Diefenbunker: Canada's Cold War Museum

I’ve visited some pretty unusual places before, but this one ranks near the top! The sheer scope of this “secret” facility — built in less than 18 months back in 1959 — is absolutely mind-blowing. The Diefenbunker offers a fascinating glimpse into Cold War history, and it’s incredibly well-preserved. Our tour guide, Graham, a retired CSIS IT professional, was a superb storyteller. His anecdotes, humour, and passion really made the experience come alive — the perfect guide for a place that was never supposed to exist! If you’re anywhere near Ottawa, this is a must-see.

The amount of Canadian history crammed into this facility is amazing. It’s extremely well laid out and very very informative. We learned a lot about the Cold War era from the Canadian perspective. I highly recommend this facility. The staff were very friendly and the price is quite reasonable.

This is one of the coolest places to explore in Canada. Visiting feels like stepping into a frozen time capsule. The atmosphere is very retro, with bright colours on the cabinets and flooring that create a cheerful vibe. The history behind the place is fascinating. We spent about two hours exploring all four levels on a self-guided tour. This was my second visit, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. The first (top) level is accessible, but we couldn’t take the stroller any further since there are no elevators. Moving between levels requires stairs.

This is trip to the past to understand better today’s events. Exiting walk trough the rooms where could be made so important decisions. It has much information about Cold War and the world of those years. Great museum which has to be attended!

Great museum, I've been coming to this area for decades and only last year found our how close the bunker was to us. If you like history museums then this one is a must see. Mostly intact and well preserved, it will take about 3 hrs to walk, see and read the contents of the 4 floors. Lots of free parking and you can go have an awesome lunch at the Cheshire Cat just down the road.

Very interesting and informative museum that was once used during cold war and has jot been used since the early 90s. It has level 4 underground, seems simple from outside but it will bring you to new dimensions.

This is a great activity. An amazing piece of Canadian history. More than a museum considering the facility was actually in service up until early 1990s. It is a huge complex and there lots to see, and get lost. I would recommend a guided tour, but planning enough time before or after to roam around on your own too.

Absolutely awesome tour! The bunker is in a time warp and the guided tour was extremely insightful on how soldiers and high command dignitaries as well as commanders operated in the bunker. The technology of running air and water systems was out of this world for the era of time. I would highly recommend the tour and a must see when visiting the Ottawa region! 10 stars if I could give it!

It was a trip back in time to a dangerous era in human history. Very interesting to see the construction and expectations of the site during that time period. The Entire bunker is filled with informative displays as well as an operating radio room with live communications using the old technology.

The Diefenbunker has been on my list of museums to check out for years. I absolutely love the 1950's era, and was in awe at how the whole bunker has been left untouched. From the pastel yellow and blue paint used to the decorations in each room, it was quiet the experience to look at, and a step back in time. Walking through the tunnel upon entrance was chilly, literally, cold. Bring a sweater. The temperature in the rest of the museum was fine. My 5 year old thought it was cool in the beginning, but got extremely creeped out mid tour, and decided it was time to go. My 2 year old loved it and was laughing the whole time. Keep in mind there is not much for children to do here, but walk, and look. Keep an eye out for the TV and green chair that is set up. They were rolling commercials and announcements from that time era. It was pretty cool to watch. Parking on site, bring a lunch as there is no food to purchase on site (that I could find anyways). 5 and under free entry.

Highly recommended spot for visitors or residents. Combine it with a stop in Carp village for a meal or snack. The museum is a superb combination of collection, presentation and setting - it will be interesting to boomers with memories of the Cold War but also to younger generations. Check out the special events options!

Great tour, neat site, the best tour guide! Definitely worth coming here, and I cannot imagine doing it without the guided tour. We learned so much from the guide, which was sweetened by him having worked here for 3 years when it first opened. I don't think there's another site like this in the world. Please, do yourself a favor --pay the money and schedule the tour ahead of time!

This tour/history/detailed information exceeded our expectation. Our tour guide was Gilles and he was excellent/ informed and humorous throughout our tour. Would highly recommend!

This museum was awesome! It was so interesting. Our guide Brian Jeffrey was so excellent - incredibly knowledgeable, informative and funny! Absolutely loved our tour and wished we had more time to explore. Highly recommend.!

Guided by Graham through the Bunker was an informative tour. Recommend it to all interested in Cold War history.

