Ottawa
Discover Ottawa
Ottawa is Canada's capital. With over a million citizens, it is Canada's fourth-largest city, and Ontario's second-largest city. Across the Ottawa River is Gatineau, Quebec. While most Ottawans are English-speaking, 15% are native French speakers, making Ottawa Canada's largest Francophone city outside of Quebec. Visitors come to Ottawa to see Parliament Hill, as well as Canada's national museums.
What to Experience in Ottawa
Taste of Ottawa...
Coffee shops are found throughout the city, and include dozens of two specialty chains Second Cup and Starbucks, in addition to the mainstream Tim Horton's (seemingly planted at every intersection). Bridgehead is a fair trade coffee house and can be found at a half dozen or so locations. Try their small double shot lattes, which are significantly better than their competitors'. There are several coffee houses in Little Italy, on Preston Street. One of the most popular, Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana (200 Preston Street, +1 613-594-5303), also houses an award-winning pastry shop. Bar Robo on Somerset St under the Chinatown arch offers locally-roasted coffee during the day, along with fresh croissants and donuts. Ethnic foods from around the world are available at a wide variety of restaurants and street vendors throughout the city. The Byward Market area has a wide selection of different cuisines; the Chinatown area is along Somerset Street West between Bay and Preston streets (bus 11 from Parliament O-Train Station); Little Italy runs along the length of Preston Street, from Carling Avenue to Albert Street (bus 85 from Primisi O-Train Station). According to a 2025 CBC News report, Ottawa has almost 200 shawarma (kebab and fixings in pita bread) restaurants around the city. Many will serve up a great shawarma for less than $10. Their busy times are typically weekdays at lunch-hour, and on weekends after the bars close. The Byward Market and Elgin St.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Ottawa into what it is today.
Ottawa started as a humble lumber town called Bytown, named after Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers who oversaw the construction of the Rideau Canal (now a UNESCO World Heritage site which doubles as a giant skating rink in the winter), much of which was done by hand between 1826 and 1832. Lumber mills were built along the Ottawa River in the mid-19th century, and brought employment and wealth to the growing population. The centre of action then, as now, was the Byward Market. While it is still the centre of the city's nightlife, it has changed appreciably from the rough–and–tumble early days of brothels and taverns. In 1857, Ottawa was chosen (in the legend by Queen Victoria, really on the advice of Canadian politicians) as the capital of Canada. The choice was made to avoid a controversy, because it sidestepped the rivalry between Toronto and Montreal (then, as now, Canada's largest cities). But the new capital was still a tiny outpost in the middle of nothing much — an American newspaper famously commented that it was impregnable, as any invaders would get lost in the woods looking for it. Unlike many federal capitals such as Canberra in Australia or Washington, D.C. in the United States, Ottawa is not part of a special federal district. There is an official National Capital Region containing Ottawa, Gatineau, Quebec across the Ottawa river, and surrounding areas in both provinces....
Climate
Ottawa has a humid continental or hemiboreal climate, featuring four distinct seasons, with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation, falling mostly as snow in winter and as rain in the rest of year, is plentiful year-round. The city is neither particularly sunny or cloudy, though spring and summer are sunnier than autumn and winter. In summer, which lasts from the beginning of June to early September, the average high is around 27 °C (81 °F) and the average low around 16.5 °C (61.7 °F). During heatwaves, temperatures can approach or exceed 33 °C (91 °F) and not go below 21 °C (70 °F) at night, although there are also cooler and often rainier periods. The sun is up from 5:15AM to 8:45PM. Winters in Ottawa are long, cold and snowy. There is an average of 225 cm of snowfall per winter, which usually begins falling in late October, with the ground typically being blanketed in snow from late November to the end of March, while the last of the snow falls in April.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsATMs and a currency exchange booth are available in the arrivals hall (lower level). There is one International Currency Exchange (ICE) branded ATM near the baggage carrousels which charges higher transaction fees and offers poor exchange rates and one Royal Bank ATM near the washrooms with lower transaction fees and better exchange rates. There is a 24 hour baggage storage facility (Pars 2000) in the arrivals hall. Luggage can be stored for $5 per day or $8 overnight. There is also an information booth in the arrivals hall. There are a number of restaurants and a few bars inside the departures area. Direct flights to Ottawa within Canada include from Calgary (3.75 hours), from Edmonton (3.75 hours), from Halifax (1.75 hours), from Iqaluit (3.25 hours), from Montreal (45 minutes), from Toronto (1 hour), and from Vancouver (4.5 hours). Direct flights to Ottawa from the United States of America include from New York City (1.5-1.75 hours) and Washington, D.C. (1.5-1....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
