Reviews of Bank of Canada Museum (Museum)

Quinn French

You don't expect museums about coins, notes and economic metrics to have space flight simulation games and scavenger hunts. It's beautiful too. The decor is top notch, and most of the educational pieces are well explained too. I learned a lot about our history, and there was enough fun and engaging activities that I could bounce back and forth between learning and playing whenever I needed a break from either. My family and I had a pretty good time, and it's child suitable. Check it out, the whole thing is free anyway.

sandra ryu

it is worth visiting in Canada. I really recommand this place. you can learn the history of canada dollors.

Kyle Cameron

Really cool and modern museum in downtown Ottawa showcasing banking and finance. Was a bit jarring how space/science themed the bank museum was, seemed to be even more spaced themed than the space museum, except with the examples of currency and exhibits about inflation. Really novel "wristband" system in place.

Franz Gangl

Lots to see. Very modern and educational. Love that it is free.

Justa Bee

Cute museum. You can go through it all in about an hour or less. It's not very large but lots of artifacts. The fun part was making your own little character and going around the different stations.

Osiris Peppars

Very informative on global currencies and hoq global markets work...

Jiahui Chen

Wonderful Place to go!

Katsung Mak

Fun experience. The avatars are a fun touch. Interest the various forms of currency throughout history. Unfortunately, they've removed a lot of the Canadian currency that was on display prior to the big renovation.

Douglas Harder

I was there for the historical items, of which there are many, but there are many fun games for kids to teach them about the economy.

Max Chute

I really enjoyed my visit to the Bank of Canada museum. You can go at your own pace and using the tablets set up, you can read as much or as little as you want. It was very focused on the economy and the role of the Bank of Canada where as the Mint is focused on the coin making process.

Will Wang

First time to be there. Learned a lot of knowledge about the history of money from the world.

Dave Long

It's free admission and it does have interactive components. Nice quick tour to do if your by Parliament Hill.

Roshan Fernandes

I liked seeing all the historical Canadian bank notes. You can see the queen age through the progression of notes.

Darren Cheung

Very modern and interesting free exhibit

Katina Zheng

A great place to visit with friends or family!

jadrian giroux

Great artifacts to be seen in a modern setting. Would recommend for families or tourists to visit. Best things it's FREE to the public!

Kathy McKay

You can learn lots about money. We had a great tour leader. Very enthusiastic.

ovidius212

Amazing free museum. Great experience with attentive staff who know a lot of interesting facts. They have all sorts of things you wouldn't expect, from edible currency to playing cards used as currency. Fun activities for kids to do as well

Olinto Mendez

A real surprise to enter the museum, they make a tremendous effort to give an interactive, personalized and modern approach to a subject that is regularly shown in a monitonous way, however this is something different, they have managed to make it entertaining and fun, since it began until it ends, it all starts with your bracelet and your avatar, until the creation of your own paper money, they are truly geniuses. They link that you learn while they entertain you.

Graham MacKay

I believe it's been recently dinner. Friendly staff and do much to learn.

Eric U

Wonderful museum. Takes about an hour to go through. Very interesting, especially after the Mint tour earlier in the week.

Yewen Tan

Very informative and interesting exhibit, the guide was also very enthusiastic. We learned quite a few things about money. Highly recommended.

sponze esponja

Very interactive, self-guided tour into the world of finances and how Bank of Canada manages Canada's financial health. Highly recommended. It's short enough, 1-1.5hrs

Dan N

Very interesting place to go. The big penny made of little pennies was cool

Susan Guest

More child friendly. Lots of apps and technology that appeal to children

Alan Reviews (Alan)

A great place to learn about the economy and money. The staff are very nice. The place is beautiful.

Sheliza G

I really enjoyed the museum, plus it’s free! Great interactivity and it’s interesting to learn about money!

Catherine Brock

So surprisingly thrilled about my self (avatar) guided tour, with staff around to answer questions. Allows you time to go through the very interactive exhibit at your own pace. From watching videos on how currency bills are made, to playing interactive games, there really is a lot here for people of all ages. You can even make your own personalized Bank Note. Loved the modern, relaxed (low light) feel of the place.

Andrew Dryanski

An educational experience in basic finance and currency. I enjoyed it. And it is free.

Jocelynn Proulx

Fun, interesting, and free! I enjoy going here when I am in downtown Ottawa and I am bored. It has a bunch of interesting things and looks like a space ship inside! It is super accessible for people with special needs.

Alisson Sarazin

Staff was super friendly and was there to answer any question. It was a quick tour but it was full of information , videos, kids attraction to get them interested .

Olivia P

Not enough physical artifacts compared to the digital elements.

Anjli Patel

Great if you want to learn the history of money. There are interactive screen that have additional information if you want to learn more. The museum is very smartly and efficiently laid out so the way you walk through everything and don't miss a section

vinay khurana

Must see if you love currency all around the world

Thomas Price

Really neat and interactive museum all about the economy and how it works!

Colin Sawka

Basing my review of this museum on the old Sparks Street location. I haven't checked out the new location yet, as I moved out of Ottawa in 2012.

Shanine Dunphy

Very cool and interactive. Wish we had more time to spend in there.

Emmanuel Ortiz

Outstanding! I really enjoyed being there. I'll be back soon for sure.

Rui (areyoueye)

Not a big museum, but it has enough things to show and tell. Love how the digital wrest bands allow each person to interact with different exhibits. Kids enjoyed all the fun interactions while learning things about currency and how money works. The best part is it's FREE!!!

Brother Ollie

Small but excellent museum. Really informative displays, with a modern hands on approach. Good for a quick visit.

