Ottawa Tourist Places to Visit in Ottawa, Canada, America

Ottawa Tourist Places to Visit in Ottawa, Canada, America

Ottawa is the capital city of Canada geographically positioned at 45.417° N 75.7° W, is the 4^th largest city in the country located around 460 kms towards southwest of Toronto. Ottawa is the 2^nd cleanest city in Canada and the 3^rd cleanest city in the globe as of Mercer Human Resource Consulting and it also ranks the 2^nd highest quality of living in America.

Geography of Ottawa:

Ottawa is placed on the south bank of the River Ottawa bordering with Gatineau and Quebec, covers a total area of approximately 9000 sq. km. with at an altitude of 70 meters.

History of Ottawa:

The first European to sight Ottawa was Etienne Brule in 1610. Ottawa was initially formed with name Bytown in 1826 and it achieved town status in 1850 and gained city status in 1855 as Ottawa. Ottawa takes its name from Algonquin word ‘Adawe’ means ‘to trade’.

How to reach Ottawa?

Ottawa is served by Macdonald-Cartier International Airport located around 13 km from the city centre with connection to major Canadian and American cities, catered by Air Canada, Air Canada Express, Bearskin Airlines, Sunwing Airlines and many other prominent airlines. There are taxis available at airport charging around $20 to downtown Ottawa and other than taxis minibuses are available as cheaper options.

Ottawa has a railway station well connected with Montreal and other nearby cities with scheduled trains. OC Transpo buses, cars and taxis are options for local travel.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Ottawa:

Ottawa is well known for its many grand festivals celebrated mostly during the summer months. The major festivals include Ottawa Jazz Festival, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, The Fringe Festival and Bluesfest.

The major shopping centres in Ottawa are:

Laurent Shopping Centre
Rideau Centre
Place D’Orleans
Carlingwood Mall

The prominent food corners in Ottawa are listed below:

DiRienzo’s Deli
The Highlander Pub
Sante Restaurant
Perspectives Restaurant

Things to do and must visit in Ottawa:

Wakefield
Gatineau
Aventure Lafleche
Great Canadian Bungee
Eco-Odyssee
Jazz and Blues
The Bytowne Cinema
The Mayfair Theatre

Tourist Attractions in Ottawa:

Parliament Hill:

Parliament Hill is one of the major attractions of Ottawa and is the Canada’s house of democracy, located in the downtown Ottawa. It was constructed with Gothic revival style.

Canadian War Museum:

Canadian War Museum is at Vimy Place of Ottawa showing information on Canada’s War with French and British and also about World Wars. Entrance fee is $12 for adults.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization:

The Canadian Museum of Civilization is one of the most famous and most visited museums in Canada. It displays lot on human history including origination and development. Admission fee is $10 for adults and after 4PM of Thursday is free.

Other places of interest near Ottawa include:

Supreme Court of Canada
Royal Canadian Mint
Canada Aviation Museum
Bank of Canada Currency Museum
Mosaika Parliament Hill Sound & Light Show
Science and Technology Museum
Canadian Museum of Nature
National Gallery
Canada Agriculture Museum
Bytown Museum
Rideau Hall
Diefenbunker – Canada’s Cold War Museum

Best time to visit Ottawa:

Between March and May is the ideal time to visit Ottawa.

Accommodation Options in Ottawa:

The hotels of Ottawa always welcome tourists with their amazing and upgraded facilities and services. The budget accommodation centres charge approx $30/night and middle range-from $70-150/night and splurge- $150+/night. The prominent hotels in Ottawa are as follows:

Budget: