Ottawa

No reviews yetCity Ontario, Canada

The ByWard Market is a retail and entertainment district just east of Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica is the oldest and largest church in Ottawa, Ontario

The National Gallery of Canada is the country's national art museum, Ottawa, Ontario

The Canadian War Museum in LeBreton Flats presents Canada's military history, Ottawa, Ontario

About Ottawa

Ottawa, Canada's capital, sits on the south bank of the Ottawa River, which forms the boundary between Ontario and Quebec. Chosen as capital in the 1850s, the city combines Gothic Revival government buildings, national museums, and green riverside space with a bilingual culture shaped by its neighbor across the water, Gatineau.

Parliament Hill, with its Peace Tower and grand lawns, is the natural starting point, though parts of the complex are under long-term restoration. Major's Hill Park offers views of the Parliament buildings and the river, and the ByWard Market, one of the country's oldest public markets, fills with food stalls, restaurants, and bars. Opposite stands the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, with its silver spires. The National Gallery of Canada holds a major collection of Canadian and Indigenous art, while the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian War Museum, and, across the river in Gatineau, the Canadian Museum of History round out a strong museum lineup. The Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, becomes a long skating route in winter, and Dow's Lake bursts into color during the spring Tulip Festival.

Ottawa suits families, history and museum lovers, and travelers who enjoy cycling paths. Summers are warm and lively, winters are cold but bring Winterlude festivities.

Best seasonMay for tulips, summer for festivals and cycling, February for canal skating and Winterlude.

Ideal stayThree to four days covers Parliament, the main museums and the market.

ArrivingOttawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport and VIA Rail connect the city with the rest of Canada.

WiserMap travel guideOttawa Ontario Parliament Hill Rideau Canal and TulipsPlan a trip to Ottawa, Ontario, with Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal, ByWard Market, national museums, tulips, Gatineau Park and local food like BeaverTails.Read the guide

12 Best Things to Do in Ottawa

Landmarks 4

Parliament Hill

Crowning a bluff above the Ottawa River, Parliament Hill is the seat of Canada's government and a showcase of Gothic Revival archi...

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica

Ottawa's oldest surviving church, begun in 1841, is easy to spot from across the city thanks to its twin silver spires on Sussex D...

Rideau Hall

Since Confederation in 1867, Rideau Hall has been the official residence and workplace of Canada's Governor General and, by extens...

ByWard Market

Laid out in 1826 by Lieutenant-Colonel John By, the engineer who built the Rideau Canal, the ByWard Market is one of Canada's olde...

Museums 4

National Gallery of Canada

Moshe Safdie's glass-and-granite gallery, opened in 1988, echoes the shape of the Library of Parliament, and its towering Great Ha...

Canadian Museum of Nature

This castle-like building from 1912, once home to Parliament after a fire in 1916, now houses Canada's national natural history mu...

Canadian War Museum

Opened in 2005 on LeBreton Flats, this striking angular building by architect Raymond Moriyama is built to evoke regeneration afte...

Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Set beside the former Rockcliffe air base in the city's east end, this museum holds one of the finest aircraft collections in the...

Parks 4

Major's Hill Park

Major's Hill Park is Ottawa's oldest park, a grassy rise between the Château Laurier hotel and the National Gallery with sweeping...

Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal, opened in 1832 to link Ottawa with Kingston, is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America a...

Dow's Lake and the Tulip Festival

Dow's Lake is a broad bulge in the Rideau Canal surrounded by parkland and the Dominion Arboretum. Each May it becomes the centre...

Mer Bleue Conservation Area

Just east of the city in Ottawa's Greenbelt, the Mer Bleue Bog is a peatland formed over thousands of years, with a landscape more...

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