Ottawa: top things to do in the capital of Canada
21.07.2023 - 08:11
/ roughguides.com
/ Art
Move over Toronto and Montréal: there's a quiet revolution happening in Ottawa. Not so long ago, the city was lambasted as the dullest place in Canada, dubbed the «town that fun forgot» by a sniping journalist half a century ago. The label stuck like glue, but nowadays the perception of the capital of Canada has changed and it's brimming with things to do. Green, youthful and increasingly dynamic, with a burgeoning culinary scene and vibrant roster of festivals, the Canadian capital has outgrown its reputation as a stodgy government town. Here's our guide to the top things to do in Ottawa.
After a massive party in 2017 for Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations, with giant dragons roaming the streets and three-course dinners 150 feet off the ground, you'd forgive Ottawa for taking a breather in 2018. Truth is there's never been a better time to go.
Legacy projects from Canada 150 are now coming to fruition, with the opening of the new Ottawa Art Gallery in April, a series of magnificent redevelopments to the city's showcase museums, from the National Gallery to the Canada Science and Technology Museum, and the transformation of the outstanding National Arts Centre into a gorgeous, light-filled space far from the Brutalist slab of yesteryear.
Meanwhile, November sees the launch of the first phase of Ottawa's long-awaited light rail system, set to open up some of the city's cooler neighbourhoods to tourists and locals alike.
Parliament Hill from Gatineau © Sharkshock / Shutterstock
One of Ottawa's joys is its friendly, human scale, with many of its major sights easily walkable from each other strung out along the majestic Ottawa River.
Across the water in Gatineau, Ottawa's French-speaking sister city, the inspirational Canadian Museum of History is the ideal place to start. Packed with treasures, the museum relates Canada's story giving voice to all of its cultures, including those historically ignored. This is evident in its design: check out the arresting entranceway to its public wing, reminiscent of an indigenous mask, and the monumental Grand Hall, with the canoe-shaped ceiling and paddle-like columns. Unveiled in 2017, the state-of-the-art Canadian History Hall energetically trots through 15,000 years of history right up to contemporary issues such as the Québec question and the fight for LGBT rights.
Gatineau's riverfront is also a peerless vantage point from which to look back across the lofty Gothic pinnacles of Canada's parliament buildings, perched majestically atop forested Parliament Hill.
Imaginatively revamped in 2017, integrating indigenous artefacts with Western art to tell a chronological story, the National Gallery is a blissful space for art lovers, with galleries interspersed with