Excellent place to visit. We did our own walk around tour and it was really neat to see a nuclear bomb bunker that basically stayed as it was during the cold war. Each room has ALOT of memorabilia pertaining to and set up correctly. The staff were super friendly as well. They have a website that provides an audio tour or you can book one. Kid friendly and fully handicap accessible as well.

Real time capsule! Awesome museum, great collection and superb tour! Great and informative place, 3 hours were not enough to dive in the real 60s-80s atmosphere!

Good museum experience. The service here was wonderful because the staff here were extremely polite and nice and they did a good job on the tour I went on. The museum was good because it was untouched and in very good condition. The best room I saw was the Prime minister's bedroom. The museum was clean and there was never a mess. For the reasons I have stated in this review, I highly recommend you check this place out.

If you're an history buff this is a must visit. Lots of nostalgia here from the Cold War history. The command center for the government of canada if there was a nuclear attack. Not a difficult drive there, located in the city of Carp Ontario about 20 km approximately, west of Ottawa.

I'm so glad we made time to visit this museum. It's a little tricky to get to from Ottawa so we had to rent a car. I read other reviews that didn't recommend taking a Lyft or Uber there. The drive there isn't too bad. We spent several hours at the museum but had to rush a little at the end because it was closing. This museum is so informative and immersive, especially as a Californian tourist with limited knowledge of Canadian history. There were a lot of families visiting with kids while we were there. My SO and I came back in the evening for the escape room which we reserved online ahead of time. We thought we'd be the only ones but another group reserved it after we did so we became a group of ten. They have different escape scenarios based on your group size so it's fine either way. It's the world's largest escape room so traveling between rooms will take up some time when you're trying to escape. We got out with 1 minute and 1 second to spare. The employees were really fun to chat with and gave us some tips of where to go in Ottawa as tourists. As a museum, this is unique opportunity to learn history in a decommissioned Cold War bunker. It also helped visiting before doing the escape room so we were a little more familiar with the layout. I would recommend doing both for anyone in area or visiting.

The guided tour is really great, my girlfriend, my 2 children (7 and 11 years old) and I really enjoyed the visit. It's informative and very impressive to visit as a place. Well done to all the people who work there, you are awesome and cool!

This place is a nice little secret, and it has a lot of interesting history to share. There are options for guided tours if you want to go through quick, but you'll miss out on a lot of info. There is a lot of reading about all kinds of things from cold war and nuclear threats to planning, construction and medical care at the time. There are many displays showing what life was like for the staff that actually did work there, and really give contrast to how far technology has evolved. The vault 4 storey down was very cool to see. There are washrooms and even a chairlift for wheelchair access. The space is chilly, but comfortable. My wife and I spent over 3 hours touring and probably could have stayed longer but we got hungry and rushed the end. If you are the type to really immerse yourself, come well fed.

this was absolutely fantastic. our tour guide Brian was so knowledgeable and funny. I would highly recommend this when your in the area.

The Diefenbunker is a gem and a must-see if you visit Ottawa. It's a 4-story underground bunker built to protect the Canadian government during a nuclear attack. Visit the prime minister's office, see emergency escape hatches, tour the eerie cafeteria, walk through decontamination showers, see the CBC's disaster broadcast studio. It gives off surreal, Pripyat vibes. Amazingly, at the last moment, before it was flooded or its entrances filled in with concrete, it was preserved. Thank God. It's an invaluable time capsule, not only of Cold War history, but also of mid-century design and decor. It's very easy to get here from Ottawa, and the tickets are relatively cheap and help preserve the bunker, which gets no government funding. This is a labor of love for all who work and volunteer here. They even have working Cold War-era ham radio equipment. I wish I could give it 10 stars.

This was the best museum tour I've ever been on. Brian the guide was amazing. He was extremely knowledgeable and kept us laughing and guessing.

I had a tour there the other day and it was great! Our tour guide introduced herself as Kailey I think and she was really good about answering all of our questions. It's really nice to get to experience history like this! It's a really unique experience and I would suggest it to anyone visiting from out of town.

So much information here. We ran out of energy before we ran out of things to see. I highly recommend the tour. The tour guide provided a great personal POV on the time and the artifacts. Very knowledgeable. Funny too.

