Manitoba
Manitoba's capital sits where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet: a river walk, a pedestrian bridge to Saint-Boniface, a glass human-rights museum, and a park with a winter pavilion.
Photo: Esplanade Riel and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights at dusk, reflected in the Red River, Ethan Sahagun, CC BY 4.0
Winnipeg grew where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet, a gathering place for thousands of years and still the city's living room. The Forks holds a market, a riverwalk and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights; Esplanade Riel, a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge, leads across the Red River to Saint-Boniface.
West of downtown, Assiniboine Park is a large public greenspace with gardens, a zoo and The Leaf, a year-round conservatory. The Manitoba Legislative Building stands on its own grounds, with the Golden Boy on the dome.
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
The meeting of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, a national historic site with a riverwalk, docks and open grounds, open year-round.
Season The grounds of the national historic site are open year-round. The Forks Market building was listed as open daily 7 a.m.–10 p.m.; most merchants are closed on Christmas Day (check before you go).
A large public park west of downtown. The greenspace is listed as open 24 hours; gardens, the zoo and The Leaf have their own hours and, in some cases, admission.
Season Official pages listed the public greenspace as open 24 hours, year-round. Garden, zoo and conservatory hours are posted separately (check before you go).
An outdoor sculpture garden in Assiniboine Park, listed as open year-round from 9 a.m. until dusk.
Season Official pages listed the garden as open year-round, 9 a.m. until dusk. The Leo Mol Gallery and Schoolhouse was listed as open daily 9 a.m.–dusk in summer and closed in winter (check before you go).
A cable-stayed pedestrian bridge across the Red River, linking The Forks with Saint-Boniface. Free to walk.
Season The pedestrian bridge is there year-round (check before you go).
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
The Tyndall-stone legislative building on Broadway, with the Golden Boy on the dome. The grounds are free to walk; free guided tours of the building run on a posted schedule, and visitors 18 and over need photo ID.
Season The grounds are free to walk. In the fall and winter, official pages listed free guided tours on Fridays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and on Mondays at 2 p.m., with a 7 p.m. tour every second Monday. Reservations are strongly recommended; visitors 18 and over need government-issued photo ID. Check the official tour page for current times, including any summer schedule (check before you go).
The ruined facade of the 1906 cathedral, with its empty rose window, and the newer basilica behind it, across the river in Saint-Boniface. The ruins can be seen from the grounds.
Season The ruined facade and grounds can be seen from outside; hours for the basilica interior vary (check before you go).
A national historic site of early warehouse and commercial buildings just north of downtown, now galleries, shops and restaurants, easy to walk.
Season The streets are there year-round; shop and café hours vary (check before you go).
A national museum in a glass and stone building at The Forks, with exhibitions on human rights in Canada and around the world. Closed Mondays; free admission on the first Sunday of each month and on listed holidays.
Season Official pages listed hours as Tuesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., closed Mondays. Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, and for a posted maintenance week in January. Christmas Eve 2026 was listed as 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Free admission on the first Sunday of each month, on Canada Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and Human Rights Day (check before you go).
A year-round indoor conservatory of biomes in Assiniboine Park, with outdoor gardens around it. Some outdoor gardens are free; the indoor biomes have a separate admission.
Season Official pages listed the indoor biomes as open daily 9 a.m.–9 p.m., with several short closures a year for display changes. Some outdoor gardens are open 24 hours; the English Garden, Leo Mol Sculpture Garden and listed seasonal gardens were 9 a.m.–dusk. Closed Christmas Day (check before you go).
A large prairie, lake and trail site in the southwest of the city, with bison, an interpretive centre and seasonal rentals. Open daily; walking or cycling there is listed as free admission.
Season Official pages listed the site as open daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m., with the north trail gate locking 30 minutes before closing. Closed Christmas Day. Remembrance Day was listed as 1–5 p.m.; Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Walking or cycling there is listed as free admission (check before you go).
Main streets, markets and the dates worth planning around.
A year-round market building at The Forks, with food stalls and shops. The building is listed as open daily; individual merchants set their own hours, and most are closed on Christmas Day.
Season Official pages listed the market building as open daily 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Shop and food-hall hours are shorter and vary; most merchants are closed on Christmas Day (check before you go).
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
Free guided tours of the legislative building, on a posted schedule. Reservations are strongly recommended. Visitors 18 and over need government-issued photo ID.
Season In the fall and winter, official pages listed free guided tours on Fridays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and on Mondays at 2 p.m., with a 7 p.m. tour every second Monday. Reservations are strongly recommended; visitors 18 and over need government-issued photo ID. Check the official tour page for current times (check before you go).
These are in the lists above, so we don't repeat them here.
Part of our Winnipeg and Lake of the Woods guides.
Photo: Esplanade Riel and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights at dusk, reflected in the Red River, Ethan Sahagun, CC BY 4.0
Photo: The Assiniboine Park Pavilion in frost and fog on a winter morning, Reid Campbell, CC0
Photo: The Manitoba Legislative Building and the Golden Boy, seen through summer trees, Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: The ruined facade of Saint Boniface Cathedral, lit at night, Krazytea, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: The Canadian Museum for Human Rights at night, with the illuminated WINNIPEG sign at The Forks, Ethan Sahagun, CC BY 4.0
