- Ottawa
- Toronto
Enjoy a twin-centre holiday combining Canada’s elegant capital with its most dynamic metropolis. Explore Ottawa’s grand landmarks and scenic waterways, then relax on a comfortable VIA Rail journey to Toronto. […]
| Monday | 09:00 - 17:30 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 - 17:30 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 - 17:30 |
| Thursday | 09:00 - 17:30 |
| Friday | 09:00 - 17:30 |
| Saturday | 09:00 - 16:00 |
| Sunday | Closed |
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Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, is located in Ontario on the Québec border. With a population of 1.1 million English and French-speaking residents and growing multicultural communities, it is an impressive yet intimate metropolitan area. Filled with national and historic sites as well as cultural attractions, Ottawa boasts a beautiful natural setting that supports year-round recreation and adventure. Its relaxed urban rhythm and distinctive neighbourhoods make it a delight to explore.
Ottawa is a compact city where lively urban experiences meet a relaxed natural setting. Beyond the walkable city centre, diverse neighbourhoods exude local character, offering great restaurants, independently owned boutiques, local coffee roasters, and handmade frozen treats, all while showcasing urban art along the way.
The Canadian Museum of History celebrates Canadian and world cultures, from pre-historic times to the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Its Grand Hall features six Pacific coast Indian house facades connected by a shoreline and boardwalk, along with the largest collection of indoor totem poles in the world. The Canadian Museum of Nature offers a fun and educational experience for the whole family, with galleries featuring dinosaurs, blue whales, and the newly opened Canada Goose Arctic Gallery.
Ottawa also invites visitors to explore the RCMP Stables, tour the stables, meet the horses, and experience a living tribute to Canadian heritage. Art lovers can enjoy the National Gallery of Canada, home to the national art collection and outstanding special exhibitions, including the new Canadian and Indigenous Gallery. Rich in cultural treasures and attractions, Ottawa offers the best of Canada all in one place.
Famous national landmarks and historic sights greet visitors throughout Canada’s capital, with Parliament Hill at the centre. Home to Canada’s federal government, it hosts Canada Day celebrations, the daily Changing the Guard ceremony, and the summer Sound and Light Show. Free daily tours and rides to the top of the Peace Tower offer spectacular 360º city views. The Rideau Canal, Ontario’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, winds through Ottawa with sightseeing cruises, pleasure boats, canoes, and kayaks, while the Bytown Museum alongside the locks provides a fascinating glimpse into the city’s history.
Surprisingly intimate and very walkable, Ottawa offers a relaxed and welcoming urban setting. ByWard Market, just east of Parliament Hill, is a favourite for its farmers’ market and shopping by day, and lively dining, cafés, clubs, and pubs by night. The city’s culinary scene features nationally and internationally acclaimed chefs, with Savour Ottawa promoting locally grown and produced foods. For a change of pace, the Casino du Lac-Leamy provides gaming and entertainment.
The Ottawa region’s identity has been influenced by many cultures, including First Nations, French, English, Scottish and Irish. The city of Ottawa is located within the traditional Anishinàbeg Algonquin territory. Since several rivers meet here, the area was an active transportation corridor for an astounding diversity of Indigenous groups and travellers. In fact, the city’s name is derived from the Algonquin word “Odawa,” meaning “to trade.”
European explorers passed through the region beginning in the 1600s, followed by Irish, French and Scottish settlers, who launched the local timber trade in the early 1800s. The population also increased with the construction of the Rideau Canal (1826-1832) as a military defence and transportation route in case of war with the United States. The settlement was known as Bytown until it was incorporated as the city of Ottawa in 1855. Queen Victoria chose it as the new capital of Canada in 1857.
Ottawa is a natural choice for sports and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. May’s Ottawa Race Weekend attracts thousands of top national and international runners. During spring, summer and fall, Ottawa’s 600 kilometres of paved recreational paths welcome cyclists, inline skaters and runners. The Capital’s many waterways are ideal for kayaking, canoeing and boating, and the upper Ottawa River is one of the top five white-water rafting rivers in the world. Ottawa has more great golf courses within an easy drive of downtown than any other Canadian city.
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