'Ottawa Flight Locks' (Locks 1 to 8) & The 1827 Bytown Museum

Walk down the stone staircase from Wellington Street (beside the Fairmont Château Laurier and East Block) into the shaded gorge of the Ottawa Locks (free access daily):

• Eight Stair-Stepping Stone Locks Operated Entirely by Hand (Mid-May to Mid-October): unlike modern automated canals, Parks Canada lockmasters still open and close the massive 5-tonne wooden lock gates and sluice valves by hand using the original 1832 cast-iron crank winches. It takes about 45 to 60 minutes for a pleasure boat to step up or down all eight chambers; grab an outdoor table at the Lockmaster's Patio to watch.
• The Bytown Museum (Right Beside Lock 3, in the 1827 Commissariat Building): standing directly next to the locks is the oldest surviving stone building in Ottawa, built by Colonel John By in 1827 as the military treasury and supply storehouse during the canal's construction, now housing three floors of Ottawa history.

2. Three Ways to Experience the Rideau Canal in Spring, Summer & Autumn

1. Ride the Electric 'Rideau Canal Cruise' (Departs Opposite Château Laurier at the NAC Dock): hop aboard the whisper-quiet electric boat for a 1.5-hour narrated cruise from the Plaza Bridge down to Dow's Lake and back.
2. Walk or Cycle the 8-Kilometre Canal Pathway to the Glebe, Lansdowne & Hartwells Locks: two car-free paved bike and pedestrian paths (Queen Elizabeth Driveway on the west bank and Colonel By Drive on the east bank) hug the water south past the Victorian mansions of the Glebe and Lansdowne Park (TD Place) to Dow's Lake and the Dominion Arboretum.
3. Rent a Canoe, Kayak or Paddleboat at Dow's Lake Pavilion: paddle right onto the calm widest basin of the canal.