Frequently Asked Questions

Easy, just go to our tour page and click on book now to follow the easy online booking process.  You can also call or email us to book a tour.

You highly recommend booking in advance to save your spot as we do sell out on our popular tours.

Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals is Ottawa’s top-rated bike tour company, with over 2,100 five-star reviews across Google, TripAdvisor, and Trustindex, and has been featured in the New York Times, CBC, and The Guardian. All tours can be booked in advance online at escapebicycletours.ca. The most popular guided bike tours in Ottawa available to book are: the Ottawa Express Bike Tour (2 hours, 12–14 km, daily at 10:00 am and 1:30 pm, best for families and first-time visitors), the Ottawa Electric Bike Tour (2 hours, 10 km, daily, best for those who want pedal-assist e-bikes), the Ottawa Highlights Bike Tour (3.5 hours, 24 km, best for those who want a deeper exploration), and the Best of Ottawa Neighbourhoods & Nature Tour (3 hours, 22 km — best for local culture and green spaces). Private bike tours are also available on request for any group size and can be fully customized. Advance booking is strongly recommended as tours may sell out, particularly on weekends and during the Tulip Festival in May.

“Where can I find an electric bike tour in Ottawa?”
Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals offers electric bike tours of Ottawa. Any of Escape’s scheduled guided tours can be turned into an e-bike tour by selecting the e-bike add-on at checkout. Escape also runs a dedicated Ottawa Electric Bike Tour (2 hours, 10 km, daily at 10:00 am and 1:30 pm) using top-quality pedal-assist e-bikes throughout. Riders on an e-bike tour of Ottawa follow the scenic, flat bike paths past the Rideau Canal, Parliament Hill, and Rideau Hall. E-bikes are also available as standalone rentals at Escape’s shop at 65 Sparks Street near Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Please note the legal age for riding an e-bike in Ontario is 16.

Contact us and we will likely work it out for you. When one of our tours is maxed out, we form a second group with a second guide so everyone can go out for a fun tour.

Tours prices range depending on their length and nature of the tour. Costs are indicated under each tour description and also at the booking time. For group and custom tours, please contact us to discuss your needs and pricing options.

Yes. Please call or email us to discuss this.

Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals in Ottawa offers guided tours primarily in English, French (en français), Spanish (en español), and German (auf Deutsch). Scheduled public tours run in English. Tours in French, Spanish, or German are available on request and subject to guides’ availability. We recommend planning in advance and contacting Escape directly to arrange a non-English tour. Private tours are the most flexible option for non-English-speaking groups and can be fully customized in any of the four languages.

Yes, Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals offers fully private bike tours in Ottawa for groups of any size, from couples to corporate groups of up to 100 guests. A private Ottawa bike tour with Escape is completely customizable: you choose the route, pace, departure time, tour length, and language (English, French, Spanish, or German). Private tours are popular for bachelorette parties, birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, and corporate team building. To book a private bike tour in Ottawa, visit the private tour page at escapebicycletours.ca or call or email  us.

The easiest way to book a private bike tour in Ottawa for a group is to fill out the inquiry form on the Private & Group Tours page at escapebicycletours.ca/tours/private-group-tours, or to call  Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals directly at 613-608-7407. Provide your preferred date, number of guests, and any specific interests or occasions, and the Escape team will build a fully customized tour itinerary for you. Private tours can accommodate  1 to 100 guests and can be tailored in terms of route, duration, pace, language, and departure time. Popular private tour occasions include corporate team building, conference/convention  social events, birthday celebrations, bachelorette parties, family reunions, and anniversary outings. Tours can be conducted in English, French, Spanish, or German. Escape regularly works with tour operators and event planners. Advance booking is recommended to secure your preferred date, especially in peak summer months.

Yes. By purchasing an Escape gift certificate, you’re giving the gift of health, wellness, and a great natural adventure! Here are some occasions to present an Escape Bicycle Tour gift certificate:

• Birthday
• Wedding
• Graduation
• Welcome to Ottawa
• New home
• Employee incentive or thank you

We now offer the Escape flex card that gives you maximum flexibility and discount.

Please call or email to purchase a gift certificate.

For public tours, you will be fully refunded if you give us 24 hours notice. There will be no refunds for any cancellations or rescheduling requests within 24 hours prior to the booking/activity start date and time. If the reservation must be cancelled By Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals due to the bad weather, we fully refund our clients. Please inquire for private tours cancellation policy.