Nick Frisby

One of the best museum experiences I have ever seen. Unbelievably entertaining, educating and its FREE! Check this place out.

Faaris Kathrada

Awesome museum to learn about the history of Canadian banking and the economy

Zed Dean

Very quick 15 30 min max , very innovative way to tell a history money ( money and financial systems) even my 3 years boy found it fun.

David Falldien

Way more fun than I expected. Informative, interactive, all round neat.

Canadian Coins 1999

Nice place before it closed for renovations. It will open to the public July 1st, so look forward to that. The people are extremely knowledgeable and their collection of coins and banknotes is exquisite.

Melissa Gruber

Great for anyone interested in the history of currency in Canada. The interactive displays are quite nice. You can call up information about items in the collection, steer the economy towards 2% inflation, make your own bank note, etc. My husband and I went with our five month old daughter. She enjoyed the colourful displays. The staff were helpful - bringing out a chair for me so I could nurse.

Justen Hansen

Very impressive. And it's free admission!

Amanpreet Phull

Good to learn Canadian Currency and more

Ramakanta Sahoo

Very small museum but ok for a quick visit.

Perogy Kaynyne

This was not in our plans but was an unexpected and pleasant surprise! It is well designed and laid out with several interactive exhibits. We found it informative and found lots of interesting history and artifacts. Staff were friendly and helpful too. And best of all admission is free.

S.A. Shivram

It's free, the lady at the front desk was really helpful and she was so passionate on finance and money etc. and gave us a very informative session on lot of currencies and artifacts. She deserves a PhD in that field. The museum itself is fun with interactive exhibits, gift shop where we were able to get the vertical new $10 bill as well. Must visit in Ottawa since you don't have much other places to visit anyways!

Kayla Beisel

This is a great quick little stop. Very modern and interactive museum. I liked the wristbands and activities. It was free as well so very worth the stop.

Alejandra Morales

Interesting place

Lulu Lee

It's free, interactive and very well done!

Michael Bartlett

It's a small but very interactive museum, which makes it a lot of fun. Lots of great information about international currency and economics. Great items on exhibit too.

Nicole Ho

Free admission, so it's worth a visit.

Vinay K

If you are interested in learning about financial systems of Canada, it's worth a visit. It's even more fun for kids, the entire setting is interactive.

Delcourt olivier

Amazing modern museum to discover the Bank of Canada. Excellent bilingual guide. Perfect place to share with kids and adults the economic role of the Bank of Canada.

Trevor Lightfoot

Interesting ! Not very big, but FREE with a few interactive displays.

Steven Hayes

Free, cool exhibits and amazing location

Mike Wigginton

This museum is far more interesting than I'd ever expect a free central bank musuem to be. Games are actually fun, and information is actually interesting. Great way to kill an hour or so downtown!

Michael Zhao

Probably one of the best museums I've seen anywhere, with great innovative ways to make the museum fun. The museum uses personalized bracelets that you can use on numerous exhibits for interactive activities, like a video game, fun quizzes, and creating your own banknotes. Great for kids and adults alike.

Victoria Bomberry

A lot of fun & interactive stations to learn about money & the economy of Canada. Unfortunately, many stations are either not working at all or not working properly. Kids had fun (10 & under) but I don't think any of the activities were appropriate for their age/understanding. Even though the experience seems to have been created with kids in mind. I would say the lessons and level of information is more appropriate for the 11/12 & up group. A lot to learn and try!

Jessica Erhardt

Such a cute museum! It is great for all ages. It is interactive and has a lot of hands on activities. They also have artifacts to look at and things to read. Guaranteed you will learn something new and enjoy it too :)

Emily Chen

Very neat. Just kind of small. It's free too!

Saurabh Joshi

The museum is interesting and informative. It has a very helpful and enthusiastic staff!

Marc LeLacheur

The FREE museum was actually pretty cool. There's an unmanned coat check available, and a small gift shop. They provide you a bracelet to activate the different panels with which are cool, you can even customize a virtual avatar for yourself to go along with you. There are a lot of materials to read, a lot of artifacts to look at, and a lot of activities to interact with. I would have liked to read more about crypto currency but that may just be part of a travelling exhibit that is away right now. It's a one room walkabout museum that was just big enough in my opinion. Definitely a good way to spend some time downtown and learn a thing or two about the economy and some economic history.

Marge Simpson

Beautiful place. I found some of the activities were too mature for children.

Luther V Diaz Yap

Unexpectedly surprised with the interactive exhibits. Definitely worth the visit if your in Ottawa.

Deborah Knight

Very interesting and there's a wonderful gift shop.

Tysen Hantelmann

Take a free interactive tour and learn about the economy and money at your own pace. I liked the Zimbabwe 100 trillion dollar bill.

Keith Martin

I went in here to kill some time and it ended up being one of my favourite Museums in Ottawa. So interesting knowing how our monetary system works. And found it really interesting learning that cash is a direct, anonymous method of payment, as opposed to cheques, debit, or credit which has many many steps!

Alexander McKenna

Great time visiting. Lots of digital immersion. Video tours and all sorts of goodies to tour. If you collect coins or currency then you would enjoy touring this even if for only 30 mins.

Christine Pyle

Interactive bracelets and computer stations that entertain while educating. My teen enjoyed it, and so did the 8-10year olds we saw visiting with other families.

Mike Qi

Awesome, small museum, but filled with interesting stuff. Also the interactive screens r cool

Jonathan Lefebvre

I was extremely surprised by the quality of this free museum. I highly recommend it.

Anna A.

Great place to spend an hour or so. Fun, modern & interactive. A good introduction for kids to learn basic economics, understand their role/impact on the economy & a bit of financial history. Good for adults as well - you will definitely learn a few things. The bonus: it's free!!!