The Diefenbunker is a brief drive from Ottawa and was definitely worth our time. I've never experienced anything like it. We love forts, defense plans, and secret rooms so this was really interesting. First of all when you arrive it looks like no one is there. In fact we thought the place was closed because the ticket booth outside was shut down but then we realized the building doors were open and it lead to an underground world. Once we got past the long tunnel, our fears were calmed. Finally we saw another human being. The Diefenbunker is a popular place for field trips. There were a few school buses outside. We opted to take the self guided tour. Occasionally we ran into groups of school children in various rooms. It got very loud and crowded and we had to wait until they moved on to the next room. The place itself is quite amazing. It was built to be a refuge for government and military officials in case a nuclear war hit. Everything in the building are the original items. As you can see they pretty much thought of everything from radios, computers, phones, medical, food services, etc. Now decommissioned, it is a museum but could very well be the setting in a sci-fi movie or safe place from zombies. The place gives me the creeps but is really fascinating.

Our 14 year old grandson is a history buff. He thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Our tour guide was very well informed about the history of the museum. Very easy to spend several hours exploring the bunker, unless you are prone to claustrophobia.

We can't say enough about the Diefenbunker's children's birthday parties! Well-organized, affordable, and so much FUN! Each of our kids have had a spy party there over the years, and our most recent party (May 2023) had amazing hosts. Highly recommended!

always the tourist place I like to take visitors. never disappoints. the guide Brian was super funny and knowledgeable!

Very cool museum, especially since this was my first time visiting an underground bunker. Just entering through the blast tunnel in front was cool. Inside these sterile government rooms, there was actually alot to see and absorb. The bunker has about four levels, with the fourth and third floors being the most extensive, then the cafeteria, bar, and bank vault on the second and first floors. Give yourself plenty of time to read the information on the walls and to look around. I was most thrilled by the medical centre, the decontamination room, the War Cabinet Room, and the Prime Minister's suite. It's definitely worth the 30 minute drive outside the city if you haven't explored a bunker before.

I've lived in Ottawa my whole life and i just recently went down to the Diefenbunker. It's such a surreal feeling to be there, and you totally get transported to a time where the world felt in crisis and felt they needed a place to feel safe. If you're in the Carp area (or just looking for something different and fun to do) take a trip to the 'Bunker and explore it. There are some really cool events coming up too!

Graham was a great guide and the bunker was so interesting. If you get the time , definitely do the tour.

So interesting! I'm not someone who loves war museums but I did really appreciate this museum. It's about so much more than weapons and tactics. There's a bank, a morgue, a dentist and doctor office, a jail, and much more. It's like a human ant farm. See and appreciate all the items we need for a mini surviving civilisation. You can get a free pass from the library. It takes a little time to get here since it's in Carp and it takes a little while to visit, seeing as it's four floors. The staff is very knowledgeable and excited to impart their knowledge. They've refurbished the 'bunker to it's 1950s state so it's easy to 'put yourself in their shoes'. Enjoy.

This is a really neat time capsule of history. Everything in the museum is as it was when the Diefenbunker was created. The original bathrooms are still functional, the medical lab shows just how far we have come, and the history associated with the bunker is really quite sad; everyone who would have had a place in the bunker would have had to go alone - no family. What a choice! Recently they have set up an Escape room in the bunker. The adventure is for 12 people that split into three groups and all parts of the challenge must be solved to come together in one big finally to escape. It was really well done, and set up in a way that people can attempt the room more than once without spoiling anything! It's absolutely worth a visit just to take in the history. I believe they also do children's Birthday parties as there was a group leaving as we arrived. Bit of a drive - but totally worth it. Check out the Cheshire Cat pub in the same area while you are there: makes a good day out!

Why isn't this place advertised more?? My parents were in town and we were looking for things to see and do. We were grabbing random pamphlets at the downtown tourist centre and the name of this place, the Diefenbunker, grabbed my attention. It is a bit of a drive out of Ottawa, it is located near Carp. You will need a car to get there. We were expecting this place to be kind of lame, but honestly it was one of the best museums I have been to in Ottawa. Lots of information on how Canada reacted to the Cold War as well as information about how the bunker would have operated. You can walk into a lot of the rooms and see how things were set up. If you do go, make sure to get the audio tour. They give you this little ipod-like thing that has different tracks for each exhibit as well as little videos. It was really well done.

