This Haunted Hostel In Ottawa Will Let You Sleep In A Solitary Confinement Cell

For those who wish that spooky season would last all year, there is an experience in Ottawa where you can spend the night in a haunted jail. The former Carleton County Gaol has been turned into a hostel stay with different types of rooms to choose from, each creepier than the next.

HI Ottawa Jail Hostel is said to be one of the top haunted places in Ottawa and is a unique place to stay overnight, sure to provide you with stories perfect for recounting around a bonfire.

The former jail is a massive structure, built to be on the same level as the courthouse. While the building was fearful, the living conditions of inmates in the 1860s were said to be horrifying and inhumane, which persisted until it finally closed in 1972. It was upgraded and transformed into a hostel, opening in 1973.

You can rest your head surrounded by thick stone walls and iron doors, some of which lock from both sides. You'll be mere steps from the Byward Market, Rideau Canal and Parliament Hill, but feel as though you're somewhere different altogether.

The eeriest overnight stay has got to be the solitary confinement rooms where you sleep in a three-by-nine-foot cell. There are traditional hostel rooms with four, six and eight beds, both mixed and female-only dorms. If you're booking with an equally brave friend they have double rooms and twin jail cells with space for two.

Your booking includes the room with wifi, complimentary breakfast, a shared kitchen, parking, access to a lounge area and a jail tour. You'll wander Death Row, retracing prisoners' final footsteps to the last working gallows in Canada.

Rates for the multi-bed dorm rooms start at $35 per night, with the confinement cell rooms starting at $60 and double rooms over $100 per night. They are currently closed, re-opening in the spring of 2023*.

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.

* This article has been updated.