Tourism Winnipeg

Heritage/History

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Half Day

Your day starts with breakfast at the Tallest Poppy, located inside the former Occidental Hotel, a Winnipeg landmark. Built in 1886, the hotel has stood watch through much of the city’s history, changing hands numerous times and earning itself a notorious reputation along the way. Now home to this hip spot popular with foodies, they serve up wholesome food make with local ingredients.

After breakfast, it’s time to head to the nearby The Manitoba Museum, where the province’s history comes to life. Stroll the streets of Winnipeg as they were in the 1920s or hop aboard the life-sized replica of the Nonsuch ketch. Make your way through the Hudson’s Bay gallery and discover our fur trading roots and finish your visit with a stop at Churchill’s shore line 450 million years ago.

Continue your day at The Forks—a gathering place for more than 6,000 years where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet. Explore the site and plaques scattered throughout that relate the history of this significant spot. Visit the Oodena Celebration Circle, Balance of Spirit Within and the Peace Meeting Site for a reflection on the city’s aboriginal roots.

If you’re feeling peckish, head into The Forks Market and sample a variety of ethnic options from baba-made perogies to stuffed rotis to crispy samosas. Browse the market’s eclectic shops and pick up unique, handmade gifts and treasures.

Full Day

In the afternoon, head to St. Boniface and Le Musee de St. Boniface Museum. Built for the Grey Nuns who arrived in the Red River Colony in 1844, the structure is an outstanding example of Red River frame construction. It offers an impressive collection of artifacts that reveal the lives and culture of the Francophone and Métis communities of Manitoba, including a special exhibit about Louis Riel, the “father” of Manitoba.

While you’re there, don’t miss the St. Boniface Cathedral’s stunning façade and attached cemetery that is the eternal resting place of Riel himself.

For a snack, head into one of St. Boniface’s charming spots like Le Garage Café for one of the best poutines in the city or Chez Sophie where you can snack on authentic Franco-Manitoban fare like tourtiere.

Then, make your way to Fort Gibraltar, originally a North West Company fur trade post, where the history of Manitoba comes to life. If you’re here in February, don’t miss Festival du Voyageur where the fur trade past is celebrated with food, music, demonstrations, winter activities and stunning carved snow sculptures.

In the evening, head over to the Manitoba Legislature and take in the Hermetic Code Tour, where you will learn about the Masonic and occult symbols and principles that were built into the building’s unique architecture.

Finish off the day at The Fort Garry Hotel with a glass of Cabernet in the Palm Lounge. This former Grand Trunk Railway hotel boats crystal chandeliers, amazing architecture and an ambience that will take you back to days of elegance and grandeur.

Full Day 2

Get off to a good start at The Nook Diner where diner classics are served in a casual setting. The eggs with hollandaise sauce are not to be missed. Once you’re done, take some time to stroll the nearby areas of The Gates and Wellington Crescent where you can marvel at towering historical mansions.

Continue your tour of beautiful buildings at the Dalnavert Museum—a pristine example of Queen Anne Revival architecture. The museum offers a look into the late Victorian era through the preservation, exhibition and interpretation of the building and the museum’s collection.

Then make your way over to The Winnipeg Railway Museum, housed inside the stunning VIA Rail Station designed by the same architects that built Grand Central Station in New York City. Here Winnipeg’s rail history is preserved through displays, artifacts, railway related vehicles, trucks and fire trucks. View the first steam locomotive on the Canadian Prairies, The Countess of Dufferin, and continue on to an early-generation diesel locomotive just like the ones still used today.

For lunch, stop in at the Wagon Wheel restaurant. This Winnipeg staple has been serving up the best club house in the city for decades—the secret is fresh turkey roasted in-house daily. Or head to The Chocolate Shop—Winnipeg’s oldest restaurant in operation since 1919, where you can try regionally-inspired dishes like bison and blueberry stew and cornmeal crusted pickerel.

In the afternoon, head to Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, where history unfolds before your eyes. Costumed interpreters bring the Red River Valley in the 1850s to life at this restored 19th-century fort. Meet the Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company as he strolls through his garden, barter with the company clerk, sit in a tipi and listen to the whispers of ancient legends, and touch the coarse fur of a bison hide at the oldest stone fur trading post in North America.

Finish of the day in the Exchange District where stunning historic architecture greets you at every turn. Take in a walking tour and learn about the area’s fascinating history as the centre of Winnipeg’s grain trade in the 1920s. Packed full of boutiques and galleries, it’s the perfect place for a stroll. Pop into one of numerous restaurants like The Peasant Cookery for rustic French classics, Mondragon for delicious vegan fare or Tre Visi for elegant Italian dining.