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OTTAWA

| Canada

300C FEATURE DESINATION: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The capital of the second biggest country on the planet, OTTAWA struggles with its reputation as a bureaucratic labyrinth of little charm and character. The problem is that many Canadians who aren’t federal employees – and even some who are – blame the city for all the country’s woes. All too aware of this, the Canadian government have spent lashings of dollars to turn Ottawa into “a city of urban grace in which all Canadians can take pride” – so goes the promotional literature, but predictably this very investment is often resented. Furthermore, the hostility is deeply rooted, dating back as far as 1857 when Queen Victoria, inspired by some genteel watercolours, declared Ottawa the capital, leaving Montréal and Toronto smarting at their rebuff.

In truth, Ottawa is neither grandiose nor tedious, but a lively cosmopolitan city of 330,000 with a clutch of outstanding national museums , a pleasant riverside setting and superb cultural facilities like the National Arts Centre, plus acres of parks and gardens and miles of bicycle and jogging paths. It also possesses lots of good hotels and B&Bs and a busy cafébar and restaurant scene enough to keep the most diligent sightseer going for a day or three, maybe more. Here too, for once in English-speaking Ontario, Canada’s bilingual laws make sense: Québec’s Hull is just across the river and on the streets of Ottawa you’ll hear as much French as English.

LISTINGS

Airlines Air Canada (Canadian Airlines, Air Alliance, Air Nova and Air Ontario), 275 Slater St (tel 247-5000); British Airways (tel 1-800/247-9297); Canada 3000 (tel 247-1420); Continental (tel 1-800/231-0856); Delta (tel 1-800/325-1999); Lufthansa (tel 1-800/563-5954).

Airport enquiries tel 248-2125.

Bike rental Rent-A-Bike, 1 Rideau St, at the back of the Château Laurier hotel (tel 241-4140, rentabike@cyberus.ca ).

Bookshops Chapters, 47 Rideau St (tel 241-0073), has a fine selection of Canadian literature and non-fiction. The Book Market, on the corner of Dalhousie and Rideau sts, buys and sells secondhand books (tel 241-1753). A World of Map and Travel Books, 1235 Wellington St (tel 724-6776), specializes in travel books. Mother Tongue Books, 1067 Bank at Sunnyside (tel 730-2346), are feminist, First Nation, gay and countercultural specialists.

Bus information Local: STO (Hull tel 819/770-3242); OC Transpo (Ottawa tel 741-4390). Long-distance: Voyageur Colonial and Greyhound (tel 238-5900).

Camping equipment The Expedition Shoppe, 43 York St (tel 241-8397).

Car rental Discount, downtown at 421 Gladstone and Kent (tel 234-0809); Hertz, Queen at Lyon in the Crowne Plaza Hotel (tel 230-7607) and at the airport (tel 521-3332); National, 226 Queen St (tel 232-3536) and at the airport (tel 737-7023).

Dental emergencies tel 563-1000.

Embassies Australia, 50 O’Connor St (tel 236-0841); Ireland, 130 Albert St (tel 233-6281); Netherlands, 350 Albert St (tel 237-5030); New Zealand, 99 Bank St (tel 238-5991); UK, 80 Elgin St (tel 237-1530); US, 490 Sussex Drive (tel 238-5335).

Ice hockey From Sept to April, the Ottawa Senators play NHL games at the new 18,500-capacity Corel Centre, 1000 Palladium Drive, Kanata (tel 755-1111), about 15km southwest of downtown. Single game tickets on tel 755-1166.

Internet access Chapters, 47 Rideau St (tel 241-0073); AE Internet Café , 288 Bank St at Somerset (tel 230-9000).

Laundry Rideau Coinwash, 436 Rideau St (daily 8am-10pm; tel 789-4400).

Left luggage There are coin-operated lockers at the train and bus stations.

Pharmacy Rideau Pharmacy, 390 Rideau St (Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm).

Post office Postal facilities at Rideau Pharmacy, 390 Rideau St (Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm).

Taxis Blue Line tel 238-1111; Capital Taxi tel 746-2233.

Ticket agency Ticketmaster, 112 Kent tel (755-1111).

Train information VIA rail tel 1-800/361-1235. Local tel 244-8289.

Travel agencies Algonquin Travel, 90 Sparks St (tel 237-9200); Club Adventure, 115 Parent Ave (tel 789-8000); Thomas Cook, Eatons, Rideau Centre (tel 563-3838).

Weather For up-to-date weather details, call 998-3439.

Women’s Ottawa Rainbow Women’s Center, 211 Bronson Ave (tel 567-9822), is the place to go for contacts. Useful in emergencies are the Sexual Assault Support Centre (tel 234-2266) and the Rape Crisis Centre (tel 562-2333).

FESTIVALS

Ottawa uses every excuse in the book to put on a festival , and its munificence is evident at every jamboree. Public holidays like Canada Day are celebrated here with the sort of spectacle that other cities muster, but with extra dollars to boost the show, while seasonal shindigs like the Winterlude and the Canadian Tulip Festival are as lavish as any in the country. Other than these large bashes, ethnic festivals embracing Canada’s diverse population are smaller but equally entertaining and there’s a wide variety of musical festivals too. The list below is arranged chronologically.

Winterlude . A ten-day snow-and-ice extravaganza spread over February. Concentrated around the frozen Rideau Canal, it includes ice sculptures at Confederation Park – renamed the Crystal Garden for the duration – and snow sculptures around Dows Lake. Other events include speed skating, bed races and dog-sled races. Further information on tel 239-5000.

Canadian Tulip Festival . Held in mid-May, this is the oldest of Ottawa’s festivals – it began in 1945 when the Dutch sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to the capital to thank the Canadian soldiers who helped liberate the Netherlands. More bulbs arrived the following year from Queen Juliana, who had taken refuge in Ottawa when the Netherlands were occupied. The transformation of the city didn’t meet with universal approval at first – Mackenzie King thought the planting of tulips around the Parliament Buildings was “undignified”, but his staff planted thousands in secret anyway. Nowadays the bulbs are planted around Parliament, along the canal and around Dows Lake, an outbreak of colour that’s accompanied by concerts, parades, fireworks and a huge craft show. The major events take place in Major’s Hill Park and Dows Lake – but few are free, and the festival now has a reputation for being rather touristy. Further information on tel 567-5757, www.tulipfestival.ca .

Franco-Ontarien Festival . Late June. This celebration of French culture has built up a reputation as being the party that brings a bit of wildness to conservative Ottawa. Dalhousie St is closed off to traffic for up to five days, so the bands and street dancers can take over. Further information on tel 741-1225, www.ffo.ca .

Canada Day . July 1 The country’s national day celebrated in style with parades, processions and much flag waving. Further information on tel 239-5000.

Bluesfest . Early July. Canada’s largest festival of blues including international crooners with concerts in various venues and free shows in Confederation Park. Further information on tel 233-8798, www.ottawa-bluesfest.ca .

Festival Canada . July. Based around the National Arts Centre, this month-long festival features performances of opera, concerts, choral works, jazz, English and French theatre, cabaret and workshops. Further information on tel 996-5051, www.nac-can.ca .

Ottawa International Jazz Festival . Mid-July. One of Ottawa’s most popular festivals, showcasing more than 400 musicians. The main stage is in Confederation Park with concerts several times daily. In addition, local bands play around Byward Market and at city clubs. Further information on tel 594-3580, www.jazz.ottawa.com .

Ottawa Chamber Music Festival . Late July to early Aug. North America’s largest classical music festival, with concerts in venues and churches across the city. Further information on tel 234-8008, www.chamberfest.com .

Performing Art and Cinema

Ottawa’s cultural focus is the National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin St (tel 947-7000, www.nac-can.ca ; tickets from Ticketmaster tel 755-1111), which presents plays by the resident theatre company as well as touring groups, concerts by the resident orchestra, operas with simultaneous French and English subtitles, and dance from (among others) the National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Tickets begin at $12.50 and wherever you sit the acoustics are outstanding.

Quality theatre is also presented by The Great Canadian Theatre Company, 910 Gladstone St (tel 236-5196), which presents avant-garde Canadian plays with strong social or political overtones; Ottawa Little Theatre, 400 King Edward (tel 233-8948), an amateur group who perform a variety of popular plays, usually comedies; and Hull’s Théâtre l’ÃŽle, 1 Wellington St (tel 819/595-7455), on an island in the Ottawa River.

Ottawa has a good selection of cinemas . Options include the Bytowne Cinema, 325 Rideau (tel 789-3456), the capital’s most popular repertory cinema, and the Canadian Film Institute, 2 Daly Ave (tel 232-6727), which shows art-house and mainstream films arranged by theme. Famous Players Inc, in the Rideau Shopping Mall, Rideau Street (tel 234-3712), has the latest releases, as does the Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank (tel 730-3403).

Venues, Music Bars and Clubs

Atomic , 137 Besserer St (tel 241-2411). One of Ottawa’s coolest clubs with occasional all-nighters. Most nights are free, but some attract a small admission charge. Techno though to jungle.

Barrymore’s Music Hall , 323 Bank St (tel 233-0307). Commercial, mainstream and local bands perform live here every night except Sunday. Both U2 and Tina Turner have played in this huge seven-level venue which started out as a Vaudeville theatre.

The Cave , 63 Bank St (tel 233-0080). Nightclub with a good reputation for its varied programme with themed evenings (retro, disco and so forth) a special feature.

Market Station Bar-Bistro , 15 George St (tel 562-3540). Stylish gay hangout with artworks and funky music. Byward Market.

Mercury Lounge , 56 Byward Ave (tel 789-5324). Big loft with great martinis and vinyl couches. Acid-jazz, house and techno with DJs from all over Canada along with weird and wacky live acts.

Rainbow Bistro , 76 Murray St (tel 241-5123). Atmospheric blues club with jam sessions on Sunday. Byward Market.

Vineyard’s Wine Bar , 54 York St (tel 241-4270). Hot jazz spot with a formidable wine cellar. Byward Market.

Zaphod Beeblebrox , 27 York St (tel 562-1010). The whole spectrum of live bands from C&W to alternative. Byward Market.

NIGHTLIFE & ENTERTAINMENT

Ottawa has several vibrant downtown nightclubs and is a major port of call for big-name touring acts, most of whom appear at the Corel Centre, about 15km southwest of downtown (tel 755-1166). Otherwise, things aren’t too exciting, though jazz is extremely popular with regular gigs from leading artists in a variety of informal venues.