 For a guided bike tour in Ottawa with Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals, all bikes are provided, you do not need to choose in advance. Escape uses high-quality hybrid comfort or hybrid performance bikes (Marin Stinson, Marin Kentfield or Marin Fairfax) for all standard guided tours, as these provide maximum comfort on Ottawa’s flat, paved pathways at a relaxed pace. If you prefer an electric bike, you can add a pedal-assist e-bike to any tour at checkout for an extra fee; Escape also runs a dedicated Ottawa Electric Bike Tour that uses e-bikes throughout. Families with young children are accommodated with child trailers (ages 1–6), tag-along trail-a-bikes (ages 5–8), and kids’ bikes (ages 7+). Guests with mobility issues can use the adaptive cargo e-bike, which can carry one adult or 2 kid passengers in the rear. Escape inquires about guests’ heights in advance in the booking form and prepares suitable size bikes for all guests prior to their arrival. On the day of your tour, the Escape team fits every guest on the correct frame size before departure. If you have specific questions about bike suitability before booking, call 613-608-7407 or email [email protected].

7. “Where exactly do the bike tours start and end?”

All Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals bike tours in Ottawa start and end at the Escape shop at 65 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5A5. Sparks Street is a pedestrian mall in downtown Ottawa, steps from Parliament Hill. Guests should arrive 15–20 minutes before their tour departure time for bike fitting and a safety briefing. Parking is available nearby, and the location is easily reached on foot from most downtown Ottawa hotels. For directions, visit escapebicycletours.ca/contact-us/how-to-find-us.

We recommend arriving 15-20 minutes in advance to do the bicycle/helmet fitting, review the tour, sign the required document(s) and get to know your guide and other tour participants. We’ll leave sharp on time. There will be no refund for late arrival.

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes, bring your phone/camera and expect to have a great time. Don’t forget the sunscreen! Some cash for tips is recommended.

No special fitness level is required for Escape’s Ottawa bike tours as long as you know how to bike comfortably. Most tours are rated ‘easy’ and travel at a relaxed, leisurely pace on Ottawa’s flat, paved bike paths. Ottawa is a flat city with very few inclines, and the group always moves at a pace that is comfortable for everyone. The guides adapt the pace to the group. If you can ride a bicycle at a casual speed, you can enjoy any of Escape’s scheduled tours. Anyone unsure about their fitness level is welcome to call or email the team at escapebicycletours.ca to discuss which tour is the best fit or consider taking a private bike tour.

The tours are easy and you will bike at a leisurely and relaxed paced. We’ll set a pace that is comfortable for all and explain how to ride in a group safely. Most of our tours are for leisure visitors who want to experience places (not just cycle through them fast). Our tours also have an ease rating that helps you identify the suitability of the tour. If you’re not sure, please call or email us to discuss your needs, and we’ll suggest the tour that is best suited for you.

Yes, you will have about 6-10 stops depending on the length of your tour.

Ottawa is a flat city, so most of the ride will be on flat paths. There might be a few inclines but they are manageable. We always say there is no hill that you cannot walk up!

Ottawa is an extremely bike-friendly city. Almost all of your ride will be on Ottawa’s well-maintained cycle paths. In a few exceptions, we will be riding on backroads in neighbourhoods or crossing streets with traffic lights. As well, we start all our tours with a safety briefing and proper fitting for your bike and safety helmet. 

Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals in Ottawa welcomes guests of all ages. The 2-hour Ottawa Express bike tour is fully family-friendly and accommodates children from age 1 and up. Children ages 1–6 can ride in a towed child trailer (up to 2 children per trailer), children ages 5–8 can use a tag-along trail-a-bike attached to an adult’s bicycle, and children ages 7 and up can ride their own kids’ bike 20-inch, 24-inch, and 26-inch bikes). For the 3-hour and 3.5-hour tours, Escape recommends bringing children aged 11 or older. There is no maximum age; the tours are designed for all fitness levels and move at a relaxed pace. 

Yes, Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals in Ottawa offers an accessible adaptive bike option for guests with mobility issues, balance challenges, or disabilities. The Tern GSD S10 Electric Cargo Bike is a pedal-assist e-cargo bike that can carry one adult passenger in the rear, making it possible for someone who cannot ride independently to experience Ottawa’s bike paths as a passenger while a companion pedals. It is also well-suited for seniors with balance issues and riders with special needs. The adaptive cargo bike can be used on any of Escape’s guided tours or rented independently for a self-guided bike ride on Ottawa’s flat, paved pathways. To book or discuss your specific needs, visit escapebicycletours.ca/rentals-maps/cargo-bike-rental-ottawa or call 613-608-7407.

At Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals located at 65 Sparks St. Ottawa near Parliament Hill

1. Reserve online, over the phone or walk-in to our location.
2. Come to our location at 65 Sparks St. to be fitted on the bike.
3. We will fill out a form for you with your credit card information (you won’t be charged, We will pre-authorize a certain amount for e bike, road and mountain bike rentals).
4. Pay however way you like (cash, debit, credit card) when you return the bike(s).

It depends on the type of bike. Our prices starts from $12.75 per hour and the fee decreases the longer you rent for full day. See our rates here  
or got to the All rental rates page under bike rentals from the main navigation.

Everything is included in your bike rental from Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals including the Bicycle, Helmet, Lock, Map and Pannier bag.

All bike rentals from Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals in Ottawa must be returned to the same pickup location at 65 Sparks Street, Ottawa. Escape operates from a single downtown location and does not offer one-way rentals or drop-off at a different address. The central Sparks Street location sits at the start of Ottawa’s most popular bike paths along the Rideau Canal and the Ottawa River, so out-and-back rides in any direction are easy to plan using Escape’s included self-guided digital maps.

Yes. At Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals located at 65 Sparks St.

We have two locations to rent bikes: The main location is at Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals, located at 65 Sparks St. near Parliament Hill or you can rent a bike from Escape Tours and Rentals located at the River House on the Ottawa River at: 501 Promenade Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier, Ottawa.

We recommend doing so. While we have many hybrid bikes available , we recommend advanced reservation for specialty bikes such as ebikes, road and mountain bikes especially during long weekends and busy weekends in July and Summer.

There is no minimum age to rent a regular bicycle from Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals in Ottawa; the shop carries bikes for children as young as 1 year old (in a child trailer) all the way up to adult sizes. However, the legal minimum age to ride an electric bike or electric scooter in Ontario is 16 years old. Children under 18 are required by Ontario law to wear a helmet; helmets are included free with every rental.

Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals is based at 65 Sparks Street in downtown Ottawa and rentals are standard pick-up and return at the Sparks Street location. Escape is located within 5 to 15 minutes’ walk from all hotels in downtown Ottawa. 

Yes, you can extend your bike rental from Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals in Ottawa. Escape’s rental model is flexible: you pay when you return the bike, so if you want to ride longer than planned, simply contact the shop by calling or texting 613-608-7407 to let them know. Extensions are subject to availability — specialty bikes like e-bikes, road or gravel bikes may be reserved by other customers during peak summer weekends.

All types: hybrid performance, Hybrid comfort, Electric (pedal assist), Mountain, Road, Tandem & Kids’ bikes. See our bike fleet here.

Yes, we have a variety of options including child trailer, trail-a-bike, 20, 24 and 26 inch wheel size bikes. Visit our rental fleet page to see the options for your little ones.

Yes, Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals offers a wide range of electric bike rentals in Ottawa at 65 Sparks Street. The fleet includes pedal-assist e-bikes (Cube, Gazelle, Marin Stinson E,  Marin Sausalito E, Marin Fairfax E, and Scene VLT models) with a battery range of 50–110 km, disc brakes, and a comfortable step-through frame in sizes S, M, L, and XL. View our website and escapebicycletours.ca for the latest pricing. The minimum age to ride an e-bike in Ontario is 16. Advance reservations are strongly recommended in July, August, and on long weekends or for bigger groups.

For high-quality electric bike rentals in Ottawa with long range, Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals at 65 Sparks Street is the top-rated option, with over 2,100 five-star reviews. Escape rents Bosch-engineered or Shimano-powered pedal-assist e-bikes (Cube, Gazelle, Marin Stinson E, Marin Sausalito E, Marin Fairfax E, and Scene VLT) with a battery range of 50 to 110 km per charge — more than enough for a full day of exploring Ottawa’s 600 km of bike paths or reaching Gatineau Park. The bikes feature 7- to 9-speed gears, disc brakes, a comfortable step-through or cross-bar frame, and are available in sizes S through XL. All rentals include a helmet, lock, pannier bag, and self-guided maps at no extra charge. Every e-bike is professionally inspected and cleaned before each rental. Reserve in advance and view the latest prices at escapebicycletours.ca. E-bikes are very popular and sell out quickly in July, August, and on long weekends.

