Bike Tour of Tulips in the Capital

The tulips are in bloom! This bike tour samples the feast of colour provided by wonderful beds of tulips planted throughout the city.  

 Our tour begins downtown at the corner of Murray St and Mackenzie Ave on the edge of Majors Hill Park where you will see some beautiful beds of tulips.

Head up and through Majors Hill Park where you will see more great displays of of our featured flower. 

Cross Mackenzie Ave at the lights located on the southern end of the park, behind the Chateau Laurier.

Take the bi-directional bike path a short distance north to Wellington St, then turn right on Wellington before navigating over to the War Memorial. Very nice displays can be seen in front of the memorial.

There is a bike path across from the War Memorial that heads down behind the National Arts Centre and along the Rideau Canal before becoming the Rideau Canal Western Pathway. Follow this path along the canal, past more beautiful flora displays, all the way to Princess Patricia Way. Cross Queen Elizabeth Driveway over to the path that continues parallel on the opposite side. The impressive arrangement can be found just south along this path.

Continue on this path, then cross back to the pathway that runs along the canal, just after passing under the Bank St Bridge. Just as you arrive at Dow’s Lake, cross Prince of Wales Drive oce again into Commissioners Park. This is the main site of Ottawa’s seasonal tulip display.

The path weaves its way north west through the park past colourful displays of tulips around Dows lake. 

The best time to do this ride is early on a weekday morning before the crowds arrive. The flowers still look great at all times, however you will most likely  require walking your bike through the park at other times of the day, especially on weekends when it becomes a bit of a mob scene.

Our ride ends at western end of Commissioners Park, at the corner of Preston St and Prince of Wales Drive. One bed of pink and purple tulips in the park is the Queen Juliana Gift Bed. These tulips are an annual gift of thousands of bulbs from the Dutch Royal Family in memory of the bond between Canada and Holland after Canada’s participation in the liberation of the Netherlands during World War II. As well in 1943, while they were staying in Ottawa after fleeing the war, Dutch Princess Juliana gave birth to her third child, Margriet at the Ottawa Civic Hospital.