My first solo trip to Ottawa was in August and it’s the perfect time to visit the capital of Canada. I took the train from Montreal and stayed in beautiful Wellington West, a neighborhood just south of the Ottawa River. It was easy to get around on the local buses in Ottawa and I did a lot of walking.
Summertime in Canada means lots of festivals and events outdoors. In the winter there is still plenty to do outdoors but it requires an investment in outdoor clothing and maybe a pair of skates :)
Enjoy these highlights of my five days traveling in Ottawa and you’ll see there’s lots of things to do in Ottawa.
Pretoria Avenue Bridge over the Rideau Canal in Ottawa
This post contains compensated links and I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. See my disclosure about affiliate links
Jump To Sections In This Article:
Parliament Hill tours
At Parliament Hill I took in a tour of Centre Block and the Peace Tower. But in 2019 Centre Block is closed for renovations so no Peace Tower tours are available.
Tours of the Senate of Canada and West Block begin in February 2019. You can reserve your Parliament Hill tour tickets here. All facilities are wheelchair accessible.
Ottawa Parliament Building tour, including the Senate of Canada
East Block and Chateau Laurier Hotel as viewed from the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa
Changing of the Guard at Parliament Hill
The changing of the Guard at Ottawa’s Parliament Hill attracts visitors all summer long and it’s worth a visit. The first changing of the guard ceremony on Parliament Hill took place on July 2, 1959.
Plan ahead so you get a decent vantage point to view the ceremony which begins at 9:50 am almost every morning in the summer months.
The changing of the guard is a free event.
Ceremonial Guards at Parliament Hill – Changing of the Guard
Ceremonial Guards at the daily Changing of Guard ceremony on Parliament Hill
Ottawa Locks UNESCO World Heritage site
Located between Parliament Hill and the Chateau Laurier Hotel, the Ottawa Locks are an interesting attraction.
Ottawa Locks allow boats to travel from the Ottawa River to Kingston via the Rideau Canal. It takes 90 minutes to pass through all 8 locks with a total lift of 79 feet. Read more about visiting the Ottawa Locks.
Solo travel quotes
“You must go on adventures to find out where you belong.” – Sue Fitzmaurice
Ottawa locks – Ottawa River to the Rideau Canal – 79 feet and 8 locks in 1.5 hours
Ottawa locks are operated manually just as they have been since operations began in 1832
Royal Canadian Mint tour
Stop by the Royal Canadian Mint for a tour and a chance to hold a 28 lb gold bar in your hands. Check out my blog post about touring the Royal Canadian Mint, it is really interesting to learn how they make the coins.
You can buy all sorts of souvenir coins and other items at the gift shop. Don’t miss the Royal Canadian Mint if you are into coin collecting.
24K gold bar weighing 28 lbs (12.7 kg) at Royal Canadian Mint boutique
National Gallery of Canada
A short walk from the Mint catch up on the Canadian art scene at the National Gallery of Canada. Read my blog post about visiting the National Gallery of Canada.
Address: 380 Sussex Drive
Hours and admission cost
Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm (Thursday open until 8 pm)
Closed on most Mondays. Check the gallery website for details and admission fees.
National Gallery of Canada – explore the collection of art
Detail of the painting Artist and Shaman between Two Worlds by Norval Morrisseau
Rock art on the Ottawa River
My first walk along the Ottawa River I came across the annual rock art exhibit.
Ottawa River rock art at Remic Rapids
Rock art exhibit along the Ottawa River
Annual Ottawa events
Here are the main attractions going on in Ottawa on an annual basis. Check the websites for more info and to find out costs or ticketing info for these events.
- Winterlude – February Celebration of winter with a skate on the Rideau Canal Skateway which is the world’s largest naturally frozen ice skating rink. Enjoy the International Ice Carving Competition and the Snowflake Kingdom as well as many other indoor and outdoor activities for the whole family.
- Canadian Tulip Festival – celebrated since 1953 each May
- Ottawa Chamberfest – events through May
- Tim Hortons Dragon Boat Festival – June
- Escapade Music Festival – electronic dance music fest takes place in June
- Ottawa Jazz Festival – end of June – early July
- Canada Day celebration – Celebrate Canada’s birthday on July 1st
- Bluesfest – July event
- CityFolk Festival – in September
Places to eat in Ottawa
Breakfast in Ottawa
- Baker Street Cafe – 385 Richmond Rd.
- Chesterfield’s Gastro Diner – 1433 Wellington Street W. No reservations on weekends so show up early to get your grub.
