Ottawa – The Enchanting Capital of Canada
Ottawa is the capital of the Canadian federation and one of the most historically significant cities in the former British crown colony. This stately city of Canada lies on the Ottawa River, which forms the border between Ontario province, the heart of British settlement, and Quebec province, the center of French settlement in this vast northern land. The Ottawa metropolitan area is divided between the city in Ontario itself and the French-speaking city of Gatineau on the river's northern bank. Ottawa developed as part of the construction of the Rideau Canal, which linked the river (flowing into the St. Lawrence at Montreal) with the eastern part of Lake Ontario. The canal's southern exit from the Ottawa River is the site of Canada's Parliament Building complex, the heart of the national government of Canada.
How many days should you spend on a trip to Ottawa?
For a trip to Ottawa, you'll need anywhere from half a day to a full day.
It's recommended to find accommodation in the center of Ottawa during your visit to the city.
Click here to check availability and prices for hotels in Ottawa…
What are the must-see and do activities in Ottawa?
- Confederation Square and Confederation Park
- The giant Peace Tower above the central building in the Parliament complex of Canada
- Bytown Museum and the Locks of the Rideau Canal
- Top-tier European (and Canadian) art at the National Gallery of Canada
- Dine at ByWard Market
- Shopping at CF Rideau Centre
- Canadian Museum of History (Musée canadien de l'histoire) in Gatineau, Quebec
What is Ottawa?
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada, the seat of the Canadian Parliament, and the residence of the Governor General, the representative of the King of Canada – the King of the United Kingdom. Ottawa is home to about 900 thousand people, and its metropolitan area (technically just the city of Gatineau in the province of Quebec) has about one million and two hundred thousand.
The city is located on the south (right) bank of the Ottawa River, within the province of Ontario at its border with the French-speaking province of Quebec. Due to its location on the border between Canada's two major population centers and its relative distance from the USA, it was chosen as the capital of the crown colony in 1857 by Queen Victoria.
When declared the capital, Ottawa was a large village inhabited mainly by families of British soldiers. They formed the core settlement in the city, having arrived due to the war with the USA in 1812. Irish immigrants joined them to participate in the construction of the Rideau Canal. Ottawa rapidly developed starting in 1831 with the completion of the canal, creating a water transportation link southward to the city of Kingston at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. In 1867, with Canada's declaration of independence from the British, Ottawa became the capital of the Canadian Confederation.
Click here for an amphibious bus tour through the streets and waters of Ottawa…
Map of Ottawa
How to get to Ottawa?
How to fly to Ottawa?
Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) – Ottawa's international airport is located south of downtown, about a fifteen-minute drive or a half-hour bus ride. It is the sixth busiest and largest airport in Canada and is conveniently connected with major airports in Canada and the eastern USA. The airport also has direct flights to major airports in Europe, such as Charles de Gaulle in Paris and Heathrow in London.
Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) Aéroport International Montréal-Trudeau – Quebec's main airport is located east of downtown on the island, just a fifteen-minute drive from downtown. It is the third largest airport in Canada after Toronto and Vancouver and one of the key hubs for the national airline Air Canada. The airport is well connected with airports in the USA, Canada, East Asia, and Europe. The airport is connected to downtown by STM buses. It also serves Ottawa, a two-hour drive from Canada's capital downtown.
How to reach Ottawa by car or train?
Ottawa is located on the Trans-Canada Highway Route along Highway 417, connecting it to Montreal in the east and Highway 7 connecting it to Toronto in the west. The central railway station of Ottawa is situated east of downtown, a ten-minute drive by car or slightly longer by bus.
When is the best time to visit Ottawa?
Ottawa is a city with four completely distinct and separate seasons, with winter being the most notable as the city becomes entirely frozen. Average temperatures throughout the winter are well below zero, making it extremely challenging to explore the city. Unlike winter, the other seasons are suitable for visiting the city, with the most recommended being summer, which, while the rainiest, offers pleasant to warm weather. Summer nights can be cool to cold.
The transition months, both spring and fall, are characterized by very rapid weather changes. March is still freezing, but by April and May, you can enjoy strolling the city, though you'll still need a coat. September and October are marked by drastic weather changes, with snow possible by November. During these months, there is a stunning fall foliage around the city.
Click here for a picturesque cruise on the Rideau Canal…
Everything you need to know about lodging and hotels in Ottawa
Ottawa isn't a large city, and most accommodations are concentrated near its downtown. Despite its small size, due to its diplomatic importance, a lineup of large urban hotels is located near the Parliament buildings, serving not only tourists but also mainly international delegations.
