Walking Tour Of Winnipeg Landmarks

ByDonna Janke Updated on
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Winnipeg sign in front of the Museum for Human Rights Building
The Loop walking guide takes you past landmarks in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

As many tourism boards across the world encourage people to become tourists at home and explore the treasures in their own communities this summer, Tourism Winnipeg has created a curated walking guide to see landmarks and attractions in my home city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Loop contains almost 60 points of interest in a 9.5 kilometre route. Tourism Winnipeg estimates it takes approximately 3.5 hours to walk the route which connects downtown, The Exchange District, and Old St. Boniface. For those who might prefer a shorter walk, I think the three sections could be done as individual walking tours.

Over the past several years, I have visited many of the listed points of interest. The following photos from my visits give a taste of what you will see on the walk.

Downtown Winnipeg

Glass and Tyndall stone Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the cabled Riel Esplanade Bridge
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, pictured here behind the Riel Esplanade pedestrian bridge, has become one of Winnipeg’s most iconic landmarks since its opening in 2014
Plaza are with covered canopy at The Forks, Winnipeg
The Forks, an ancient and modern meeting place, is a top Winnipeg attraction
A Beaux-Arts style train station constructed from Tyndall limestone in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Union Station, a rail terminal that opened in 1911, was designed by the architects of Grand Central Terminal in New York City and is a National Historic Site of Canada
A stone and wood gate from a former fur trading post in Winnipeg, Manitoba
The gate at Upper Fort Garry Heritage Park
A red brick Victorian mansion with wood wrap-around porch
Dalnavert, a Victorian mansion built in 1895 that is now restored as a house museum
A stainless steel sculpture in the form of a container emanating fog into downtown Winnipeg
emptyful, one of the art pieces in Winnipeg’s downtown Millennium Library Park, has also become an iconic Winnipeg image
A stone church with a round turret at one side
St. Mary’s Cathedral, built in the late 1800s
Neoclassical Manitoba Legislative Building behind Memorial Park in Winnipeg
Memorial Park in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building. The building was completed in 1920 (not without controversy) and the bronze Golden Boy statue was first gilded in 1951.

The Exchange District

The Exchange District is a 20-block area just north of Winnipeg’s downtown centre. It was the original centre of commerce and culture in the city and is now a National Historic Site. The area contains many heritage buildings and historic sites from the period of 1880 to 1920 and is currently an entertainment hub.

Note: With so much history in this area, there is lots to see here beyond the points listed on The Loop guide. Keep your eyes open for interesting architecture and historical plaques.

Facades if late 1800 buildings form the side of a new glass and steel building
The Red River College building exemplifies the mix of old and new in this district. Facades of historic buildings line one side of the newer structure. (The older buildings were no longer structurally sound, but their fronts were saved.)
A five-story brick building on a city street corner
The corner of McDermot and Albert was known as Newspaper Row in the late 1800s and early 1900s
A circle of grass in a city square with a modern stage at one end
The Cube Stage in Old Market Square, a popular site for outdoor concerts and festivals
A two story concrete Modernist building
Winnipeg City Hall, an example of Modernist architecture
Pantages Playhouse Theatre in Winnipeg dates to 1914
Pantages Playhouse Theatre dates to 1914
A weathered steel sculpture of a partially submerged, tilted streetcar
This tilted streetcar public art piece was installed in front of Pantages Playhouse Theatre in 2019 to commemorate the Winnipeg 1919 General Strike
Walking path lined with trees in a city park
Stephen Juba Park

St. Boniface

St. Boniface, located on the east side of the Red River from the downtown area, is known as Winnipeg’s French Quarter. It is home to the largest francophone community west of the Great Lakes.

Note: There are 11 points of interest listed on The Loop guide. Tourism Riel has a walking guide that covers 19 points of interest in the old St. Boniface area. The Tourism Riel Guide highlights a few more points of interest in the core of St. Boniface and The Loop takes you to a couple of other points. You may want to consider combining the two guides on your own walking tour.

Red brick and white stone City Hall with clock tower
Old St. Boniface City Hall
White oak log building with green trim housing St. Boniface Museum
St. Boniface Museum
Stone front of a former cathedral
Remaining stone facade of St. Boniface Cathedral which was destroyed by fire in 1968. The new church was built behind the facade.
Stone university building with rotunda tower
St. Boniface University, the only French-language university in Manitoba
A two-story wood frame house with wrap-around porch now a museum in Winnipeg
Gabrielle Roy House, a house museum where renowned author Gabrielle Roy grew up

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The Loop walking guide takes you past landmarks in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Photo essay of some of those landmarks. #Winnipeg #Manitoba #Canada #landmark

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2 Comments

  2. Great idea to divide this tour into three parts. It would be a lot to absorb otherwise. The Forks, to me, is Winnipeg’s premiere destination, especially now with its expanded outdoor seating.

    Reply