Supreme Court of Canada

We came here for a tour yesterday and it was a great experience — definitely something that should be on everyone’s Ottawa bucket list!
From May to August, the courts are open to the public from 9:00AM — 5:00PM all week long. English tours run on the hour and French tours run on the half hour. There are no tours between 12:00PM — 1:00 PM so make sure that you book your visit accordingly. Oh, and no need to call in advance to book a tour in the summer — unless you are a group of more than 10 people. Additionally, from September to April, you will need to call to arrange a tour, as they don’t run regularly like they do in the summer.
The building is absolutely stunning and beautiful. It is totally symmetrical and composed of marble and wood from many parts of the world. Our tour guide was also very friendly and knowledgeable and explained many things about the Canadian legal system that I did not know about. We were taken into the Federal Court of Appeal where we were allowed to sit on the Judge’s bench, try on their formal robes, and take photographs. We were also taken into the Judge’s gallery and finally up to the Supreme Court itself. I was surprised at how small the actual court room is compared to how it looks on television! The tour lasted about 30 minutes altogether and was completely free.
I highly recommend this place to any tourists and locals wanting to get to know their city better.

I visited the Supreme Court during doors open. There’s a lot of parking space and the parking is free. Today, there were lots of people who explained how the court works and there were tours. It’s possible to assist the hearings. There are a few seats in the actual courthouse, but everything is filmed, so it’s possible to watch online or in the audiovisual room. The whole building is incredibly beautiful. The building is very symmetrical and it’s all built using exotic materials. There’s a beautiful fountain in the back and 2 magnificent statues. It’s a fun and important place to visit!

Il est possible de visiter la court suprême du Canada. Vous allez me dire pourquoi? Déjà pour le bâtiment qui est architecturalement parlant intéressant, mais également pour l’histoire et le fonctionnement du pays. Quand on est expatrié, il est toujours intéressant de comprendre ce nouveau pays dans lequel on vit. Les visites des institutions publiques sont alors de bonnes opportunités.
Attentions: les visites se font soit sur réservation, soit en juin lors du weekend Portes Ouvertes des institutions de la vile.