Hotels in Ottawa

Ottawa is Canada's capital and holds the national institutions to match: Parliament Hill's Gothic Revival buildings above the river, the National Gallery with Louise Bourgeois's giant spider outside, the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of History across the water in Gatineau, Quebec.

The UNESCO-listed Rideau Canal runs through the centre, and in cold winters a 7.8 km stretch of it freezes into the Rideau Canal Skateway, the largest naturally frozen skating rink in the world. Recent mild winters have shortened or cancelled the season entirely, so check before planning a trip around it. ByWard Market is the food and nightlife quarter, operating since 1826.

Ottawa is genuinely bilingual, and crossing the bridge into Gatineau puts you in French-speaking Quebec within minutes. The Canadian Tulip Festival in May, a gift that began with wartime Dutch royalty sheltering here, brings a million blooms to the city, and Gatineau Park offers hiking and skiing 15 minutes from downtown.