canada parliament virtual tour

Visitors can now take a virtual stroll through Centre Block on Parliament Hill

"Parliament: The Immersive Experience" opened to the public on Thursday, taking visitors on a cutting-edge journey through Parliament Hill's Centre Block.

Located at 211 Sparks Street, the new immersive show provides a 360-degree panorama of Centre Block, which is currently closed for renovation work.

"The first room is a multimedia exhibit that allows visitors to connect with the history, the art, their architecture and the people who worked at the historic Centre Block building," Renee Asselin, The Virtual Experience Senior Program Officer, said on Thursday.

Upon entry, guests can engage with interactive models displaying the building's interior. With miniature displays of some of the rooms inside. 

The next room hosts a 25-minute trip through Parliament's core, with projections displayed on every wall.

"It allows them to kind of walk into that Centre Block building and in a way that kind of still conveys the feeling of, 'Wow,' that you get when you walk into that building, which is what we ultimately wanted. To allow people to connect with Parliament."

In light of Parliament's 2019 closure, likely for more than a decade for renovations, this immersive experience serves as an exciting alternative. 

"We have welcomed Canadians on tours of the building for years and years and years, about 350,000 people per year would come in on tour. And we knew that should the building be closed for say up to 10 years, that would be about 3.5 million people that wouldn't have access to the space," Kit Frost, The Virtual Experience Senior Manager, said.

The attraction showcases extensive projections featuring essential areas such as the Senate, House of Commons, Library of Parliament, Peace Tower, and Memorial Chamber.

"For us, for the Library, for the Senate and the House of Commons and the Speakers, it was really important to be able to give people an alternative experience of that space so that we didn't lose an entire generation," says Frost. "Having witnessed what I did as a kid coming in there."

The full experience takes 45 minutes, accommodating groups of 35 people per session. 

"The tickets are free and really it's open to anyone who has an interest in Parliament or people who are just kind of intrigued and want to learn a little bit more," Asselin said. "So we encourage everyone to come and really get a chance to experience this amazing experience and really we want people to connect with parliament."

"Parliament: The Immersive Experience" runs seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Click here to get your free tickets. 

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Parliamentary Precinct multimedia gallery

View photos and videos of the parliamentary buildings, statues, monuments and other buildings that make up the Parliamentary Precinct.

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Publications, parliament hill virtual tours, google street view virtual tours.

View photos from the construction of the original Parliament Buildings up to Parliament Hill today.

Learn something new about Parliament Hill by watching these short videos.

Infographics

Take a virtual tour of some of the Parliament Buildings.

Take a virtual tour of some of the Parliament Buildings with Google Street View.

By visiting the following links, you will be leaving our website and will be directed to virtual tours of the Peace Tower, Centre Block and Library of Parliament buildings on Google Street View.

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Library of Parliament

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Parliament: The Virtual Experience

Virtual Parliament

Step inside the parliament of canada in virtual reality, online or in the classroom..

Concept, interactive script, art direction, illustration, design and development

Producers:  NFB / Library of parliament Creative director:  Emilie Grenier Illustrator:  Stéphane Poirier Music and sound design:  David Drury

Parliament is the heart of Canada’s federal democracy. For more than 100 years, its seat was the iconic Centre Block. Home to the Senate and the House of Commons, the building was the site of debates and decisions that shaped our country. The building is visited by tens of thousands of Canadians and tourists everywhere.

In 2019, Centre Block closed its doors for long-term renovations. The NFB and Parliament of Canada came to us to figure out together how to keep this building alive for over ten years while it is inaccessible to the public.

Parliament: The Virtual Experience invites you to experience it through emerging platforms. Online, in virtual reality or in the classroom, you are transported through Centre Block’s most iconic spaces: the Senate, House of Commons, Library of Parliament and Peace Tower. Each one offers a new perspective on Parliament – its history, its art and its role in the lives of Canadians, today and in the future.

