Ottawa

💡 About Ottawa

Ottawa, Canada's capital since 1857 when Queen Victoria selected it partly for its defensible inland position away from the American border, sits at the scenic confluence of the Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau rivers where Ontario meets Quebec. The magnificent Parliament Buildings, constructed in a dramatic Gothic Revival style on a bluff overlooking the Ottawa River, are among the finest examples of that architectural tradition in North America, and the Peace Tower's carillon of 53 bells rings out across the city every afternoon. In winter, the UNESCO-designated Rideau Canal — originally built between 1826 and 1832 as a military waterway — transforms into the world's largest naturally frozen skating rink, stretching 7.8 kilometres through the heart of the city and drawing hundreds of thousands of skaters each season.

Ottawa is one of the coldest capital cities in the world, regularly recording temperatures below -30°C in January, yet it consistently ranks among the most liveable cities globally due to its exceptional air quality, low crime rates, abundant green space and high standard of public services. The city's spectacular Tulip Festival every May — a gift from the Netherlands in enduring gratitude for Canada sheltering the Dutch royal family during WWII — fills the city's parks with over a million blooms and marks the arrival of spring. Ottawa is a bilingual city where French and English share equal official status, reflecting Canada's dual cultural heritage, and the neighbourhoods of Lowertown and Vanier have a distinctly Francophone character.

The National Gallery of Canada, designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie and opened in 1988, houses the country's finest collection of Canadian and Indigenous art in a striking glass and granite building overlooking the river. The Canadian Museum of History, just across the river in Gatineau, Quebec, attracts over a million visitors annually and tells the story of human habitation in Canada from the first Indigenous peoples to the present day. Gatineau Park, a vast wilderness reserve of 361 square kilometres just minutes from the city centre, offers world-class hiking, cycling, swimming and cross-country skiing throughout the seasons.

⭐ Known For