Canada’s capital often flies under the radar compared to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, yet Ottawa rewards visitors with a compelling blend of history, culture and outdoor adventure. Set along the banks of the Ottawa River and framed by the UNESCO-listed Rideau Canal, the city combines grand national landmarks with a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere. One moment you’re admiring the Gothic spires of Parliament Hill or exploring world-class museums, the next you’re cycling through leafy parkland, paddling along the canal or lingering over cocktails in the ByWard Market.
Whether visiting during the tulip-filled days of spring, the long summer evenings or the snowy months when the canal transforms into the world’s largest skating rink, Ottawa offers a distinctly Canadian city break that effortlessly balances urban sophistication with a love of the outdoors.
AirTransat have just launched a new route direct to Ottawa from London. The flight takes around seven hours, with a great value premium economy offering in their ‘Club Class’, making Ottawa a unique destination for your next city break.
Where To Stay In Ottawa – Fairmont Château Laurier
For a stay that captures Ottawa at its most iconic, check into the Fairmont Château Laurier. Rising above the Rideau Canal like a French château transplanted to the Canadian capital, the grand hotel occupies one of the city’s most coveted addresses. Parliament Hill lies just across the water, while the cobbled streets, cafés and boutiques of the ByWard Market are only a short stroll away. Equal parts landmark and luxury retreat, it’s the natural choice for travellers looking to immerse themselves in the heart of Ottawa.
Opened in 1912, the Fairmont Château Laurier has been woven into Ottawa’s story for more than a century. Commissioned by Grand Trunk Railway president Charles Melville Hays, who tragically died aboard the Titanic just weeks before the hotel’s grand opening, the château-style landmark quickly became a gathering place for politicians, dignitaries and visiting royalty. Today, much of its historic character remains intact, from its elegant limestone façade to its grand halls and heritage detailing.
Guests can expect spacious rooms and suites, a heated indoor pool, fitness centre, refined dining options, Le Labo toiletries and attentive service, while many rooms offer sweeping views across the Rideau Canal, Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River. Newly opened restaurant Akira Back offers contemporary Japanese sharing plates, meanwhile bistro-style Zoe’s presents fantastic, more traditional breakfast options. Combining old-world grandeur with contemporary comforts, the Château Laurier remains one of Canada’s most celebrated hotels and the obvious place to stay for luxury-inclined travellers in Ottawa.
What To See In Ottawa
The best way to get your bearings in Ottawa is from the saddle of an e-bike with a guided tour, gliding along the Rideau Canal and the city’s impressively extensive network of cycling paths. Cycling offers an excellent way to cover a lot of ground, immersing yourself in a city’s landmarks and lesser trodden paths. In summer, the UNESCO-listed waterway becomes the backbone of the capital, linking leafy neighbourhoods, waterside parks and some of the city’s most photogenic viewpoints. From there, make your way to Parliament Hill, where Gothic Revival spires rise above the Ottawa River and the seat of Canadian democracy commands some of the finest views in the city.
In the Winter, the Rideau Canal freezes up, resulting in one of Ottawa’s most unmissable annual events when residents and tourists rush to ice skate on top of the canal. For the rest of the year, the canal provides not only beautiful scenery when walking along its banks, but also a great deal of fun for outdoorsy types, who can enjoy canoeing, kayaking, and a wide range of other watersports, reinforcing Ottawa’s commitment to being a city that embraces the great outdoors that Canada is known for.
A short stroll away, the National Gallery of Canada is equally unmissable. Its striking glass-and-granite architecture houses one of the country’s most important art collections, from Indigenous masterpieces to contemporary works, while I was most excited about the giant Louise Bourgeois sculpture, Maman. The world-famous spider sculpture standing guard outside has become one of Ottawa’s most recognisable landmarks and is one of a series of sculptures – another made a return to London’s Tate Modern last year. Together, they capture the city’s distinctive blend of political significance, cultural ambition and easy-going outdoor charm.
Where To Eat In Ottawa
Ottawa’s food scene ranges from casual market bites to sophisticated dining rooms, and no culinary visit is complete without exploring the historic ByWard Market. One of Canada’s oldest and liveliest market districts, it is packed with cafés, food stalls, bakeries and international eateries.
For a full exploration of this foodie district, you can book a walking tour with Ottawa Food Tours, who will take you through the best Canadian delicacies. My favourite discovery here was the Bloody Caesar cocktail – similar to a Bloody Mary, but made with a mix of clam and tomato juice. It’s perfectly savoury and saline – like a Bloody Mary but ten times more flavourful.
Be sure to stop at the original BeaverTails stand on George Street as well, where the city’s iconic fried-dough pastry was first popularised. These days, you can get BeaverTails in a range of flavours, but we opt for the traditional Killaloe Sunrise – coated in cinnamon sugar with fresh lemon squeezed on top. It’s a great way to finish a busy day, walking around the market, chatting, and enjoying a sweet treat.
For a more refined experience, head to Riviera, an elegant restaurant housed in a former bank building on Sparks Street. Known for its extensive cocktail program, striking Art Deco-inspired setting and seafood-focused menu featuring oysters, lobster and fresh fish, Riviera is one of Ottawa’s standout destinations for an upscale evening meal.
Here, I enjoy fresh oysters, scallops and ceviche, meanwhile my friend is presented with a particularly impressive plate of steak frites, with perfectly browned fresh French fries. You’ll need to factor in extra time to pore over their cocktail menu, which has an entire section dedicated to Negronis. I finally settle on a ‘Unicorn’, which is a completely clear cocktail and totally up my alley with sweet white vermouth.