For listings on events of all sorts, there’s the free Where Ottawa-Hull , a monthly promotional magazine designed for tourists. On Fridays the Ottawa Citizen prints a list of current entertainment, but for gig details as well as other more objective listings and information the weekly Xpress newspaper is the capital’s trendiest and most comprehensive source.

Bars and Pubs

Blackthorn Café , 15 Clarence St at Sussex. In the Byward Market area, this trendy spot incorporates an English-style pub and has a pleasant outside terrace.

Blue Cactus , 2 Byward Market. Slightly hectic bar with a good line in cocktails and pastel decor.

Heart and Crown , 121 Parent Ave. Popular Irish-style bar with large outside terrace.

Irene’s Pub Restaurant , 885 Bank St. Live Celtic and folk music and imported beers.

The Mayflower , 247 Elgin St and 201 Queen St. Two English-style pubs that get jam-packed on the weekend. The one on Queen has the better buzz.

Royal Oak , 779 Bank St, 318 Bank St and 161 Laurier Ave E. Three British-style pubs, all serving draught and bottled beers and inexpensive food, including ploughman’s lunch and fish and chips. All branches have rock bands several times a week.

Cafes and Cafe-Bars

Bagel Bagel , 92 Clarence St. Nine different types of bagel with an assortment of fillings from $2.50. Open late every night. Byward Market area.

Café Crepe de France , 76 Murray St at Parent. Divine crepes from $8 in a distinctive French-style café. Byward Market.

Domus Café , 87 Murray St at Parent. In the Domus houseware store, this is a bright place with excellent cooking that uses produce from the Farmers Market. Good for breakfast and brunch on a Sunday. Byward Market.

Hooker’s All Canadian Beavertails , junction of George and William sts in the Byward Market. Fast-food kiosk specializing in the (recently invented) Ottawan snack of “Beavertails” – half-pizza, half-doughnut, fried and covered either in garlic butter and cheese or cinnamon and sugar.

Medithéo , 77 George St. Fashionable Byward Market hangout with stone walls, angular modern furniture and a good menu with a Mediterranean slant.

Nate’s , 316 Rideau St at Nelson. At under $5, the cheapest full breakfast in one of the capital’s most popular delis.

Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana , 200 Preston St. Pastries, espressos and cappuccinos to die for. Between Gladstone and Somerset.

Tramps Café , 53 William St. Arguably the best café-bar in the Byward Market, with good finger foods; try the deep-fried courgette and chicken wings at weekends.

Café Wim , 537 Sussex Drive at George. Stylish café-bar graced by slick modern furnishings and fittings, plus a good, wide-ranging menu with a Mediterranean slant. Byward Market area.

Zak’s Diner , 16 Byward Market. A 1950s-style time warp with chrome decor, rock’n’roll blaring from the jukebox and good all-American food. Open daily until midnight.

Restaurants

Casablanca Resto , 41 Clarence St (tel 789-7855). Wonderful Moroccan cuisine and delicious coffees. Byward Market area.

Chez Jean Pierre , 210 Somerset St W (tel 235-9711). The best French restaurant in town, with prices to match. Reservations essential. In the city centre near Elgin St.

Coriander Thai , 282 Kent St (tel 233-2828). The best Thai in Ottawa. Amazing satays, rich green and red curries, lemongrass tea and other classic dishes at fair prices. Not far from Parliament Hill.

Courtyard , 21 George St (tel 241-1516). In a cobblestone courtyard, this pretty place has a summer terrace and on Sundays brunch is accompanied by live classical music. Advisable to reserve at weekends. Byward Market area.

Empire Street Grill , 47 Clarence St at Parent (tel 241-1343). Smart and polished restaurant in the Byward Market area. First-rate steaks and an extensive wine list. Live jazz Thursday through Saturday till 2am.

Good Morning Vietnam , 323 Rideau St (tel 789-4080). Lively, nonsmoking Vietnamese place with plain decor and delicious food. Byward Market area.

The Green Door , 198 Main St (tel 234-9597). Organic vegetarian buffet that is sold by weight. South of the centre near St Paul University.

Havely , 39 Clarence St at Sussex (tel 241-1700). Elegant Indian restaurant of dark wood and brass. The all-you-can-eat lunch buffet is one of the best buys in Ottawa. Good vegetarian food. Byward Market area.

La Pointe , 55 York St (tel 241-6221). Superb Byward Market restaurant serving wonderful seafood at reasonable prices in informal, basement premises. Recommended.

Mamma Teresa , 300 Somerset St W at O’Connor (tel 236-3023). Home-made pasta, fresh cheeses and olives and real Italian coffee. Very popular, so booking is advisable. Most pasta dishes around $10.

Mekong , 637 Somerset St W (tel 237-7717). A wide offering of Vietnamese and Chinese food in the heart of Chinatown.

Saigon , 83 Clarence St (tel 789-7934). First-rate and inexpensive Vietnamese cuisine in the Byward Market.

The Siam Kitchen , 1050 Bank St (tel 730-3954). Excellent Thai food, especially the noodle and squid dishes. On the southern edge of the centre across from Landsdowne Park.

Silk Roads Café , 47 William St (tel 241-4254). Delicious Afghan cuisine with funky art displayed. Byward Market area.

Suisha Gardens , 208 Slater St (tel 236-9602). Tasty sushi, tempura, sukiyaki and teriyaki that is cheaper at lunch time. There’s also a tatami room where you can sit on rush mats and eat Japanese-style. South of Parliament Hill.

EATING AND DRINKING

As you might expect of a capital city, Ottawa has a good range of restaurants , some geared firmly to the expense account, but the majority informal, reasonably priced affairs – surprisingly so considering the amount of political money floating around. Indeed, a main course and a drink should rarely cost you more than $25. Ethnic restaurants are commonplace – from Italian through Mexican, Chinese and Spanish – and although there is no distinctive Ottawa cuisine as such, the city’s chefs borrow strongly from the French-Québecois tradition – Québec is, after all, just across the river. The trendiest joints are in the Byward Market area, but there are also a number of good places in the few blocks to the south of Parliament Hill, and a small Chinatown on Somerset West and Bronson. In addition, Ottawa has sprouted dozens of cafébars , some offering little more than glorified bar food, but many dipping into Asian, French and Italian cuisines to provide excellent food at very affordable prices $10-15 should see you fixed in all but the priciest of places. These cafébars have dented Ottawa’s bar and pub scene, but there is still a reasonable range of downtown drinking places with a particular concentration in and around the Byward Market, which heaves with revellers on the weekend. Finally, a word about snack and fast food . Chip vans are something of an institution here, so be sure to try their mouthwatering poutine fries covered in gravy and cheese curds.

ARRIVAL, INFORMATION AND CITY TRANSPORT

Ottawa’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is located about 15km south of the city. From the airport, a Hotel Shuttle bus runs to various downtown hotels; it leaves every half-hour at a cost of $9 one-way, $14 return. A taxi from the airport to downtown will set you back about $20. Ottawa’s train station is on the southeastern outskirts at 200 Tremblay Rd, about 5km from the centre. There are direct VIA Rail trains to and from Brockville, Kingston, Montréal and Toronto. Local bus #95 goes downtown from the train station; the same journey by taxi will rush you approximately $15. Long-distance buses arrive at and depart from the bus station at 265 Catherine St on the corner of Kent just off the Queensway. Take local bus #4 to get further downtown.

The Capital Infocentre , 90 Wellington St (daily: mid-May to Aug 8.30am-9pm; Sept to mid-May 9am-5pm; tel 613/239-5000, www.capcan.ca ), is handily located right opposite the Parliament Buildings. It’s a busy place, but the staff will help you find accommodation and hand you masses of free literature, including city maps, transport maps, a Where listings magazine and a useful Visitor Guide .

Most of Ottawa’s important attractions as well as many of its better restaurants, bars and hotels are clustered in the downtown area within comfortable walking distance of Confederation Square. If you’re venturing further afield, however, you may need to use a bus . OC Transpo (tel 741-4390) provides a comprehensive network of bus services across Ottawa and its suburbs, while STO buses (tel 770-3242) cover Hull and the north side of the river. The hub of the OC Transpo system is the Central Transitway , which runs from the Mackenzie King Bridge along Albert Street (one-way west) and Slater Street (one-way east). STO buses leave for Hull from outside the Rideau Centre at the west end of Rideau Street, between Nicolas and Sussex. Key buses operate from 5am or 6am to around midnight daily. Ticket prices are very reasonable and start at just 80¢, but for many visitors the best deal is a DayPass ($5), which allows unlimited travel on the OC Transpo system for one day. Tickets can be bought at corner stores, the tourist office and many hotels, or paid for on the bus itself – exact fare only. The same applies to the DayPass, except you pay a $1 surcharge for buying it on the bus. If you’re travelling on an ordinary ticket and need to change buses to complete your journey, ask for a (free) transfer at the point of embarkation. Incidentally, to reach Hull’s prime attraction, the Musée Canadien des Civilisations , take OC Transpo bus #8 from the Central Transitway.

As regards to taxis , these can only be boarded at ranks, which are mostly located outside major hotels and nightspots. Cycling is popular in Ottawa too – the city boasts over 100km of cycling trail – and there are several cycle-hire companies, the most central of which is Rent-a-Bike, 1 Rideau St, at the back of the Château Laurier hotel (tel 241-4140)

HISTORY

The one-time hunting ground of the Algonkian-speaking Outaouais, Ottawa received its first recorded European visitor in 1613 in the shape of Samuel de Champlain. The French explorer pitched up, paused to watch his aboriginal guides make offerings of tobacco to the misty falls which he christened Chaudière (French for “cauldron”) and then took off in search of more appealing pastures. Later, the Ottawa River became a major transportation route, but the Ottawa area remained no more than a camping spot until 1800, when Philemon Wright snowshoed up here along the frozen Ottawa River from Massachusetts. Wright founded a small settlement, which he called Wrightstown and subsequently Hull after his parents’ birthplace in England. Aware that the British navy was desperate for timber, Wright then worked out a way of shifting the tall trees that surrounded him by squaring them off, tying them together and floating them as rafts down the river to Montréal. His scheme worked well and Hull was soon flourishing. Meanwhile, nothing much happened on the other side of the river until 1826 when the completion of the Rideau Canal linked the site of present-day Ottawa to Kingston and the St Lawrence River. The canal builders were commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel John By and it was he who gave his name to the new settlement, Bytown , which soon became a hard-edged lumber town characterized by drunken brawls and broken bones.

