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City in Canada
Photo: Municipal Affairs and Housing, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kitchener and neighbouring Waterloo and Cambridge form a tightly-integrated metro area within the larger Region of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario. At the time of the 2021 Canadian census, the population of the city of Kitchener was 256,885 people and the population of the Region of Waterloo area was 587,165.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
A tower built in 1925 to commemorate the pioneers who first settled in this area in 1800, the first inland settlement in Upper Canada. A national historic site.
Beautiful park in downtown. The park was designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmstead, the same firm that designed Central Park in New York City. The park contains a large lake, a magnificent clock tower taken from the old city hall when it was demolished, a statue of Queen Victoria and a small restaurant that plays host to many musical acts among other things. The main entrance to the park is at the end of Gaukel St., only two blocks from city hall.
An attractive, post-modern building in the centre of downtown.
This is the venue where the K-W Symphony performs, and is also where Broadway touring companies perform. Located in the Civic Centre neighbourhood of downtown, beside the Kitchener Library. The hall was built to be large enough to perform Wagnerian opera, and seats approximately 2000 in a lovely setting with a very nice acoustic.
A small theatre providing inexpensive performances by small theatre groups. Located in the Civic Centre next to the police station and behind the library.
Concert hall under the stewardship of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, that houses the Orchestra’s offices, and is used for rehearsals and Youth Orchestra activities.
The museum features rotating & permanent interactive exhibits related to art, science and technology.
The gallery premiers and exhibits contemporary art of Canadian and international artists.
Chimes sound during animated shows with figurines of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The "stage" is in a cabinet over a building entrance.
Spring Valley Drive, off Wellington Street North. The boyhood home of William Lyon MacKenzie King, Canada's longest serving prime minister. Historic house is only open from early October till just before Christmas, but you can stroll the grounds year-round.
Schneider Haus National Historic Site
Built by pioneer founder Joseph Schneider, restored as a Mennonite farm home of the 1890s. Adults: $2.25, seniors/students: $1.50, children: $1.25, family: $5.
There are two museums at this address: Waterloo Region Museum is an indoor museum featuring exhibits on Waterloo's history. The 24-acre Doon Heritage Village is an outdoor museum with a collection of homes and buildings removed from elsewhere in Waterloo Region, restored and reconstructed as a 1914-era village.
Starbucks
This attractive heritage building was built in the Art Deco style in 1931 using cut granite and sandstone. Today, the ground floor is used as a Starbucks coffee shop.
The brick-and-stone station was built in 1897 for the Grand Trunk Railway. It was repaired after a 1908 fire and had further modifications in the 1960s. It is still an active station used for Via Rail and GO Transit trains.
Waterloo County Gaol
The Waterloo County Gaol was built in 1852, and the Governor's House was added in 1878, the latter being built in a rather cute mid-Victorian Italian Villa style. The jail is literally in the backyard of the governor's residence. Today the house contains Waterloo Region Crime Prevention office and the old prison houses the Provincial Offences Offices. There is a small courtyard on the west side of the prison building that contains a small garden that the public can see by looking through a wrought-iron gate. A larger courtyard today contains a parking lot. The building interiors are probably not open to the public.
An amusement centre, campground and conference/banquet venue.
Bavarian festival held annually in October; is the largest in the world outside of Munich, Germany.
A trail for hiking and bicycling that, when complete, will run along the Grand River through Kitchener, as well as Waterloo and part of Cambridge.
The Aud
The home of the Kitchener Rangers, an OHL (major junior hockey) team, "The Aud" often hosts other special events.
A diverse, week-long, multi-venue music festival that has something for everyone. International musicians converge to treat festival goers to all manner of fascinating sounds and sights. From grand scale orchestral performances at the Centre in the Square to sound installations to intimate late-night experimental performances, the festival provides entertaining and interesting fare for the open-minded music lover. Festival passes, individual performance tickets and free shows are available.
4 days, 5 stages, more than 60 shows!
The 1877 home of "Flax King" James Livingston, the castle has been restored as a museum. Of particular note are the ceiling and wall murals, painted using the trompe-l'oeil technique.