J T

Learned more about economics than during my 8 semesters of economics at university

Robyn B.

It is a really nice new museum. Great place to bring kids, but also interesting for adults. I would recommend you check it out if you have a free hour, you won't regret it.

Manoj Subramanian

Good for kids & high school to understand why we need bank and how it works. Interesting.

Kristy McCoy

Such an interactive and unique museum. Informative and fun.

Jessika McKinnon

A lot more fun than originally thought, I was expecting bland but we got rockets and puzzles. Cute, quick way to teach kids about money!

Neville Gregory

Very interesting seeing how all of us no matter how little contribute to the economy of a country.

David Thompson

Great little find. Small and something you can enjoy for free and should take about 45 to 1.5 hours depending on how invested you get into understanding the Canadian currency.

Anna Vorobyova

We really enjoyed a free tour. Staff is very helpful and nice

Iulian Turcanu

Great museum. Lots of interactive activities for kids and adults alike. I'd say the visit is a must if you want to learn something new about money and the forces that drive the economy. Be sure to check out the make your own money activity. Very friendly staff. No entry fee.

Jason Miller

Excellent free museum on the history of world and Canadian money. Highly recommend.

Ryan Cormack

Interesting, very new, fairly small, high tech, low lighting (caution for the mildly visually impaired people). Kids really enjoyed using the bracelets and making and using the avatar. Interesting for adults as well. Seeing the old money and the history of the Canadian money system was interesting.

Elton Raynor

Loved it! The tour guide with blonde hair gave our small group the best tour ever! Very knowledgeable and she responded to all of our questions with insight and good humour. Loved the rare $25 bill. Highly recommended!

Richard Macpherson

Great museum for all ages. Free admission and a great place to cool off when seeing the sites downtown.

Maddy Kaiser

I didn't mind it. Something fun and quick to do if you're interested about money. Oh and its free. Great for children.

Arthur Ma

Interactive and educational. Best of all, it is free

Jocelyne Chan

Fun and educational place for kids and adults alike, plus admission is free!

Suchita Ganesan

Excellent museum to know the history of currency not just Canadian currency but the entire world currencies!! Explore the museum through an RFID band where you can create your own avatar, play interactive games and learn more about how the bank of Canada plays a vital role in our economy.

Matthew Nowers

Excellent museum that is FREE of charge. They have a lot of interactive displays and activities for all ages. Great information on the history of currency

Mickey Short

We all enjoyed learning about the coins, learning which are actually made in Ottawa and which are made in Winnipeg. The kids all agreed that they would like to visit the other mint in Winnipeg if they ever get there. I Liked this Museum

Tom Gates

Perhaps great for children but far, far, far too high level for anyone who's ever owned.. money. This is also one place where digitising a museum has not worked. Rather than putting a small information plaque next to the exhibit, you must queue up one person at a time to go through the digital slides of each of the exhibits on the wall infront of you.

Elwin Lau

Very modern museum with lots of interactive exhibits. Free admimission and they provide you wrist band that you can use to scan into the exhibits. Great place to cool off on a hot summer afternoon.

Hector Tolentino

well maintained and very friendly personnel. you can even create your own MONEY and printing out. on the little museum can find currency, bonds, checks, any kind of trading article, etc. from all over the world. You can see the difference between countries and how old they are on the dates was printed or handwritten!!!

Khaled Ahmed (K)

It was a amazing! A must go if you're near by and interested in history, staff are super friendly, welcoming and very helpful. I was in a little rush, I'll make sure to come back again!

Krystal Grey

Pretty cool place. Interactive, friendly staff

Shirly Weinstein

One thing the Canadians are really really good at, is making information accessible and interesting to all ages. Today, we visited the bank museum. Sounds boring, right? The central bank of Canada is inviting everyone to come (for free!) and learn about the Canadian economy, finance and currency. This museum is a state of the art facility with super high-tech exhibits. Even the kids were eager to learn about the 2% target inflation rate. They have a personalized experience in your preferred language, videos, interactive games, guided tour, and great view of the history of currencies. We even got to design a bill with our face on it! With this nice execution, everyone would love to learn. Just wow.

Charlie Jackson

When I first came across this place, I thought it would be a somewhat interesting way to waste some time. I was so wrong, as it was an absolutely amazing experience. I'm surprised that they don't charge any money for the amazing experience they provide. It's great for kids and adults alike, as they distribute electronic wristbands that control different games and machines around the museum. All of the exhibits are highly intriguing, and it's one of the best and most underrated museums in Canada. 5+ Stars!

Jeff Johnson

You can not beat this museum! It is free and located right downtown almost across from parliament. Great interactive exhibits as well as displays of money from around the world. It was fun trying to find the Finnish and Filipino money.

chloenator_exe

Such a fun experience and I 10/10 would recommend

Dor B

Fun interactive exhibits and free! Get to make a fun character too.

David

Enjoyable experience for a date or with family... not recommended for a family outing with really young children.

Bessie

Best museum in Ottawa plus it's FREE! Very interactive and you get to learn a lot about the economy in simple terms, making you more financially literate.

Kara Nagel

Interactive exhibits, knowledgable staff, great for all ages, clean, and offered in French & English.

Faith Ball

Awesome Place!!Visit at least once!! U will come back again.

Muriah U

Our ten and 7 year old enjoyed this! It was surprising that this was free and so much fun. They loved the bracelets that you make an avatar on, the money design stations, and the crafts at the end. A great stop for a free activity.

Kazem Spahi

The Bank of Canada Museum (since July 2017), formerly known as Canada's Currency Museum, opened in 1980 on the ground floor of the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Temporarily closed in 2013 for major building renovations, the museum reopened in a new space on July 1, 2017, in a new building, with a completely new design and concept. It is, however, connected to the main building through the Bank of Canada's underground conference centre.

