Ottawa

Canada's capital, with a population of around one million, lies in the province of Ontario on the Ottawa River at the border with Quebec (Gatineau is on the opposite bank). The city was incorporated in 1855 and chosen by Queen Victoria as a neutral compromise between Toronto (English) and Montreal (French). The National Capital Region is officially bilingual. Cold winters (−15 to −25 °C) deliver one of the country's great seasonal attractions: the Rideau Canal transforms into the world's longest skating rink (7.8 km).

Top Sights

• Parliament Hill — Canada's seat of government, neo-Gothic architecture, with a daily Changing of the Guard ceremony at 10:00 (summer).
• Rideau Canal — a UNESCO World Heritage Site; a 202-kilometre waterway completed in 1832 linking Kingston and Ottawa. Each winter, 7.8 km of it in Ottawa become the Skateway, the world's longest naturally frozen skating rink.
• ByWard Market — Ottawa's main market district, the hub of nightlife, cafés, and restaurants.
• Canadian Museum of History (Musée canadien de l'histoire) — Canada's largest museum, on the Quebec side of the river in Gatineau, with a dramatic facade designed by Douglas Cardinal.
• National Gallery of Canada — the country's premier art museum, with Louise Bourgeois's giant spider sculpture Maman at the entrance.
• Canadian War Museum — Canada's national military museum.
• Royal Canadian Mint — guided tours and a gift shop; Canada mints its own coins here as well as those of nine other countries.
• Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica — Ottawa's oldest church (1846).
• Rideau Falls — twin waterfalls in the heart of the city where the Rideau River meets the Ottawa River.
• Gatineau Park — the largest park in the National Capital Region, on the Quebec side, about 15 minutes from the city centre.
• 24 Sussex Drive — the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada.

Food and Prices

The cuisine is a mix of Canadian and Québécois: poutine, BeaverTails (a sweet fried-dough pastry shaped like a beaver's tail, invented in Ottawa in 1978), maple syrup, and slow-cooked dishes. Lunch at a café costs 18–25 CAD (about $13–18); dinner at a restaurant 35–70 CAD (about $25–50). A BeaverTail runs 5–8 CAD (about $4–6). A litre of fuel is around 1.20 CAD (about $0.86); OC Transpo public transit costs 4 CAD (about $3) per ride; a taxi or Uber across town runs 15–30 CAD (about $11–21). Prices are as of 2026.

Getting There and Around

Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) is 16 km from the city centre, served by Air Canada, WestJet, and direct routes from London, Paris, and Frankfurt. Bus 97 to the centre costs 4 CAD (about $3); a taxi costs 35–45 CAD (about $25–32). Within the city, use the O-Train light rail (opened 2019), city buses, or a bicycle. From Montreal by VIA Rail: 2 hours, 35–90 CAD (about $25–65). From Toronto by train: about 4 hours.

When to Go

May to October (12–25 °C) is the ideal window. May brings the Canadian Tulip Festival — one of the world's largest, with around one million tulips blooming as part of a tradition rooted in a gift from the Dutch royal family in gratitude for Canada's role in liberating the Netherlands during World War II. July 1 is Canada Day, the country's main national holiday. Winter (December–March, −5 to −25 °C) is harsh, but the Skateway on the Rideau Canal is one of Canada's most memorable cold-weather experiences. Winterlude, Ottawa's winter festival, takes place in February.