Ottawa travel guide
Ottawa Tourism | Ottawa Guide
You're Going to Love Ottawa
With a population of 812,129, Ottawa is a must-see destination in Ontario, Canada. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country. Ottawa deserves at least 2 full days for you to see its main sights.
Where to Eat in Ottawa
Centretown is the neighbourhood with the most restaurants in Ottawa. These include popular favourites such as Grounded Kitchen (100 Gloucester St), Stolen Goods Cocktail Bar (106 Sparks St.) and Riviera (62 Sparks St). If you’re looking for affordable options, La Terrasse (1 Rideau St) and Bâton Rouge Grillhouse & Bar – Ottawa (360 Albert St) are great picks. For delicious green meals, Vivaan (225 Preston St Unit 3) and Tulip (361 Queen St) are recommended spots to get vegetarian or vegan food in Ottawa.
When to visit Ottawa
Looking for warm weather? Then head to Ottawa in July, when the average temperature is 21 °C, and the highest can go up to 27 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as -14 °C, with an average temperature of -10 °C. You’re likely to see more rain in June, when precipitation is around 93 mm. In contrast, February is usually the driest month of the year in Ottawa, with an average rainfall of 50 mm.
How to Get to Ottawa
Plane
When flying to Ottawa, you’ll arrive at Ottawa Airport (YOW), which is located 11 km from the city centre Airlines that fly from Canada to Ottawa include Air Canada, Air France and Air China. The shortest domestic flight to Ottawa departs from Halifax and takes around 1h 49m.
Train
VIA Rail Canada is the most popular train carrier serving Ottawa, followed by AccesRail. Located 3 km from the city centre, Ottawa is the busiest station in Ottawa. Another popular train station is Ottawa Fallowfield, located 13 km from the centre.
Car
Another option to get to Ottawa is to pick up a car rental from Montreal, which is about 166 km from Ottawa. You’ll find branches of Hertz and Routes Car & Truck Rentals, among others, in Montreal.
Bus
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Ottawa, including Rider Express, Bus and Tour Express. The most popular bus station is Ottawa Terry Fox, located 20 km from downtown Ottawa. Ottawa Laurier E / Cumberland is also a commonly used station, and is 1.3 km from the city centre.
Airlines serving Ottawa
Where to stay in Ottawa
Average rates range from around C$ 180 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to C$ 376 and up for a 5-star experience. If you’re on a budget, well-reviewed accommodations include Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Ottawa Airport and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ottawa East - Orleans. There are also lots of vacation rental options in Ottawa, with prices from C$ 33 to C$ 2,685 per night. Centretown is the neighbourhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, vacation rentals in Ottawa are about 24% cheaper than a hotel room in the city.
Byward Market - In Ottawa’s most popular neighbourhood to stay, recommended hotels include Andaz Ottawa Byward Market-a concept by Hyatt, Courtyard by Marriott Ottawa Downtown and ByWard Blue Inn.
Centretown - Here you’ll find travellers’ favourites such as reStays Ottawa, Sonder The O'Connor and Soho Residences Lisgar. The average nightly price for a double room in Centretown is C$ 121.
Sandy Hill - McGee's Inn, Le Germain Hotel Ottawa and Rideau Residence University of Ottawa have some of the best reviews among hotels in this area. A 3-star room in Sandy Hill will cost you about C$ 165 per night.
Where to stay in popular areas of Ottawa
Most booked hotels in Ottawa
Renting a car in Ottawa
Renting a car in Ottawa costs C$ 66 per day, on average, or C$ 132 if you want to rent it for 2 days. Alamo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to rent a car in Ottawa is the Routes Car & Truck Rentals branch at 2644 Leitrim Road,, ON, which is 12 km from the downtown.
It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 4% cheaper than airport locations in Ottawa.
Expect to pay C$ 1.81 per litre in Ottawa (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between C$ 21.71 and C$ 28.94. The most frequently booked car type in Ottawa is Compact (Nissan Rogue or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Economy rental cars (Honda Fit or similar) are, on average, 62% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.
Best car rental deals in Ottawa
Supplier choice
5 adults, 5 Bags
C$ 30/day
Intermediate SUV
5 adults, 3 Bags
C$ 32/day