The VR experience provides the most immersive experience, but we wanted it to be available to anyone without a headset, so we created a custom mobile-first version that, rather than relying on ultra-realistic 3D to present the building, uses beautiful 2D illustrations and animations.

As you travel through the building, the spaces around you surge to life with magic realism. Animals spring from stone walls. Empty rooms echo with voices of the past. And figures who helped shape Canada for over 100 years return to take their place in the halls of democracy. Blending photorealism with vivid sound, colour and light, Parliament is an unforgettable glimpse into the centre of Canadian decision-making.

“This is the new standard that other educational VR experiences should aspire to.”

Steam review

The project has been receiving rave reviews, quite an accomplishment for an educational experience about a governmental institution!

“This is the new standard that other Educational VR experiences should aspire to.” “I didn’t expect VR experience about Canadian Parliament to be so gripping and inspiring.” “This is better than what you would expect from a government agency.” “A simple and beautiful VR experience.” “The best free VR experience I’ve had.”

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Trudeau's carbon tax is devastating our Canadian farmers. Click here to stand up for farmers!

Virtual Tour of Parliament

Each year, over 400,000 people tour the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, including many of my constituents from Macleod. However, since many people are unable to visit Ottawa in person, I am delighted to welcome you to this Online Tour of Parliament. Designed by MP David Anderson’s staff using Google’s Street View technology, this resource now enables you to take an online guided tour of Centre Block – the heart of Canada’s Parliament buildings.

Take the Tour

To view the Online Tour of Parliament, click here and click on the “Take the Tour” tab. There you will find a list of 25 tour stops which include all the points of interest included in the live tours, plus a number of locations that are not. By clicking on each tour stop, you will learn about the function, history and architecture of Canada’s Parliament as they are guided through Centre Block.

In addition, you will also find an “Explore” tab where you can navigate directly to the most well-known locations. On the “Discover” tab, you can learn about a number of interesting and lesser-known facts by following the “Did You Know…” and “Can You Find…” links.

With any of these options, you can use the Street View arrows in the center of the page to navigate on their own at any time. The small map on the bottom right shows you where you are in the Centre Block building and what direction you are facing.

Sincere thanks to MP David Anderson for letting us use this tool.

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Need help reserving your tickets?

Please call the Tour Reservations Office at 613-996-0896 for assistance.

Bag restrictions for visitors

Only one small bag is permitted per visitor.

Guided tours of the Senate are located at the Senate of Canada Building, one block away from Parliament Hill.

June 29, 2024

Parliament: the immersive experience tickets — english.

• There are no English tour tickets available on this date.

Parliament: The Immersive Experience Tickets — French

• There are no French tour tickets available on this date.

Art & Architecture

The senate’s virtual tours.

Want to visit Parliament? No matter where you live, the Senate’s virtual tours are your tickets inside the two amazing buildings that the Senate calls home! Senators traditionally work in a building called Centre Block on Parliament Hill, but that building is being rehabilitated. In February 2019, the Senate moved into a temporary home: a 100-year-old building that used to be Ottawa’s train station. It’s now called the Senate of Canada Building and senators will work there until construction is done in Centre Block. Enjoy your tours!

Virtual Tour of Centre Block

Tour the Senate’s permanent home on Parliament Hill and explore the space as it was before closing for rehabilitation – including exclusive areas normally reserved for the Speaker of the Senate and his guests! This tour is appropriate for civics classrooms, history buffs, art enthusiasts and architecture aficionados.

Virtual Tour of the Senate of Canada Building

Tour the Senate’s temporary home on Rideau Street and get the same access as you would in person. This family-friendly experience is appropriate for students 13+ learning about Parliament, and offers customized tours for art, history and architecture enthusiasts.

Sneak peek at 'immersive' virtual tour of parliament

• 10 months ago
• Duration 1:23

A new exhibit in downtown Ottawa gives visitors a virtual tour of parliament while Centre Block is undergoing renovations.

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