In 1855 Bytown relabelled itself Ottawa in a bid to become the capital of the Province of Canada, hoping that a change of name would relieve the town of its sordid reputation. As part of their pitch, the community stressed the town’s location on the border of Upper and Lower Canada and its industrial prosperity. In the event, Queen Victoria granted their request, though this had little to do with their efforts and much more to do with her artistic tastes: the Queen had been looking at some romantic landscape paintings of the Ottawa area and decided this was the perfect spot for a new capital. Few approved and Canada’s politicians fumed at the inconvenience – Sir Wilfred Laurier, for one, found it “hard to say anything good” about the place. Neither did the politicians enjoy the mockery heaped on them from south of the border with one American newspaper suggesting it would never be attacked as any “invader would inevitably get lost in the woods trying to find it”.

Give or take the odd federal building – including the rambling Parliament – Ottawa remained a workaday town until the late 1940s, when the Paris city planner, Jacques Greber, was commissioned to beautify the city with a profusion of parks, wide avenues and tree-lined pathways. The scheme transformed the city and defined much of its current appearance, though nowadays Greber’s green and open spaces also serve to confine a city centre packed with modern concrete-and-glass office blocks. Ottawa has municipal ambitions too, encapsulated by the creation of the Capital Region , which attempts to bolster its economy and raise its profile by welding together the Québec and Ontario settlements on either side of the Ottawa River.

THE CITY

Ottawa’s major sights are clustered on the steep, south banks of the Ottawa River to either side of the Rideau Canal. It’s here you’ll find the monumental Victorian architecture of Parliament Hill , the outstanding art collection of the National Gallery , the military memorabilia of the Canadian War Museum , the imposing Notre Dame Basilica and Byward Market , the hub of the restaurant and bar scene. Many visitors stop there, but there are a clutch of other, lesser attractions too, beginning with the Laurier House , packed with the possessions of the former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and located 1km or so east of the centre. Northeast of the centre, on the far side of the Rideau River, is the ritzy suburb of Rockcliffe , home to both the governor-general’s mansion, Rideau Hall , and the National Aviation Museum .

EXPLORE OTTAWA

Canadian War Museum, Notre-Dame and the Byward Market

Next door to the gallery, surrounded by tanks and cannons, is the Canadian War Museum (May to early Oct daily 9.30am-5pm, Thurs till 8pm; early Oct to April Tues-Sun 9.30am-5pm, Thurs till 8pm; $4, free Thurs 4-8pm), the largest military collection in the country. One of the main exhibits is “Hitler’s Limousine” – a Grosser Mercedes Model 770 W 150 Type II Convertible to be precise – which comes complete with bullet holes allegedly the result of Allied strafing. Other exhibits include a mock-up of a World War I trench, a gallery of medals and insignias, an intricate frigate constructed out of matchsticks by a bored sailor, and an arsenal of weapons from Indian clubs to machine guns. Close by, further up Sussex Drive, is the castellated Royal Canadian Mint (daily 9am-5pm, with extended hours June-Aug; $2), where you can view different aspects of currency production and design – though the printing and the minting is now done in Winnipeg.

Doubling back down Sussex Drive, opposite the National Gallery is the capital’s Catholic cathedral, the plain-looking Notre Dame Basilica (daily 7am-6pm; free). Completed in 1890, it took fifty years to build and is Ottawa’s oldest church. Inside, the altar is surrounded by over one hundred wooden sculptures – some with a kitschy marble finish – many of which were created by the sculptors who worked on the Parliament Buildings.

Since the 1840s the Byward Market , just east of Sussex and north of Rideau Street, has been a centre for the sale of farm produce, but in the last few years it has become Ottawa’s hippest district. The 1927 Byward Market building has been renovated to house the Ottawa Arts Exchange , whose arts and crafts merchandise spills out onto the streets to merge with market stalls selling a variety of wares from ethnic gear to fresh fruit and vegetables. Most of Ottawa’s best restaurants, cafés and bars are located here and during the day the area is busy with shoppers and buskers; at night it’s buzzing until 2am, closing time at the bars.

Confederation Square and Riedeau Canal

The eastern end of the Sparks Street Mall empties into the triangular Confederation Square , a breezy open space dominated by the magnificent National War Memorial , in which a soaring stone arch is surmounted by representations of liberty and peace. Down below, a swirling, finely executed bronze of 1926 depicts returning service men and women passing through the arch – from war to peace – and manages to convey both their exultation and sorrow. On the east side of the square is the complex of low concrete buildings that houses the National Arts Centre and this steps down to the Rideau Canal , which in winter becomes the world’s longest skating rink, with hot chocolate and muffin stands providing sustenance for the skaters. Steps away, directly below Parliament Hill, the canal joins the Ottawa River by means of a flight of locks , beside which is the Bytown Museum (April-Nov Mon & Wed-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; $5), Ottawa’s oldest building, where military supplies were stored during the construction of the canal. Here, a short video display explains the history of the waterway, while the rest of the museum features assorted Ottawan memorabilia, including some of Colonel By’s belongings, and temporary exhibitions. During the summer, canal boat trips leave from the top of the locks, river trips from the bottom. There are several operators, but Paul’s Boat Lines (tel 225-6781) is as good as any, charging $12 for an hour-long canal cruise, $14 for the river. There are departures every couple of hours or so.

From the east side of the locks, steps lead up to the Château Laurier Hotel and the adjacent Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (May-Aug Mon, Tues & Fri-Sun 11am-5pm, Wed 4-8pm, Thurs 11am-8pm; Sept-April Wed & Fri-Sun 11am-5pm, Thurs 11am-8pm; donation). The collection numbers around 160,000 photographs, which are used for research as well as being displayed in changing exhibitions. Across the street rise the slender columns of the old railway station, now recycled as a Conference Centre .

Laurier House

About 2km east of Byward Market is the Laurier House , 335 Laurier Ave E (April-Sept Tues-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm; Oct-March Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm; $2.50), former home of prime ministers Sir Wilfred Laurier and William Lyon Mackenzie King. Laurier, Canada’s first French-speaking prime minister, served from 1896 to 1911, while Mackenzie King, his self-proclaimed “spiritual son”, was Canada’s longest-serving (1921-30 and 1935-48). Notoriously pragmatic, King enveloped his listeners in a fog of words through which his political intentions were barely discernible. The perfect illustration – and his most famous line – was “Not necessarily conscription, but conscription if necessary”, supposedly a clarification of his plans at the onset of World War II. Even more famous than his obfuscating rhetoric was his personal eccentricity. His fear that future generations would view him as the heir of his grandfather William Lyon Mackenzie – who in the 1830s led rebellions in Upper Canada – eventually led him into spiritualism: he held regular seances to tap the advice of great dead Canadians, including Laurier, who allegedly communicated to him through his pet dog.

The house is dominated by King’s possessions, including his crystal ball and a portrait of his obsessively adored mother, in front of which he placed a red rose every day. Other mementos include the programme Abraham Lincoln held the night of his assassination, a painting by Rogier van der Weyden and a guest book signed by Churchill, Roosevelt, de Gaulle, Nehru, the Dionne quintuplets and Shirley Temple. The house also contains a reconstruction of a study belonging to prime minister Lester B. Pearson, who was awarded the Nobel peace prize for his role in the 1956 Arab-Israeli dispute. Pearson also had a stab at devising a new flag for his country and although it was rejected the mock-up he commissioned, with blue stripes at either end to symbolize the oceans, is on display.

Laurier Avenue East eventually meets the Rideau River , which is escorted by walkways and bicycle paths to the Rideau Falls , whose twin cataracts are separated by Green Island – the site of the Ottawa City Hall, an unattractive building built in the 1950s. The Falls themselves were once enveloped in an industrial complex, which has now been cleared away to allow excellent views across the river to Hull.

National Gallery of Canada

In the area between Nepean Point and Sussex Drive rises the magnificent National Gallery of Canada (May to mid-Sept daily 10am-6pm, Thurs till 8pm; mid-Sept to April Wed-Sun 10am-5pm, Thurs till 8pm; free), designed by Moshe Safdie to reflect the turrets and pinnacles of the Parliament Library. The collection was founded in 1880 by the Marquis of Lorne, the governor general of the time, who persuaded members of the Royal Canadian Academy to donate a work to the government. Over the next century artworks were gathered from all over the world, resulting in a collection that now contains more than 25,000 pieces exhibited on two levels – Level 1 and Level 2. The gallery also holds world-class temporary exhibitions. Free maps are issued at the reception desk and the gallery shop sells a useful National Gallery Guide for $5.

The Canadian Galleries

Predictably, the Canadian Galleries , laid out in roughly chronological succession on Level One, are the finest in the building, following the history of Canadian painting from the mid-eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth. They begin with religious art from Québec, including a gilded high altar by Paul Jourdain from Longueuil, followed by a room showing the emergence of secular art in the early nineteenth century, with paintings by immigrant artists trained in Europe. The most notable of these was Joseph Légaré, who was not only a painter but also a politician and nationalist – his Cholera Plague, Québec , is a fine example of his fastidiously romantic work. For popularity, though, none could match Cornelius Krieghoff, who could turn his hand to anything requested by his patrons from the emerging middle classes – as illustrated by his Winter Landscape and White Horse Inn by Moonlight . Next comes the gallery’s most intriguing exhibit, the Rideau Street Chapel, rebuilt piece by intricate piece after it was threatened by demolition in 1972. Designed in 1887 by the architect and priest Canon Georges Bouillon for a convent school in Ottawa, it has slender cast-iron columns supporting a fan-vaulted ceiling – one of the few examples of its kind in North America. Contained in the chapel is a collection of silver and wooden church sculptures from Québec.

The growth of the Maritimes and Upper Canada during the nineteenth century is depicted in the room that follows. John Poad Drake’s Port of Halifax and John O’Brien’s dramatic depictions of storm-tossed frigates illustrate the importance of the sea trade in this period, while the native population are shown in the forceful portraits of Paul Kane, Canada’s first artist-explorer. Also here is the unique Croscup room from Nova Scotia. Once the living room of a shipping family, it is covered in murals that juxtapose images from mid-nineteenth-century North America and Europe – portraits of Micmac Indians next to bagpipe-playing Scots and so forth.