Max Meunier

Not really worth the visit, except if it's hot outside and you need a break somewhere with A/C. It's all interactive stufd, more targeted towards kids. If you're really a fan of finance, maybe you'll love it, but except for that, it's kinda boring if you ask me.

Joseph Aron

this place is really informative around the monetary system works with respect to the economy. The staff is extremely helpful and friendly and to top it all off it's all free! You can't go wrong with this. I would highly recommend anyone in the auto area to come visit this very educational place.

Andrea Ryan

Interesting. Even my 5 year old enjoyed it

Mitchell Carroll

Very interesting and neat museum, can't beat free :)

Emanuel Gavriely

Very interesting exposition Very Interactive, at the end over exposition you are able to design your own bank note Very cool

Prosper Chenjelani

Good museum ,however I was left a bit confused, according to the publications in the museum (about country rankings by GDP) China is number one ,followed by the USA at number 2, am not convinced this is factual.I am certain the USA is the largest economy in the world by GDP;so what am I missing here!

David Tait

Small museum across from the Parliament buildings. Neat interactive exhibits. Oh yeah, it's Free!

July Ijoy

Love it, very interactive and attractive for kids

Mike Mc

Interesting and interactive display and money and the economy. Great for kids and good for adults

Nicole Meehan

A very interactive museum! Would definitely visit again.

shaik mahmood

Great place to learn about Canadian and world history of finance and money. Loved the interactive learning sessions!

Julien Halliday

I feel like it could be bigger. It also seems very seperated between the interactive part of the museum and the actual museum.

Jesus Longa

Nice place but bigger with more things will be better. Also it missing a better boutique with more souvenirs for collectors and visitors in general, with more Canadian Bills and more souvenirs related to the Bannk of Canada

Fermin Quant

Very cool museum. Modern and high tech, as well as simple to understand. Free entrance, which is great!

Seeing the world In a different way

Located at 30 Bank st and Wellington you will find the Bank of Canada Museum. This museum use to be on the ground floor of the Bank of Canada However it was relocated as part of Canada's 150th year celebrations into a separate underground building covered by modern trianglar structures. The museum is free, but closed now because of covid. There are many interactive educational displays that would be of interest to many. This includes the history of Canadian currency, Upper and Lower Canada provincial and large company (like the Hudson Bay Company) financial notes. There is also information about the purpose and function of the Bank of Canada, its monetary policys and how it plays a vital role in Canada's economy. The museum is very family oriented and is a nice spot for tourists to see when visting the parliament buildings and the downtown core of Ottawa. If you like my reviews, photos or videos please give them a thumbs up. Or follow me for more local guide information.

Leon SU

Kids love here. Hi-tech, interesting experience

Gary Chen

Good learning experience on Canadian bills and Bank of Canada functions

John Sankey

Free, with many excellent and very modern-style exhibits. The video 'games' are confusing though, with the computer continually trying to steer 'answers' towards their desired outcomes.

Tristan

Love how interactive the different exhibits are. There is also lots of interesting information about the history of the Bank and how Canadians affect the economy. It's a great little museum.

Jinsun is the Best

It's way better than I thought. Great place to visit with kids and/or for a date.

Sayan Pal

It’s a pretty good and informative place

Dawn Campbell

It is free. Small, friendly, has activities for children, and adults might learn a few things too about economics and currency. Staff were very engaging and informative.

Dora Dalietos

So much great currency history with knowledgeable staff!!

Mariz Nashed

Small but very informative and interactive

Ann Lara

Great interactive exhibits, plus the price is right (free!). Great AC and love all the tech that keeps the place fun. Clean bathrooms as well.

Tracy Obi

I learnt so much about the evolution of Canada’s currencies and currencies from all over the world. The main attraction was the vertical note with the first black woman on it. Totally worth visiting, there are great fun games to play too

Jian Liu

Very interesting museum, the wrist band activated game is fun for kids

Sonja Kruitwagen

Intetesting small museum about Canada's curency. It's free entry!

Mark Kofman

very interesting and attractive place! many interactive activities, perfect for kids and adults. a lot of really interesting information on history of economy, great numismatic collection. highly recommended!

Kat Ellam

Very fun and interactive! Went here about a year ago and had a great time

Kat Ellam

Very fun and interactive! Went here about a year ago and had a great time

Voyager [*]

A little bit about history of money, a little bit about how economy works, interactive games, sorry and easy to follow movies about economy and what role we all play in the bigger picture. Took me about 20-ish minutes to finish, though I think I could have be more thorough and watch all videos.

kirk schlichting

Went here with my girlfriend, Great time, Had a blast.

Mord Party

We had a great time at this museum! We had shown up one hour before closing and didn't get to see everything. My kids begged to go back and see the rest. It is not a large museum, but they have lots to see and learn about. There are fun, interactive media stations to help engage the kids in some of the dryer topics. I found it very well done. The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly.

Bob Liu

For a relatively short, interactive and *noteworthy* visit, this is the place, as they seem to have been able to incorporate all strategies to catch your interest ranging from a watch to tap screens, video games to well designed artifact areas. Full of valuables, if that interests you, oh and did I mention it's completely free to visit?

Valerie Pinard-Jain

I visited the previous manifestation of this museum and the collection is very well curated. I look forward to seeing what they have done with the place and what artifacts are on exhibition.

Yassine Sarifuddin

Very fun and interactive. I really wish it was bigger.

Zach Voth

Great for kids! Lots of interactive exhibits and valuable information. Everyone should come here. Plus, it's free!

