Let Ottawa’s supernatural history capture your attention on this ghost walk and tour of the Old Carleton County Jail. Alongside a costumed guide, visit haunted spots such as Canada’s last functioning gallows and Carleton County Jail—now a haunted hostel—and listen to terrifying tales of unlawful hangings, faceless ghosts, and infamous assassinations. Choose from two departure times.

Ghost tour of Old Carleton County Jail in Ottawa
Suited to travelers interested in the supernatural
Tour the reputedly haunted Carleton County Jail, a spooky 19th-century structure
Hear tales of faceless ghosts, levitating coins, and unlawful hangings
Choose from two evening departure times

What's Included

Local guide
Professional guide

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

46 Sparks St.
46 Sparks St., Ottawa, ON K1P 5A8, Canada
Haunted Walk's ticket office, located just steps from Parliament Hill in downtown Ottawa

Start time

08:20 PM

End point

Saintlo Ottawa Jail Hostel
75 Nicholas St, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B9, Canada

What To Expect

Greet your cloaked guide outside of the Haunted Walk’s ticket office 15 minutes in advance of your selected start time. By lantern light, weave your wicked way to Carleton County Jail, a site of reputed haunting that now functions as a hostel.

Your guide tells eerie and entertaining tales of levitating coins, faceless ghosts, and the gruesome assassination of Thomas D’Arcy McGee as you visit the jail’s spookiest spots.

Visit death row and the site of the last gallows to operate in Canada, and listen to the tale of a custodian who saw a former inmate walk through his bedroom wall.

Your tour concludes outside of the jail.

Haunted Walk of Ottawa

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Rideau Canal National Historic Site (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Minimum age is 10 years

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

204 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 204 reviews

Not as advertised.

Glen_H, Nov 2022

Too much time spent on route to jail. I did not really enjoy the story. Not enough time at the jail .

It was a good tour. Chloe...

Chris_M, Nov 2022

It was a good tour. Chloe was a awesome tour guide. She knew her stories and her mannerisms was what made it more believable.

Amazing

Kim_D, Oct 2022

The guide was excellent very well spoken, and made the experience amazing. We had a light flicker during our tour which was awesome since it was also during the death row story

The funniest Hunted night

Neila_B, Oct 2022

The narrator is very good in telling the story and making you enjoy the experience! It would be great to have some background music inside the jail to make it even scarier :D On the other it said it will be 75 min long but ended up being one hour. Some stories are nice but it is clear that they are made up, even though it sounded real.

The stories. The guide...

suzanne_z, Oct 2022

The stories. The guide was very detailed and informative. Also the atmosphere was quite eerie! I was very interested and chilled!

Truth of guilt

Joanne_M, Aug 2022

The history of the jail and what crimes the inmates may have committed and the end result of how they died.

Fun and spooky experience

Brianna_J, Jul 2022

Always a fun tour, I’ve done their original walk and I really enjoyed this tour too! The tour guide was knowledgeable and was able to answer any question and they prioritized safety.

Awesome!

Shane_S, Jul 2022

The gallows and info provided by the guide before arrival at the jail. Tyler was awesome! Love her enthusiasm.

Awesome

Julie_P, Jul 2022

It was an amazing experience to see the structure and hear the stories of the prison. Our tour guide was amazing her name was Laura. She kept us on our feet and spooked out the whole time. It was a lovely experience :)

It’s a very interesting...

Melanie_R, Jul 2022

It’s a very interesting part of Canada's history. Found out some info I didn’t know before. It was a fun experience and our tour guide was amazing.

Not worthy it. Little to see.

Eduardo_C, Jul 2022

Not much to see in this jail. Just a few cells, all looking pretty much the same. Guide tried to make the most of the uninteresting place with her stories.

It was ok

Jacqueline_T, Jul 2022

The story teller was good, we wish it was more to it..and the tour was always interrupted by those young people being know it all..

Your guide was awesome,...

Dawn_W, Jul 2022

Your guide was awesome, stories were great. We had a good time, only complaint was that nowhere did it state you need to wear a mask in certain areas so one person couldn’t come anymore due to medical reasons as can’t wear a mask. Knowing this in advance would of been helpful and possibly offering a refund would of been appreciated as well.

Learning that there...

Shereen_W, Jul 2022

Learning that there are/were only 3 stationary gallows and one is right downtown. I kinda want to book a stay there just to experience the paranormal, well to see if it is as haunted as theg say.

The young lady doing the...

Isabelle_C, Jul 2022

The young lady doing the tour was excellent but at the jail itself there was a show at the same time of the visit, music was so loud we couldn’t even hear what she was saying. Maybe tours should not be scheduled at the same time. Pretty expensive tour to only hear screaming ( music)

Spooky tour in an haunted prison

Adrien_C, Jun 2022

The tour takes place in an old prison where several persons were executed and mistreated in the past. It's both fun and spooky at the same time and our kids (12 and 10) really enjoy it as much as we did! Kudos to our guide Oliver who was both knowledgeable and entertaining!

Great visite

Francis_G, Mar 2020

Tour was great, learned a lot about the prison. Kids and I really liked it. The tour guide was great. She answered all questions and told great tales.

Haunted tour of Ottawa jail

Christine_H, Sep 2019

A bit expensive for what you get. Felt Overly rehearsed. Would go again but warmer night. Jail was too freshened up so it wasn’t as creepy as expected

Spooky!

Catherine_D, Aug 2019

Emma certainly knew her stuff! The jail was atmospheric and her tales grabbed my 12 year olds attention. Interesting to hear some historical stories about Ottawa.

Did more talking on the walk there and...

shelly r, Sep 2017

Did more talking on the walk there and it was more of a murder mystery.I thought we were going to see more of the jail not just the one floor.It was not what i thought it would be at all.

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