The construction of the railroads enabled artists to explore the wilder zones of Canada, a development encapsulated in Lucius O’Brien’s Sunrise on the Saguenay . However, painters of this period were still in thrall to European masters – the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts sent its students to Paris to complete their training – and the influence of Europe remained unshakeable right into the twentieth century, as shown by the impressionistic work of Cullen and Suzor-Côte, and the sombre rural scenes of George A. Reid and Homer Watson, inspired by the Dutch and Barbizon school.

However, with the Group of Seven a purely Canadian style emerged, which aimed to capture the spirit of the northern landscape, rather than trying to depict vast vistas in the European style. The Group was inspired by the work of contemporary Scandinavian painters, who were wrestling with similar problems of scale on the other side of the Atlantic. The first room dedicated to their works concentrates on their apprenticeship under Tom Thomson, whose startling The Jack Pine could be taken as the Group’s clarion call – trees, often windswept or dead, are a constant symbol in the Group’s paintings of Canada’s terre sauvage . Using rapid, brash, often brutal brushstrokes, their works are faithful less to the landscape itself than to the emotions it evoked – Lawren Harris’s North Shore, Lake Superior and J.E.H. Macdonald’s The Solemn Land are good awestruck examples.

Following Macdonald’s death in 1932, the Group of Seven formed the Canadian Group of Painters, embracing all Canadian artists of the time whatever their style. Initially landscape remained the predominant genre, but the effects of the Depression forced sociopolitical subjects to the fore – Ontario Farm House by Carl Schaefer turns a landscape into a social statement, while Jack Humphrey, Miller Brittain and Sam Borenstein depict the harsh reality of urban environments.

A subsequent section focuses on abstract works produced in Montréal from the 1940s to the 1970s. Abstraction was first explored by the Montréal Automatistes, whose emphasis on the expressive qualities of colour was rejected by the Platiciens, with whom geometrical and analytical forms were a preoccupation. Both groups are represented here, as are postwar artists from Vancouver and Toronto – like William Ronald, known for aggressive images such as The Hero . The last rooms contain temporary exhibitions of works from the 1950s.

The Contemorary Art Collection

The Contemporary Art Collection , on Levels 1 and 2, spans the years between 1960 and 1980, and again shows Canadian artists looking for a lead outside their country. The shadow of New York’s Abstract Expressionists falls over Charles Gagnon’s Cassation/Open/Ouvert , while the genealogy of mixed-media pieces like Jeff Wall’s The Destroyed Rooms becomes clearer when you get to the collection of American contemporary art. Highlights here include Andy Warhol’s Brillo sculpture, George Segal’s life-size assemblage The Gas Station and Carl Andre’s minimalist Lever – a line of firebricks.

The European Galleries

The European galleries , situated on Level Two, begin with pieces from the workshops of Duccio in Siena and Giotto in Florence, accompanied by Filippino Lippi’s Triumph of Mordecai and Ester at the Palace Gate , painted for chests that contained a bride’s dowry, as well as a fine Bronzino Portrait of a Man . Northern European art in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is also represented primarily by religious art – note Quentin Matys’s abrasive Crucifixion , with Jerusalem looking decidedly like a Flemish town circled by ramparts.

The collection of works from seventeenth-century Europe is particularly impressive: apart from Bernini’s sculpture of his patron Pope Urban VIII, there’s Claude Lorrain’s Landscape with a Temple of Bacchus , an Entombment by Rubens, Rembrandt’s sumptuous Heroine from the Old Testament and Van Dyck’s Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me , an early, finely observed work that includes portraits thought to be of Rubens and his family. Venetian genre paintings include Canaletto’s elegaic Campo di Rialto and Guardi’s Santa Maria Della Salute. From Britain in the eighteenth century there are portraits by Reynolds and Gainsborough, and Romney’s Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) , a portrait of a Mohawk chief on a visit to London to discuss the native involvement in the American Revolution with George III. Also here is The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West, an American who became George III’s official painter. West depicts Wolfe in a Christ-like pose, lying wounded and surrounded by his adjutants, and the painting made Wolfe a British hero.

The nineteenth-century selection is basically a show of minor paintings by great artists: Delacroix’s romantic Othello and Desdemona , Corot’s orderly The Bridge at Narni , Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds and Turner’s Mercury and Argus , with a sunset that anticipates his future masterpieces. In stark contrast, the gritty realism of a later generation of European painters is well represented by Courbet’s The Cliffs at Étretat and Millet’s The Pig Slaughter , though tranquillity is soon restored by Monet’s Waterloo Bridge: The Sun through the Fog, beautifying London’s notorious fog, and two canvases by Pissarro. Van Gogh’s Iris and Cézanne’s Forest are the only worthy Post-Impressionist works.

American art takes over in the following room, residence of Barnet Newman’s Voice of Fire , the very mention of which causes some Canadians to break out in a cold sweat – not because of its artistic significance but because it cost $1.76 million. The artist intended the 5.5-metre-high piece to give the viewer a “feeling of his own totality, of his own separateness, of his own individuality, and at the same time of his connection to others, who are also separate”; unfortunately the purchase of the painting caused a furore, with one Manitoba Tory MP ranting that it could have been “done in ten minutes with two cans of paint and two rollers”. The same room contains minor works by Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.

The final galleries have works from twentieth-century Europe, a diverse and high-class assembly that includes the disturbing Hope I by Gustav Klimt, Matisse’s Nude on a Yellow Sofa , Francis Bacon’s macabre Study for Portrait No. 1 , and pieces by Picasso, Léger, Epstein, Mondrian, Dali and Duchamp.

INUIT ART

Level 2 contains three more sections – the Asian Galleries, three rooms devoted to Prints, Drawings and Photographs and one room holding Inuit art . The latter includes The Enchanting Owl by Kenojuak, whose flamboyant depictions of fantasy birds are the most famous of the Inuit works on display. The Photograph section displays a changing selection from the gallery’s 17,000 photographs, covering the entire history of photography from its invention in 1835 to today.

Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved.The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.

Ottawa has been described as one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. Less than an hour’s drive from the American border, Ottawa enjoys the attributes of a major center for the visual and performing arts, as well as other big city attractions. Yet, it still maintains the accessibility, atmosphere and charm of a smaller city, in addition to access to spectacular park and wilderness areas located within and around the city.

From humble beginnings, Ottawa has evolved into Canada’s cultural capital. The most difficult problem visitors have when visiting Ottawa is choosing what to do first. There are over 50 galleries and theatres in the region, showcasing the best of Canadian and international art, theatre, music, and dance performances. The city’s museums, heritage buildings, parks, and monuments paint an exciting picture of its colorful past, while also allowing a glimpse of its future.

Canada’s Capital Region is the fourth largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a population of just over one million people. The Capital Region is an area comprising two provinces (Ontario and Quebec) and two main cities (Ottawa and Hull), creating a region much like Washington, DC in the United States. The region comprises 27 municipalities (11 on the Ontario side) and covers an area of 1,800 square miles.

Because of its position as the capital of Canada and seat of the federal government, Ottawa has traditionally enjoyed a stable economy and measured growth. In turn, this has provided a supportive business environment for its commercial, industrial, retail, hospitality and government-related industries.

The region is the headquarters of many national corporations. Termed “Silicon Valley North,” Ottawa is home to more than 800 companies specializing in high technology. It is also a center for advanced research and development, especially in the fields of space science, telecommunications and environmental technology

There are three universities in the area, Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Université de Québec àHull and two community colleges, Algonquin College and La Cité Collegiale

As it is situated on the border of Quebec and Ontario, Ottawa blends English and French cultures; almost half of the residents are bilingual. Added to this mix is a growing ethnic diversity inspired by the city’s German, Lebanese, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Portuguese and Asian populations, among others. The result is a truly cosmopolitan city that celebrates its heritage in many colorful, multicultural festivals and events throughout the year.

Ottawa’s status as an international capital and its ethnic diversity have created an exciting dining scene. Food to suit just about any taste can be found : from African to Afghani, Canadian to French, German to Greek, from Lebanese to Mexican, Spanish to Sri Lankan, Thai to Turkish, vegetarian to Vietnamese and many others.

Ottawa boasts one of the most modern public transit systems in North America.

Visitors who like to shop will find that Ottawa is their kind of city. Whether they are looking for major department stores, discount warehouses or individual boutiques, Ottawa has them all. The capital region is home to 70 large shopping centers. and also smaller shopping centers and boutiques in the downtown core.

If it is entertainment visitors are looking for, the city has offerings to suit every taste. The ByWard Market and Elgin Street are well-known for their night clubs, pubs, dance clubs, and live music halls. Ottawa has five theaters staging plays, musicals, operas and classical concerts. The Corel Center, an 18,500 seat sports and entertainment facility, offers NHL hockey, music’s biggest stars, figure skating, and many family events.

Ottawa is a meticulously maintained city. The grid-planned streets sparkle. Trucks sweep up litter even in pouring rain. Snow is whisked off the pavements as soon as it hits; pollution is almost nonexistent. Ottawa has been accessorized with many beautiful parks and gardens, bicycle and jogging paths.

The National Gallery of Canada, founded in 1880, is home to the world’s largest collection of Canadian art (including major works by Inuit artists) as well as excellent European and American collections.

The National Arts Center, opened in 1969, is Canada’s premier showcase for the performing arts. It features three stages, where visitors can enjoy the best of English and French theatre, dance – avant garde to classical, music, opera and variety performances year-round. Under the direction of the newly-appointed and world-renowned celebrated conductor, Pinchas Zucherman, the National Arts Center Orchestra has gained a high international reputation, touring at home and abroad. Ottawa’s own Opera Lyra brings opera center-stage with its performances at the National Arts Center.

The capital is divided by the Rideau Canal into Upper and Lower Town: to the west, on the steep banks of the Ottawa River, the Gothic-inspired Parliament Buildings are the high point of Upper Town, while in Lower Town the focal point is the boulevard of Sussex Drive, which curves along the river to the mansions of Rockcliffe in the northeast, passing the National Gallery and several other smaller museums on the way. To the south, beyond the Lower Town, the National Museum of Science and Technology.

Originally constructed for defense and trading purposes, the 125.5 mile Rideau Canal is today used for leisure and pleasure. This system of natural lakes and rivers is made navigable by locks, dams and canal cuts. During the winter, the Ottawa portion of the canal is transformed into a 4.5 mile long skating rink which is utilized also by many people on their way to and from their offices. During the summer, the canal provides a haven for hundreds of boating enthusiasts and, for those on shore, a constantly changing panorama of boats of all shapes, sizes and vintages.

