Bank of Canada Museum 🇨🇦

Located in downtown Ottawa near the Canadian Parliament Buildings, the Bank of Canada Museum is a cultural attraction built beneath the central bank's plaza at Bank and Wellington Streets. As Canada's only free national museum, it offers interactive, gamified hands-on exhibits designed around the core concept that you are the economy. You can explore seven distinct zones packed with educational resources and displays that break down how the economy works, what the central bank does, and the complex history of money.

Along with temporary exhibitions, the museum features over 1,000 examples of Canadian and world currency on display. You will see highlights from the National Currency Collection, which stands as the most complete collection of Canadian coins, bank notes, and tokens. Beyond physical currency, you can view specialized items like counterfeit money, cash registers, trade items, and ancient currency spanning thousands of years.

It provides an engaging experience for both children and adults while shedding light on essential financial literacy concepts.

What to see at Bank of Canada Museum

• Canada's only free national museum, featuring interactive hands-on exhibits across seven distinct zones.
• Home to over 1,000 examples of world currency and the most complete collection of Canadian coins and bank notes.
• Customized avatar wristbands that track your progress and interact with digitized displays throughout your visit.
• Gamified economic simulators, such as flying the interactive 2% Rocket cockpit to hit ideal inflation targets.
• Digital design stations where you can customize and create your very own bank note.

Visiting tips

Create and customize your virtual cartoon avatar on the touch screens in the lobby to get your interactive wristband before exploring the exhibits.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Morning

How to get there & what’s nearby

Bank of Canada Museum is easy to reach on Ottawa’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Rideau Hall. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Ottawa travel guide.