Ottawa Tourism Guide

Perhaps you're a tourist who wants to visit Ottawa's great museums, like the National Gallery or the Museum of Civilization. Or maybe you're the type who'd prefer to hike in the Gatineau Hills, or ride a bike along the Rideau Canal. Whether it's an itenerary for a day trip, or planning for an extended vacation, our Tourism Guide will get you started.

Featured Links

• Ottawa Hotels Guide
  Make your reservation at one of dozens of hotels in the Ottawa area. Hotels in Downtown, Gatineau, Kanata and the surrounding area.
• Make your business stand out from the rest.
  Click here to purchase a Featured Link...

Travel

• Ottawa Airport (includes arrival & departure information)
• Park'nFly Airport Parking
• Voyageur
• Greyhound
• Via Rail
• Car rentals
• Taxis & Limos
• OC Transpo (public transit)
• AirTravelComplaints.ca
• Travel Tips
  (from Reader's Digest - Canada & around the world)
• Border wait times: Heading across the border? You can check for the average waiting times at several border crossings. Have a look before you embark on your trip down south.
  Border wait times Canadian site
  Border wait times U.S. site
  

Events & Activities

• Ottawa Events Guide...
• Ottawa Festivals Guide...
• OttawaStart Events
  Our twitter feed of upcoming events and happenings in Ottawa -- covering arts, entertainment, food, business, family events and more.

Museums

• Please visit our Museums Guide...

Attractions

• Aboriginal Experiences
• Byward Market
• Canada Day...
• Cannamore Orchard (near Embrun)
• Casino du Lac Leamy (Casino de Hull)
• Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light / (fireworks)
• Cats on Parliament Hill
• Changing of the Guard
• Christmas Lights
• Eastern Ontario Ghost Towns
  Here's an idea for a weekend getaway: explore Eastern Ontario's ghost towns. This site features photos and information about dozens of abandoned towns in Ontario and across Canada.
• Gatineau Park
• Governor General's Rideau Hall
• Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train
• Little Ray's Reptile Zoo
• Logosland Resort
• National Arts Centre
• Papanack Park Zoo (east of Orleans)
• Parc Safari (Hemmingford, Quebec)
• Parliament Hill Cam
• Prehistoric World (Morrisburg, Ontario)
• Rideau Canal
• Rideau Carleton Raceway Slots
• Royal Canadian Mint
• Saunders Farm
• Scotiabank Place
• Sound and Light Show on Parliament Hill ("Mosaika")
• Stanley's Olde Maple Lane Farm
• StreetsmArt (PDF guide to public art)
• St. Raphael's Ruins
  In 1970 a fire consumed the church of St. Raphael's, one of the earliest Roman Catholic churches in English-speaking Canada. The outer walls were spared and today its impressive scale and fine masonry work make it a popular tourist attraction.
• Supreme Court of Canada
• Upper Canada Village (near Morrisburg, Ontario)
• War Memorial
• Watson's Mill
• See also our Ottawa Museums Guide...
• For more ideas for activities with kids, visit our Ottawa Kids Guide...

Hotels

• Ottawa Hotels Guide
  Make your reservation at one of dozens of hotels in the Ottawa area. Hotels in Downtown, Gatineau, Kanata and the surrounding area.
• Accor Hotels-Novotel Ottawa
• Albert at Bay Suite Hotel
• ARC the. hotel - a boutique hotel
• Aristocrat Suite Hotel
• Best Western Barons Hotel
• Best Western Jacques Cartier
• Best Western Macies Hotel
• Best Western Victoria Park Suites
• Bostonian Executive Suites
• Brighton House
• Brookstreet Hotel
• Business Inn, The
• Capital Hill Hotel & Suites
• Cartier Place Suite Hotel
• Chateau Cartier Resort
• Chimo Hotel
• Clarion Gatineau Hotel
• Comfort Inn - Gatineau
• Comfort Inn - Ottawa East
• Comfort Inn - Ottawa West (Kanata)
• Comfort Inn Downtown Ottawa
• Courtyard by Marriott Ottawa
• Crowne Plaza Ottawa Hotel
• Days Inn Ottawa Airport
• Days Inn Ottawa Downtown
• Delta Ottawa Hotel & Suites
• Econo Lodge East - Ottawa
• Econo Lodge Parkway
• Embassy Hotel & Suites
• Embassy West Hotel & Conference Centre
• Fairmont Chateau Laurier
• Four Points Sheraton Ottawa
• Hampton Inn Ottawa
• Hilton Lac Leamy
• Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Downtown Ottawa
• Holiday Inn Plaza La Chaudiere
• Holiday Inn Select Ottawa West (Kanata)
• Le Chateau Montebello
• Le Moulin Wakefield Mill Inn
• Les Suites Hotel, Ottawa
• Lord Elgin Hotel
• Minto Place Suite Hotel
• Monterey Inn Resort
• Ottawa Marriott
• Quality Hotel Ottawa Downtown
• Radisson Hotel Ottawa Parliament Hill
• Ramada Plaza Manoir Du Casino
• Residence Inn by Marriott Ottawa
• Richmond Plaza Motel
• Sheraton Ottawa
• Southway Inn
• Travelodge Hotel & Convention Centre - Ottawa West
• Travelodge Ottawa Downtown
• Travelodge Ottawa East / Gloucester
• Welcome INNs Hotel, Ottawa
• Westin Ottawa

Other Places to Stay

Here's a listing of bed & breakfasts, cottages, and other accomodations — both in the city and beyond.