The hotels in the center of Ottawa are divided into two:
- Major hotel chains in downtown, in a grid of streets near the Parliament building complex
- Urban hotels, both three-star and boutique hotels, in the commercial Byward area, east of the Rideau Canal
Additionally, like in every North American city, there are dozens of good motels of all the American (and Canadian) Inn chains along the main routes leading to the city and near the airport. Most motels are located on Highway 417, the main road towards Toronto.
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Map – Where to Stay in Ottawa?
How to Plan a Trip Itinerary in Ottawa?
The location of Ottawa between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec allows for its inclusion in routes covering the main settlement center of the giant land, on the northern shore of Lake Ontario and along the Saint Lawrence River path. The travel itinerary in the industrialized and populated east of Canada includes Toronto, Niagara Falls, a cruise through the Thousand Islands on the Saint Lawrence River, a northern hop to Ottawa, an urban visit in Montreal, and from there continue east to Quebec City.
Exploring Ottawa itself is quite simple and mostly revolves around the downtown area, specifically where the Rideau Canal exits into the Ottawa River. The heart of the city is Confederation Square and the nearby Confederation Park, which house the National Arts Centre, The National War Memorial, City Hall, and the Rink of Dreams ice skating rink. From the square, Elgin Street, the main avenue of the downtown, stretches southward.
From the square, head to the Parliament of Canada, a complex of impressive neo-Gothic buildings that form the heart of Canadian state governance. From the Parliament Buildings, walk to the Bytown Museum, which tells the story of the nearby Rideau Canal's construction. At the museum, you can see the Locks (the connecting pools that compensate for water level differences) at the canal's exit from the river. From the museum, cross the canal to Major's Hill Park and head to the National Gallery of Canada, where there's a very impressive collection of paintings inside an equally impressive building. From the massive gallery, cross the Alexandra Bridge to Gatineau in Quebec and head to the Canadian Museum of History. For those interested in shopping or great local food, it's also worth visiting the ByWard Market east of Major's Hill Park and the CF Rideau Centre.
Everything to See and Do in Ottawa
The Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the most important state space in this massive country. The ensemble of Parliament buildings faces a vast green square. The Parliament consists of two houses – the upper (the Senate) and the lower (the House of Commons), presided over by the Governor General of Canada, representing the British monarchy. The head of Canada's executive branch is the “Chancellor of the Crown,” the official title of the Canadian Prime Minister.
The two houses of Parliament reside within the grand complex. Above the northern building (known as the Centre Block) rises the bell tower of the Victoria Tower Bell Monument or the Peace Tower Tour de la Paix, standing about 55 meters tall. The original tower bearing the name of the British Queen was completed in 1866 and has since become Canada's national symbol. It was consumed by fire on February 3, 1916, and what remains is the bell, now situated behind the central building, near the Ottawa River. Most of the Parliament building was destroyed in the fire, except for the elegant Library of Parliament. The Peace Tower, in its qualities, resembles Big Ben, mainly as a symbol of the connection between the Canadian capital and the United Kingdom.
The House of Commons of Canada is situated on the west side of the green square. Opposite is the East Block building. These two elegant buildings were completed as a complex with the central building in 1866 in an impressive neo-Gothic style. A little to the west is also the impressive neo-Gothic Confederation Building, which serves as the administrative center of the Parliament building complex. Across the road to the south lies the main office of the Bank of Canada, which also houses the Bank of Canada Museum. The museum features exhibits related to the development of the local currency.
Downtown Ottawa
The downtown towers of Ottawa stretch out, interwoven with the Parliament complex. Ottawa's city center consists of the downtown area and to its south, Centretown, which is bordered by a highway. Downtown hosts a collection of commercial plazas, office buildings, embassies, and large urban hotels that primarily serve the city's extensive diplomatic functions. Centretown combines commercial and residential spaces. The main artery of the city center is Bank Street, which runs south to The Glebe district, down to TD Place Stadium, the home of the Ottawa Redblacks, the local football team.
In the eastern part of downtown lies the popular Elgin Street, which in its northern part hosts important governmental and institutional structures like the City Hall, the large ice skating rink known as Rink of Dreams, and Confederation Square. Towards its southern end, you'll find shops, restaurants, fast food chains, and more.
Confederation Square and Confederation Park
Confederation Square is the heart of Canada's capital and an intriguing meeting point between a typical Canadian city and the governmental institutions to its north. The square balances the state presence of the Parliament building complex in the north, the urban presence of the grey City Hall and municipal courthouse to the south, and the cultural presence of the theaters complex adjacent to the Rideau Canal – the National Arts Centre.
The square marks the end of the commercial Elgin Street and culminates at the National War Memorial. The war memorial honors Canadian casualties of World War I and was completed in 1939. In later years, it was also updated to commemorate Canadian casualties of World War II and the Korean War.
