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Ottawa Travel Guide
Ottawa is the capital of Canada. The city is situated along the Ontario side of the Ottawa River, opposite Gatineau, Quebec.
Unique as a North American capital, the city is bilingual with the majority of the population speaking English and a significant number also speaking French. Staff in stores and restaurants usually speak both well.
Ottawa is home to many of the world's cultures as thousands of immigrants from around the world now call Ottawa home. The city is probably best known as the nation's capital but has become one of the fastest growing cities in North America owing to the booming high-tech business sector.
Unique as a North American capital, the city is bilingual with the majority of the population speaking English and a significant number also speaking French. Staff in stores and restaurants usually speak both well.
Ottawa is home to many of the world's cultures as thousands of immigrants from around the world now call Ottawa home. The city is probably best known as the nation's capital but has become one of the fastest growing cities in North America owing to the booming high-tech business sector.
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Highlights
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Background
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Getting Here
By plane
By train
By car
By bus
By boat
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Getting Around
Public transit
The city's public transit is run by OC Transpo and includes the bus service as well as the O-Train light rail system. The network includes the Transitway, a bus rapid transit system running through and out of downtown, with frequent service (on the order of 1-2 minutes at rush hour).
Standard bus fare is $3.00 CAD cash or 2 tickets. Tickets cost 95¢ CAD each and are available from local stores in sheets of 10. Children 6-11 require only one ticket. Upon boarding you will be given a transfer which allows you to ride any number of buses or trains until its expiry (in roughly 2 hours). A day pass can be purchased on any bus for $7.25 (or $6 if pre-purchased at a vendor) and is good for both buses and the train. On Sundays, families (up to 2 adults and 4 children, age 11 and under) can share a day pass.
The O-Train operates on a "Proof of payment" (POP) system. Valid proof of payment is a bus transfer (see above), or an O-Train ticket purchased from the automated vending machines for $2.25 CAD. Note that the vending machine does not accept bus tickets, nor are bus tickets acceptable proof of payment. Children 11 and under can ride the O-train for free. Some high-occupancy buses use this same "POP" system as well, where rear boarding is available to those holding passes or transfers.
Although downtown is very walkable, if you are within the downtown area (Lebreton station to campus station), you can take any bus going East-West. If you are going to the Market from the transitway (95, 97, 85, 87), get off at Rideau Centre and walk through the mall to the other end. To go North-South, take the 4 (to Catherine Street, edge of Centretown), the 7 (edge of Old Ottawa South) or the 1 (all the way down Bank Street to Ottawa South).
The Ottawa transitway (dedicated roads on which only buses are allowed) offers speedy travel to various regions, then transfer over to local buses, if walking is not an option.
Although not designed as a tourist route, it so happens that the
- 3 route will take you to some special parts of Ottawa, such as the Experimental Farm, Dow's Lake, the War Museum & Lebreton flats, Wellington/Rideau street, Byward Market and Sussex Drive.
By Taxi
Taxis are easy to find downtown. Elsewhere, phone for a cab or go to a cab stop (Greyhound, airport, and other places). All taxis should have a meter and the base charge is C$2.45. A ride from downtown to the airport will be costly, running between C$25 and C$35. Cabs won't take credit cards for fares below C$10. Most cab drivers know Ottawa well, but have clear instructions if you're going anywhere in the suburbs as many developments in the outskirts are relatively new. Ottawa cabs aren't supposed to pick up customers off the street on the Quebec side; the converse applies to Quebec cabs in Ottawa. You may phone a Quebec cab if you are in Ottawa and vice versa.
By car
Parking at most attractions is convenient, though on-street parking in downtown areas is sometimes at a premium. If you are driving to downtown on the weekend, parking is free in the garage at the World Exchange Plaza. There are entrances to the garage on both Metcalfe Street and Laurier Street. A map is useful if you are going to be driving around downtown as many of the streets are one-way and more than one visitor has complained about navigating the downtown core.
Most major car rental companies have several offices in Ottawa with all of them represented downtown and at the airport.
On foot
Ottawa is great city to explore on foot. With pedestrian friendly streets and the density of attractions, a car is expensive and unnecessary for the most part. An excellent place to start any tour of Ottawa is the Capital Infocentre, located directly opposite Parliament Hill on Wellington Street. They have maps and brochures for most tourist attractions in Ottawa, many of which are within walking distance.
A popular pedestrian area, especially during spring and summer months, are the various streets in the Byward Market. Sparks Street, running through downtown parallel to the Parliament Buildings, is a popular pedestrian area during the day and night, particularly in the spring and summer months.
Guided walking tours are available with Around About Ottawa . There is so much to see and do in the Nation's Capital that a tour guide will maximize a visitor's time and experience in this beautiful city. Around About Ottawa has designed a choice of four 2-hour walks that take guests to the most popular areas of downtown Ottawa. Famous landmarks and tourist sites include Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal, the ByWard Market, and Elgin Street. All tours include some history as well as other tidbits of trivia not commonly known. Also popular is the Haunted Walk of Ottawa that provides a walking tour of the city's darker past.
Remember, during the summer months, the temperature and humidity can be oppresively high so definitely bring water if you're doing any amount of walking. If you are near the public pathways near the canal or the river, there are drinking fountains to refill your bottles.
By bicycle
There are usually a few options for renting bicycles downtown, and of course you can always bring your own. Ottawa is very accessible to cyclists. Again, you may want to start immediately opposite Parliament Hill to pick up a map of the area or find a bicycle rental. Cycling to the attractions around downtown Ottawa is a great way to get around, but don't ignore the Gatineau side of the river. They have several attractions along the river including the Museum of Civilization and if you want to really stretch your legs, Gatineau Park has many kilometers of great cycling paths.
The city is criss-crossed by over 170km of bicycle paths, some of which are shared with motorists, and some are shared with pedestrians. The city provides maps of the routes.
OC Transpo has bicycle racks on the front of many buses. You can load your bike on the rack and then ride the bus for the normal passenger fare. The O-Train will take bikes as well.
