Canada
Ottawa
Parliament Hill above the river, the Rideau Canal through the middle, and a winter when the whole canal becomes a skating rink.
Canada's capital sits where the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal meet the Ottawa River, with Quebec's Gatineau just across the water. Parliament Hill's Gothic Revival towers crown a bluff above the river, and the 19th-century Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, runs through the middle of town. It is a compact, green, bilingual city of national museums, riverside pathways and a busy old market, and in deep winter the canal freezes into one of the longest skating rinks in the world.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
English, French
Currency
CAD
Timezone
UTC-4
Why you'll love Ottawa
Parliament Hill The Peace Tower and the Gothic Revival parliament buildings stand on a bluff above the Ottawa River, with lawns open to everyone
The canal The Rideau Canal cuts through downtown between tree-lined pathways, busy with cyclists and boats in summer and skaters in deep winter
Museums The national collections are here, from the National Gallery to the Canadian Museum of History facing Parliament across the river
Two cities, two languages Cross a bridge to Gatineau and you are in French-speaking Quebec, with Gatineau Park's forested hills a short ride beyond
Best time to visit
May-Oct
13-27° days
45.421° N, 75.690° W
UTC-4 · America/Toronto
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Weather & when to go to Ottawa
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best May-Oct
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Ottawa
November to March is long, dark and bitterly cold, with deep snow and frequent deep-freeze spells, though mid-winter is also when the canal opens for skating and the city holds its Winterlude festival. Summer is warm and can be humid; late spring brings the tulips and autumn brings fiery colour to Gatineau Park.
Top things to do in Ottawa
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Parliament Hill - the Peace Tower and the Hill
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe seat of Canada's government stands on a bluff above the Ottawa River, its Centre Block and Peace Tower rebuilt after a fire in 1916. Centre Block is closed for a long restoration, so tours run through the temporary chambers, while the grounds host the Changing of the Guard on summer mornings and a sound-and-light show on summer nights.
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Rideau Canal - walk, cycle or skate the canal
history scenic 👍 PopularOpened in 1832 and still worked by hand-cranked locks, the canal runs from the flight of eight locks beside Parliament south through the city. Pathways line both banks for walking and cycling, and in the coldest weeks of winter the frozen canal becomes the Rideau Canal Skateway, lined with warming huts and stalls selling BeaverTails.
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ByWard Market - Ottawa's old market district
food shopping 👍 PopularOne of Canada's oldest public markets, trading since the 1820s, with produce and craft stalls in summer and a dense grid of restaurants, bars and patios around it. The fried BeaverTails pastry is the local obligation, and the quarter stays busy well into the night.
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National Gallery of Canada - glass and granite on the river
culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedMoshe Safdie's glass-towered gallery looks across to Parliament and holds the country's national art collection, strongest in Canadian and Indigenous art, from the Group of Seven to contemporary work. Louise Bourgeois's giant spider sculpture, Maman, stands on the plaza outside.
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Canadian Museum of History - across the river in Gatineau
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedDouglas Cardinal's flowing, curved building on the Gatineau shore faces Parliament Hill across the river. Its Grand Hall of towering Pacific Coast totem poles and house fronts is the showpiece, alongside galleries on Canadian history and First Peoples.
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Canadian War Museum - Canada at war
historyA stark, angular building west of downtown tells the story of Canadian conflict from early wars through the World Wars and peacekeeping, with tanks, artillery and personal stories. A single window in Memorial Hall is aligned so sunlight falls on the Unknown Soldier's headstone at 11 am on Remembrance Day.
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Canada Aviation and Space Museum - the national aircraft collection
historyA huge hangar at the old Rockcliffe airfield holds one of the most complete aircraft collections in the world, from early bush planes to jets and a piece of the Avro Arrow story. A good pick for families.
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Diefenbunker - the Cold War bunker
historyIn the village of Carp west of the city, a vast four-storey underground bunker built to shelter the government in a nuclear war is now Canada's Cold War Museum. Walk its blast tunnel, war cabinet room and the vault meant for the Bank of Canada's gold.
Best areas to stay in Ottawa
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
ByWard Market and Lowertown
First-time visitors $$Historic market quarter, lively after dark
Explore hotels in ByWard Market and Lowertown →
Centretown
Central convenience $$Downtown core of offices and Bank Street
Explore hotels in Centretown →
The Glebe
Couples and families $$Leafy canal-side streets and boutiques
Explore hotels in The Glebe →
Westboro
Longer stays $$Village-style west end near the river
Explore hotels in Westboro →
Hull, Gatineau
Museums and park access $$French-speaking old town across the river
Explore hotels in Hull, Gatineau →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Ottawa
Getting to & around Ottawa
Getting there
Fly into Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International (YOW), about 20-25 minutes south of downtown by car; VIA Rail trains link the city with Montreal and Toronto
Flight
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW)
The airport sits on the southern edge of the city, about 20-25 minutes from downtown by taxi or ride-hailing. An O-Train airport link connects to the city's light rail with a change, and OC Transpo buses also run in.
