Ottawa, Canada
The capital nobody else wanted, which grew into the job
Ottawa is Canada's capital, a government town on the Ontario–Québec border where the Rideau Canal freezes into the world's largest skating rink. It is smaller, calmer and more bilingual than its reputation, and better fed than it used to be.
Colonel John By founded Bytown in 1826 as the construction camp for the Rideau Canal, a military waterway to Kingston built after the War of 1812 so that British supplies could avoid the St Lawrence and the Americans. It was a rough lumber town of Irish and French-Canadian labourers and river drivers, and the timber trade on the Ottawa River made its early fortunes. Renamed Ottawa in 1855, it was chosen as capital of the Province of Canada by Queen Victoria in 1857 — a compromise between Toronto, Montréal, Kingston and Québec City, and safely far from the American border — and the Gothic Revival Parliament went up on the bluff above the river. Confederation in 1867 made it the capital of the new Dominion. The federal government has been the city's main employer ever since, joined from the 1970s by a technology sector that at its peak had Ottawa calling itself Silicon Valley North.
The Ottawa River is the boundary with Québec, and Gatineau on the far bank is part of the same metropolitan area — the National Capital Region — with its own museum, casino and cheaper rents. On the Ontario side, Parliament Hill and the downtown core sit on the bluff; the Rideau Canal cuts south from the river through the middle of the city, dividing Centretown and the Glebe on the west from Sandy Hill, the university and Old Ottawa East on the other. The ByWard Market, just east of Parliament, is the old commercial heart and the nightlife district. Westboro and Hintonburg along Wellington West are the fashionable strip; Vanier, across the Rideau River, is the francophone and working-class east end. Beyond the Greenbelt — a ring of protected farmland and forest — lie the suburbs: Kanata and its tech parks to the west, Orléans to the east, Barrhaven to the south.
It is a government town, and it behaves like one: sober, well educated, bilingual by necessity, and inclined to be in bed early on a weeknight. But there is more to it than the joke allows. The national museums — the National Gallery, the Canadian Museum of History across the river, War, Nature, Science and Technology — are here and mostly excellent. Winterlude in February turns the frozen canal into a skating rink nearly eight kilometres long, with BeaverTails pastry stands along it; Bluesfest in July is one of the country's largest outdoor festivals; Canada Day on the Hill is the national party. The food has improved dramatically, with the ByWard Market, Elgin Street and Wellington West the places to eat. The Senators play hockey out in Kanata to a devoted, long-suffering crowd; the Redblacks play CFL football at Lansdowne, and the 67's junior hockey there is the cheap night out.
The winters are the hard part — long, snowy and colder than Toronto's or Montréal's, with a spring that arrives late — and the summers can be hot and humid. Housing has become expensive, if not on Toronto's scale, and the LRT, the Confederation Line, opened in 2019 to a run of breakdowns and a public inquiry that the city has not entirely lived down. Politics is everyone's business and nobody's escape; the 2022 convoy occupation of downtown showed how a capital can be a target. Against that, Ottawa is safe, clean, green and unhurried, with the Gatineau Hills for skiing and hiking twenty minutes away, the canal and the river for paddling, a high average income, good schools and short commutes. Families and civil servants choose it deliberately, and most of them stay.
Where People Live
ByWard Market
The 19th-century market square east of Parliament, with the stalls, the pubs, the BeaverTails stand and most of the city's late-night activity. The National Gallery and Notre-Dame cathedral are at its northern edge.
Centretown & Parliament Hill
Parliament on its bluff, the canal locks, the Château Laurier, and the office towers and apartment blocks of the downtown core; Elgin Street and Bank Street are the restaurant and bar strips.
The Glebe & Lansdowne
Ottawa's leafy, prosperous inner neighbourhood south of the Queensway, with Bank Street's shops and cafés, Lansdowne Park's stadium and farmers' market, and the canal along its eastern edge.
