Have you ever thought about traveling to Canada, but you aren't sure where to begin? Why not start out with a visit to the nation's capital city, Ottawa? Located in the far southeast of Canada, Ottawa is a beautiful city packed with everything a tourist family could want in a Canada vacation, from outstanding attractions to impressive arts and culture, exciting shopping, outdoor recreation, and superb dining and nightlife. If you want to know more, I offer you the following travel guide to Ottawa.
Visit Parliament Hill for history, art, concerts and dazzling shows
The heart of Ottawa is its downtown where you can easily walk along charming pedestrian streets and check out many of the main attractions such as Parliament Hill. This building complex may house Canada's government seat, but don't let that scare you away. Take a tour of these Gothic Revival buildings, and you will marvel over the wealth of historical artifacts and fine art works while learning about Canada's history and culture. If you visit here during the summer, you can attend free nightly concerts and splendid light and music shows. Whatever you do, don't miss the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place every day here on the front lawn.
Cruise and ice skate on Rideau Canal
Just steps from the Parliament Buildings is Ottawa's star attraction, the Rideau Canal. Linking the capital city to Lake Ontario, the Rideau Canal runs right through the middle of downtown Ottawa. What's so special about it? Well, in the summer, you can enjoy boat cruises on the canal to admire the city's lovely scenery. In the winter, this canal freezes and transforms into the world's biggest ice skating rink. For more than four miles, you can ice skate and ride sleighs to your heart's delight. Nearby the canal are several business establishments where you can rent sleighs and skates. Along the Rideau Canal are plenty of kiosks where you can buy hot cocoa and treats like the local specialty, beaver tail,which is a deep-fried pastry covered in a variety of toppings such as cinnamon and sugar.
Tour the Canadian Mounted Police training center
Outside of the downtown area, attractions you don't want to miss are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police training center. When you tour the training center for the RCMP, you can view the the grand carriages and check out buildings like the stables, tack rooms, and the farrier station. If you visit between November and April when the RCMP is off tour, you may be able to observe the mounties and riders practicing for their annual world famous event, the Musical Ride.
Enjoy loads of family fun at Saunder's Farm
Saunder's Farm is one of Ottawa's most popular destinations for family fun, featuring one of the largest maze collections in all of North America as well as a wide range of exciting activities that include a water park, puppet shows, giant jumping pillows, fairy gardens, and arts and craft shows. If you visit during September and October, you can join in with fall festivities like haunted hayrides, zombie paintball, a ghoul and monster parade, the Barn of Terror, and much more.
Arts and Culture
If you enjoy arts and culture, Ottawa will impress you. The capital city is rich in distinguished museums, art galleries, and theaters. The National Gallery of Canada and the Museum of Civilizations are two of the most prominent venues in both Ottawa and Canada. Others well worth a look include the Canadian War Museum, the Portrait Gallery of Canada, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum. If you want to enjoy a live production of theater, orchestra, and dance, you can try out performing arts venues like the National Arts Center and the Ottawa Little Theater.
Shopping
Ottawa boasts several shopping malls as well as a number of shopping centers, plazas and boutiques where you can find the latest in fashion, electronics, home decor, and more in addition to one-of-a-kind items and antiques. For the best shopping experience, be sure to browse around the city's Byward Market, located downtown. Here, you can find fresh, locally grown produce, homemade foods, and handicrafts that make great souvenirs. You will also find restaurants and street performers here.
Festivals
Ottawa hosts more than 60 festivals each year, including its most popular, Winterlude, which takes place on the frozen Rideau Canal over the course of three weekends during the month of February. At Winterlude, you can frolic on the continent's largest snow playground and view competitions of dazzling ice carvings and snow sculptures.
Other Ottawa festivals you may enjoy attending include Canada Day (July), Bluesfest (Canada's largest), Tulip Festival, Fringe Festival, and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, which is one of the world's largest of its kind.
Sports and Outdoors
Ottawa is a beautiful, green city with many parks, green spaces, and numerous trails and paths for walking, jogging, cycling and cross-country skiing. One of the most popular city parks is Gatineau Park. Additionally, the area surrounding the capital city also features lakes, rivers and trails where you can enjoy leisure and outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, fishing, boating, camping, and more.
If you are a sports fan and enjoy attending live matches, Ottawa is home to several professional teams like the Ottawa Senators National Hockey League, Ottawa Harlequins Rugby, and Ottawa Fury.
Dining
Dining in Ottawa is a wonderful experience all itself. Because the capital city is a multicultural cosmopolis represented by cultures from around the world, you will be spoiled for choice among a large variety of restaurants specializing in delicious international cuisines in addition to an abundance of restaurants serving up local Canadian food like poutine (french fries slathered in gravy and cheddar curd). If you are on a budget, you will find ample places to get great food at a small cost. Besides scores of street vendors selling affordable hamburgers, sausages, and hot dogs, you are also likely to find a schwarma eatery on nearly every corner where you can buy tasty kebabs with fixings in pita bread. The Byward Market, Chinatown and Little Italy are areas of Ottawa where you can find fabulous dining and food options whether you are on a budget or a splurge.
Nightlife
With a wide range of bars, pubs and nightclubs to suit everyone's taste, preferences and budget, you will not have to go far to enjoy a night out on the town. The most popular nightlife districts are along the streets of Bank, Elgin, and Wellington Avenue, as well as around the By ward Market area.
Get around
Ottawa's downtown is quite walkable, making your feet the most popular way to get around. If you are unable or prefer not to walk, you can drive downtown, but you may have to pay parking fees. There are plenty of taxis, but your most efficient and affordable way of getting around would be the city's public transport system that includes buses and light rail.
When to visit
The weather may be a deciding factor for your vacation planning. Ottawa features a climate with four distinct seasons where summers are hot and humid, and winters can be extremely cold, while spring and fall usually present mild weather. Also, you may wish to plan your visit around the city's popular festivals, which mainly take place in summer and winter. Hotels in Ottawa can be booked up during these times, so if you wish to attend the events, you may need to reserve your hotel room way in advance. If you wish to visit when hotel rates are cheaper, you may want to consider traveling to Ottawa in the spring or fall.
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