Canadian Tulip Festival

May 12, 2026 MLT

1 Day

Low

The Canadian Tulip Festival has been celebrating the tulip, an international symbol of friendship and peace, since 1953. The first Canadian Tulip Festival was held at the suggestion of world renowned photographer Malak Karsh.

Tour Inclusions

Visit to Major Hill Park, The Byward Market, Commissioner’s Park, and Dow’s Lake
Rideau Canal Tulip Cruise
Dinner in Ottawa
Services of a Professional Maple Leaf Tour Director
Deluxe Motor Coach Travel with WiFi, air conditioning, DVD, reclining seats with drink holders and seat belts.
All taxes and service charges are included (except for Tour Director and Driver gratuity).

The Canadian Tulip Festival was established to celebrate the historic Royal gift of tulips from the Dutch to Canadians immediately following the Second World War as a symbol of international friendship. The Festival preserves the memorable role of the Canadian troops in the liberation of the Netherlands and Europe, as well as commemorates the birth of Dutch Princess Margriet in Ottawa during World War II—the only royal personage ever born in Canada.
The Canadian Tulip Festival has been celebrating the tulip, an international symbol of friendship and peace, since 1953. The first Canadian Tulip Festival was held at the suggestion of world renowned photographer Malak Karsh.

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Tour Itinerary

7:00 am Depart Belleville, IHOP, 902 Wallbridge-Loyalist Road,Parking on East Side of the Building
7:30 am Depart Napanee, Flying J, North East Corner
7:45 am Depart Kingston, Shrine Club (3260 Princess St at Collins Bay Rd) and travel to our Nation’s Capital.
10:00am Visit to Major Hill Park to enjoy over one million tulips! Established in 1874, the park offers a panoramic view of several major attractions, including Parliament Hill, the Ottawa River, the Museum of Civilization, the National Gallery and Notre-Dame Basilica
11:00 am Arrive at ByWard market in time to wander and browse this wonderful area with its quaint booths, craftspeople and markets and time for lunch on your own.
1:15 pm Guided Rideau Canal cruise. From the boat you will enjoy the best view possible of one of the engineering marvels of the nineteenth century, the Rideau Canal. Our guide will show you this major part of Canadian history as no one else is able to. Along the way you will be shown many of the major sites that have led to the development and rise of Ottawa as a city and a seat of government. We will travel along the Rideau Canal to Dows Lake and then return.
3:45 pm Visit to Commissioner’s Park to walk among the tulips, visit the numerous booths, purchase tulips and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. In the spring, Commissioners Park is home to the Capital’s most dazzling display of over 300,000 tulips. During the Canadian Tulip Festival and the Tulip Legacy Exhibit held here each spring, winding pathways will lead you through an explosion of colour in the gardens of Commissioners Park making the spring a wonderful time to take a quiet break in the park with the beautiful views of Dows Lake in the background.
5:00 pm We’ll enjoy a lovely dinner together in Ottawa.
6:30 pm After a great day in our Nations’ capital, we begin our journey home.
8:30 pm Approximate arrival back in Kingston.
9:00 pm Approximate arrival back in Napanee.
9:30 pm Approximate arrival back in Belleville

Belleville

IHOP, 902 Wallbridge-Loyalist Road

7:00 am

Napanee

Flying J, Northeast Corner

7:30 am

Kingston

Shrine Club 3260 Princess Street

8:00 am

Gananoque

Hwy 2 Carpool Lot

8:30 am

Brockville

Food Basics Jefferson Dr.

9:00 am

BEFORE YOU GO

There are regular stops made for comfort breaks
A portion of the proceeds from this Maple Leaf Tour Helps to Support Indigenous Scholarships
Tipping for tour director and driver is voluntary depending on quality of service
For the comfort of fellow travellers, kindly refrain from using scented products

Single