Downtown Arnprior
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Plan a visit

Everything you need before you get in the car.

Twenty-five minutes from Kanata, three streets, and you can park for free.

How far it is.

Kanata 25 min 32 km

Downtown Ottawa 40 min 62 km

Renfrew 20 min 25 km

Carleton Place 25 min 30 km

Pembroke 55 min 80 km

Ottawa airport 50 min 75 km

Straight up Highway 417 and off at exit 180 or 184. There is no train, and no bus that runs on a schedule you could plan a day around, so almost everybody drives.

The map

Where to put the car, and everything else.

Switch the layers above. Click any dot for what it is.
If you only have so long

Three ways to spend the time you’ve got.

None of these are official and nobody will mind if you ignore them. They are what we would tell a cousin visiting from out of town.

An hour

Coffee, one street, back in the car

  1. 0:00Park in the Elgin lot. It is free and it is never full except Sidewalk Days.
  2. 0:05Coffee at the corner, then walk north up John.
  3. 0:25Two or three shops, whichever ones catch you on the way past.
  4. 0:50Down to the clock tower for a look at the river, then back.

Half a day

The whole downtown, lunch in the middle

  1. 0:00Park on John if there is a spot, the Elgin lot if not.
  2. 0:15John Street end to end. Ten minutes’ walk if you do not stop, two hours if you do.
  3. 1:45Lunch. There are four places downtown and none of them will rush you.
  4. 2:45Turn onto Elgin and Madawaska. Shorter streets, and a few places people miss if they only walk John.
  5. 3:30Robert Simpson Park at the bottom, where the Madawaska meets the Ottawa.

A whole day

Downtown, the water, and the trail

  1. 9:00Get here before the shops open and walk the Heritage Trail through town.
  2. 10:00The three streets, unhurried. Sunday in season, the market is on John until 2.
  3. 1:00Lunch, then the museum on John Street for an hour.
  4. 3:00The Algonquin Trail out along the river, or the beach at Robert Simpson.
  5. 5:00Back downtown. A few places stay open into the evening, more of them in summer.
Good to know

The questions we actually get asked.

Where do I park, and does it cost anything?

On the street along John Street North, and in the town lots off Elgin Street West. All of it is free, and the map above shows where the lots are.

Can I walk the whole downtown?

Easily. The three streets take about ten minutes end to end at a normal pace, and the Heritage Trail runs through downtown to Robert Simpson Park and the water. Nothing is more than a few minutes from anything else.

Is it flat?

John Street runs downhill toward the river, and it is a real grade, not a slope. The sidewalks are in decent shape with curb cuts at the corners. Coming back up from the park end is the part people notice.

Where is the nearest public washroom?

At Robert Simpson Park in summer, and at the library on Daniel Street year round.

What is open on a Sunday?

In market season, June through September, the street is busy from nine and most shops open. The rest of the year Sunday is quiet and a fair few places are closed, so it is worth checking a shop’s page before you drive out.

Is there anything to do with kids?

The beach and the playground at Robert Simpson Park, and the market has a face painter most Sundays. A few of the shops keep something going for children as well, so it is worth a look down the list.

Can I bring the dog?

On the street and the trail, yes, on a leash. Inside a shop is up to that shop, and most of the smaller ones are fine with it if you ask.