The Québécois town of Hull, just across the Ottawa River, is linked to Ottawa by five bridges and is fast becoming an integrated part of the city, though Hull is still very proud and protective of its French heritage.

On the Hull side of the river is Gatineau Park, where residents and visitors alike enjoy swimming, fishing, biking, spelunking and skiing. From May until October, train buffs can experience a half day trip along the beautiful Gatineau River on one of Canada’s last authentic steam-powered trains.

Canada’s Capital Region provides the perfect setting for a family vacation with its magnificent setting, historic sites and numerous family attractions.

Ottawa City Information

Facts

Population: Within the city: 323,300. In the metropolitan area: 1.081 million

Elevation: 285 feet

Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time (same time as New York City). Daylight saving April-October.

Emergencies: Call 911 for fire, police, or ambulance.

Temperatures:

Month

High Low
January 21F 3F
February 22F 3F
March 33F 16F
April 51F 31F
May 66F 44F
June 76F 54F
July 81F 58F
August 77F 55F
September 68F 48F
October 54F 37F
November 39F 26F
December 24F 9F

Weather updates: (613) 998-3439.

Winters in Ottawa are severe. Summers are quite warm with considerable amounts of sunshine. The ground is usually snow-covered from mid-December to mid-March. 8-10 feet of snow are not unusual in an average winter. Periodic thaws keep it from accumulating to that depth, however. The weather can be unpredictable year round, so it is wise to pack a variety of clothing suitable for warm or cool weather in the summer and for extremely cold days and nights in the winter.

Public Holidays:

Jan. 1 New Year’s Day

March or April varies Good Friday

March or April varies Easter Monday

May Third Monday Victoria Day

July 1 Canada Day

August First Monday Civic Holiday

September 1st Monday Labor Day

October 2nd Monday Thanksgiving Day

November 11 Remembrance Day

December 25 Christmas Day

December 26 Boxing Day

Government: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Canada and Canada’s head of State. This means that the Queen is the formal head of Canada. The Governor General is the Queen’s representative in Canada. The Queen is also represented in each province by a Lieutenant Governor and by a Commissioner in the territories.

Useful Conversions of weights and measures

1 hectare 2.471 acres

1 inch 2.54 cm

1 ft. 30.48 cm

1 oz. 28.57 grams

1 lb. 0.454 kg

1 cm 0.39 inches

1 meter 3.28 feet / 1.09 yards

1 km 0.62 miles

1 liter 0.26 US gallons

1 inch 2.54 cm

1 foot 0.39 meters

1 yard 0.91 meters

1 mile 1.60 km

1kg 2.2lb

1 gallon 3.78 liters

Currency: The Canadian currency is in dollars. There are one dollar coins called “loonies” because of the loon depicted on the gold colored coin ; two dollar coins with a gold colored center and silver border called “toonies” because they are equal to 2 loonies ; dime; nickel and penny. The paper currency comes in denominations of $5; $10; $20; $50; $100. The present exchange rate is between $1.42 and $1.50 Canadian for every US dollar. Rates vary widely depending on where money is exchanged. Banks give the best rate. The easiest method of securing cash at the best exchange rate is to make withdrawals using a US credit card from the ATM machines found at the major banks and stores. As in the US, some banks charge a fee and a transaction tax, so check with the banks to find the best value. Save remaining Canadian dollars for your next trip as the exchange rate to convert back into US money from Canadian is usually not favorable.

Language: one of Canada’s most bilingual communities, with nearly half a million people speaking both English and French

Area Code: The telephone area code for Ottawa is 613; for Hull, 819. When calling from Ottawa to Hull, you don’t need to use the area code.

Doctors/Dentists: Check with the hotel front desk or with your consulate for the nearest doctor or dentist.

Embassies/High Commissions: The U.S. Embassy has moved to a large new building on Sussex Drive, north of Rideau Street 613/238-5335). It’s expected to be open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm. The U.K. Embassy is at 80 Elgin 613/237-6537). The Australian High Commission is at 50 O’Connor 613/236-4376). And the New Zealand High Commission is at 99 Bank, Suite 727. Unlikely as it may seem, Ireland doesn’t have an embassy in Canada. Consulates are primarily in Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver.

Hospital: Ottawa Hospital General Campus, 501 Smythe Rd. 613/737-6111).

Internet Access: You can check on your mail and send messages at The Internet Cafe, 200 Bank St., at Somerset 613/230-9000) Monday to Friday 9:30am to 11pm, Saturday 11am to 11pm, and Sunday 11am to 8pm.

Liquor: The government controls liquor distribution, selling liquor and wine at certain LCBO stores and beer at others. Liquor stores generally open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm (to 9pm Thurs and Fri). Beer outlets open Monday to Saturday noon to 8pm (also to 9pm Thurs and Fri). The legal drinking age is 19 in Ottawa but 18 in Hull.

Newspapers/Magazines: the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the International Herald Tribune, are sold at Planet News, 143 Sparks St.

Post Office: The main post office is at 59 Sparks St., on Elgin Street 613/844-1545, open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.

Taxes: In Ontario there’s an 8% provincial sales tax (PST), a lodging tax of 5%, and a 16% tax on liquor, as well as the national 7% goods-and-services tax (GST). In Québec there’s a 7 1/2 % tax on food, liquor, merchandise, and accommodations.

Ottawa is easily accessible by air, rail or road.

Airport: Ottawa’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is serviced by 16 airlines on a daily basis. Direct flights arrive from all major Canadian and many American cities. Connections can also be made via Montreal and Toronto. Air Canada offers a direct flight from Ottawa to La Guardia Airport in New York City.

The city boasts easy access to rail and bus terminals, located only minutes from downtown, that connect Ottawa to other cities in Canada and the U.S.

Getting Around

Transportation within the city of Ottawa is excellent on foot, by bus, and by bike. The downtown core is very compact and many of the sites and attractions are accessible on foot. Guided sightseeing tours, many of which operate on a schedule with flexible “on-off” privileges, allow visitors to stop and see the attractions of their choice. Sightseeing can be done via a walking tour, on an air-conditioned coach, a motorized trolley or on an authentic British double-decker bus. To experience the city up-close, visitors can rent a bicycle and pedal along Ottawa’s designated bike lanes and scenic paths; or, pamper themselves and hire a rickshaw. Boat cruises along the Rideau Canal, Rideau River or Ottawa River are also a good way to see the sights.

The only public transportation is the 130-route bus network operated by the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission (OC Transpo). For information about routes, where to buy tickets, etc, call 613/741-4390 www.octtranspo.com

DayPass allows unlimited travel on all routes. Exact change, tickets, or the pass is required. You can buy tickets at 300 retail outlets, such as newsstands and PharmaPlus. All routes converge downtown at the Rideau Center; they begin to close down at midnight, and there is no service 1 to 6am.

In Hull, buses are operated by the Société de Transport l’Outaouais 819/ 770-3242). Transfers between the two systems are obtainable when you pay your fare on the bus.

You can hail a taxi on the street, but you’ll find one more readily in front of major hotels and important buildings. Most drivers accept credit cards, usually MasterCard or Visa.

You probably won’t want to drive in Ottawa, but you may want to rent a car to explore the environs or continue elsewhere in Canada.

When driving, remember that Ontario has a compulsory seat-belt requirement.

Cars can turn right after stopping at a red light in Ottawa, but not across the river in Hull, Québec. The Queensway (Route 417) cuts right across the city, adding to the confusion. The downtown entrance to the highway is at O’Connor Street. Exit the highway at Kent Street for downtown.

By car:

Driving from New York, take Interstate 81 to Canada’s Route 401 east to Route 16 north. From the west, come via Toronto, taking Route 401 east to Route 16 north. From Montréal, take Route 17 to Route 417.

By Train

VIA Rail trains arrive at the station at 200 Tremblay Rd., at boulevard St-Laurent, in the southeastern area of the city. From here buses connect to downtown. For rail information, contact VIA Rail Canada at tel. 613/244-1660 or call your local Amtrak office.

By Plane:

Ottawa International Airport is about 20 minutes south of the city. A shuttle bus (613/736-9993) operates between the airport and downtown. A taxi from the airport to the city costs more.

By Bus

Buses arrive at the Central Bus Station, 265 Catherine St., between Kent and Lyon. Voyageur Colonial (613/238-5900) provides service from other Canadian cities and the United States.

Bike rental Rent-a-Bike, Mackenzie Ave, behind Château Laurier (April to Thanksgiving daily 9am-6pm; 241-4140).

Bus information Local: STO (Hull 770-3242); OC Transpo (Ottawa 741-4390). Long-distance: Voyageur Colonial and Greyhound (238-5900).

Dental emergencies Ottawa (523-4185); Hull (568-3368).

Hospitals Ottawa General, 501 Smythe Rd (737-7777; bus #85).

Train information (244-8289).

Ottawa Attractions & Things To Do

Billings Estate Museum
2100 Cabot St
613/247-4830
May-Oct Tues-Sun noon-5pm
Go south on Bank St., cross the Rideau River at Billings Bridge and take Riverside East; turn right on Pleasant Park and right on Cabot
Admission charged. children under 5 free
This mansion offers a glimpse into the social life of the period from 1829, when Braddish and Lamira Billings, two of Ottawa’s founding settlers, oversaw its construction, to the 1970s, when the home was turned into a museum.

Major attractions: Family heirlooms, personal belongings, furniture, tools and paintings spanning five generations and been carefully preserved. This heritage site stretches across eight acres of parkland and includes several outbuildings and a cemetery. There is a picnic area and visitors are invited to stroll the grounds. Tea and scones are served on the lawn June 1 to September 1, 2 or 3 days a week (call ahead for details).

Bytown Museum
540 Wellington St At Commissioner St
613/234-4570
Apr to mid-May and mid-Oct to Nov Mon-Fri 10-4; mid-May to mid-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1-5 Closed Dec-Mar
Admission charged.
Housed in Ottawa’s oldest stone building (1827), which served as the Commissariat for food and material during construction of the Rideau Canal, this museum displays possessions of Lieutenant-Colonel By, the canal’s builder and one of young Ottawa’s most influential citizens. In addition, artifacts reflect the social history of the pioneer era of Bytown/Ottawa in three period rooms and a number of changing exhibits. The museum is beside the Ottawa Locks, between Parliament Hill and Château Laurier.

