Parliament, the Market, a three-storey spider, the canal and a dinner you'll talk about for weeks. The best part: you can do the whole thing on foot.
Everything below sits within a small, walkable loop downtown, so there's no need for a car or a transit pass. Wear comfy shoes, charge your phone and bring an appetite.
Start where Ottawa has been shopping since the 1820s. Grab a coffee and a pastry, wander past the produce stalls as they set up, and get your bearings. Everything else today is within a 15-minute walk from here.
Pro tip: Mornings are the calmest time in the Market. By lunch it's buzzing.
Walk up to the Hill for the classic postcard view. Free guided tours take you inside the House of Commons and the Senate, and the lawn out front is where the whole country gathers on Canada Day.
Pro tip: Tours are free but fill up, so reserve online the day before. In summer, the Changing of the Guard happens on the lawn most mornings.
👟 10 min from the MarketRight between Parliament and the Château Laurier, eight stone locks step the Rideau Canal down to the Ottawa River. They're still opened by hand, and watching a boat climb the hill is weirdly hypnotic.
👟 3 min from ParliamentHead back into the Market for lunch. For the true local experience, get a shawarma, "all dressed," with extra garlic sauce. Ottawa takes its shawarma very seriously.
Pro tip: Save room. There's a BeaverTail coming up this afternoon.
👟 8 min from the LocksTake your selfie with Maman, the three-storey bronze spider out front. Then head inside the glass-towered National Gallery of Canada for one of the country's best art collections.
On the way out, cross Sussex Drive to peek inside Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica. Its deep-blue ceiling covered in gold stars is genuinely jaw-dropping, and it's free.
Pro tip: Give the Gallery about two hours. Check the hours before you go, since it's closed some Mondays outside of summer.
👟 7 min from the MarketGrab a BeaverTail from the original ByWard Market stand (classic cinnamon sugar, trust us) and eat it in Major's Hill Park. It has the best view of Parliament in the city.
Feeling energetic? Walk across the Alexandra Bridge to Quebec and look back at the skyline. Congratulations, you just visited two provinces before dinner.
👟 5 min from the GalleryFollow the canal south from the Château Laurier as the evening light hits the water. This UNESCO World Heritage Site runs right through downtown, and in winter it becomes the world-famous Skateway.
👟 10 min from Major's HillEnd the day in style. If it's a special occasion, book a tasting menu at Atelier or Antheia. Both are led by Canadian Culinary Championship winners and are worth building a trip around.
Want something more relaxed? Head to Little Italy on Preston Street for pasta, patios and gelato.
Pro tip: Tasting menus book up, especially on weekends. Reserve a few weeks ahead.
Still going? The ByWard Market turns into the city's liveliest bar district after dark. Grab a local craft beer on a patio. And if it gets late enough, you know what the city's official after-midnight snack is.
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