Top Oz Tours offers a great range of Ottawa tours and experiences. You can browse the options here.
It may have become an important mark on the world map by compromise, but Ottawa has grown into one of Canada’s most charming and dynamic cities.
Located in Eastern Canada, the nation’s capital is home to many major cultural institutions, and is the place to be for Canada Day’s maple-flag-waving frenzy. Ottawa also does fabulous dining and shopping thanks to an outlook that’s both patriotic and international. Far from being a dreary town of pollies and diplomats, the city embraces urban life and the great outdoors with gusto.
Here’s a checklist of our top ten things to do in Ottawa on a first visit.
Watch our video of ten top things to do in Eastern Canada:
10 Great Things to Do on an EASTERN CANADA ROAD TRIP | Toronto to Quebec (with Niagara Falls)
Welcome to Top Oz Tours’ YouTube Channel! In this episode of our online travel series, we bring you ten amazing things to do on a road trip through Eastern Canada from Toronto in Ontario to Quebec City in the province of Quebec.
1. Cruise or skate the Rideau Canal
Long home to the Indigenous Algonquin, what became Ottawa was largely ignored by everyone else until the British began to build a 200-kilometre canal here in 1826. An extraordinary engineering achievement, the Rideau Canal is now a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site that becomes the world’s largest ice-skating rink in winter, and a sightseeing cruise route from spring to autumn.
2. Tour Parliament
In 1857, the then little-known Bytown was Queen Victoria’s surprise choice for the newly formed Province of Canada’s capital. Halfway between rival cities Toronto and Montreal, it was actually a canny compromise. The grand Gothic Revival Parliament Building was soon constructed, and remains Ottawa’s most significant landmark. It’s the epicentre of national Canada Day celebrations on 1 July, which include impressive military parades featuring the famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Mounties). The Buckingham Palace-style Changing of the Guard also brings pomp and circumstance to summer mornings.
While the main building is currently closed for an extensive renovation (and not due to reopen until 2032), there are free tours of various other parts of the parliamentary precinct on offer. Browse the options online.
3. Choose a museum, any museum
Like the Commonwealth’s other ‘compromise capital’, Canberra, many of Canada’s major cultural institutions are located in Ottawa. The Canadian Museum of History is the country’s most visited museum and an absolute highlight is the permanent First Nations exhibition. The bold designs of Pacific coast artefacts are particularly powerful, while the new Canadian History Hall is a worthy 150th birthday gift to the nation.
Other significant national institutions include the Canadian War Museum, Museum of Nature and Aviation and Space Museum, where you can take a joyride over Ottawa in an old open-cockpit biplane. The Diefenbunker Museum (Cold War Museum) takes you into a giant underground bunker that was built in the late 1950s to shelter the government in the event of a nuclear attack.
4. See amazing art
There’s also lots to see at the National Gallery of Canada — if you can brave the giant spider sculpture outside the entrance! Be sure to check out the paintings by the pioneering Group of Seven artists, who interpreted the Canadian landscape through striking colours and forms during the 1920s and 30s.
5. Shop at ByWard Market
Historic ByWard Market is probably Ottawa’s most popular attraction. Dating back to the late 1820s, it covers 15 city blocks and hosts around 500 businesses. Shop for fresh produce, pastries, gourmet foodstuffs (including maple syrup), and handmade treasures. For fun souvenirs and trinkets, check out Crazy Moose of Ottawa and Drake General Store.
6. Try a beavertail
The market precinct is Ottawa’s go-to for fast food and casual dining. Blow your daily holiday calorie count with a visit to the Beavertails shack to indulge in one of their eponymous and much-loved-by-locals pastries. Adorned with an array of sweet toppings, these big, thin, crispy donuts originated right here in the capital. Delicious!
7. Feast on fine fare
Celebrating something special during your stay in Ottawa? Some of Canada’s top eateries are located in the capital. For the fanciest of fare, Atelier’s plain exterior contrasts with the stunning molecular gastronomy on offer inside. First opened in 2003 and confirming that it’s only getting better with age, Beckta relocated to elegant digs near Parliament in 2015 and continues to wow with its menu of modern Canadian cuisine.
8. Step back in time at Chateau Laurier
If there’s one building besides Parliament that defines Ottawa’s skyline, it’s the fairytale-esque Fairmont Chateau Laurier. Constructed in the early 1900s by the Grand Trunk Railway, this profusion of turrets and towers overlooking the Rideau Canal continues to operate as a luxury hotel. Even if you’re not staying there, a 75-minute guided tour is time well spent. You’ll hear about famous guests and the political machinations that have taken place within these imposing walls. Stay on afterwards for a classic afternoon tea.
9. Enjoy a winter interlude
In February, the frozen Rideau Canal becomes a focal point for the popular Winterlude festival. You can skate for eight kilometres, pausing for beaver tails or mulled wine at on-ice stalls, then enjoy the festival’s other highlights — including a giant snow playground!
10. Park yourself in Gatineau Park
There’s more winter fun on offer in Gatineau Park — a 360-square-kilometre nature conservation area, situated just a short drive from the city. Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing give way to hiking, cycling, and canoeing as the weather warms up. Wildlife can be spotted all year round.
For more travel inspiration, visit www.ottawatourism.ca.
Browse our range of Canada tours and experiences here.
Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of the top things to do in Ottawa on a first visit? We would love to hear from you. Join the conversation on our Facebook page.
Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Patricia Maunder is a freelance travel writer and arts journalist, and has worked in print, radio, and digital media. Currently based in Melbourne, she considers the Canadian city of Montreal to be her ‘other’ hometown — having lived there from 2012 to 2016. Patricia has visited all but one of the continents, and Antarctica continues to beckon — as it has done since she was a child. She enjoys culturally themed journeys and nature-based adventures.
Travel essentials
You can book many aspects of your holiday on the Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas website, including flights, hotels, car hire, travel insurance, and more. When you purchase a product or service using the following links from our partners, we receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay, and it enables us to continue to provide readers with amazing travel inspiration.
Flights
Compare airlines, flights, and fares in one place with Booking.com. They don’t charge any credit card fees and you can always see exactly what you’re paying for in the price breakdown. You can book one-way, round-trip, and multi-city flights, and change your travel dates with ease when you opt for a flexible ticket option (an additional cost applies). It all adds up to a great flight! Search for flights with Booking.com
Hotels
If you’re looking for a great deal on your next hotel or homestay, look no further than Booking.com. Their mission is to make travel affordable and accessible to more people, and to deliver seamless accommodation experiences that complement your holiday. Search for hotels and homestays with Booking.com
Car hire
Discover Cars is an award-winning (World Travel Awards) car rental comparison website, which helps customers find, compare, and hire cars at the most competitive prices globally. Search for hire cars with Discover Cars
Day tours & experiences
Search and book day tours, guided experiences, and attraction tickets and passes worldwide with Top Oz Tours and Viator. There are no booking or credit card fees when you book through us, and you’ll have access to the widest choice of activities and most competitive prices. Browse day tours and experiences
Multi-day tours & trips
Top Oz Tours has joined forced with Tour Radar to bring you a fabulous range of multi-day tours and trips from the world’s leading operators. Travel with like minded people and get the best possible price on the holiday of your dreams. Browse multi-day tours and trips
Travel insurance
World Nomads aims to be a part of every traveller’s journey by providing a reassuring range of travel insurance services. Benefits include coverage for emergency medical and evacuation or repatriation, lost baggage, trip cancellation, and more than 150 adventure activities. Get an insurance costing