Ottawa’s Famous Tulip Festival
One of Ottawa’s most celebrated annual events is the Canadian Tulip Festival, which transforms the capital into a sea of colour each May. More than a million tulips bloom across the city, with the most spectacular displays found along the Rideau Canal and around Commissioners Park, where vibrant ribbons of red, yellow, pink and purple stretch towards the water’s edge.
The festival traces its origins to a remarkable wartime story: during the Second World War, Canada provided refuge to members of the Dutch royal family, and after the war the Netherlands gifted thousands of tulip bulbs as a gesture of gratitude. That tradition continues today, making the festival both a celebration of spring and a symbol of enduring friendship between the two nations.
For visitors, the festival offers far more than flower displays. Walking and cycling routes weave through the blooms, while outdoor art installations, cultural performances, photography exhibits and family-friendly events bring extra energy to the city.
The sight of Ottawa emerging from winter beneath a canopy of tulips has become one of Canada’s quintessential spring experiences, drawing visitors from around the world. Whether viewed from the pathways beside Dow’s Lake or during an evening stroll along the canal, the festival lends the capital a distinctly European atmosphere and showcases Ottawa at its most picturesque.
We also pay a visit to Saunder’s Farm, who themselves plant around 500,000 tulips as part of the festival, offering tulip installations, entertainment, and their famous cider for visitors. The farm, located around a 25-minute drive from the city centre, is another reminder of Ottawa’s commitment to blending the outdoors with the bustling cityscape, something that seems unique to the city.
What To Do In Ottawa
For a deeper understanding of Canada’s history and living Indigenous cultures, a visit to Mādahòkì Farm offers a meaningful complement to Ottawa’s national museums and monuments. Operated by Indigenous leaders and entrepreneurs, the farm provides an opportunity to engage with First Nations, Inuit and Métis traditions through cultural programming, artisan markets, storytelling and seasonal events.
We were guided through the farm by one of its members of staff, all of whom are Indigenous, who gave us a fascinating insight into Indigenous traditions and ways of life both in the past and now, living alongside the rest of Canada’s population. We even got a chance to meet some of the few remaining Spirit Horses, which carry their own unique history.
The Ojibwe Spirit Horse is a rare and endangered breed deeply connected to Indigenous communities. The horses are smaller and fluffier than other breeds of horses, helping them survive the harsh Winters of North America. Elders describe these small, hardy horses as having lived alongside Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial, but by the 1970s the breed had been pushed to the brink of extinction, with only a handful of mares remaining. Thanks to a dramatic rescue effort by members of Lac La Croix First Nation and decades of conservation work, the population has slowly recovered. Today, Mādahòkì Farm serves as a home for a growing herd, inviting visitors to learn about the horses’ cultural significance and the resilience of Indigenous communities.
Experiences such as these serve as an important reminder that Ottawa sits on the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation, whose connection to the land stretches back thousands of years. Taking time to learn about Indigenous histories, perspectives and contemporary communities enriches any visit to Canada, offering a fuller understanding of the country’s past while highlighting the resilience, creativity and ongoing contributions of Indigenous Peoples today.
This is a really fascinating educational experience – especially for those travelling from parts of the world such as the UK, where we don’t have an equivalent and therefore may not know much about North America’s Indigenous peoples.
Just a short drive from downtown Ottawa, Nordik Spa-Nature offers a restorative escape into the forests of neighbouring Quebec and feels a world away from the pace of the city. Set on the edge of Gatineau Park, the sprawling wellness retreat is designed to immerse guests in nature, with outdoor pools, saunas and relaxation spaces woven into a landscape of pine trees, rocky hillsides and quiet woodland.
In every season, the setting is spectacular: summer brings sun-dappled terraces and birdsong, while autumn cloaks the surrounding hills in fiery reds and golds. Even in the depths of winter, there is something uniquely Canadian about moving between steaming outdoor baths and crisp, snow-filled air.
The experience is rooted in thermotherapy, a centuries-old wellness practice that alternates heat, cold and rest to promote relaxation and wellbeing. Guests can drift between Finnish saunas, eucalyptus steam rooms, hot pools and invigorating cold plunges before retreating to one of the spa’s many quiet lounges, hammocks or fireside seating areas. While treatments and massages are available, much of Nordik’s appeal lies in simply slowing down and embracing the rhythms of the natural environment.
For travellers looking to balance Ottawa’s museums, historic landmarks and cultural attractions with a dose of tranquillity, it provides one of the region’s most memorable experiences – a place where wellness and the outdoors come together in perfect harmony.
We spend a morning here, with six hours beginning to feel like nowhere near enough. Cycling between saunas, cold plunges, and steam rooms, I reach a state of total relaxation. There are a number of restaurants and cafes to purchase food and drinks, and after my first cycle, I enjoy a mimosa in the onsen. At lunchtime, we sit down for a nourishing and delicious meal, and I finish my day at Nordik with a transformative float in the salt pool, forgetting entirely that I’m a short car ride away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Ottawa.
Travel Beyond Ottawa
Ottawa is located within train distance from both Montreal and Toronto, making these perfect locations to continue your trip through Canada. Via Rail offers a distinctly comfortable business class with an on-board meal, access to the lounge with complimentary alcoholic and soft beverages, as well as a bigger luggage allowance. For those wishing to travel quickly, conveniently, and in comfort, this is a fantastic option.
Air Transat – voted World’s Best Leisure Airline 2025 by Skytrax – offers year round direct flights from London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow to Toronto, with seasonal direct services from London Gatwick to Montreal and Ottawa. Ottawa return fares from £367 pp. Book at airtransat.com
Via Rail provides train services throughout Canada, with their Business Class including access to the lounge, on-board meals with alcoholic and soft beverages, and an increased baggage allowance. Book at https://www.viarail.ca/en
