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Ottawa

Travoley
Ottawa
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Ottawa Travel Guide

  • About Ottawa
Cosmopolitan, classy and as cultured as they come, Canada’s capital is bags more fun than its somewhat staid reputation suggests. Think of Ottawa as the country in microcosm: a harmonious blend of urban and outdoorsy with a bilingual population, a coffee addiction and a healthy obsession with ice hockey. At Ottawa’s heart are the neo-gothic spires and turrets of Parliament Hill. Stretching skyward on the steep bluffs high above the River Ottawa, these Westminster-style government buildings exude a European elegance that is echoed in the barge-lined undulations of the Rideau Canal as it cuts through the city centre. Ottawa began life as a small lumber town, but a radical 20th-century redesign transformed the city into the leafy, elegant capital it is today. Much of the action still takes place in the original ByWard Market district – the focal point for the city’s French and Irish communities – which teems with closely-packed shops, restaurants and bars. It might not be as lively or as garrulous as nearby Toronto, but Ottawa is the nation’s intellectual nucleus with a raft of museums and galleries to prove it. The city’s highbrow residents don’t spend all their time browsing exhibitions and sipping flat whites in coffee shops though – not with so many outdoorsy activities to indulge in. From winter skating on the frozen Rideau Canal, the world’s largest naturally frozen ice skating rink, to summer cycling on extensive recreational paths, there are countless ways to give your adrenal glands a good workout. When you want to escape the city altogether, a world of adventure awaits in the superlatively scenic Ottawa Valley A packed calendar of events helps make Ottawa a year-round destination. Winterlude, which takes place over three weekends of February, offers everything from learn-to-skate clinics to a children’s snow playground and draws around 600,000 visitors. Music enthusiasts have no shortage of options either with Bluesfest, the Ottawa International Jazz Festival and Ottawa Chamberfest all rolling around annually.
  • Ottawa History
The name Ottawa is derived from the Algonquin word adawe, meaning “to trade”. For centuries, Algonquin people navigated the waterways of the Ottawa and Rideau rivers but there was no settlement here until the 1800s when Gatineau was founded near the falls, across the river from present-day Ottawa. Ottawa was started as a settlement after a navigable waterway between Lake Ontario and the Ottawa River was completed in 1831. Many of the builders were Scottish stonemasons who lived in Ottawa, then known as Bytown. After its humble beginning as a small lumber town, Ottawa was designated Canada’s capital by Queen Victoria in 1857. Four years later, the population hit 15,000 but settlers in the surrounding regions numbered almost 50,000. Soon, sawmills built by lumber barons would become some of the largest mills in the world. The lumber industry continued to contribute to Ottawa’s growth and lasted until shortly after the turn of the century, after which it slowly fell into decline. Around the same time, the city saw a rise in the creation of new government departments. Between 1860 and 1876, construction of the parliament buildings took place on Parliament Hill. Although fire destroyed the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings in 1916, a replacement was completed in 1922, the centrepiece of which is the gothic-inspired Peace Tower located on Wellington Street. In 1867, the Province of Canada ceased to exist and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario were formed. They united with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to form Canada. The arrival of the railways in the late 19th century enabled the city to become a key destination on a transcontinental network. By 1901, the city was the fourth largest in Canada. A building boom in the 1960s and 70s saw a transformation of the city’s skyline. In the 1970s the high tech sector drew highly skilled workers to this burgeoning computer and telecommunications centre, giving birth to Silicon Valley North. Today, technology, government and health are the major sources of employment.
  • Did you know?
The Dutch gave 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa in 1945 as thanks for sheltering the Dutch royal family during WWII. A fire destroyed most of the original Parliament Building in 1916, except for the library which survived as an employee closed its huge steel doors. In 1929, there were a number of explosions in Ottawa’s sewers. Blasts sent manhole covers and flames into the air and killed one person.
  • Weather in Ottawa
The best time to visit Ottawa is between April and May, when temperatures can rise to 19°C (66°F). This time of year also coincides with some of the capital’s key events, including the Tulip Festival. Summer is the most popular time for a visit, as it’s the warmest time of year, with temperatures around 26°C (79°F) but it’s also the most expensive. If you like ice-skating and festivals, go in the winter but wrap up warm and with several layers to keep the cold at bay. Temperatures can plummet to around -10°C (14°F).

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