• 1000 Islands Camping Resort (Landowne, Ont.)
• Albert House Inn
• Alexander House Bed & Breakfast
• Ambiance Bed & Breakfast
• Arosa Suites Hotel
• Auberge King Edward Bed & Breakfast
• The Bourget Inn & Spa
• Brookstreet Hotel
• Camping Lamoureux
• Carmichael Inn & Spa
• Casa Wilkirk Resort (Petewawa, Ont.)
• Code's Mill on the Park Inn & Spa
• The Definitive Cottage Authority
• The Eagle's Rest (Griffith, Ont.)
• Elisabeth's Llama and Alpaca Farm Bed and Breakfast
• Gasthaus Switzerland Inn
• Inn on Somerset
• Inns of Eastern Ontario
• La Grange Country Inn (Wakefield, Que.)
• Keywaytin Farms Bed & Breakfast (Oxford Mills)
• Natural Choice 4 Nature B&B
• Netherdale B&B (Hawkesbury)
• Ottawa Backpackers Inn
• Ottawa Cottage Rentals
• Ottawa Jail Hostel
• Ottawa-Nepean Municipal Campsite
• Peaksview Chalet (Calabogie)
• Rideau Heights Inn
• Ryan's Campsite (Deep River)
• Ships Anchor Inn (Prescott)
• St. Lawrence Inn (Morrisburg)
• Village Antiques & Tea Room (Williamsburg)
• William Street Cottages (Delta)
• More bed & breakfasts via BBCanada

Tours

• Amphibus (Lady Duck / Lady Dive)
• Canuck Tours Inc.
• Escape Tours
• Gray Line Tours
• Haunted Walks of Canada
• Ottawa Boat Cruise
• Wilderness Tours (Ottawa River)

Hot air balloons

• Sundance Balloons
• Windborne Ballooning
• Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival

Surrounding Areas

• Visit our Region Guide...

Travel Agents

• All Flags Travel
• Captain Sandy's Cruise Holidays and Travel
• Destination Anywhere
• Executive Worldwide Travel
• Glenview TravelPlus
• Squba Holidays East
• TPI Champagne Travel
• Ottawa Vacations
• World Travel Tips

Books & Guides

• Accessible Ottawa
  A great web site listing accessibility services for disabled travellers and those traveling with children in the Ottawa area.
  
• Ottawa: The Unknown City
  by rob mclennan
  Ottawa may be our capital city but it's also a place of contradictions—the official version offers numerous, beneficent historic sites, institutions, museums, and galleries, but there are other stories to be told. In this latest edition of Arsenal's Unknown City series of alternativecity guides for both locals and tourists, Ottawa comes alive as a diverse, quirky town that may look like a government city on the surface but boasts a small-town charm. The book charts a course through the city's hidden landmarks, shopping, dining, and nightlife hot spots, as well as secret histories that will come as a surprise even to life-long locals.
  Buy this book via Amazon
  Visit the official UnknownOttawa.com web site
  
• Secret Ottawa by Laura Byrne Paquet. Secret Ottawa reveals a side of the capital that most visitors-and many locals-never see. Find out where you can spot a blue heron at sunrise, eat Sri Lankan string hoppers, buy armour or angels, or work out at 3:00 a.m. From cycling to sundials, and waterfalls to wine, Secret Ottawa is your guide to the city's hidden treasures.
  
• Frommer's® Ottawa by Louise Dearden. Covers everything Ottawa has to offer, including visual and performing arts, historic monuments, and world-class outdoor sports and recreation.
  
• Capital Walks: Walking Tours of Ottawa by Katharine Fletcher.
  
• Ottawa with Kids by James Hale. The complete family travel guide to attractions, sites and events in Ottawa.
  
• The Lobster kids' guide to exploring Ottawa-Hull by John Symon. Whether you're a parent, an educator or a tourist, if you're caring for children between the ages of 1-12, this book is the perfect answer. More than 100 suggestions for fun-filled family activities in the National Capital Region.
  
• Frommer's® Ottawa with Kids by Louise Dearden. Reveals the most fun and educational experiences for kids in Canada's capital. It's full of incredibly detailed tips - right down to which hotels offer cribs and rollaway beds and which restaurants offer high chairs.
  
• The Hike It Bike It Walk It Drive It Guide: to Ottawa, the Gatineau, Kingston & Beyond by Ann Campbell. Features a variety of outdoor daytrips in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. Contains maps, directions, up-to-date info and contact phone numbers.
  
• Ottawa: A colourguide by Carol Martin. Museums, festivals, Parliament Hill, accomodation, heritage sites, dining, recreation, shopping, galleries.
  
• More Ottawa travel books...
• Ottawa Books Guide...

Related links

• Maps of Ottawa
• Car rentals
• Taxis & Limos
• Events Guide...
• Hotels Guide...
• Ottawa Convention Guide
• Ottawa's Countryside
• OttawaTourism.ca
• Ottawa Kiosk