Or south along the Rideau Canal, with the National Arts Centre to your right then the University of Ottawa to your left, past Lansdowne Park, whose stadium might echo with the shouts of sports fans or the thudding bass of a rock concert, and on to peaceful, flower-filled Commissioners Park and scenic Dow’s Lake. It opened to swimmers in 2025. Go ahead – if it’s summertime, you’ll want to dive right in.
Ottawa is so varied in its mix of culture, food and great outdoors that it’s like finding all of Canada in one city. It’s an easy place to fall in love with, made even easier by the fact that Air Canada now operates a direct flight from London four times a week, throughout the year. So, whether you go for snow or spring blooms, summer festivals or autumn colours, a warm Ottawa welcome is less than eight hours away.
Another wow moment for me was revisiting the ByWard Market area. It always was a shopping and dining district, but it’s now absolutely buzzing – packed with so many trendy cocktail bars and international restaurants that you could happily return night after night. Not that the rest of town is wanting in eateries – we also found a great little sushi place set inside a historic house.
The Parliament buildings are striking, and undergoing a $3 billion renovation that will be complete in 2028. Take a peek inside the vast Fairmont Château Laurier hotel beside them, which is built in a complementary architectural style and has a spectacular art deco pool I used to swim in.
A year ago, I returned to Ottawa for the first time, as a tourist, with my fiancée. I found its old-world charm undimmed, but with a renewed sense of energy, excitement and cosmopolitanism.
Most impressive is the new National Gallery. New to me, at least – the wonderful, cathedral-like modern building overlooking the Ottawa River actually opened way back in 1988. The artworks are a window into the nation’s soul, shaped by its wide open spaces. The collection is particularly strong on Indigenous and Métis artists, as well as the Group of Seven, a movement inspired by the wild Canadian landscapes and its seasonal changes.
There are many more world-class museums, including Science and Technology, Aviation and Space, and War. The Canadian Museum of Nature is set in a historic castle topped with a glass cube minutes from Parliament Hill, while the Canadian Museum of History – all sinuous curves that resolve into a giant face staring across the river – was designed by Indigenous architect Douglas Cardinal and celebrates the stories and culture of Indigenous peoples. Buy an Ottawa Museums Pass to visit them all for less.
Autumn paints the trees in a riot of orange, copper, scarlet and yellow, a sight so spectacular that my grandmother, an artist, gladly flew 3,000 miles with her easel and oils to capture it on canvas. She would make the half-hour drive out to Gatineau Park, a bucolic 361 sq km conservation area; but you can equally just stroll around the numerous city parks such as Major’s Hill, Rockcliffe and Vincent Massey, where children make huge piles from the fallen leaves then leap in. As a bonus, hotels also tend to be cheaper in this shoulder season.
I personally love the winter too. Sunny days will set the thick blanket of snow to glinting, as though your path is strewn with diamonds, while even the thunderous Rideau Falls are stilled into a literal freeze-frame in ice. Magically, the Rideau Canal becomes the world’s longest naturally frozen skating rink. Skate right through the heart of the city, pausing for a BeaverTail pastry from huts built into the ice. For the three weeks of Winterlude, you’ll also pass among huge and intricate ice sculptures, illuminated by night.
I found a renewed energy and cosmopolitanism’
It’s truly a city for all seasons. In spring you’d head to the Vanier Sugar Shack to sample maple syrup fresh from the tree, and marvel as the city centre was colour-bombed by the million-plus blooms of the Canadian Tulip Festival.
Summer brings long, lazy days of brilliant sunshine, perfect for paddling or whitewater adventures on the Ottawa River. Or take a day trip to Parc Omega in the French-speaking province of Quebec, just across the river, to see black bears, bison, wolves and of course the mighty moose. Canada Day (July 1) is always special, celebrated with fireworks and concerts, and this year is also the bicentennial of Ottawa’s founding, bringing year-round cultural events including June’s Doors Open Ottawa and July’s Bluesfest.
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culture, food and the great outdoors – like canada in one city’
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Métis artwork, skating a frozen canal and what makes each season unmissable – Dominic Wells revisits the city he grew up in
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From there I took my fiancée on a nostalgic stroll to my old neighbourhood: heading north alongside Sussex Drive, past the Town Hall to the Rideau Falls, which now has a charming tavern with a view across the Ottawa River to the French-speaking city of Hull, then through the historic Governor General’s grounds where my father had played cricket every summer Sunday, and into the woodland trails of Rockliffe Park. But you could equally head east instead, and discover the Canadian War Museum.
Canadian splendour
Kayaking the Rideau Canal, above; wildlife along the Ottawa River, below, and the city’s Tulip Festival
Cool runnings
Come winter, the Rideau Canal transforms into the world’s longest natural ice rink
Rolling gold
Lakeside hikes
at Gatineau Park,
a half-hour drive from Ottawa
Bigger picture
Besides great European works, the National Gallery of Canada holds one of the finest collections of homegrown art
Toast to the town
Zoe's Lounge at the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel
AND HOW TO FALL FOR IT TOO
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MY LIFELONG LOVE
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High points and heritage
Enjoying a tipple beside Rideau Falls; observing the traditions of Indigenous peoples, such as the Solstice celebrations
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ttawa holds a special place in my heart. Though I’ve lived in England since I was ten, I grew up in the idyllic Canadian capital, playing in its parks and woods, ambling along its rivers and falls and tadpole-filled pools, cycling its safe streets and historic neighbourhoods.