Jesse Forget

Very good experience for sure. So much intriguing collections lots of interactive stations but the best part aside from free admission for this year has been customizing your own bank note. The only low part was me been playing poorly with the inflation/deflation (?) space shuttle game

John Hsien

Museum displayed the history of money and how economy drives society. Many interactive exhibits for kids and kids at heart. Good to spend an hour or so indoors... And did I mention the museum is free?

Kavita Ram

Very small museum. Lots of info about the evolution of Canadian money.

Luke Lefrancois

This "Museum" left a lot to be desired. It was free and still felt like I payed too much. It is really designed for children. They are also trying to hard to be modern and cool. They failed miserably on both counts. The only nice thing I have to say about this "Museum" is that it is, thankfully, short. Unless you absolutely go nuts about currency, I'd skip this place for somewhere more fun. Say... Your dentist.

Mark Ebden

Delighted to see an old-fashioned approach to museum staffing; i.e. knowledgable and passionate employees.

Hazard Lee

Very interesting.

Sebastian Kluth

The Bank of Canada Museum is a brand-new museum that opened in the summer of 2017. From the outside, it looks like a reversed pyramid. Inside, you get to create your own avatar and you will walk through different rooms where you learn more about economy, money and society. You can even create your own dollar bills. The admission is free. The only downside is that it takes only half an hour to visit everything. Let's hope that the museum adds more activities in the future.

Johnathan Stallman

Great place to see all the old fashion ways.

Philippe Michaud

It's a cool interactive museum, using chip technology bracelets to build avatar, answer quizzes, take challenges and learn a lot of stuff on computer stations. Really interesting for adults and cool for children too. And above all, it is FREE!!! As the main goal of the Bank of Canada is to educate people on Economy and the role of the Bank, the objective is to have this knowledge accessible for all, pretty cool!!

Jodi-Ann Ouellette

Fun interactive exhibits, good for kids. Lots of opportunities to grow your knowledge of money and the economy, and fun too!

Luc Poulin

Good for being free. Very interactive with cool little exhibits great for kids.

Marie-Josée Pinel

Very interactive. Kids and adults had a great time. Give yourself a good hour.

Rachel Falcão

This place was more interesting than I could imagine before. I wanna go back there as soon as possible.

David Franco

Nice museum, I liked collection of bills and useful data to learn

Luis Allan Hernandez

Great museum. It's very well equipped with high tech stuff but at the same time you can find old devices like mechanic cash machine and coins and bills from world wide and their changes thru a timeline

Morgan Webber

Went in against some advice, but it was extremely well done. Kids loved it, and it was a nice place to stop into while checking out other sights on the hill. Not busy, but very cool on a hot day. The giant stone coin in the entry way is an interesting artefact.

Patricia Parsons

Interesting and you might even learn something if so inclined. Free doesn't hurt.

Vanessa C

Love how interactive this FREE museum is! Didn't get a chance to catch the show, but since it's free I will definitely be back next time I'm in town. What a cool and educational museum :)

Colin Streicher

We got here just when it opened so it was quiet and easy to go through the exhibits. It is free which was nice as well

Kannan Muthiah

The kids loved this place. And, this place is free! They have a creative/coloring area for kids at the entrance. And there is an area where you could create an avatar for yourself. This digital avatar gets uploaded into a wearable tag that they give you when you begin the tour. There are 7 rooms or themed display areas. In each area, you could tap your tag and your avatar shows up. The kids loved this part. Then the avatars interact with you on the displays. In one of the interactive displays, we are given an amount of money (income) and we are asked to distribute the money to various things (expenses). In the end, based on your province, you will be shown how the average is and how we spent the money. There are a lots of tips and statistics along the way. Kids learned a lot. There are video games as well.

Julio Eccheli

I was expecting more from this museum, maybe because it was closed for many years. The museum is interesting, but it's not really fantastic, even in Chile I could see two really much more interesting bank museums.

John Duckworth

Communist County now

Natalie McMillan

Very interactive and interesting. We took our students here during our class trip to Ottawa. To be honest, I kind of expected it to be boring, but it is FAR from boring. They have done such a good job of gamifying the exhibits so that children and adults can learn about and understand economics through games. Very very cool.

Thomas Kiperchuk

Very modern with really cool interactive exhibits. Some of the currency on display is fascinating. Considering admission is free and it is right next to Parliament Hill this is a must do.

Shauna Blackledge

First off, it's free, so major brownie points for that! But it's also very nicely done! Great for kids and adults! Super technology driven and interactive!

BobJuno

Fantastic experience for free Museum. Amazing

David Lewis

Interesting to visit once. Good flow of displays. And if you like money, you'll love it

What Name

Very family friendly and larg collection, though a bit short

Jason Miller

Excellent free museum on the history of world and Canadian money. Highly recommend.

A2B Estates

I LOVED the history found in this museum and I thought our guide was wonderful. So many interesting things to learn about and the displays are interactive. Great for kids and people who like money!

Michael Sannuto

The hostess was very informative. She had all the answers, and was very approachable. All the staff had a great sense of humour, esp. when I had requested a free sample of a 20$bill.

Salma Berrada

Another free museum to check out! Great for adults and children with tons of activities and tidbits of information about currencies and finance in Canada and beyond. My family and I went mainly because it was free but we really enjoyed it and were surprised it was actually free...clearly banks investing in culture...it's not too big so it won't take too long. Make sure to try the activities in various learning booths

Jennifer Pollock

Very interactive exploration of the Canadian banking system. The work that went into the exhibits is impressive. The exhibit on Viola Desmond and her fight against segregation was especially impactful. Wonderful for people of all ages. Highly recommend!