Train
Ottawa Station
VIA Rail runs frequent trains from Montreal in about 2 hours and from Toronto in around 4-5 hours; the station is east of downtown, a short O-Train ride in
Coach
Intercity coaches connect Ottawa with Montreal, Toronto and Kingston
Drive
Highway 417 comes in from Montreal and Highway 416 links south to the 401 corridor toward Toronto
Getting around
O-Train
The Confederation Line light rail runs east-west under downtown, with stops near Parliament, the Rideau Centre and the train station
TBC
OC Transpo bus
City buses fill the gaps across Ottawa; STO buses serve Gatineau across the river
TBC
Bike
Riverside and canal pathways make cycling one of the best ways to see the city from spring to autumn
TBC
Walking
Parliament, the ByWard Market, the National Gallery and the canal locks sit within a few minutes of each other
Free
Day trips from Ottawa
Gatineau Park
Half dayForested hills and lakes
Wooded hills rising just north of Gatineau, with the Champlain Lookout over the Ottawa Valley, the green waters of Pink Lake, the Mackenzie King Estate and trails for hiking and cycling. Autumn colour here is superb, and cross-country skiers take over in winter.
Getting there
car
About 20-30 minutes by car or bike from downtown across the river
Wakefield
Half dayRiver village
A small, arty village on the Gatineau River with a red covered bridge, cafes, galleries and a riverside main street, a favourite escape from the capital for a lazy afternoon.
Getting there
car
About 30-40 minutes by car up the Gatineau River valley
Parc Omega
Half dayDrive-through wildlife park
Drive through forest and meadow as elk, deer, bison and wild boar come up to the car, with walking trails past wolves and black bears. A family favourite, often combined with a look at the huge log Chateau Montebello nearby.
Getting there
car
About 1 hour by car east along the Ottawa River to Montebello
Upper Canada Village
Full dayLiving history village
A recreated 1860s Ontario village of working mills, trades and farms, built from historic buildings rescued when the St Lawrence Seaway flooded their towns. Costumed interpreters run it through the warmer months.
Getting there
car
About 1 hour by car south to the St Lawrence near Morrisburg
Kingston and the Thousand Islands
1-2 daysHistoric lakeside city
Kingston, the Rideau Canal's southern end, has limestone streets, Fort Henry and a lakefront on Lake Ontario, and boat cruises from nearby Gananoque wind through the Thousand Islands of the St Lawrence.
Getting there
car | bus | train
About 2 hours by car, coach or train southwest
A little history of Ottawa
The Ottawa River was a highway of the Algonquin Anishinaabe long before Europeans arrived, and Champlain passed the Chaudiere Falls in 1613. Settlement came with the Rideau Canal: Lieutenant-Colonel John By began building it in 1826 as a military route safe from the United States, and the workers' town that grew around it was called Bytown. Timber from the Ottawa Valley made it a rough lumber town.
Renamed Ottawa in 1855, it was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1857 as capital of the Province of Canada, a compromise between Toronto, Montreal, Kingston and Quebec City, and became capital of the new Dominion in 1867. The Centre Block burned in 1916 and was rebuilt with the Peace Tower. The Dutch royal family, sheltered here in the Second World War, sent the tulips that still bloom each spring.
Samuel de Champlain travels up the Ottawa River past the Chaudiere Falls
Lieutenant-Colonel John By begins the Rideau Canal and the settlement of Bytown grows around it
The Rideau Canal opens between Bytown and Kingston
Bytown is incorporated as the City of Ottawa
Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as capital of the Province of Canada
Confederation makes Ottawa the capital of the new Dominion of Canada
Fire destroys the Centre Block of Parliament; it is rebuilt with the Peace Tower, completed in 1927
The Netherlands sends the first gift of tulips in thanks for sheltering its royal family in the war
The Rideau Canal is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Know before you go
Payment
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Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type A / B
120 V, 60 Hz
Dialing
+1
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
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FAQs about Ottawa
▸ When is the best time to visit Ottawa?
May to October is the comfortable season, from the spring tulips through warm, sometimes humid summers to the autumn colour in Gatineau Park. November to March is bitterly cold and snowy, though the deepest part of winter is when the canal freezes for skating and Winterlude fills the city.
▸ Can you skate on the Rideau Canal?
Yes, when it freezes hard enough. The Rideau Canal Skateway usually opens for a spell in the coldest part of winter and runs for several kilometres through downtown, free to use, with rentals, warming huts and food stalls along it. Opening depends entirely on the ice, and mild winters shorten the season.
▸ Is Ottawa English- or French-speaking?
Both. Ottawa is officially bilingual and mostly English-speaking, with a large Francophone community, while Gatineau across the river is in Quebec and largely French-speaking. You will manage in English everywhere visitors go.
▸ Can you visit Parliament?
Yes. Free guided tours run through the parliament buildings, though the Centre Block is closed for a long restoration and tours visit the temporary chambers instead. The grounds are open to all, with the Changing of the Guard on summer mornings.
▸ How many days do you need in Ottawa?
Two days covers Parliament Hill, the canal, the ByWard Market and a couple of the national museums. Allow three or four to add Gatineau Park, the Canadian Museum of History across the river and the Diefenbunker.
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