OC Transpo, ☏ +1 613-560-5000. Operates the city's bus service and the O-Train, a light rail system consisting of three lines. (updated Mar 2025) The Confederation Line (Line 1, red in maps), which began service in 2019, runs west-east with an underground segment through the city centre. The Trillium Line (Line 2, green) runs from the south to Limebank. Lines 1 and 2 meet at Bayview station. Line 4 (blue) runs to the airport from South Keys (connecting there to Line 2). The bus rapid transit (BRT) system, called the Transitway, has service as frequent as 1 to 2 minutes at rush hour. The O-Train Confederation Line runs east-west under the downtown area served by Lyon, Parliament, Rideau and uOttawa O-Train stations. If you are going to the Byward Market, get off at Rideau O-Train Station. To go north-south, take bus route 6 or 7 along Bank Street from either Parliament or Rideau O-Train stations.
Where to Stay
The area codes for Ottawa are 613 and the overlay code 343. Hull (819, overlaid with 873) has the full Ottawa local calling area. Ten-digit dialling (area code+local number) is required for all local calls. Most coffee shops, hotels, and public library branches have free wi-fi Internet access, although the speeds may be slower than you're accustomed to. There are internet cafes throughout the city. Ottawa is a very safe place to live and visit, so if you use common sense it is at least as safe as any other city. There are many tourists in the city, especially in summer months, and there are very few incidents of robbery or assault. Exercise caution and common sense after dark or when traveling alone; instances of harassment and (very rarely) unprovoked violence have occurred to locals and travellers alike. There have been incidents on buses and at transit stations of violence and swarmings/robberies, even during daytime hours.
Money & Budget
Larger shopping malls include the 45.4252-75.691310 Rideau Centre (downtown), 45.4219-75.638811 St. Laurent Shopping Centre (East Central), 45.4779-75.516312 Place D'Orleans (East End), 45.3471-75.806913 Bayshore Shopping Centre and 45.3723-75.769414 Carlingwood Mall (West End). The last Saturday in May, Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood hosts the annual Great Glebe Garage Sale. Hundreds of residents set up tables in their garages or on their lawns and sell used goods ranging from household knick-knacks to electronics to clothing. Businesses in the area also hold sidewalk sales, and vendors sell artwork, baking, and refreshments. Driving and parking during the sale itself is unnecessary and nearly impossible. Arrive on foot or park and walk into the neighbourhood.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Ottawa is a very safe place to live and visit, so if you use common sense it is at least as safe as any other city. There are many tourists in the city, especially in summer months, and there are very few incidents of robbery or assault. Exercise caution and common sense after dark or when traveling alone; instances of harassment and (very rarely) unprovoked violence have occurred to locals and travellers alike. There have been incidents on buses and at transit stations of violence and swarmings/robberies, even during daytime hours. OC Transpo has hired new constables and placed plainclothes security and cameras on select buses and trains to counter the problem. Use common sense, especially when riding at night, every transit station has multiple emergency call boxes. After dark, take extra care in areas near downtown such as Lowertown East, and also Hintonburg, Vanier, Bayshore, Ledbury, Heatherington, Caldwell and South Keys.
Glimpses of Ottawa
brown concrete building under cloudy sky during daytime
white and red concrete building near green trees during daytime
brown and white concrete building near green trees under blue sky during daytime
white and gray concrete building near green trees during daytime
Golden hour in Major's Hill Park
Canadian flag waving in front of the Parliament Building on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Ottawa
green trees near brown concrete building under white clouds during daytime
Ottawa in the evening
Parliament Hill
brown concrete building under cloudy sky during daytime
white and red concrete building near green trees during daytime
brown and white concrete building near green trees under blue sky during daytime