Rachel Collishaw

Great little museum. Actually makes economics interesting with some very cool interactives, unique architecture and some really interesting currency - eg a Yap stone, wampum, New France playing cards and Depression relief certificates. Also it's free!

Ian Bushfield

Free but somewhat quirky museum. Interesting interactive displays.

Melika Clarke

There is a very interesting woman working in the gift shop. I forgot her name unfortunately. She was so kind. She was also very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Canadian paper money. And Pokemon cards ( for the 11 year old in our group) Thanks for making our visit interesting

Ayan T

I came in from Toronto with a few friends. We wanted to check out a museum or two and randomly found this museum. We went in with no expectations but came out being incredibly impressed. Incredibly modern design that should lead the future for how museums should be set up. I learned so much and would go again if i had the chance.

Seeing the world In a different way

Located at 30 Bank st and Wellington you will find the Bank of Canada Museum. This museum use to be on the ground floor of the Bank of Canada However it was relocated as part of Canada's 150th year celebrations into a separate underground building covered by modern trianglar structures. The museum is free, but closed now because of covid. There are many interactive educational displays that would be of interest to many. This includes the history of Canadian currency, Upper and Lower Canada provincial and large company (like the Hudson Bay Company) financial notes. There is also information about the purpose and function of the Bank of Canada, its monetary policys and how it plays a vital role in Canada's economy. The museum is very family oriented and is a nice spot for tourists to see when visting the parliament buildings and the downtown core of Ottawa. If you like my reviews, photos or videos please give them a thumbs up. Or follow me for more local guide information.

Kathleen Caya

Fun place to visit, interactive. Very nice staff.

Chris Ellsay

Wow this is a great small modern museum and free. If you have children or teenagers there are lots of fun, interactive learning games to try plus a wonderful selection of world currency. Great for about an hour.

Kevin & Denise Baker

Free admission. Family friendly and hands on displays.

Jessey Rice

It's free. It's very entertaining. There is free wifi and its educational! What's not to love.

Andrew Dylag

Great experience. Easy to follow, fun and interactive.

Willem Goudsbloem

Great museum, it has monetary from all over the world and times. Free admission.

Ali Nikdel

It is a free museum, walking distance from Parliament Hill. I liked the interactive panels that you could learn about economy!

Sifiso Nkosinathi Nobela

Very nice place to visit and watch the building reflection from parliament Hill to bank of Canada.

Kay Lee

Very educational. Talks about how money has evolved but also educates you about money - interest rates, mortgage, govt money funds.

Vanessa maraima

We did not plan going there, however I’m really happy that we did it! I loved the design, games and the activites for everyone,adults and kids can have a really great time there. Small but well planned, and very modern. Easy acces for mothers will small kids and strollers, as well as for people that need to use a wheelchair. The washroom is clean, easy access (bottom to open automatically the door), and it has a changing station for babies. Great staff and... is FREE!! Great option if you visit ottawa

David Ley

I highly recommend to go to this Museum as it's fascinating to see the history of our currency on .

Karen Breeck

Neat free museum. Very interactive.

Natasha Curtis

Really interesting, not great for kids because you have to sit and go through a lot of the interactive displays.

eroon

Very modern design and you can interact with the surroundings by creating your own unique avatar.

Alexander Preiss

The Bank of Canada Museum is extremely interactive, combining the history of Canadian economics and currency with games, videos, and virtual exhibits, along with many examples of Canadian bills and notes going as far back as the Colonial Era. There is the opportunity to design your own avatar that follows you through the museum, which keeps track of your progress and records your answers. The activities available are accessible to all generations, as the majority of the information presented is informative while not being either too complex or simple. I thoroughly enjoyed what was on display, but being such a new museum, some of the consoles were not working and a few of the exhibits were closed. Since the admission is free, it's still absolutely worth visiting and will only get better once everything is complete.

Pierre-Luc Legault

Nice museum. It's free and interactive. Perfect for kids and adults, it's a good way to learn more about economy and to understand the impact of the Bank of Canada, but even more.

William Humphries

Really liked it - the Interactive displays were educational and fascinating for me, with a sufficient number of things for the kids to "play" with. I'd like to be alone in there for a few more hours to learn by myself so will return at a later date. For the price (free) you can't really go wrong and I'd highly recommend it. I think in many ways it's better than other museums in the city (including the new Science and Tech, which I feel is a bit of a let down).

Elmer Lanuza

good for educating kids fun for the whole family

Jenny Bomberry

It has a lot of interesting things to c...& my 9 yr old grandson loved interactive areas! We went bk 4 x's!

Leslie Jones

Visited on a quiet Sunday morning, and was warmly welcomed and presented with wristbands to activate all the interactive displays. The museum is fun, and can be taken on separate levels, for both adults and children. It gives a thorough history of the evolution of money, and educates you in what an economy is all about. Most fun is steering the space craft down a wormhole to keep inflation within 2%! You can also design a banknote with your face on it, and have it emailed to you! It's free as well, and there is a good gift shop when you exit.

John Sankey

Free, with many excellent and very modern-style exhibits. The video 'games' are confusing though, with the computer continually trying to steer 'answers' towards their desired outcomes.

Mike Johnson

It was great...very informative. Really enjoyed the tour!!

Shariff Ahmed

Great free tours

Lucille Wilson

Once inside it remembers you and you can personalize somewhat your experience. I found the create your own banknote exhibit to be the most interesting. There are other areas that explain how supply and demand work as well as inflation. The museum is not large so it will not take long to wander through.

Gabriele De Gaetano

Interactive Museum explaining the history of the banks, coins, investments. It is across from the Parliament grounds. Nice reption, no lines.