- Gina’s Cafe – 710 Gladstone Avenue
- The SconeWitch has 2 locations serving sweet and savory scones and coffee: 150 Elgin St. and 35 Beechwood Ave.
- Wilf and Ada’s – 510 Bank St. Break the fast at this cozy diner with homemade food.
ByWard Market shopping and restaurants
ByWard Market is located a few blocks from Parliament Hill and it’s full of shopping, restaurants, and a farmer’s market. If you want to shop for some Canadian maple syrup to bring back home for a gift, or look around for souvenirs then this is your place.
Maple syrup on display at ByWard Market – near Parliament Hill
Satisfy your sweet tooth at BeaverTails pastry shop in ByWard Market in Ottawa.
Beaver Tails available at ByWard Market near Parliament Hill
Petit Bill’s Bistro in Wellington West
My first evening I became acquainted with the seafood offerings in Wellington West at Petit Bill’s Bistro.
Seafood Charcuterie – cod & lobster mousseline, salmon at Petit Bill’s Bistro
Delicious seafood chowder at Petit Bill’s Bistro in Ottawa’s Wellington West neighborhood
Rideau Canal pathway
Enjoy beautiful scenery walking along the Rideau Canal pathway. This is the perfect place for fitness oriented folks to enjoy a walk, jog, bicycle ride, or inline skating outdoors.
Things to do in Ottawa with kids. Enjoy biking, walking, running, or inline skating along the Rideau Canal
Boats on the Rideau Canal
Read my blog post about walking from Wellington West to Dows Lake and the Rideau Canal one beautiful day in Ottawa.
Ducks resting along the shoreline of Dows Lake
Crosby the Wonder Dog leaps into Dows Lake
Public art in Ottawa
Public art is plentiful in Ottawa, from spiders to asparagus, you’ll find it on the streets of Ottawa. You can check out the asparagus sculpture here.
Maman is a giant spider sculpture by Louise Bourgeois.
The enormous spider Maman is located outside of the entrance to the National Gallery of Canada. Maman is one of six such spider sculptures created by Bourgeois. The massive arachnid is 9 meters (30 feet) tall and composed of bronze, stainless steel, and marble.
Spider sculpture known as Maman by Louise Bourgeois
Eyes are watching from a building along the Rideau Canal
People in Ottawa are friendly
Walking to catch the bus to my accommodations in Wellington West, I stopped on the overpass from the Via Rail station and pondered whether my bus would indeed be on the north side of the road.
A woman stopped and asked if I needed assistance. After explaining my query she informed me I was correct and when I asked about the whereabouts of a ticket machine she reached in her wallet and handed me $5. Oh no I couldn’t take your money – I will just go back to the train station and get change for my $20. “No, my daughter is traveling alone now and someone did her a favor so I want to do you a favor” she insisted and turned to leave. I told her I would pay it forward to someone else and she smiled and nodded in agreement as she strode away. Frequently, I am reminded of the kindness of strangers while I am traveling on my own.
At the bus stop another woman searched for change and asked other people if they had change for me when she saw me clutching the $5 bill. Is everyone this nice in Ottawa?! Basically yes. Ottawa has got to be one of the friendliest cities on the planet!
So, if you are anxious about traveling alone to Ottawa, don’t worry, you will be fine. I think pretty much anywhere in Canada is all right for solo travelers. But Ottawa is the friendliest city I have been to in Canada so far.
I thoroughly enjoyed my 5 days of solo travel in Ottawa – a beautiful city with friendly people and plenty to do outdoors in the summer time.
SAVE it to Pinterest for later and SHARE!
Leave a comment with your favorite things to do and see in Ottawa.
Bobguide
Saturday 2nd of July 2022
Fantastic post, thanks a lot for sharing this as it comes with a lot of details and has been very helpful.
Patti
Sunday 14th of September 2014
Love the rock art. Very unique, I've never seen anything like that before, inukshuks yes, but not so many and so creative
Susan Moore
Sunday 14th of September 2014
Yes it was a great surprise when I was walking along the river - I had no idea this existed - evidently it is an annual event. I only saw a few at first and I thought oh that's cool someone made some inukshuks - then I saw the whole collection and I spent a couple hours wandering around enjoying the place! The fairy dance performance later in the week was wonderful - the children attending were so mesmerized.
Charlys Trevino
Sunday 14th of September 2014
Beautiful! Love..love your shots. They totally depict the moment. Looks like a wonderful trip.
Susan Moore
Sunday 14th of September 2014
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the photos! I did have a wonderful trip to Ottawa - I spent most of my time outdoors which was refreshing coming from the intense heat of Austin, TX in August!