If you have recently been planning, or indeed in the process of planning a trip to Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, located east of southern Ontario, but haven’t a clue which places to visit first, you’re in luck.
Revealed on this page are five top places you should visit during your stay in Ottawa. Additionally, we have also included some honourable mentions further down.
Top 5 places to visit during your next trip to Ottawa
Here are the top five places to visit during your next trip to Canada’s capital city. It’s best to visit these places during the summer months rather than during the cold, wet and snowy winter months.
There are some great buildings, landmarks, museums and art galleries to see, as well as parks to relax in and lots of other signature experiences to take in when staying in Ottawa. The top 5 places to visit first are the following:
These places are easy to get to and should definitely be added to your bucket list. These fine buildings are visited by thousands of people every year, and all are fine details in the unique tapestry of Ottawa’s history.
Does Ottawa have any casinos?
Yes. In fact, there are two local casinos in Ottawa worth visiting, both of which are around 15 minutes from downtown – the Rideau Carleton Casino, and the Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau. Try to make time to pay a visit to both if you can.
If you’re feeling lucky, you may want to place a bet on any of the table games or play the slot machines – you never know how it will play out. If you aren’t a betting person, a visit to these two unique destinations to savor the atmosphere when the casinos are in full flow is a memory you’ll keep with you forever.
After I have visited these top 5 places, where else in Ottawa is also worth checking out?
In no particular order of importance, some other top places to visit in Ottawa that deserve mentioning are the ByWard Market, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and the Canadian Museum of History.
If that’s not enough to keep you going, and you still have time left to take in some more popular tourist spots, then you also need to check out the National War Memorial, the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre, and Major’s Hill Park.
Other top locations include the Bytown Museum, Confederation Park, the Diefenbunker, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the Royal Canadian Mint, and the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum. If you still have time, try the Central Experimental Farm, Château Laurier, and the Ottawa Locks, to name just a few great ideas.
Interesting facts about Ottawa
England’s Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as Canada’s capital city in 1857. Just two years before this, the city was the first in Canada to install electric powered traffic lights.
The Canadian capital is the world’s seventh coldest capital city. During winter, the Rideau Canal, located in downtown Ottawa, turns into a roughly 7.8 km ice rink – the largest in the world.
The word ‘Ottawa,’ meaning ‘to trade,’ is actually derived from the Algonquin word ‘adawe.’ Ottawa is also recognized as one of the ‘youngest’ cities in terms of population – almost 50% of the people living there are younger than 35.
The captivating Château Laurier Hotel, which we mentioned above, is believed to be haunted by the spirit of the company president who was responsible for the construction of the building – Charles Melville Hays, who lost his life on the ‘unsinkable’ RMS Titanic!
The other haunted location also said to be frequented by spirits is the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel (a functioning hostel that was previously a prison). Ottawa is steeped in history and culture and has many other attractions and activities for visiting tourists to enjoy.
Photo: Unsplash