Lina Mok

Very cool to see all of the different currency worldwide and the Canadian currency too. Best part is it's FREE!

Johnny huynh

This was one of the best places i have gone to for my vacation in Ontario. This musume is not your casual musume where you walk around and just look at things. Here at the Bank of Canada Musume you interact with machines that either starts a video or starts a game that teaches you about the economy and money. I recommend this musume to anyone heading to Ontario, it is a place you will not want to miss. Everyone in the family will enjoy it from the adults to the children.

Natali Maximova

Tur gide will be more interesting. But nice interteiming place.

Michael Wigginton

For free museum of a central bank, it was way more interesting than I'd ever expect, and the games were actually fun. Great way to kill an hour or two downtown!

Georges Younes

Central bank museums around the world have limited public appeal. Unless you are an enthusiast, a collector or a numismatist, the display and history of currency is borderline boring to most. Keeping in mind this challenge, the designers of the Bank of Canada - the country's central bank - found new and exciting ways to keep visitors interested for as long as possible. The variety of artifacts and displays they came up with will appeal to the most jaded visitors and keep them inside the building for as long as possible.

Gavin Trudel

Lovely museum to check out! For a free museum, there is plenty to learn. The Bank of Canada Museum is great for kids as there are many interactive displays and activities, and beautiful lights. All ages can learn about the history of currency, and there are some amazing historic artifacts of currency. The location is great as well, in close proximity to Parliament Hill (under a 5 minute walk), and is right around the corner from Parliament Station for Line 1. With great activities, accessibility, and plenty to learn — all for free — the Bank of Canada museum is definitely recommended for visitors of Ottawa (and locals!)

Xavier Angoyuak

Nice little museum to take a look through

D

The reception was very nice and the museum itself is very nice. It's a good place for kids as there's a lot of "games" they can play. The only thing is that it's VERY short.. Can be done in 15-20 minutes tops. I took off 1 star simply because of the subject matter, not very appealing but that's just me.

Richard York

Learn how Bank of Canada is involve in Canadians' lives. You will also learn the history of money/currency and changes in design of the Canadian notes.

Michael Lamb

The kids enjoyed the interactive displays.

Lisa R

My kids, aged 4 and 7, actually really enjoyed all the interactive stations. Also, the gift shop wasn't astronomically over priced which was a bonus.

Grace G

An amazing place to visit. Great customer service

Fenel SG

Amazing experience, my 8 years old love it.

Kaitlyn Pilloud

Very high tech, educational, and beautifully designed space.

viddy454

Was very informative if you have kids its a good place to start day

Aniko Eczet

Small, but free and very interesting. Extremely modern museum.

mena khan

Fun free interactive museum. Enthusiastic staff. Small Clean and tidy

LEON ZHAO

Nice place to learn about money and how it circulate s. Also the economy. Lots of interactive game and learn devices.

Amanda Stanzel

Enjoyed it, but the touch screens didn't always work.

Issa Alsaddi

Great staff and good place to know the history of Canadian economy

Sami Shukri

Good place to teach your kids about the economy

Anne MARIE Horvath

Rather boring and way too digital focused. And dark

Lauren Holzschuh

Free tour. Pretty small but fairly interesting. 20mins tops

Manjula Fernando

Really nice quick stop, it's free and it's brand new building.

SV Saint

Great place to learn about the economy with interactive exhibits and a chance to design your very own paper money! Fantastic hour spent here while in Ottawa!

Derrick Eisener

Free museum is great, has interactive exhibits. Learn about the past present and future of our economy and where Canada fits into the world's.

rutav dharek

Free entry High tech Museum. this place is more fun at same time gives great learning. It should be considered as must visit place in Ottawa or Gatineau

Jack Zeal

Very modern interactive museum (kids will enjoy) with impressive coin and currency exhibits for the grown-ups.

Tristan Williams (trisw)

Great paper money exhibits. There are gorgeous notes from not just Canada, but from all around the world! Some of the other activities are interesting, but seeing the complete set of Canadian banknotes, and the amazing notes from elsewhere is definitely the highlight!!

Arifa Sultana

Really fun and interactive for kids and Adults

Tanvir Alam

Informative and innovative museum about how the economy works

vivian tao

It opens during 10a.m to 17:00 It's really fashion and active museum! I learned a lot of economy from here.

Debra Sisson

Free 1 hour guided tour was interesting

Rob Musto

Fun little museum, especially for the kids as the exhibits are very interactive, activated by RFID bracelets to personalize the experience.

James Fox

Very interactive museum using RFID bracelets and it's free

HL Ooi

Very educational, with futuristic presentation. Highly recommended

Li Toribio

Had a great experience with my kids at this place. Very professional staff. They were friendly, courteous!

Nick Pizza

Very cool museum, and it's free! Doesn't take a long time to explore either which is nice. Knowledge staff and again, a very cool museum. Not just Canadian money too, it's about the history of money and all. A+

Jaqui Lee

Stumbled upon this little gem, it's much more interesting than I thought and worth dropping by! There's a dark room with glowing, interactive exhibit and there's even a space game for keeping our country at 2% inflation.

Suzanne Roussel

It was very interesting we bought a coin

Dustin Steadman

Free admission, but a bit of a letdown. Great for kids learning about money, though.

Olga Pekalska

Such an awesome, educational, accessible and interactive little place. Will definitely be back again.

Shiv Raja

Very interactive museum, interesting exhibits. You can spend time looking at each individual piece of currency, or focus on the games.

Narges Zare

Small but decent museum. Wish there was more coin and note collection.

