Ottawa City Guide

Ottawa is the capital of Canada and can be found in the Ottawa Valley. The major sights are all clustered downtown, so it's not difficult to walk from one to another. Check out the city's Parliament Hill, home to all the impressive buildings of Canada's parliament. If you're here from June to August you should go see the colourful half-hour ceremony that is held each morning on the Parliament Hill lawn, weather permitting. To learn more about Canada's history, check out this dazzling half-hour long sound and light show that takes place against the dramatic backdrop of the Parliament buildings and is free of charge. If historic sites aren't really for you, why not check out the main canal, shopping centre, and waterfalls in Ottawa, which are all called Rideau. This city offers you plenty of restaurants serving traditional cuisine, as well as plenty of upmarket, fashionable eateries too. To round off the night, Ottawa has a vibrant and varied nightlife for you to take advantage of.

Reviews of Ottawa from boo.com

• post4e2714 says:

  “ Ottawa is a beautiful city, everything you need in within walking distance. There is a free guided tour of the city that leaves from the tourist every morning at 11, only in the summer. This year there was an amazing light show on the outside of the parliment building telling the history of… more Canada, this was so amazing that we went twice! Will be going back to Ottawa!close

  Posted: on Aug 10, 2010 |

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• anonymous says:

  “ Ottawa is Canad's capital and probably one of the most "overlooked" cities in the world! Overshadowed by places like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, Ottawa is Canada's 4th largest urban centre and one of the most beautiful cities in the entire country. As the national capital, Ottawa has… more all the amenities you would expect in a capital city. The are incredible shops, restaurants, cafés and pubs,especially in an area called the By Ward Market. (Somebody told me that there are over 365 restuarants in this section of town and I believe it. People are all out on the patios eating, drinking and having a GREAT time!) There are also 17 national museums, five art galleries, numerous theatres and concert halls, the Parliament Buildings (which are INCREDIBLE!) and, because it is location on the boarder of Québec and Ontario, the city is perfectly bilingual in English and French. Ottawa is a city devoted to outdoor activity and nature. The downtown area is very green with the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rideau Canal and the mighty Ottawa River flowing right through the center of it. Within 10 minutes drive of our our hotel we were able to go white water rafting, hot air ballooning, swimming, hiking, cycling, canoeing, kayaking and rock climbing. Ottawa has over 450 kiclose

  Posted: on Nov 20, 2008 |

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• kshuvaev8474 says:

  “ This is a nice, quite guest house - rooms and bathrooms are clean but the kitchen. The owner was very nice and helpful. Walking distance to the city center is about 20 - 30 min. I think this hostel is a great place to stay and the quality service is good for the value of money.

  Posted: on May 9, 2008 |

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