Farmer's market held on Saturday mornings in a modern building at the south end of downtown, about a 10-minute walk from City Hall and the bus station. There is also a food court made up of multi-cultural restaurants which is open every weekday. One local radio station, CJDV ("Dave FM") has a studio in the market, though they more often broadcast from their studio in Cambridge.
An authentic Greek restaurant. Established in 1995.
Sandwich shop with burgers and wraps, made fresh in front of you.
Great place for specialty coffee, lattes, and desserts. Relaxed atmosphere, a good place to meet up with and enjoy a conversation.
Korean cuisine. Affordable prices and a home-cooked feel to this small restaurant.
Many foodies agree that Cameron has the best dim sum this side of the Greater Toronto Area.
Not a full restaurant (and just at the edge of downtown) but a hip, funky place to have lunch. They have really tasty thin crust pizza.
Vietnamese cuisine. Possibly the best Vietnamese restaurant downtown. Try the rare beef pho.
A bistro focussed on local and fresh ingredients, under downtown's Walper Hotel, and spilling out on fine summer evenings to sidewalk tables.
Busy, urban locale with an all-you-can-eat sushi menu, Japanese mains & an extensive sake selection.
Laid-back nook for artisanal Japanese ramen, plus take-out, outdoor seating & vegan options.
Locally roasted coffee and comfort food.
Longstanding go-to for Italian cuisine. Started as a cozy 30-seat restaurant on Lorraine Ave in 1994; now in a much larger space on Fairway as well as a second location in Waterloo. The menu includes 20-odd pasta dishes complemented with chicken, veal, and seafood.
Laid-back pit stop featuring Southern-style BBQ, po' boys & seafood mains, with live blues music.
This tiny, hole-in-the-wall place—there's room for maybe three customers inside—serves truly excellent shawarma, falafel, and gyros. Takeout only; open late. Expect to wait 10-15 minutes at peak times.
Balzac's serves great coffee and a very nice atmosphere.
Great espresso bar.
Coffee shop and vegetarian/vegan restaurant.
Seasonal, direct-trade coffees are roasted on-site and served hot or cold in a hip cafe space.
This quirky cafe features coffee & eclectic breakfast & lunch mains with vegan options.
The Schenke Restaurant is open 6 days a week.
German-Canadian Hunting and Fishing Club
Most events take place at the Alpine Club.
40 taps of Ontario and craft beer, over 50 bottles of one-offs, hard-to-find selections and Trappist ales.
Log cabin decor, child-friendly.
Arcade bar with 20+ retro games and 12 rotating craft taps.
Modern pub with communal & outdoor seating, changing craft beers & ciders plus sharing plates.
Craft brewery with taproom and a retail shop.
Worker owned co-operative craft brewery with taproom, snacks & food (occasional food trucks on site), live music, and a retail shop.
Local brewpub chain pours its own beers & serves them along with comfort food staples.
Craft brewery with taproom and a retail shop.
Located inside the popular Graffiti Market restaurant, they are a craft brewery with a retail shop.
Taphouse, patio, and retail shop.
This is downtown Kitchener's only major chain hotel. It has a heated indoor pool.
In the middle of downtown Kitchener on a site that has been the site of a hotel since 1820, this historic hotel dates back to 1893. Its guests have included Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bob Hope, and Louis Armstrong. All of the hotel's 79 luxury rooms feature modern amenities such as wireless high speed Internet.
The largest shopping centre in the region, it is at the southern terminus of the ION light rail line.
This three-block section of Belmont Street is lined with storefronts, giving it a small-town feel. Here you will find a few antique stores, a few flower shops, and several niche stores, as well as other businesses.
at King St
Independent army surplus shop to purchase new or used army gear; camouflage pants, boots and supplies.
This women's clothing store features the dirndl, a traditional costume (Tracht) suitable for Oktoberfest. According to the window display, other Oktoberfest-themed knickknacks are also for sale.
By plane
By train
GO Transit customers are eligible to one free ride on Grand River Transit (GRT) vehicles (buses and ION light rail line) to and from Kitchener Railway Station.
By bus
By public transportation
Downtown Kitchener is fairly compact and walkable; thus, public transportation is mainly useful to go beyond downtown such as Uptown Waterloo.
By taxi
By ride hailing
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