Ayman

My trip to this museum was an impromptu visit; I was walking along the street it was on and realized that I had some time to kill and that entry was free. I thought it was going to be boring but it was actually really cool! The technology incorporated into it kept me interested the whole time. Definitely recommend popping into this place if you find yourself in the area. It's a small educational exhibition; I spent maybe an hour and a half there for the whole thing.

Jameson Huynh

Great place for all ages. If you've ever been to the Ontario Science Center, this place has the same modern and interactive vibe but teaches economics and business. Not to mention, admission is absolutely free. This place is a must go if you have little ones with you in Ottawa. I wish I took some better photos but this place was a blast. Check it out for yourself!

Nicky Carpenter

This month's fraud awareness tour is well worth doing. Great new location for the museum. Artifacts are great. We did have a few issues with the technology used to access information (watch to start and then touch screen).

Melanie Yin

Museum with lots of interactivity and tech, good for kids, but I'm not sure how well it actually teaches economics. Granted, it's extremely hard to turn what normally requires a textbook and graphs into a kid-friendly museum, but they definitely could have done better. Everything feels very scattered and isn't taught in a flowing progression -- there's a bit on the history of currency, a bit on inflation, etc, but it's not tied together. Kids come away with a vague impression of how everything is "interconnected" which is, you know, true, but doesn't actually help them understand the economy that much. As someone who studies econ, I think it's astonishing how the general public has no idea what economics is and what public policy and the BoC does, and I think it's really important to teach people about it. There's so much potential here with funding and tech, but it isn't used in a way that reaches it goal of giving the public an understanding of what the Bank of Canada does and what economics is. A team of teachers and professors needs to be involved in redesigning the museum.

adam lindenfelser

Museum was nice but unfortunately they didn't have many products to sell. I went looking for the new $10 but they didn't have any $10s at all. Other than that it was very interesting

Ozzy Akhtar

Cool currency museum, Not huge, interactive and best of all its free.

Joseph Zeidan

Free and you learn a lot, need a little bit less then 1:30 hours for everything

Matthew Zhao

This is a hidden gem!!

P Da

Great museum. Kids were into it.

Terry Hughes

Very interesting place, with lots of information through interactive displays, and it's FREE!

Andrew

Interesting. Worth visiting to learn about the history of the Canada money.

Emily Kim

Our tour guide, A(i)nsley, had a great voice and a lot of info. The exhibits themselves will tell you a bunch too. Many, many cool artifacts beautifully displayed. (If you take a tour, you'll get to hold a couple!) One of my favourites was the actual bank note which travelled to space with Chris Hadfield for its debut. I also liked seeing some of the earliest forms of paper money from around world. The interactive bits are not as informative but they work and they're really fun.

Melissa L

They had a super cute exhibit we didn't know about and got to walk right into, taught some fun facts about money.

Patrick Berrea

Fun for the kids, adults can also enjoy it, and best part. It's free.

john hunt

Nice little museum. Interactive and free.

Seolfer

Free and very informative on the economic structure of canada with a lot of information and examples regarding currencies in other countries too!

Jenn Lightfoot

It's free. All displays are interactive so great for kids too!

Michael Filion

Nice interactive museum & free entry

Alice

Very interesting museum and admission is free! Lots of interactive displays that are fun for kids and adults. Wonderful chronology of currency from around the world with a focus on the economic development of Canada. I was a bit worried it would be a bit dry but was pleasantly surprised that it was so interesting and entertaining.

Kenneth Drope

This small museum is often overlooked by visitors. Make a point of checking it out the next time you visit Ottawa.

Wendy Alexander

Fascinating, interesting, and educational insight into economies, and managing the development of Canada's financial sector. For all.

Sean Rohde

Free and interactive. This is a good place to bring kids.

Temo Tarrago

Learn about the economy and money in a fun and engaging fashion. Great place.

Jackie Simon

I liked to old format much better. The new format is very boring.

Flynn Knowles-Barley

Free entry! An extensive variety of interactive displays, clean and modern. Something for younger children as well as adults. Pairs well with a visit to the Canadian Mint a short walk from here.

Chun Sing Ng

Very interactive and great fun!

Barbara H

Highly recommended for children. Very educational and interactive and adults may pick up a thing or two as well. Free! What's not to like about that.

Maurice Chee

A museum that tells what the role of the central bank and the history of money. Free admission.

Beckey Fehst

Such an interesting spot. A lot of digital learning.

Nicole

Free museum. Fun and informative but more of a children's museum based on the type/amount of info it offers. Cool collection of foreign and historical monies. I've been here twice with guests who are visiting Ottawa and would reco it.

Punjab Singh

Nice place to learn exciting things This place wont bore u

Krip Toadette

Great place with interactive things all for free!

MT

I loved the bracelets and all of the interactive features!! So well thought out and entertaining. Definitely exceeded my expectations

money pdf

Free and great for kids and people looking for a quick activity to do downtown!

Michael Ashton

Fantastic must visit for the Viola Desmond exhibit. Sadly the main museum is very difficult to understand. I think the information was written by bankers for bankers. I wouldn't recommend going unless you have a real interest in the history of money

Adam Lindenfelser

Museum was nice but they didn't have very many collectable items for sale. Not even the new $10 bank notes. I will just have to order a set online. Other than that it was very educational.

Jackie Lok

A very modern and interactive museum about money! Exhibits on multiple aspects of money in the economy, Canada's reserve bank and also a newer section on digital currencies.

Leena Silver

The museum is a perfect exhibition size for kids! Not too long and full of very interesting samples and interactive stations. There's no entrance fee. You simply walk in and get a interactive bracelet and off you go! In 2 hours or less, the currency history is revealed! Information that is more valuable than your classroom session. They even teach you about the economy and how it works globally. A definite stop while in Ottawa!