Accessibility and easier-access visits
Halifax Citadel National Historic Site
Halifax Citadel National Historic Site offers a variety of experiences for visitors with different interests, abilities and accessibility considerations. The Halifax Citadel is a “living history site”, immersing visitors in the sights, sounds and scents of a 19th century fortification in the centre of downtown Halifax.
On this page
- Easier-to-access experiences
- Landscape and seasonality
- How to get around
- Sounds and scents
- Washrooms
- Adaptive equipment for loan and access features
- Service animals
- Free entry for support persons
- Contact us
Easier-to-access experiences
Start your visit at the Information Centre
We would love to help you plan your unforgettable day. Learn about daily activities and programs, pick up a map, and more.
- Wheelchairs or walkers with wheels are available to borrow
- Benches are located inside and outside the Information Centre
Guided Tour
Go back in time with a guide dressed in historic clothing. Learn fascinating history and hear accounts of daily life in 1869.
- Free with paid admission
- One section of the tour is only accessible by stairs (the dry ditch) – visitors can skip this section of the tour and rejoin
- Guides will try to accommodate accessibility needs
Private guided tour
Choose from a welcome tour, spirit-tasting tour, or ghost tour. Register at least 48 hours in advance.
- Contact us to discuss accessibility considerations
- Evening tours may offer a quieter experience because the grounds are closed
- Fees apply
Parade Square
The Parade Square is the heart of the Citadel! Living history interpreters bring the site to life through drills, rifle demonstrations, piping and drumming, and firings of the famous Noon Gun.
- Benches are available to relax on and watch history unfold
- An elevator to the upper level (ramparts) is available through the Fortress Halifax: A City Shaped by Conflict exhibit
New exhibit! Fortress Halifax: A City Shaped by Conflict
Fortress Halifax: A City Shaped by Conflict is the largest and newest exhibit at the Halifax Citadel. Immerse yourself in interactive multimedia displays.
- This is an air-conditioned interior space — take a break from the sun and crowds
- Wheelchair-accessible
- Exhibit includes video, audio, narration and tactile features, including: touchscreens, interactive displays and reproduction clothing that can be handled
- Washrooms are located about 80 m away (across the Parade Square, near the security office)
Visit the Army Museum
Stories of Canada’s soldiers on and off the battlefield. Current exhibits include “The Road to Vimy and Beyond” and the “Trail of the Canadian Army, 1939-1945.”
- This museum is located on the second floor of the Cavalier Building
- An elevator is located in the Information Centre
- Ramp from the museum doorway to the second floor porch
- There are benches inside the museum and on the porch
Lunch at the Coffee Bar
A variety of food and drinks are available at the Coffee Bar. Enjoy a historic menu option or a classic entree.
- Located in the historic Soldier’s Library inside the Cavalier Building
- Wheelchair-accessible
- Washrooms are 40 m away from the Coffee Bar (across the Parade Square, near the security office)
- Take your meal “to go” and enjoy a picnic on the grounds
Landscape and seasonality
Halifax Citadel National Historic Site is open year-round. The grounds and parking lot may be snow-covered during the snowy season.
May 7 to October 31: Full programs and services are available
November 1 to May 6: Limited programs and services are available
More details about seasonality
How to get around
Accessible parking is located near the front entrance kiosk (facing the Old Town Clock and Brunswick Street).
Distance from the front kiosk window to points of interest
- Parade Square (inside main gate): 60 m
- Information Centre and Coffee Bar in the Cavalier Building: 120 m
- Washrooms: 120 m
- Fortress Halifax: A City Shaped by Conflict exhibit: 130 m
- Noon Gun (including stairs): 100 m
Getting around
The Halifax Citadel has three levels: the Parade Square (main level), the ramparts (upper level), and the dry ditch (lower level).
More information about terrain, elevators and stairs
Sounds and scents
Expect sudden loud noises and the smell of gunpowder. Living history interpreters at the Halifax Citadel recreate the daily lives of the 78th Highland Regiment though:
- Military drill demonstrations
- Rifle demonstrations
- Pipe and drum concerts
- The daily firing of the Noon Gun (cannon) at 12 pm
Daily demonstration schedule
For more information, contact the Halifax Citadel Society: 902-426-1990
Quieter visits
For a quieter experience, consider visiting Georges Island National Historic Site. Georges' island offers living history interpretation without drill, rifle or pipe and drum demonstrations.
Washrooms
- Washrooms are only located in one place: across from the Cavalier Building near the front gate, next to the security office
- There is a ramp to the washrooms
More information about the washrooms
Adaptive equipment for loan and access features
You can borrow a wheelchair or rollator walker (walker with wheels and a seat) for free with admission, from May to October. This equipment is available "first-come, first-served" from the Information Centre. Call 902-426-1990 for more information.
More information about wheelchairs and walkers available to borrow
Service animals
Service animals are welcome, in the company of their handlers. Please keep service animals on a leash or harness during your visit.
Keep in mind that there is frequent loud noise from the living history demonstrations.
Free entry for support persons
Parks Canada offers free admission and access to programs for support persons travelling with a visitor who has a disability and depends on the support person to travel and experience a Parks Canada destination.
Support people may be family members, friends or aides from an external organization.
Many people with disabilities are independent and may make use of assistance from travelling companions but are not dependent upon it, in which case regular fees are applied.
Contact us
We welcome you to contact us for help with accessibility when planning your trip, and during your visit.
Parks Canada
902-426-5080
halifax@pc.gc.ca
Halifax Citadel Society
902-426-1990
info@halifaxcitadel.ca
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