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Things to Do in Ottawa, Canada
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Plan language: EnglishMost popular attractions in Ottawa, Canada
If you are looking for the best activities in Ottawa, Canada, three places top the list. Visit historic Parliament Hill with its neo-Gothic towers. Stroll along the 7.8 kilometer Rideau Canal, which turns into the largest natural ice skating rink in the world in winter. The ByWard Market offers over 260 shops and restaurants.
1. Parliament Hill
Here sits the heart of Canadian democracy, framed by Gothic splendor architecture. You stand on the hill, look over the Ottawa River and hear the carillon bells echo across the city.
Quick facts: Around 3 million visitors come to the hill with the three distinctive sandstone buildings each year. The 92-meter-high Peace Tower houses a carillon of 53 bells that rings out regularly.
Highlights: Every summer, the lawn in front of the Centre Block transforms into a giant open-air cinema with over 10,000 spectators, as light and laser bathe the facade in a spectacular soundscape. The nighttime sound and light show "Northern Lights" tells Canada's history with projections that reach up to the tower summit and make the sandstone surface come alive.
2. Rideau Canal
Ice skating on a historic canal right through the capital. Mulled wine, fresh waffles and vibrant life on the ice between snow and city skyline.
Quick facts: The 202-kilometer-long waterway connects Ottawa with Kingston and overcomes 47 locks. Completed in 1832, it is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America.
Highlights: Every winter, 7.8 kilometers of the canal transform into the world's largest natural ice rink, attracting over one million visitors. The idea originated in the 1970s when a local businessman started a small skate rental service, and from that grew a unique urban winter tradition.
3. ByWard Market
Real city life pulses here between centuries-old market stalls and a modern food scene. Stroll through narrow alleys, smell fresh wood-fired bread and discover the talents of local artists.
Quick facts: Around 300 stalls and shops attract over a million visitors annually. Since the 1840s, the market has steadily developed and today offers everything from fresh fruit to handicrafts to top restaurants.
Highlights: Every Saturday from May to October, the market transforms into a huge stage for street artists who perform juggling, music, and acrobatics between the stalls. The oldest bakery in the city, in continuous operation since 1868, fills the morning air with the scent of fresh, warm cinnamon rolls. A scent that fills entire alleyways.
4. Canadian Museum of History
Here you travel through 25,000 years of history from the First Nations to modern Canada. Marvel at meter-high totem poles and immerse yourself in the spectacular hall with panoramic views of the Ottawa River.
Quick facts: The collection includes over 1.25 million objects, among them the largest indoor canoe ride in the world with 25-meter-high cedar trees. More than 1.2 million visitors stream through the glass-covered Grand Hall with a view of the Ottawa River each year.
Highlights: In the Grand Hall hangs a 19-meter-tall totem pole of the Haida Nation, carved from a single 500-year-old red cedar. Under the dome of the Grand Salon, visitors can walk on a 3,500-square-meter mosaic floor made of Canadian marble that depicts the country's geological diversity.
5. National Gallery of Canada
Here one of the most important art collections in Canada awaits you in a spectacular glass palace. Walk from historical masterpieces straight into the fascinating world of contemporary art.
Quick facts: Around 75,000 works are housed in this museum, including the most extensive collection of Canadian art in the world. The largest loan the museum ever made was a painting worth over 300 million dollars.
Highlights: In the inner courtyard, a giant 600-kilogram metal spider named "Maman" by Louise Bourgeois crawls across the floor, staring at you from a height of eleven meters. In the museum's chapel hangs an entire, original gilded altar from the 17th century, which was completely relocated here from an Austrian monastery.
6. Canadian War Museum
Here you experience 500 years of war history up close from First Nations conflict culture to modern peace missions. You walk through a reconstructed trench, admire a real spy drone and stand beneath the imposing architecture of granite and glass.
Quick facts: More than 500,000 artifacts tell the story of war experiences here - from the colonial era to peacekeeping missions. The building itself, with its copper roof, rises like a bunker over the Ottawa River and was deliberately designed to resemble a military fortress.
Highlights: On the top floor, a narrow glass tower opens up, aligned directly with the Peace Tower of Parliament Hill. At sunset, the setting sun bathes the entire Memorial Chamber in a deep red - a quiet moment that only a few visitors expect.
7. Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica
Here you experience one of the most magnificent neo-Gothic churches in Canada with over 150 years of history. Marvel at sky-high ceilings, intricate wood carvings and an organ whose sound sends shivers down your spine.
Quick facts: Over 500-year-old wood carvings adorn the walls, each with its own hidden meaning. The cathedral has one of the largest church organs in Canada with over 5,000 pipes.
Highlights: Directly above the main entrance sits a 2.5 meter tall Madonna statue made of solid gold, which seems to almost glow at sunset. The stained glass rose windows cast a spectacular play of colors onto the 60-meter-long marble interior in the afternoons.
8. Château Laurier
A stroll through the opulent halls feels like a journey to the glamorous 1920s. Hidden passageways, sparkling chandeliers and a breathtaking view of the Ottawa River await.
Quick facts: Opened in 1929, the establishment towers majestically over the Ottawa Falls and has served as a backdrop for countless state guests, film crews, and wedding couples. With over 420 rooms, including the legendary Suite 1003, the house combines old-world splendor with modern comfort.
Highlights: Behind an inconspicuous wooden door on the third floor lies the "Railway Reading Room," an original preserved library from the 1930s where train travelers once waited for their connection. The hand-painted ceiling beams and leather-bound books instantly transport visitors back to the golden age of travel.
9. Lansdowne Park
Sports, culture and enjoyment come together here on a single site. You spend the day between a professional football stadium, a farmers market and shopping in urban stores.
Quick facts: The former exhibition grounds were transformed into a modern neighborhood in 2014 for 300 million Canadian dollars. The large grass hill on the grounds is actually the green roof of an underground parking garage with 1,200 parking spaces.
Highlights: Every Sunday, the forecourt turns into one of the largest farmers' markets in the region, where over 100 vendors offer fresh produce, cheese, and flowers. The smell of freshly baked bread and maple candies then lingers over the entire area.
10. Major's Hill Park
A green retreat in the middle of the capital with a stunning view of Parliament Hill. Stroll between historic cannons, colorful flower beds and enjoy the peace above the rooftops of the city.
Quick facts: Here, on a hill above the Ottawa River, you have one of the best views of the Parliament Buildings and the locks of the Rideau Canal. In spring, over 20,000 tulips in bright colors, a gift from the Dutch royal family in 1945, adorn the meadow.
Highlights: A hidden path leads to a small, tree-fringed viewpoint where you can see the locks of the Rideau Canal directly below you. On sunny Wednesdays in summer, a jazz band plays here for free while visitors picnic on blankets in the grass and enjoy the evening sun.
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Comments (9)
Winters are brutal here, but the Rideau Canal skating makes it worth bundling up.
If you rent a car, park at a suburban train station for cheap and ride in. Downtown parking is a scam.
Check out the free galleries on Wellington Street, they rotate exhibits often and cost nothing.
The museum of history across the river is way better than the ones downtown, and cheaper entry too.
Skip the overpriced tour buses and just walk the city core, everything is surprisingly close together.