Byward Market
Contained within the square formed by Sussex, Rideau, St. Patrick, and King Edward Sts
May-Nov Mon-Sat 9 – 6pm, Sun 10-6; Dec-Apr daily 10-6
A traditional farmers’ market here still sells all manner of foods, flowers, plants, and vegetables, while the central market building houses two floors of boutiques displaying a wide variety of wares and crafts. During market season, enjoy a snack or meal at more than 70 indoor and outdoor stand-up counters and cafes. The neighborhood is a mix of rehabilitated 19th- century brick buildings and some contemporary commercial structures. The many stalls of carefully arranged gleaming produce invite inspection of the offerings of regional farmers and food artisans.

Canada Agriculture Museum
Prince of Wales Dr. at Experimental Farm Dr.
Ottawa
(613) 991-3053
9 – 5
Admission charged. Call ahead for group rates and tours.
Learn how grain is made into flour and bread, or help collect chicken eggs in the Poultry House. With cows, pigs, sheep, horses, chickens and rabbits, the Agriculture Museum is a working farm that celebrates Canada’s agricultural heritage, located on the grounds of the Central Experimental Farm.
more info

Canada Aviation Museum
11 Aviation Parkway, 993-2010
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays till 9 p.m.
Admission charged.
Free on Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Daily 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:45 p.m.
Take a stroll down the Walkway of Time in this massive building, which houses one of the world’s best collections of vintage aircraft. In addition to getting an up-close look at aircraft from different eras, visitors will hear some remarkable tales, from the adventures of Canadian bush pilots to the controversy surrounding the Avro Arrow project to the contributions made by women in wartime. Sit at the controls of a Cessna, 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:15 p.m. Wind-tunnel demonstrations, 10:30 a.m.
more info

Canada Science and Technology Museum
1867 St Laurent Blvd
(613) 991-3044
Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission charged. Free Admission during the last hour.
If the energy stored in a jar of peanut butter were transformed into oil or electricity, it could heat a house for several hours or drive a car 10 kilometres at high speed? That’s just one of the many things you’ll discover here. A lighthouse, a locomotive and rocket are located in the Technology Park in front of the museum. Interactive and hands-on activities.

Permanent exhibitions: Love, Leisure and Laundry explores the evolution of household technology. Canada In Space explores this country’s scientific and technical feats in the space program. Includes a full-scale model of the Canadarm. Visitors can climb aboard steam locomotives in the Locomotive Hall. From telephones to radio to the Internet, Connexions explores all facets of communications technology and their impact on our lives. Beautiful antique cars are showcased in the More than a Machine exhibition, featuring vehicles from the 1900s to the 1930sSee if you can keep your balance in the Crazy Kitchen.
more info

Canadian Museum of Nature
240 MacLeod St.
566-4700
9:30 – 5. Thursdays till 8.
Admission charged. Children under 3: Free. Free on Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Seven permanent exhibit halls trace the history of life on Earth from its beginnings 4,200 million years ago. A huge tree of life traces the evolutionary threads of life from 500 million years ago to the present. The third-floor dinosaur hall is a popular highlight, with fossils, skulls, and the intact skeleton of a mastadon. In an opposite gallery is a variety of snails, bugs, spiders, and other “creepy critters,” some of them live. Down one floor are mineral galleries and exhibits of Canadian birds and large mammals preserved by taxidermy and placed in natural settings. Children enjoy the Discovery Den activity area.
more info

Canadian Museum of Civilization
100 Laurier St.
776-7000
May 1 to June 30: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., open Thursdays till 9 p.m. (Children’s Museum till 7 p.m.)
July 1 to Sept. 3: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays till 9 p.m.
Admission charged. Museum Admission free on Thursdays, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., half-price on Sundays.
Guided tours of permanent or special exhibitions offered daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Audio guides are also available for some exhibitions. A breathtaking architectural achievement. The building’s design recalls the Ice Age, when wind, sea and glaciers molded the land. Inside, visitors are taken on a tour of First Peoples’ culture and Canada’s past. The building also houses two smaller museums, the Canadian Children’s Museum, and the Canadian Postal Museum, as well as an IMAX theater. The Museum of Civilization is the country’s largest and most visited museum. The Grand Hall was built in the shape of an enormous canoe. Architect Douglas Cardinal was inspired by a native myth about the raven’s magic canoe, which could shrink to the size of a pine needle or expand to hold the entire universe.
more info

Canadian War Museum
330 Sussex Drive, 776-8600
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursdays till 8 p.m.
Admission charged. Free Thursdays, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Half-price Sundays.
A life-sized diorama of a typical First World War trench and the Mercedes Benz used by Adolph Hitler are just two of the exhibits showcased here. The museum has the largest military collection in Canada, with more than 500,000 artifacts, including medals, uniforms, tanks and other vehicles, and works of art.

Canada’s war history, from New France to the First and Second World Wars to modern-day peacekeeping missions, are documented on three floors. The museum’s newest exhibit explores Canada’s contribution to NATO. It chronicles everything from the return of Canadian troops to Germany in 1951 to our participation in NATO missions in the Balkans nearly 50 years later. The Hall of Honor celebrates the valor and heroism of more than 40 Canadians.

Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada
245 Sparks St., 782-8914
http://Mon. to Sat., 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission Free
July 2 to Labor Day: Daily tours 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. (English); 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. (French); afternoon tours only on Sundays.
Before coins and paper money became the coin of the realm, shells, teeth and cocoa beans were used. Trace the evolution of the world’s money over 2,500 years. The museum has the most complete collection of Canadian bank notes, coins and tokens in the world.
more info

Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum
3911 Carp Road
Ottawa
(613) 839-0007
Admission charged. Under 6: free.
Tours : Until June 30: Mon. to Fri. 2 p.m., Sat. and Sun. 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. July 1 to Sept. 3: Daily 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. (French version at 1 p.m.)
For 33 years, the secret bunker served as Canada’s Central Emergency Government Headquarters. In the event of a nuclear attack, the bunker could house more than 500 government leaders, public servants and military personnel. It was designed to resist a five-megaton nuclear weapon detonated 1.8 kilometres away.
more info

Laurier House
335 Laurier Ave. E At Chapel St
613/992-8142
Apr-Sept Tues-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm; Oct-Mar call ahead for hours
Admission charged.
This comfortable 1878 brick home is filled with mementos of the two Canadian prime ministers who lived here over a span of 50 years. From 1897 to 1919, it was occupied by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada’s seventh Prime Minister and the first French-Canadian elected to that office. He was followed by William Lyon Mackenzie King, who held the same post for 21 years and lived here from 1923 to 1950. King is said to have held seances in the library; on display is the crystal ball he supposedly had seen in London but said he couldn’t afford: an American bought it for him when he overheard King’s remarks. A portrait of the PM’s mother is here, in front of which King used to place a red rose daily. You’ll also find a copy of the program Abraham Lincoln held on the night of his assassination, plus copies of his death mask and hands. Lester B. Pearson’s library has also been re-created and contains the Nobel Peace Prize medal he won for his role in the 1956 Arab-Israeli dispute.

National Gallery of Canada
380 Sussex Drive, 990-1985
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays till 8 p.m.
Admission charged. Permanent Collection: Free.
Special exhibits: Admission charged. Children under 12: Free, but timed ticket required. Call ahead for group rates.
Guided tours of permanent collection are free, 11 – 2 daily. Audio guides also available. This striking granite and glass museum overlooking the Ottawa River is home to 45,000 works by Canadian and international artists, with some 1,200 works on display at any given time. The museum appeals to a range of tastes and makes itself accessible to all ages through lectures, workshops, tours and concerts. Library with more than 200,000 books, periodicals and catalogues, as well as 350,000 photographs and 180,000 slides. Self-serve cafeteria. Sit-down cafe offering light lunches and pastries.
more info

Parliament Buildings
On Parliament Hill, a bluff jutting into the Ottawa River
613/992-4793 for tours
Late May-Labour Day 9am to 8pm (to 5pm the rest of the year). Free tours of the East Block historic offices given daily July-Labor Day 10am-6pm. In summer, tours leave as often as every 10 min., but check at the Info-tent behind the West Block for the current schedule. In cooler months, tours depart at the front of the Center Block No tours New Year’s Day, Canada Day (July 1), Christmas Day Free tours (English and French) of the grounds and 4 rooms each of the Center and East Blocks given dailyThe last tour excludes the Peace Tower

The Parliament buildings, with their steeply pitched copper roofs, dormers, and towers, are truly impressive, especially on first sighting from river or road. In 1860, Prince Edward (later Edward VII) laid the cornerstone for the buildings, which were finished in time to host the inaugural session of the first Parliament of the new Dominion of Canada in 1867. Entering through the south gate off Wellington Street, you’ll pass the Centennial Flame, lit by Lester Pearson on New Year’s Eve 1966 to mark the passing of 100 years since that historic event.

The Buildings: Parliament is composed of three g building blocks:
1. Center Block, straight ahead, and the flanking
2. West Block
3. East Block.

East and West Block contain the House of Commons and the Senate. You can attend sessions of the House of Commons to observe the 295 elected members debating in the green chamber with tall stained-glass windows. Parliament is usually in recess from late June to early September and occasionally between September and June, including the Easter and Christmas holidays. Otherwise, the House usually sits Monday 11am to 6:30pm, Tuesday and Thursday 10am to 6:30pm, Wednesday 2 to 8pm, and Friday 10am to 4pm. The 104 appointed members of the Senate sit in a red chamber with murals depicting Canadians fighting in World War I.

The 302-foot campanile dominating the Center Block’s facade is the Peace Tower. It houses a 53-bell carillon, a huge clock, an observation deck, and the Memorial Chamber, commemorating Canada’s war dead.A 16-sided dome, supported outside by flying buttresses and paneled inside with Canadian white pine, features a marble statue of the young Queen Victoria and splendid carvings: gorgons, crests, masks, and hundreds of rosettes. The West Block, containing parliamentary offices, is closed to the public, but you can visit the East Block, housing offices of prime ministers, governors-general, and the Privy Council. Four historic rooms are on view: the original governor-general’s office, restored to the period of Lord Dufferin (1872 to 1878); the offices of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Georges-Etienne Cartier (the principal Fathers of Confederation); and the Privy Council Chamber with anteroom.

Changing Of The Guard
Late June to late August, a colorful half-hour ceremony is held daily on the Parliament Hill lawn (weather permitting). The parade of 125 soldiers in busbies and scarlet assembles at Cartier Square Drill Hall (by the canal at Laurier Avenue) at 9:30am and marches up Elgin Street to reach the hill at 10am. On arrival on the hill, the Ceremonial Guard splits, one division of the old guard positioned on the west side of the Parliament Hill lawn and two divisions of the new guard, or “duties,” on the east side.

