Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Kingston sits where Lake Ontario narrows into the St. Lawrence River, and its grey limestone streets still carry three centuries of fort building, shipping and scholarship. It was the first capital of the united Canadas, a key naval base in the War of 1812 and the starting point of the Rideau Canal.
Kingston City Hall
Market Square
Bellevue House
Queen's University
+5 more places
Kingston is nicknamed the Limestone City for the heritage buildings cut from local stone, and almost everything worth seeing sits within a short walk of the harbour. Fortresses, a Martello tower, a former penitentiary and a university campus all share a compact downtown.
It also works as a gateway.
Completed in 1844 to a design by George Browne, this domed limestone building faces Confederation Park on Ontario Street and anchors the harbour. It is a national historic site, and guided tours run on weekdays through the warmer months.
Kingston City Hall was completed in 1844 and is a national historic site. Photo: DXR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tucked behind City Hall, this open square has hosted a farmers market since 1801 and is often described as the oldest continuously operating market in Ontario.
Market Square has hosted a farmers market since 1801. Photo: DXR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Reopened in late 2021 at the historic 1892 Kingston Dry Dock, this museum covers shipping and shipbuilding on the Great Lakes, including the former Calvin shipyard on Garden Island. It is an easy walk from City Hall, and an hour is plenty.
This Italianate villa, built around 1840, was home to Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, in 1848 and 1849. Parks Canada keeps the house and its gardens in 1840s style, with costumed interpreters in season.
Bellevue House was the home of Sir John A. Macdonald in 1848 and 1849. Photo: Skeezix1000, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Queen's College held its first classes in 1842, and the campus is a pleasant mix of limestone halls, ivy and lakeside paths. The Agnes Etherington Art Centre is the main gallery, and the small Miller Museum of Geology is a quick stop for rock and mineral fans.
Queen's University held its first classes in 1842. Photo: Unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Built in the 1830s on Point Henry to defend the Rideau Canal, the harbour and the naval dockyard, this limestone fort is staffed in season by the Fort Henry Guard in British uniforms, with live drills and cannon demonstrations.
Fort Henry was built in the 1830s to defend the Rideau Canal and the harbour. Photo: JustSomePics, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
One of the Martello towers raised in 1846 during the Oregon Crisis, Murney Tower stands at King Street West and Barrie Street and now houses a small museum run by the Kingston Historical Society. It is seasonal, and a visit takes about forty-five minutes.
Murney Tower dates to 1846 and defended Kingston Harbour. Photo: Pierre André, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opened in 1835 and closed in 2013, Kingston Penitentiary was among the oldest prisons in continuous use anywhere. The Penitentiary Museum in the old warden's house is open to visitors, and guided tours of the prison itself run seasonally, so book ahead.
Kingston Penitentiary opened in 1835 and closed in 2013. Photo: P199, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
The Rideau Canal runs 202 kilometres from Kingston to Ottawa through 46 locks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kingston Mills holds the first locks on the Rideau Canal from the Kingston end. Photo: William T. Clegg, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
The largest of the Thousand Islands is about twenty minutes from downtown by ferry, which runs year-round and also carries bicycles and cars.
The Wolfe Island ferry links downtown Kingston with the largest of the Thousand Islands. Photo: King of Hearts, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sightseeing boats leave downtown Kingston from Confederation Park from May to October, with trips lasting roughly one and a half to three hours, plus some sunset and dinner sailings. They head downstream past the islands and cottages of the St. Lawrence.
Kingston eats like the rest of Ontario, with a few local twists. Butter tarts, small pastry shells filled with butter, brown sugar and egg, fill bakery cases around town, and everyone has an opinion about raisins. Peameal bacon, the cornmeal-coated back bacon Ontario is known for, is the classic breakfast sandwich filling. Market Square is the spot to buy maple syrup directly from producers, and in autumn the orchards north of the city press apple cider and bake pies.
Popular dishes to try in Kingston
Downtown puts you within walking distance of City Hall, Market Square, the waterfront and the Queen's campus, so it suits first-time visitors and anyone arriving without a car. Barriefield, east of the LaSalle Causeway near Fort Henry and the Royal Military College, is a calmer base for travellers who want to reach the fort early. Portsmouth, on the lakefront west of downtown beside the penitentiary and Olympic Harbour, suits walkers, cyclists and sailors who like shoreline paths.
Where to stay in Kingston
Late May to early October is the main season, when Fort Henry, Bellevue House, Murney Tower, the Rideau Canal locks and the cruise boats are all operating. Summer brings the busiest crowds and the best festivals, including the Skeleton Park Arts Festival around the solstice, the Buskers Rendezvous in early July and the Limestone City Blues Festival in August.
Kingston lies on Highway 401, about three hours from Toronto and Montreal and two from Ottawa. VIA Rail serves the city from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, but the station is on the western edge, so plan on a local bus or taxi into downtown. Intercity coach services also stop at the bus terminal. The local airport has had no scheduled airline service in recent years, so most air travellers arrive through Ottawa, Toronto Pearson or Montreal and continue by road or rail.
Start at City Hall and Market Square, then visit the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes.
Spend the morning at Fort Henry, then drive or ride to Murney Tower and Kingston Penitentiary. Finish with a walk along the waterfront toward Portsmouth at sunset.
Take the ferry to Wolfe Island for a bike ride, or board a Thousand Islands cruise.
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