Places to Visit in Ottawa, Canada: Winter is a Great Time!

Sporting massive Parliament buildings, uniquely designed museums and a thriving downtown core, there are many interesting places to visit in Ottawa.

Here’s the scoop on the best places to see in Ottawa. And seeing as it’s the New Year, we’re putting a wintery spin on our winter guide to Ottawa.

Parliament Hill

Parliament Hill has been the scene of many historic ceremonies in Canada, including the VE Day celebrations, the first raising of Canada’s new flag in 1965.

01.

It features many statues of famous Canadian figures (like Sir John A. Macdonald, our first prime minister), monuments commemorating veterans and police, and also the Rideau Canal.

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Rideau Canal

For decades, families have skated and played ice hockey on the canal. Skating in winter, in fact, is what the Rideau Canal is most famous for today.

You’ll love skating on the groomed “Skateway.” It stretches for almost five miles from Ottawa’s downtown area to Dows Lake.

03.

Museums in Ottawa

Considered one of Canada’s finest galleries, this museum focuses on Canadian art. But it also has some foreign collections, including several of Andy Warhol’s most famous pieces.

Outside in front of the gallery, you can’t miss the sculpture of a gargantuan spider (“Maman”), complete with a sac of large white marble eggs under her belly – a great photo opp, by the way!

Credit: National Gallery of Canada

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