Ottawa is Canada's capital. With over a million citizens, it is Canada's fourth-largest city, and Ontario's second-largest city. Visitors often come to Ottawa to see Parliament Hill and Canada's national museums, but the city also has much shopping, many restaurants, and lively nightlife. Ottawa swallowed the entirety of the former Carleton County that surrounded it in 2001. However, this article deals (primarily) with the central urban area, sometimes called "Old Ottawa".
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
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.
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 primary attraction for most visitors is 1 Parliament Hill. Parliament Hill is in the middle of downtown Ottawa, overlooking the Ottawa River. Not only is the building a fine example of the Gothic revival style, it makes an excellent starting point to visit all other points of interest in the area. The Changing of the Guard takes place daily on the lawns of Parliament at 9AM from late June to late August. The Governor General's Foot Guards can also be seen at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and at Rideau Hall. Tours of the building are available daily with multiple tours (in English and French) available at staggered times throughout the day.
There are walking tours to introduce you to the capital area. Ottawa Walking Tours offers historical guided walks of Ottawa's downtown core with special stops at areas of historical significance. Tours acquaint guests with the history of the city and allow visitors to learn more about Ottawa’s history, architecture and colourful political characters. Tours are offered year-round and reservations are required. For more information, call ☏ +1 613-799-1774. The Haunted Walk of Ottawa offers tours focusing on Ottawa's infamous haunts and darker history.
1 BeaverTails, 69 George Street, ☏ +1 613-241-1230, ottawabywardmarket@beavertails.com. Su-W 10AM-8PM, Th 10AM-11PM, F Sa 10AM-midnight. Try the tasty BeaverTail, a fried-dough pastry associated with Ottawa, although a number of places claim to have created it. It's available in sweet and savoury versions, topped with cinnamon, sugar, icing sugar, etc. In the winter, many places will offer it on the canal. During the summer, the only places downtown to offer it are in the Byward Market on George St., and a small counter in a corner of the Canadian Museum of History. There are a variety of toppings and the taste of the beaver tail stands out more with the classic sugar & cinnamon.
The most popular bar areas are in the Byward Market, along Wellington Street in Westboro, along both Elgin Street and Bank Street between Somerset and Gladstone in the Centretown area, and further south on Bank. There are pubs and bars scattered throughout the city as well. You can also take a small trip over the Ottawa river to Gatineau. Bars in both Ottawa and Gatineau close at 2AM (even though the rest of Quebec has a last call of 3AM). Quebec has a lower minimum age to purchase alcohol (18, vs. 19 in Ontario) and sells beer in corner stores.
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.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Ottawa typically sees ~27°C daytime highs and 10 rainy days.
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