So much better than I expected. and definitely worth the drive if Cold War history (or Dr. Strangelove) is interesting to you. It really is a slice of what it would have been like for Canadians if "the big one" dropped. This is not just a museum, it is the actual bomb shelter and command headquarters where some 100 people reported for work every day during the height of the Cold War. Of particular note was the Prime Minister's bedroom (makes Motel 6 look like luxury), the vast computer nerve centre which has all the computing power of a modern iPod, and the gallows humour of the cafeteria signage ("You're lucky to be alive so just eat it.") The staff and volunteers are terrific. Some of the older volunteers actually worked there when it was operational! I've been to a lot of museums, seen a lot of historic sites, but I have honestly never visited anything like the Diefenbunker.

Although I'd been once many years ago, my memories were dim and I figured I'd be bored in minutes. Not at all! This place - while never actually used, of course - is fascinating. Of course, history enthusiasts know why they will like this place. But even those without a penchant for Cold War stories will be interested in the decor (stripes everywhere!), the bunks, the cafeteria, the hospital, the war room. Our tour guide was great, and the group was small; optimal question-asking time for curiosos like my family and me. Also, a great place for photo ops perched on bombs ;)

Such a cool museum. You get to walk around an underground bunker from the Cold War era. Lots of things to read and see. Child friendly.

Pretty neat to have a museum in a bunker... but it's lack luster as a museum. The opportunity to check out the bunker is where it's at with this place, but it's pricy and in the middle of nowhere. You can download an audio (with a few pictures) tour from their website for free which is about 90% of what we got on our guided tour. I agree with Laura S. about the surreal feelings, but I wish they would put a little more work into the exhibits or open more of the rooms to explore. This could be an amazing place if it had some oomph!

For a history enthusiast, visiting the Diefenbunker, named after Canada's post-war Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker, was a must-visit. It pays homage to Canada's part in the Cold War, and features artifacts from the Cold War period from the late 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. What is cool about this place is that it was originally built to withstand a nuclear attack, and was in fact a secret bunker. The structure and outline of the building definitely has that bunker feel from the outside, but they've done a great job of making it feel like a cozy (relatively speaking) museum from the inside. There are several archives, and a research library that has some fascinating material that one interested in the subject spend hours in itself. While there could be more archives and material, considering this museum is still relatively young (celebrating its 10th year), that is expected. It's worth a full day visit for Canadian history buffs, and a good one to two hours for non-history geeks.

Way cool place to visit. I didn't know what to expect when we first drove up to this building in a hill in the middle of nowhere. We chose to do a self guided tour and we rented the iPods (MAKE SURE TO BRING YOUR OWN HEADPHONES!). We explored every room we could of this elaborate, giant, structure underground. It is amazing to see the technology that went into the building, and how much technology has evolved since its construction. The self guided tour was perfect to listen to, no segment was too long or too brief. I felt that I had an understanding for each room and it's function for the worst case scenario that they were prepared for. Great time capsule for Canadian history!

Pretty neat place! This little known museum/former bunker is quite a gem filled with items from the last 50 years. It is a huge compound and the tour was surprisingly educational. If you are looking for something neat to do and see, go and visit this place. Well worth the short drive outside of the city.

The Diefenbunker is a unique institution in Ottawa. But if you want to see how Canada reacted to the Cold War this is the place. Designed to protect over 500 people in the case of a nuclear attack, it was supposed to enable the government of Canada to continue governing. Good for kids.

Fabulous place. Well worth the drive out to Carp. It's a time capsule - full of marvelous secrets around every corner.

My husband and I visited the Diefenbunker while on a recent trip to Ottawa. If you visit Ottawa and have a car, Carp (where the bunker is located) is about a 20 minute drive away and definitely worth it! It was a really great visit. We loved our tour guide but unfortunately can't remember his name. He mentioned he was retired and does the tours once a week on Wednesday's. He had a nice personality and gave us lots of information about the bunker. After the tour, you're free to explore the bunker on your own. This is such an incredible piece of history and it's well preserved. While it was built as a bunker between 1959-61 it was used as a military headquarters and people worked here for quite some time. Once it was decommissioned it was purchased for use as a museum and they researched and consulted with people who worked there back in the day in order to refurnish it as close to how it looked in 1961 as possible. It's a great insight into how Canada would have preserved it's government if a nuclear bomb were dropped. It's a series of 4 floors with a large cafeteria, bank vault, bedrooms, working rooms, morgue and food storage. A word for visitors - even in the summer I would recommend bringing a sweatshirt or sweater with you as the lower levels of the bunker get quite chilly.