Confederation Park stretches between the Arts Centre and City Hall, featuring several national Canadian landmarks like the Flags of Canada complex, which showcases the flags of the confederation's provinces and territories, as well as a variety of monuments and sculptures. Located at City Hall's plaza towards the park is the beloved ice skating rink – the Rink of Dreams.
Bytown Museum
The Bytown Museum is situated above the pool locks, or the Locks, that balance the height differences of the Rideau Canal at the exit from the Ottawa River southward. The locks separate the East Block of the Canadian Parliament complex from Major's Hill Park. This is the city's historic museum housed in the oldest remaining stone building from the period when the city was still called Bytown. The museum was opened in 1917 with the aim of preserving and commemorating the historic city of Bytown from the colonial era.
Address: Canal Ln 1, Ottawa
Click here for the museum's current opening hours…
Major's Hill Park
Major's Hill Park overlooks the eastern part of the Rideau Canal exit from the Ottawa River, where the Ottawa Locks are located. Opposite the park is a strip of forest down the hill to the riverbank, where there is a walking and biking trail that is part of the Trans Canada Trail. The park is surrounded by several key institutions, including the large American Embassy to the east of the park and the National Gallery of Canada to the north.
Adjacent to the National Gallery are the tall towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica from the mid-19th century. The church is the central Catholic religious authority in the city of Ottawa.
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada is the country's largest and most important art museum, serving as a Canadian counterpart to the eternal British institution in London. The massive institution was founded in 1880 and was initially located in what was the second building of the Supreme Court. It moved to its current home on the Ottawa River, at the northern end of Major's Hill Park, in 1988. The current building is one of the most impressive structures in Canada, a fusion of concrete and glass towers that bring in plenty of soft light into the exhibition spaces. The modern building was designed by the eminent Canadian-Israeli architect Moshe Safdie. At the entrance to the museum, you’ll find the Maman sculpture, or as it's called, the Spider of Ottawa. This modern sculpture is a colossal spider made of cast iron and has become one of the city's symbols.
The museum has almost a hundred thousand items in its collection, many of which are on permanent display in the large exhibition halls. The museum includes works by many Canadian artists, primarily in the modern field. The exhibition space is divided into sections of different periods, including huge exhibition areas dedicated to rotating exhibitions of contemporary artists.
In the European collection of the museum, there are some very famous works including:
- The grand masterpiece by realist Honoré Daumier “The Third-Class Carriage”
- The painting “Eve and the Serpent” by the German Renaissance giant Hans Baldung
- The famous portrait by the Venetian Renaissance giant Titian “Portrait of Daniele Barbaro”
- The painting “The Descent from the Cross” by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens
- The renowned “Triumph of Mordecai” by the Florentine Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli
The museum holds paintings by other giants such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt van Rijn, El Greco, Veronese, and more.
Address: 380 Sussex Dr., Ottawa
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The Canadian Museum of History (Musée canadien de l’histoire)
The Canadian Museum of History stands opposite the National Gallery on the north bank of the Ottawa River. This impressive modern building complements a significant sequence of national institutions in the triangle formed with the Rideau Canal's exit southward from the river, with the Parliament building on its southern side. The national museum is located in Gatineau, Quebec, connected to the National Gallery by the Alexandra Bridge. The museum opened in 1856 as a place bringing together and researching Canada's cultural history, including an anthropological and ethnological museum.
The collection moved to its current home in 1989 in a large, impressive modern building designed by Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal. Apart from the impressive modern building, it's worth visiting the museum to learn about the history of the giant country. The museum features permanent and rotating exhibits that deal with the local culture.
Address: Rue Laurier 100, Gatineau
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ByWard Market
East of the Rideau Canal, in the Lower Town district, you can find Ottawa's everyday life. ByWard is a rather dull commercial neighborhood east of Major Hill Park in Lower Town, centered around the ByWard Market or Marché By. The neighborhood is the traditional home of Ottawa's French and Irish residents, descendants of those who built the Rideau Canal. The area is filled with bars and restaurants, but its highlight is, of course, the market. ByWard Market is one of the liveliest places in the city, brimming with food stalls, prepared food vendors, and restaurants with plenty of character. It is one of the most crowded spots in Canada, loved by both locals and tourists visiting the city.
Click here for a guided culinary tour of the ByWard Market…
In recent years, the elegant CF Rideau Centre mall has been built in the neighborhood, quickly becoming one of the most popular spots in the city. The mall dominates the southern part of the neighborhood, adjacent to the Rogers Centre Ottawa convention center and the Rideau Canal.
