Spend a morning at Fort Henry and an afternoon inside Kingston Penitentiary, booking both ahead. On day two, take a Thousand Islands cruise from Crawford Wharf, then walk Springer Market Square, Bellevue House and the harbour. Save an evening for the free Wolfe Island ferry. Most sights run May to October, so plan around the season.
Updated · Wimup Editorial
Kingston was the first capital of the Province of Canada and still looks the part: grey limestone, a market square behind a domed city hall, and forts guarding the point where Lake Ontario becomes the St. Lawrence. It is a university town of about 130,000 with the Thousand Islands on its doorstep.
The stone fortress on Point Henry, built in the 1830s to guard the Rideau Canal entrance, is part of the canal's UNESCO listing. Come for the Fort Henry Guard's drill and musket demonstrations, and check the calendar for the summer evening Sunset Ceremony.
Canada's oldest penitentiary held prisoners from 1835 until 2013 and is now seen on guided tours, several led by former staff. Tours sell out in summer, so buy online before you arrive; the express tour runs about 45 minutes and the extended one two and a half hours.
Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises sails from the downtown wharf into the islands where the lake narrows into the St. Lawrence. Pick the longer Heart of the Islands trip for the cottages and channels; the shorter harbour cruise mostly shows the city and Fort Henry from the water.
The Italianate villa where John A. Macdonald, later Canada's first prime minister, lived in the 1840s, run by Parks Canada and furnished to the period. Take the guided tour for the house; the gardens and visitor centre are the free part.
A market has traded on this square behind City Hall for more than 200 years, and the Kingston Public Market still sets up on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from spring to late autumn. Saturday morning is the full version; in winter the square becomes a skating rink.
The provincial car ferry to Wolfe Island is free and takes about 20 minutes each way, with the best view of Kingston's skyline and Fort Henry from the water. Go on foot or with a bike in summer, when the car line on the island side can mean waiting for the next boat.
Queen's University's gallery holds the Bader Collection of Dutch and Flemish painting, with a Rembrandt portrait and three of his character studies among it. Admission is free; check which works are hanging, as the collection rotates.
The former Marine Museum, renamed in 2023, sits on the city's historic dry dock and now tours the S.S. Keewatin, an Edwardian Great Lakes passenger steamer. The ship is the reason to come; walk its decks and cabins before the museum displays.
Four locks at the southern end of the Rideau Canal, three of them in a flight, lifting boats about 13.7 metres through a granite gorge. Come on a summer afternoon to watch lockage by hand crank, then walk up to the blockhouse.
Kingston's first waterworks, a limestone pumping station from 1849, kept with its restored steam pumps and a room of model railways. It is a short, specific visit that pairs with the Great Lakes Museum a few doors along the waterfront.
Built in 1843-44 for a capital that moved on; a national historic site with guided tours.
A Martello tower standing in the harbour off Confederation Park, best seen from the shore.
Opposite the old prison, with confiscated weapons, escape tools and a warden's house.
Radio, signals and code gear on the army base; weekday opening.
An 1846 Martello tower in Macdonald Park, open in summer with its gun platform.
The harbourfront lawn facing City Hall, with the wharf, the marina and Fort Henry across the water.
Limestone shops, bars and the market around City Hall and Princess Street.
Victorian streets between Princess Street and the lake, with Bellevue House nearby.
The unfinished island castle on the US side; the Gananoque stopover cruise needs a passport.
Lakes and granite hiking trails about 40 km north of the city.
Canada's first railway tunnel, opened in 1860 and lit for a free walk-through.
Winter festival downtown, with skating on Springer Market Square.
Canadian features and shorts in downtown venues.
Ontario breweries pouring inside the walls of Fort Henry.
Four days of free street performance across downtown.
The Fort Henry Guard's drill, music and artillery, ending in fireworks.
Blues stages around downtown and the waterfront.
Readings and talks with Canadian and international authors.
Fort Henry's Halloween evenings in the casemates.
About 8 km west of downtown. Air Canada links it to Toronto Pearson by coach; most visitors fly into Toronto or Ottawa.
On the Toronto to Montréal and Ottawa line, north of downtown. Toronto is about two hours away; Kingston Transit route 18 serves the station.
City buses, including express routes, link downtown, Queen's, the station and the west end.
Downtown, the waterfront and Queen's are walkable. Fort Henry, Kingston Mills and the parks are easier by car or taxi.
Ontario's pastry of syrupy butter, sugar and egg, sometimes with raisins.
Fries, cheese curds and gravy, the late-night order on Princess Street.
Battered lake or ocean fish, a waterfront staple in summer.
Ontario's name for walleye, pan-fried and served with lemon.
Cornmeal-rolled back bacon on a bun, an Ontario breakfast.
The salad dressing named for the islands east of the city.
Eastern Ontario syrup on pancakes, best in the spring sugaring season.
Pinot noir and chardonnay from the county an hour west.
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