Canadian War Museum – Ottawa

17 November 2010

The main attraction I saw while in Ottawa was the Canadian War Museum, I’ve just been reading through my notes on the museum and their not too positive, I basically shat all over it. Bottom line; it’s worth seeing if you haven’t been to museums in Washington, New York, London, Paris, Rome or Brussels and you’re not likely to in the near future. You’ll also want to have a mild prior interest in Canadian war history but not actually know much about it. You might also enjoy a visit if you just want to stand next to some armoured vehicles.

Why so negative? Two reasons, firstly I was trying to travel on a tight budget and don’t believe I got bang for my buck at the museum (considering international alternatives) and secondly because I could have used that time to find and experience more exciting alternatives while in Ottawa.

In a nutshell I didn’t appreciate the $12 admission, the cafeteria food was overpriced and rubbish, the ‘free’ wifi didn’t work, the exhibits were uninspiring, the museum location is poor and I got the impression they had ‘glossed’ over First Nations history preferring to highlight Canada’s ‘valiant’ involvement in the world wars. Disappointing.

No photos? Well I was carrying my camera, but during my entire visit nothing motivated me enough to bother capturing a photo.

If you’ve been to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa and don’t believe I should be hypothetically shitting all over it in blog form do let me know.

Read about my experiences at other museums:

London Sightseeing
London to Paris
Rome
New York (New York)
Back in Brussels
Washington DC – Museums & Sights