The ceremony includes the inspection of dress and weapons of both groups. The colors are then marched before the troops and saluted, and the guards compliment each other by presenting arms. Throughout, sergeant-majors bellow unintelligible commands that prompt the synchronized stomp and clatter of boots and weapons. Finally, the outgoing guard commander gives the key to the guard room to the incoming guard commander, signifying that the process has been completed. The relieved unit marches back down Wellington Street to the beat of their drums and the skirl of bagpipes.

Sound & Light Show
For details, contact the National Capital Commission at tel. 613/239-5000.
For years, May to August, Canada’s history has unfolded in a dazzling half-hour display of sound and light against the dramatic backdrop of the Parliament buildings. Weather permitting, two performances are given per night, one in English, the other in French. There’s bleacher seating for the free show.

The Ottawa Senators (Hockey)
613/599-0300
20min from downtown, bus #183.
one of the youngest teams in the National Hockey League ( their predecessors won a string of Stanley Cups earlier in this century) and currently play at the new 18,500-capacity Corel Center, 1000 Palladium Drive, Kanata (1-800-444-SENS)
Tickets :call Ticketmaster 613/755-1166.

Baseball
The Ottawa Lynx
747-5969.
a farm team (minor league) of the Montréal Expos, play at the Ottawa Stadium, Coventry Rd The season runs from mid-April to late September.

Soccer
Ottawa Intrepid play at Lansdowne Park
1015 Bank (bus #7 or #1) or the Terry Fox Stadium
Riverside Drive (bus #96).
Tickets :call Ticketmaster 613/755-1166.

Casino de Hull
1 boulevard du Casino
1-800-665-2274
Daily 11AM – 3AM
At the Casino de Hull, a world-class gaming facility, visitors can try their luck at the gaming tables and slot machines.

Area Features:

The Ottawa River
Canada’s second longest at over 700 miles, curves around the northern edge of city. The compact downtown area, where most major attractions are clustered within walking distance, is south of the river.

The Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal, sweeping past the National Arts Center, divides the downtown area in two segments known as: Center Town and Lower Town.

Center Town
Parliament Hill, the Supreme Court, and the National Museum of Natural Sciences. In

Lower Town
on the east side of the canal, are the National Gallery of Canada, the Byward Market (a vibrant center for restaurants and nightlife), and along Sussex Drive (which follows the Ottawa River’s course), the Canadian War Museum, the Royal Canadian Mint, and the Prime Minister’s residence, diplomat’s row, and Rockcliffe Park.

Hull
North across the river, in Québec, reached by the Macdonald-Cartier and Alexandra bridges from the east end of town and the Portage and Chaudière bridges from the west end. At the end of the Alexandra Bridge stands the Museum of Civilization, and nearby are some of the city’s best French restaurants and the most lively nightlife action (which continues until 2am). North and east of Hull stretch the Gatineau Hills and ski country.

Side Trips:

Frontenac Provincial Park
613/376-3489
Near Sydenham about 45 miles from Ottawa, is a wilderness park with more than (113 miles of hiking trails that explore such areas as Moulton Gorge, the Arkon Lake bogs, and the Connor-Daly mine.

Port Hope, Presqu’ile Provincial Park & Trenton
613/475-2204
This 2,000-acre area of marsh and woodland offers excellent camping and a mile-long beach. Flocks of migratory birds from the Atlantic and the Mississippi flyways arrive for the major bird-watching weekends held in spring and fall. The visitor center is open Victoria Day to Labor Day.

Driving from Ottawa, take Route 16 south to 401 west, bringing you to the old lakefront town of Port Hope, where antiques stores line the main street. It’s at the mouth of the Ganaraska River.
40 miles east of Port Hope lies Trenton, the starting point for the Trent-Severn Canal, a 239-mile-long waterway traveling northeast via 44 locks to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. It’s also the western entrance to the Loyalist Parkway (Route 33), leading to Quinte’s Isle.Halfway between Port Hope and Trenton on Route 401 is Brighton, the gateway town to Presqu’île Provincial Park.
more info

Serpent Mounds Park
RR #3
705/295-6879
Located in Keene, which you can reach by driving north from Port Hope on Highway 28. The park has 120 campsites and offers swimming and self-guided nature trails. The name comes from the Indian burial mounds it contains: one shaped like a snake

Peterborough
visitor center on the waterway on Hunter Street East.
705/750-4900
Farther north on Route 28 is, at the center of the Kawartha Lakes: the series of lakes connected by the Trent-Severn Waterway from Trent to Georgian Bay. Here you can watch the boats moving through the locks and being lifted 62 feet from one water level to another.

Petroglyphs Provincial Park
705/877-2552
Continuing northeast on Route 28 from Peterborough, you’ll come to Stony Lake. At its eastern end, on Northey’s Bay Road near the town of Stonyridge
Open from second Friday in May to Canadian Thanksgiving; daily 10-5.
Although the hiking trails, two lakes, and forests are appealing, the petroglyphs themselves: hundreds of symbolic shapes and figures: are what attract visitors. It is believed that these images were carved by an Algonquin-speaking people between 1,100 and 6,500 years ago. About 300 distinct carvings have been identified alongside 600 indecipherable figures. Members of the Ojibwa Anishinabe Nation still revere this as a sacred site.

The Thousand Islands
The St. Lawrence River was the main route into the heart of Upper Canada from the 17th to the mid-19th century, traveled first by explorers, fur traders, and missionaries and later by settlers en route to Ontario and the plains west. The river is a magnificent sight, especially where it flows around the outcroppings and pine-covered islets of the Thousand Islands region; in some stretches it’s over 19km (12 miles) wide.

St. Lawrence Islands National Park (The Thousand Islands)
2 County Rd. 5, Mallorytown
613/923-5261
Canada’s smallest national park encompasses a 50-mile stretch of the St. Lawrence, from Kingston to Brockville. The visitor center and headquarters are on the mainland, where you’ll find a picnic area, beach, and nature trail. Access to the park’s island facilities is via boat only.

Upper Canada Village
About 31 miles east of Brockville along Route 2, just east of Morrisburg
To get from Ottawa to this region, take Route 16/416 south to 401 west, which connects the towns, parks, and townships from Brockville to Port Hope
613/543-3704
Admission charged. children under 6 are free, and families get a 10% discount.
May to Canadian Thanksgiving, daily 9:30 – 5.
This is Ontario’s effort to preserve its pre-Dominion past: a riverfront museum village representing frontier life in the 1860s. Some 40 brick-and-stone structures and interiors have been accurately restored using hand-forged nails and wooden pegs. They appear as if still inhabited, because they are occupied by costumed bilingual docents who perform the chores and crafts of the time (sewing quilts, milling lumber, fashioning tinware, conducting church services) and answering questions. A waterwheel -powered woolen mill, blacksmith’s shop, bake shop, and lumber mill are a few of the authentic replicas of life in another time. “True Canadian” draft horses draw both tour wagons and the barge on the carp-filled canal cutting through from the river to a small lake behind the village.

Performing Arts:

National Arts Center
53 Elgin St., at Confederation Square
(613/947-7000).
Canadian and international musical, dance, and theater artists: including the resident National Arts Center (NAC) Orchestra perform at this elaborate center. The building, created by architect Fred Lebensold, is made of three interlocking hexagons beside the Rideau Canal, its terraces giving excellent views of Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River.

There are three auditoriums:
the European-style Opera, seating 2,300
the 950-seat Theatre, with its innovative apron stage
and the 350-seat Studio, employed for experimental works.

The National Arts Center Orchestra
613/996-5051
Guided tours are available.
Performs in seven or eight main concert series per year. The center also offers classic and modern drama in English and French. For reservations, call Ticketmaster at 613/ 755-1111 or visit the NAC box office Monday to Saturday noon to 9pm and Sunday and holidays when performances are scheduled noon to curtain time.

NAC Marketing and Communications Department
Box 1534, Station B, Ottawa, ON K1P 5W1
613/996-5051
Offers a free monthly Calendar of NAC Events.
more info

Great Canadian Theatre Company
910 Gladstone Ave.
613/236-5196
presents contemporary drama and comedy with Canadian themes September to May.

Ottawa Family Fun Attractions

Changing of the Guard:
During the summer, Parliament Hill hosts the daily Changing the Guard ceremony, a military tradition dating back to the 19th century. The biggest day of the year is July 1 when tens of thousands flood Parliament Hill and Confederation Boulevard for Canada Day celebrations.

Most summer evenings, “Reflections of Canada: A Symphony of Sound and Light”, which vividly narrates the emotional story of the building of a nation, unfolds on the lawns in front of the Center Block; the show is offered in both English and French.

In the months of December and January, Parliament Hill, Confederation Boulevard and the downtown area are ablaze with a dazzling display of lights forming a symbolic link of similar Christmas Lights displays in other provincial and territorial capitals, as part of the National Capital Commission’s “Christmas Lights Across Canada” program.

Canada Aviation Museum
11 Aviation Parkway, 993-2010
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays till 9 p.m.
Admission charged.
Free on Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Daily 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:45 p.m.
Take a stroll down the Walkway of Time in this massive building, which houses one of the world’s best collections of vintage aircraft. In addition to getting an up-close look at aircraft from different eras, visitors will hear some remarkable tales, from the adventures of Canadian bush pilots to the controversy surrounding the Avro Arrow project to the contributions made by women in wartime. Sit at the controls of a Cessna, 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:15 p.m. Wind-tunnel demonstrations, 10:30 a.m.
more info

Canadian Museum of Nature
240 MacLeod St.
566-4700
9:30 – 5. Thursdays till 8.
Admission charged. Children under 3: Free. Free on Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
As you walk through the front doors of the castle-like Victoria Memorial Museum building, you will come face-to-face with a replica of the 70-million year-old Daspletosaurus torosus, a dinosaur that once lived in what is now Alberta. The stone heritage building houses one of the world’s largest natural history collections, covering four billion years of Earth history.

Children will enjoy the Creepy Critters Gallery containing a variety of live insects, rodents and reptiles. The Finders and Keepers exhibit includes more than 400 specimens, from the enormous (such as a giraffe skeleton) to the microscopic (fleas and lice). Learn why the barren-ground caribou is so sure-footed in the snow in the Mammals in Canada gallery, where dioramas capture a moment in the life of Canada’s mammals.