Westboro & Hintonburg
Wellington West's run of restaurants, outdoor-gear shops and boutiques, Westboro Beach on the river, and Hintonburg's rougher, artsier stretch nearer town. Where the young professionals live.
Sandy Hill & Old Ottawa East
The University of Ottawa's neighbourhood of Victorian houses, embassies and student rentals, running down to the Rideau River; Old Ottawa East and Main Street are quieter across the canal.
Vanier & Beechwood
The francophone and working-class east side across the Rideau River, changing fast, with Beechwood Avenue's cafés and the national cemetery; the Montfort hospital is here.
Gatineau & the Hull sector
Across the river in Québec: the Canadian Museum of History, the casino, a livelier bar scene (the drinking age is 18) and cheaper rents, with Gatineau Park's hills and lakes just beyond.
Kanata & the suburbs
The tech park and the Senators' arena in the west, Orléans in the east and Barrhaven in the south — beyond the Greenbelt, car-dependent, and where most of the region's families live.
Where to stay
Fairmont Château Laurier
1 Rideau St, Ottawa, ON K1N 8S7, Canada
Restaurants & places to go
D'Arcy McGee's on Sparks St.
Irish pubs, bars, pub restaurants · . ðŸ€ðŸ» Your local Irish Pub at 44 Sparks St. Craft beer, Live Music, Great Food, Even Better Company. ðŸ€ðŸ».… · darcymcgees.com
Bata Maples Sugarbush
maple syrups, maple sugarbushes, maple sugar bushes · 254 Bata Road, Quinte West, Ontario, Canada · batamaples.com
Dunn's Famous
diners, delis, deli restaurants, smoked meat delicatessens, cheesecake · 355 Dalhousie St, Ottawa, ON K1N 7G1 · dunnsfamousottawa.com
Luisas Burritos
Mexican restaurants, burritos, burrito bowls · luisas.ca
The Piggy Market
craft butchers, delicatessens · thepiggymarket.com
Wellington Butchery
fine craft butchers · wellingtonbutchery.com
Zak's Diner, Byward Market
Zacks diners, burgers, poutines, all day breakfasts · 14 Byward Market Square, Ottawa, ON K1N 7A1 · zaksdiner.com
Tavern on the Falls
waterfalls
Airports
Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) 10 km to the centre
Ottawa, ON, CA — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 13 airlines (Air Canada, WestJet, United Airlines, Porter Airlines…) · direct flights to 26 destinations incl. Halifax, Iqaluit, Toronto, Boston, Calgary… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 13 airlines, 26 direct destinations
- Air Canada AC (Embraer 190, A320, Dash 8-100, 767-300, CRJ, ERJ…) · 19 routes: Boston*, Calgary, Chicago*, Edmonton, Frankfurt, Fredericton*, Halifax, London, London*, Moncton*, Montreal, New York*, Quebec*, St. John's*, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington*, Washington*, Winnipeg*
- WestJet WS (737-700, 736) · 6 routes: Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, St. John's, Toronto, Winnipeg
- United Airlines UA (ERJ, Embraer 170, Dash 8-100, CRJ) · 5 routes: Boston*, Chicago*, New York*, Newark*, Washington*
- Porter Airlines PD (Dash 8-400) · 3 routes: Halifax, Moncton, Toronto
- American Airlines AA (CRJ) · 2 routes: Charlotte*, Philadelphia*
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A330-300, 767-300) · 2 routes: Frankfurt*, London*
- US Airways US (CRJ) · 2 routes: Charlotte*, Philadelphia*
- Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight MO (73M) · 1 route: Iqaluit*
- Air North Charter - Canada 4N (737) · 1 route: Yellowknife
- Canadian North 5T (73M) · 1 route: Iqaluit
- Delta Air Lines DL (CRJ) · 1 route: Detroit*
- First Air 7F (73M) · 1 route: Iqaluit
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (737) · 1 route: Toronto*
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Ottawa / Rockcliffe Airport (YRO) 9.8 km to the centre
Ottawa, ON, CA — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Ottawa / Gatineau Airport (YND) 19 km to the centre
Gatineau, QC, CA — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Getting there by ferry
Watertaxi
Ferry terminal · 3.1 km from the centre · Aqua-taxi
Local transit
OC Transpo
O-Train, bus · Ottawa's O-Train light rail and buses. · Fares: PRESTO card · Airport: Route 97 bus from the airport to downtown
Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission (OC Tr
Bus · Ottawa, Ontario · Schedules & GTFS data
Trains & rail
VIA Rail Canada
National rail
Coaches & shuttles
Orléans Express ← Montréal, QC
Montréal to Ottawa in about two and a half hours. · Montréal, QC guide →
Rider Express ← Toronto, Ontario
Toronto to Ottawa along the 401 and 416, about five hours. · Toronto, Ontario guide →
Ebus
Intercity coach
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
AirSprint
Fractional · Praetor 500, Citation CJ3+, Legacy 450 · Canada's fractional-ownership operator, based in Calgary.