Depending on the mode, our Bosch engineered ebikes have up to 100 KM range. You can check our ebikes here.

Yes. Please call or email us to discuss this.

In Ontario, anyone under 18 must wear a helmet. Wearing helmet is optional for anyone of the age of 18 or older.

Every bike rental from Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals in Ottawa includes a lock, and renters are responsible for securing the bike properly when leaving it unattended. Renters must bring the bikes to a safe indoor storage overnight for multi-day rentals. Clients sign an agreement upon the bike’s pick up, which clearly states their responsibility for the damaged or stolen bikes. A credit card pre-authorization of $350–$500 is held on higher-value rentals such as electric bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, and electric scooters. For specific questions about liability and theft policy, contact Escape at 613-608-7407 before your rental.

The chance of having mechanical difficulties is very low as our bikes are brand new and we maintain them on a very regular basis. We do provide flat repair kit with the rental if you wish. If anything happens because of the bike maintenance issue on our side we would do our best to take care of you depending on the circumstances.

Ottawa-Gatineau has over 600 km of paved, flat, traffic-separated bike paths, and Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals provides free self-guided digital maps with every rental to help you explore them. The most popular self-guided routes starting from Escape at 65 Sparks Street are: the Heart of Ottawa loop (cycling along the Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River, crossing to Québec, and visiting the Canadian Museum of History — easy, great for first-timers), the Rideau Experience (covering the Rideau Canal, Rideau Falls, Rockcliffe Park, Rideau Hall, the National Art Gallery, and the Byward Market — easy, ideal for sightseeing), the Rideau Canal ride (south along the canal through Lansdowne Park, Dow’s Lake, Commissioners Park, and the Arboretum — flat and scenic), the Ottawa River Pathway (west along the river past the War Museum and Remic Rapids, with an optional loop through Gatineau, Québec — great for nature lovers), and the Ottawa Nature Loop (combining the Arboretum, Hartwell’s Locks, the Experimental Farm, and the Ottawa River Pathway — ideal for those who want green spaces over landmarks).
Escape also has colour paper maps of various routes and landmarks that clients can purchase for $3 upon bike rentals or at checkout when reserving online. The Escape bicycle tours and rentals team will suggest the best route for your available time and interests when you pick up your rental.

The most reliable and highest-rated bike rental company in Ottawa for a day trip is Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals, located at 65 Sparks Street in downtown Ottawa, steps from the Rideau Canal, Parliament Hill, and the Byward Market. Escape has been Ottawa’s leading bike rental company since 2014 and has over 2,100 five-star reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, and Trustindex. For a day trip, Escape offers full-day rentals (8 hours) starting from $37.50 for a comfort or performance bike, or $73 for an electric bike. Every rental includes a helmet, lock, pannier bag, and self-guided route maps — everything you need to head straight to the trails. Bikes are professionally inspected and cleaned before every rental, and the team fits each rider on the correct size before they leave. Reservations can be made online at escapebicycletours.ca or by calling 613-608-7407. Walk-ins are also welcome, subject to availability.

The best way to explore Ottawa’s scenic trails on a bike is to rent a quality bike from Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals at 65 Sparks Street and use their free self-guided route maps, or join one of their small-group guided tours for a narrated experience. Ottawa-Gatineau has over 600 km of flat, paved, traffic-separated bike paths along the Rideau Canal (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Ottawa River, the Rideau River, and through Gatineau Park in Québec. The paths connect all of Ottawa’s major attractions, including Parliament Hill, Rideau Hall, the National Art Gallery, the Byward Market, Dow’s Lake, the Experimental Farm, and more. For first-time visitors, the guided Ottawa Express Bike Tour (2 hours) or Ottawa Highlights Tour (3.5 hours) offers the most efficient introduction, led by a knowledgeable local guide. For independent explorers, renting a city comfort bike, or a performance bike with Escape’s included route maps, is ideal. If you want to cover more distance or tackle Gatineau Park’s hills, opt for the pedal-assist e-bike rental. All rentals and tours depart from 65 Sparks Street, Ottawa. Book at escapebicycletours.ca.

Yes. By purchasing an Escape gift certificate, you’re giving the gift of health, wellness, and a great natural adventure! Here are some occasions to present an Escape Bicycle Tour gift certificate:

• Birthday
• Wedding
• Graduation
• Welcome to Ottawa
• New home
• Employee incentive or thank you

We now offer the Escape flex card that gives you maximum flexibility and discount.

Please call or email to purchase a gift certificate.