Test your bird-identifying skills and find out more about seasonal migration patterns in the Birds in Canada gallery. The Animals in Nature gallery shows how pollutants have caused a decline in the number of predatory species such as the peregrine falcon. See how bees make honey or find out why Japanese companies are pumping the fresh scent of lemons into the workplace in the Plant Life and Nature’s Pharmacy exhibits.

Take an elevator ride beneath the surface of the Earth to visit a gold mine, and find out why gold is so valuable in the Mineral Gallery, where you can also board a time machine that will take you back to the origins of Earth and the forces that have shaped it. See a new replica of the chasmosaur or go digging for dinosaur fossils in the Life through the Ages gallery
more info

Canadian Museum of Civilization
100 Laurier St.
776-7000
May 1 to June 30: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., open Thursdays till 9 p.m. (Children’s Museum till 7 p.m.) July 1 to Sept. 3: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays till 9 p.m.
Admission charged. Museum Admission free on Thursdays, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., half-price on Sundays.
Guided tours of permanent or special exhibitions offered daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Audio guides are also available for some exhibitions. The Grand Hall was built in the shape of an enormous canoe. Architect Douglas Cardinal was inspired by a native myth about the raven’s magic canoe, which could shrink to the size of a pine needle or expand to hold the entire universe. The building also houses the Canadian Children’s Museum, and an IMAX theater. The Museum of Civilization is the country’s largest and most visited museum. The Grand Hall is the centerpiece of the museum. Learn about the people of British Columbia’s north coast the Haida, Tsimshian, Tlingit and Nisga’a. Or trace the history of the Coast Salish, the largest First Nations group in B.C. The hall is marked by several stunning totem poles and six Pacific Coast Indian house facades and a forest backer.
more info

Central Experimental Farm
At Experimental Farm Drive and Prince of Wales Drive
(613/991-3044)
and 2 – 3:30pm.
Admission charged.
May to early October, you can ride in wagons drawn by brawny Clydesdales, weather permitting, Monday to Friday 10 11:30am. In winter there are sleigh rides. March to October, the agricultural museum, barns, and tropical greenhouse are open daily 9 5; November to February, except Christmas and New Year’s Day, the barns and tropical greenhouse are open daily 9 – 4, but the museum’s exhibits are closed. With 1,200 acres, it qualifies as the largest green space in the Ottawa region.Though now surrounded by suburban Ottawa, the farm has livestock barns housing various breeds of cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, and horses. Milking time is 4pm. The greenhouses shelter a noted chrysanthemum show every November, and there are also an ornamental flower garden and an arboretum with 2,000 varieties of trees and shrubs

Canada Agriculture Museum
Prince of Wales Dr. at Experimental Farm Dr.
Ottawa
(613) 991-3053
9 – 5
Admission charged. Call ahead for group rates and tours.
Learn how grain is made into flour and bread, or help collect chicken eggs in the Poultry House. With cows, pigs, sheep, horses, chickens and rabbits, the Agriculture Museum is a working farm that celebrates Canada’s agricultural heritage, located on the grounds of the Central Experimental Farm.
more info

Canada Science and Technology Museum
1867 St Laurent Blvd
(613) 991-3044
Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission charged. Free Admission during the last hour.
If the energy stored in a jar of peanut butter were transformed into oil or electricity, it could heat a house for several hours or drive a car 10 kilometres at high speed? That’s just one of the many things you’ll discover here. A lighthouse, a locomotive and rocket are located in the Technology Park in front of the museum. Interactive and hands-on activities.

Permanent exhibitions: Love, Leisure and Laundry explores the evolution of household technology. Canada In Space explores this country’s scientific and technical feats in the space program. Includes a full-scale model of the Canadarm. Visitors can climb aboard steam locomotives in the Locomotive Hall. From telephones to radio to the Internet, Connexions explores all facets of communications technology and their impact on our lives. Beautiful antique cars are showcased in the More than a Machine exhibition, featuring vehicles from the 1900s to the 1930sSee if you can keep your balance in the Crazy Kitchen.
more info

Gatineau Park
Gatineau Park Visitor Center
318 Meech Lake Rd.
Old Chelsea, PQ J0X 1N0
819/827-2020
Across the river in Québec, north of Hull. Only 1.9 miles from Parliament lie 88,000 acres of woodland and lakes named after explorer Nicolas Gatineau of Trois-Rivières. The park was inaugurated in 1938, when the federal government bought land in the Gatineau Hills to stop forest destruction. Black bear, timber wolf, otter, marten, and raccoon are joined by white-tailed deer, beaver, and more than 100 species of birds. Also resident, but rarely glimpsed, are lynx and wolverines.

Park facilities include 90 miles of hiking trails and supervised swimming beaches. Fee for vehicle access; fees to beach areas. You can rent boats (canoes, kayaks, and rowboats) at Lac Philippe and Lac la Pêche. Call 819/456-3555 for reservations. Most lakes can be fished (if it’s not allowed, it’s posted). A Québec license is required and can be obtained at many convenience stores around the park.

Storyland Family Park
Storyland Road (RR #5), off Route 17 about 6 miles northwest of Renfrew
613/432-2222
Admission charged.
Early June to mid-September daily 9:30 – 6.
Features a puppet theater, paddleboats, minigolf, a petting zoo, and more.

Ottawa Events & Entertainment

Performing Arts

National Arts Center

53 Elgin St., at Confederation Square

613/947-7000).

Canadian and international musical, dance, and theater artists: including the resident National Arts Center (NAC) Orchestra perform at this elaborate center. The building, created by architect Fred Lebensold, is made of three interlocking hexagons beside the Rideau Canal, its terraces giving excellent views of Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River.

There are three auditoriums:

the European-style Opera, seating 2,300

the 950-seat Theatre, with its innovative apron stage

and the 350-seat Studio, employed for experimental works.

The National Arts Center Orchestra

613/996-5051

Guided tours are available.

performs in seven or eight main concert series per year. The center also offers classic and modern drama in English and French.

For reservations, call Ticketmaster at 613/ 755-1111 or visit the NAC box office Monday to Saturday noon to 9pm and Sunday and holidays when performances are scheduled noon to curtain time.

NAC Marketing and Communications Department

Box 1534, Station B, Ottawa, ON K1P 5W1 613/996-5051

www.nac-cna.ca

Offers a free monthly Calendar of NAC Events.

Great Canadian Theatre Company

910 Gladstone Ave.

613/236-5196

presents contemporary drama and comedy with Canadian themes September to May.


Casino de Hull

1 boulevard du Casino

1-800-665-2274

Daily 11AM – 3AM

At the Casino de Hull, a world-class gaming facility, visitors can try their luck at the gaming tables and slot machines.

  • Sports*

The Ottawa Senators (Hockey)

613/599-0300

20min from downtown, bus #183.

one of the youngest teams in the National Hockey League ( their predecessors won a string of Stanley Cups earlier in this century) and currently play at the new 18,500-capacity Corel Center, 1000 Palladium Drive, Kanata (1-800-444-SENS)

Tickets :call Ticketmaster 613/755-1166.

Baseball

The Ottawa Lynx

747-5969.

a farm team (minor league) of the Montréal Expos, play at the Ottawa Stadium, Coventry Rd The season runs from mid-April to late September.

Soccer

Ottawa Intrepid play at Lansdowne Park

1015 Bank (bus #7 or #1) or the Terry Fox Stadium

Riverside Drive (bus #96).

Tickets :call Ticketmaster 613/755-1166.


Events

February

On weekends in February, it’s Winterlude 613/239-5000

www.capcan.ca

an extravaganza with parades, ice-sculpture competitions, fireworks, speed skating, snowshoe races, ice boating, curling, and more. One offbeat contest is the bed race on the frozen canal, while the most exciting event may be the harness racing on ice.

May

Ottawa’s biggest event is the Canadian Tulip Festival 888/465-1867

www.capcan.ca

for about 2 weeks in mid-May, when the city is ablaze with 200 varieties of tulips enlivening public buildings, monuments, embassies, homes, and driveways. (Among the best viewing points is Dow’s Lake.) The festival began in 1945, when the Netherlands sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada in appreciation of the role Canadian troops played in liberating Holland. Festival events include fireworks, concerts, parades, and a flotilla on the canal.

R.C.M.P. Musical Ride Sunset Ceremony

613/ 993-3751

www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca

with outdoor evening performances of music and horsemanship, including jumping and dressage, as well the ride itself.

National Capital Air Show in late May

613/526-1030

www.ncas.ottawa.com

June

National Capital Dragon Boat Race Festival in late June

613/238-7711

www.dragonboat.net

Children’s Festival

613/728-5863

www.childfest.ca

In early June, the Canadian Museum of Nature holds this extravaganza of dance, mime, puppetry, and music.

Festival Franco-Ontarien

613/741-1225

www.leroux.ca

In late June, a 5-day celebration of Francophone Canada, featuring classical and other musical concerts, fashion shows, street performers, games and competitions, crafts, and French cuisine.

July

Canada Day

800/ 465-1867

www.capcan.ca

On July 1, Canadians flock to the city to celebrate a huge birthday party with many kinds of entertainment, including fireworks.

Ottawa International Jazz Festival

613/241-2633

www.jazz.ottawa.com

For 10 days in mid-July, the city is filled with the mainstream and cutting-edge sounds of local, national, and international artists giving more than 125 performances at more than 20 venues.

Ottawa Chamber Music Festival

613/234-8008

www.chamberfest.com

North America’s largest chamber music festival, with 74 concerts in the city’s churches. It lasts 2 weeks.

August

Central Canada Exhibition

613/237-7222

www.the-ex.com

10-days in mid- to late August.

Billings Estate Museum

2100 Cabot St

613/247-4830

Annual Heritage trades fair. Blacksmiths, quilters, cooks and others will demonstrate their crafts, and sell items.: Special historical tours will be offered; tea will be served on the lawn. Local artists will display their work. Daily (except Mondays and Saturdays): Tea will be served under a large striped marquee in the gardens. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

September

Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival

819/243-2330

On Labor Day weekend, scores of brilliantly colored balloons fill the skies over Ottawa, while on the ground, people flock to musical events and midway rides.

December

In the months of December and January, Parliament Hill, Confederation Boulevard and the downtown area are ablaze with a dazzling display of lights forming a symbolic link of similar Christmas Lights displays in other provincial and territorial capitals, as part of the National Capital Commission’s “Christmas Lights Across Canada” program.

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