The ultimate guide to Winnipeg tours

Taking a tour is a wonderful way to find out more about Winnipeg while you’re here. Whether you’re an art afficionado or a culinary connoisseur, an architecture admirer or a history buff – this guide will help you choose your own adventure!

Exchange District BIZ tours (opens in new window)

As exclaimed in a viral video filmed in the Exchange District, posted by Newfoundland musician Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea, “…if there are 100 good-looking buildings in Canada, 45 of them are in Winnipeg.”

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It’s no wonder Doyle was impressed! The Exchange District is one of the most iconic and vibrant neighbourhoods in Winnipeg, with an exceptional collection of heritage buildings built between 1880 and 1920. The twenty city blocks comprising approximately 150 heritage buildings has been recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada.

The Exchange District Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) offer both historic walking tours (opens in new window) as well as culinary tours during their summer season which starts in May and runs through to September.

Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum (opens in new window)

Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum is housed in the former Grey Nuns’ Convent, built between 1846 and 1851, making it Winnipeg’s oldest building as well as a National Historic Site. Measuring approximately 30.5 by 12.2 metres, it is also one of the largest known oak log structures in North America. The museum is well worth the visit with over 30,000 artifacts that document the evolution of Francophone and Métis communities in Manitoba. They also offer walking tours in English and/or French that tell the stories of women in the Canadian west, the Red River Métis as well as tour of Saint-Boniface Cemetery.

Manitoba Legislative Building tours (opens in new window)

The Manitoba Legislative Building, featuring the iconic Golden Boy statue atop its dome, serves as the seat of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Completed in 1920, this neoclassical landmark features extensive symbolic architecture, both inside and out. Find out more about the meanings behind the details, as well as explore this provincial heritage site renowned for its grand staircases, art and landscaped grounds. Tours run year-round but vary in frequency depending upon the season.

Passion et Histoire Saint-Boniface (opens in new window)

Discover Winnipeg’s French Quarter, home to Western Canada’s largest francophone community and the birthplace of Louis Riel, the father of Manitoba. Passion et Histoire Saint-Boniface is the tourism place brand for the neighbourhood and has a selection of tour themes — from a Dark History Tour that runs throughout October to walking tours that you can book ahead –– that help you get to know more about the heart of Manitoba’s Francophone community.

Pedal Pub Tours (opens in new window)

Assemble a crew and hop on a Pedal Pub tour, where the ride is as fun as the two to three local bars you stop at along the way. Each bike can hold from eight to 15 people – you can even book multiple bikes if you need to! If you’re in Winnipeg with a smaller group or on your own, you can still get in on the fun by joining one of their regularly scheduled Saturday single-seat tours.

Prairie Dog Central Railway (opens in new window)

Book a short trip from Inkster Junction Station to Grosse Isle on the charming Prairie Dog Central, one of the oldest regularly scheduled operating locomotives in North America. Their summer/fall season runs from May – October, with special spooky rides in the lead up to Halloween that range from family friendly to terrifically terrifying. They also have festive holiday rides on select dates in December.

Find out more on their website, where you can book to join a scheduled tour or reach out to them to organize your own group charter (opens in new window).

Royal Canadian Mint tours (opens in new window)

Did you know that all Canadian circulation coins are minted in Winnipeg? In fact, The Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg mints circulation coins for over 80 countries worldwide! Tours of the Mint are of course always on the money, and appealing to all ages (they even have family pricing). Some highlights that you can experience during a tour are getting a bird’s eye view of the production floor, finding out about their record-breaking “Million Dollar Coin” and the opportunity to get up close and personal with the 2010 Vancouver medals.

Transcona Museum Historic Walking Tours (opens in new window)

Discover the history of the Transcona neighbourhood through any of four different walking tours by the Transcona Museum. Offerings include Historic Transcona, highlighting over 30 buildings and sites; Murals of Transcona, which explores murals that blend historic and contemporary styles spanning 30 years; Transcona’s War Effort which explores the history of this close-knit railway community who were profoundly impacted by the events of the First and Second World Wars; and their newest tour called The Devil Strip, which uncovers offbeat stories that range from bootlegging and bank robberies to a mysterious gargoyle.

Turtle Tours | Authentic Indigenous Tours & Experiences (opens in new window)

Turtle Tours is a First Nation-owned, Indigenous-led tourism company based at The Forks, one of the oldest gathering places in North America with over 6,000 years of history. Indigenous guides share the history of the land through story, place and lived experiences.

Turtle Tours offers walking tours of the meeting place at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, known as Nestaweya, year-round. They also offer a fall-winter dark sky tour that gathers at Oodena Celebration Circle where you can hear the Anishinaabe story of Fisher while discovering connections between sky, land, water, navigation and story.

Join a scheduled public tour or arrange a private tour for small or large groups. Other tour experiences are available for privately booked small or large tour groups, such as boat tours (partnered with Winnipeg Waterways), Indigenous culinary experiences, or a tour of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights with an Indigenous focus.

West End BIZ tours (opens in new window)

The West End is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of Winnipeg. Here, that diversity manifests itself in the most delicious of ways, making it home to rave-worthy, hole-in-the-wall restaurants and specialty food shops from around the world. There are also award-winning murals throughout the neighbourhood that depict the stories and history of the area and those who have called it home.

The West End BIZ offers walking mural tours (opens in new window) and restaurant tours (opens in new window) that explore the history of this vibrant neighbourhood from May to the end of August.

Winnipeg Arts Council Tours (opens in new window)

The Winnipeg Arts Council Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation tasked with distributing funding to arts organizations and artists and managing the Winnipeg’s public art policy. They offer free walking and biking tours of public art throughout the city, from the end of May through to the end of August.

Winnipeg Trolley Company (opens in new window)

Winnipeg Trolley Company was inspired by the Winnipeg Electric Company streetcars that were a feature of the city’s streets for over sixty years until they were decommissioned in 1955. While modeled after the original trolleys, the updated versions have all the modern conveniences of air conditioning, heating and a full audio system to transport passengers in comfort. They offer a 2-hour city tour, a fall Trolley of Terror ghost tour as well as a 90-minute walking tour of outrageous but true Winnipeg stories.

Winnipeg Waterways (opens in new window)

One of the best ways to explore “River City” is by boat, and Winnipeg Waterways will help you do just that!

Join them on a 35-minute tour through the heart of the city, while your guide reveals the stories behind iconic landmarks and architectural marvels. Beyond that, they offer specialty tours like a 60-minute Graffiti Boat Tour with Winnipeg artist Pat Lazo, or Cello on the River with performance by cellist Gabriel Barbosa.

Winnipeg Waterways also runs the Water Bus (opens in new window), which can shuttle you to and from The Forks and various stops along the rivers.