Chartright Air Group
Charter, management · Light to large-cabin · Toronto-based charter and aircraft management.
London Air Services
Charter · Learjet, Challenger · Vancouver-based charter operator.
Skyservice
Charter, management, FBO · Managed fleet, Challenger, Global · Canada's largest business-aviation company: charter, management and FBOs in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver.
Air Charter Service
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
Tours & experiences
Ottawa Walking Tours & Step-On Guide Services
Walking Tour
Ottawa Bus Tours
Bus Tour
Rideau Canal Cruise
Boat Tour
Living Here
Getting about
- OC Transpo runs the O-Train — the Confederation Line east–west through downtown, the Trillium Line south — and the bus network; pay with a Presto card or by tapping a bank card. Gatineau's STO buses accept Presto too.
- The core is compact and flat, and the canal and river pathways are among the best urban cycling in Canada; in winter the canal itself becomes the Skateway, which is another matter.
- Ottawa International (YOW) is about twenty minutes south of downtown by taxi or the 97 bus; the station on Tremblay Road has VIA trains to Montréal (two hours) and Toronto (four to five).
- A car is useful beyond the Greenbelt and unnecessary inside it; the Queensway (Highway 417) is the artery and the bridges to Gatineau the bottleneck.
Health
- The Ottawa Hospital (Civic and General campuses), the Montfort (French-language) and CHEO, the children's hospital, are the main centres; the Heart Institute at the Civic is nationally known. Ontario's OHIP covers residents.
- Dial 911. Pharmacies (Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall) handle minor problems; walk-in clinics take patients without appointments, and family doctors are in short supply.
- Visitors should carry travel insurance; non-residents are billed for emergency care. Winter cold and ice are the seasonal hazards, and the city dresses for both.
Work & study
- The University of Ottawa, the largest bilingual university in the world, and Carleton, strong in journalism and public affairs, keep the city young; Algonquin College and La Cité are the polytechnics.
- The federal government employs well over a hundred thousand people in the region and sets the city's rhythm; technology (Shopify was founded here, and Kanata's telecom and software firms endure), defence, health research and tourism follow.
- Bilingualism is an advantage in almost any job here and a requirement in much of the public service; the arguments between government and unions over office attendance are a local preoccupation.
Money & manners
- Canadian dollars; cards and tap are universal. Tip 15–20% in restaurants; HST (13%) is added in Ontario, and across the river Québec's GST and QST add roughly 15%.
- Ottawa is polite, punctual, unshowy and a little formal — a city of security clearances, where people ask what you do and then which department. 'Bonjour-hello' is the normal greeting in shops.
- Winter runs November to March and is properly cold; Winterlude in February is the reward. Summers are warm to hot, with the tulips in May — the Dutch royal family's wartime thanks — and Canada Day on 1 July the big dates.