Weekend Getaway from Ottawa: Gananoque & Kingston
- natashazinkie
- Aug 27, 2025
- 5 min read
Looking for a quick weekend escape from Ottawa? Gananoque and Kingston can make the perfect mini escape. Just a short drive away, but full of charm and a bucket-list-worthy adventure you don't want to sleep on.
Here’s how I spent 48 hours exploring the Thousand Islands and Kingston’s waterfront.
Day 1: Ottawa ➝ Kingston
🚗Late Afternoon: Road Trip
Head straight to Kingston after work. It is an easy 2 hour drive that is definitely manageable before dinner time.
Full disclosure: We had friends in town so we had a place to stay but you could 100% opt to simply head up Saturday morning instead or snag a hotel in Kingston. Pick your poison.
Evening: Dinner and Drinks
Grab a meal downtown Kingston, where the energy is lively and the waterfront is close by! We opted for Wooden Head Gourmet Pizza
Wood fired pizza, a welcoming patio and local wine. Enough said.
Pizza not your thing? Try Tango Nuevo (another favourite of mine)
Seriously good tapas, think innovative and shareable plates plus delicious drinks!
Pro Tip: Make a reservation, I mean it, especially on weekends!
🍺Night Stroll and Nightcap
After dinner, I highly recommend walking the lit-up waterfront. Especially beautiful if you can catch the sunset! We did this weekend getaway late September so we weren't so lucky.
If you are feeling good, maybe slide into the Merchant Taphouse for a pint before calling it a night! Kingston is a lively student-city, so you can count on the pubs, bars and restaurants being energetic and full of weekend vibes.
Day 2: Kingston ➝ Gananoque
🍳Morning: Boats and Brunch
We started our morning off with a fun diner brunch at Tommy’s. This quintessential 50's style diner offers all day breakfast (and yes, the pancakes🥞 are exactly what you are picturing).
As a local Ottawa girl, I have very fond memories of visiting friends at Queens University in Kingston and grabbing breakfast at this very joint the next morning! So while I might be biased, this gets bonus points for nostalgia ✔️.
🌊Afternoon: Ships and Sips
Before heading to Gananoque, take a walk along the waterfront in the daylight. Enjoy the lake views, fresh air, and a chance to stretch your legs while enjoying what Kingston has to offer (and trust me it is a more than you might initially think!).
Kingston has a great mix of historic stone buildings and a lively university-town energy. You can spend the afternoon walking the Waterfront Pathway, seeing the S.S. Keewatin, the PumpHouse and seeing the Kingston Yacht Club. Plus you can browse boutiques, popping into little cafés, and enjoy one of the many parks (Battery Park, MacDonald Park or Breakwater Park) while soaking in the lakefront atmosphere.
If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, hit up local Kingston café: SENS café. They have exceptional coffee and delicious treats.
With cappuccino ☕ in hand and sunshine on our faces, we enjoyed a perfectly slow September afternoon by the waterfront.
Late Afternoon: Destination Gananoque
A short drive will take you back to Gananoque (just under 30 minutes). We opted to head over shortly after our hotel check-in time around 4:30pm. The drive is super manageable so you do not need to worry about putting a time crunch on your afternoon in Kingston.
We stayed at the Gananoque lnn. I can’t lie the Inn was nothing fancy, and more than a little bit kitchy (think bathtub in the middle of the bedroom vibes 🤔). I won't be raving about it but it was a convenient place to rest our heads.
Just putting it out there — there are many other cute B&B options nearby too.
You do you folks.
Once you are settled, go explore the Gananoque waterfront (before or after dinner). Gananoque has absolutely stunning views of the St. Lawrence and loads of walking areas/parks. Grab an ice cream and relax!
End your night with a dinner in town at one of the local favourites:
Riva: Rustic italian fare served in a brick walled house or on their garden patio
Stonewater Pub: charming pub known for its ambiance and live music
The Purple House Cafe: wood fired pizza, garden patio and casual vibes
Day 3: Gananoque ➝ Ottawa
🚁Morning: The Main Event
This is the morning the whole weekend is truly all about. The main event is a helicopter ride over the Thousand Islands 📣.
Our Inn provided us with a classic diner breakfast (most places are B&B style so you won't be left hanging either) before we headed out for our tour. The pick up point for this tour was only a 7 minute drive from Gananoque's waterfront, the convenience was unmatched.
We scheduled a 10:30am Sunday morning 1000 Islands Seaway and Cider Tour for ourselves.
Believe me when I say that the best way to enjoy the beauty of the thousand islands seaway is with a bird's eye view. Flying above the St. Lawrence, you can really see how endless the islands feel, appreciate the tiny cottages, winding channels, and even castles dotting the water below. It’s the kind of experience that gives you goosebumps and is a bucket-list adventure.
Details:
Helicopter tour equal to 30 minutes of private flight time
This is broken up into 2 rides, a longer stretch over the waterway as you meander to see all the thousand islands highlights and a second shorter ride back after lunch
Tour of BUSL Cidery
Lunch and a flight of cider
Helicopter tour
The helicopter ride alone was worth it. We had the best pilot who gave us a few extra laps and pointed out all the amazing scenery. The photos and videos speak for themselves.
The return trip was a bit more direct taking about 12 minutes instead of 25 on the way over. Overall I think we wound up with closer to 40 minutes of flight time in total!
Tour and Lunch
The destination of the tour was BUSL Cider🍎. Our pilot landed us right into the field of the cidery and someone was waiting for us to give us a tour of the cidery. When we were done we had our pick for lunch and flights of 4 different ciders.
Our flight of crisp ciders paired perfectly with wood-fired pizza. Plus we were told we could take as long as we wanted for lunch so we spent some time strolling through cidery and the surrounding yards. Once we were done, we let our pilot know (he hung around and was easy to find) and we took off with our purchases in tow!
Late afternoon: Homeward bound
The road trip home to Ottawa was quick and easy (1.5 hours), leaving us with that “refreshed but not exhausted” weekend-trip feeling.
This itinerary is truly the perfect 48 stress free hours away from the city. Kingston and Gananoque have a much slower pace to them, which is lovely and refreshing. Plus a once in a lifetime helicopter tour?? Sign me up again, it was worth every single penny.
I still think about as one of the easiest mini getaways we ever decided to do!
✅ Weekend Getaway Tips
Book your helicopter tour ahead of time (prime weekend slots fill quickly).
Gananoque is small and walkable book a place to sleep in advance since there are limited options.
In Kingston, make a dinner reservation if you’re eyeing a popular spot (especially on the weekend).
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