| Page Views: 1,152 Last Visit to Ottawa: December, 2003 | The capital city by rsilva - last update: Mar 8, 2005 |
This is more or less how it sounds when a Canadian pronounces Ottawa.
On our way to Montreal from Toronto, we decided to stay a night in Ottawa, after all it is the capital of this nice country.
We were not impressed. It is very modern and there is not much of interest to see, in my opinion.
It was made Canada's capital by Queen Victoria in 1857 and is its fourth largest city (after Toronto, Monteral and Vancouver). |
As I already mentioned, we only stayed for one night and almost the whole day after. One of the first things we did was go to the tourist information office to see if they had any good suggestions on what to see and do. I was quite surprised by the answer: - "Well, there is the Parliament Hill right in front of us, the prime minister's house and the "historical centre" (Byward Market). That's it. I was hoping for some more enthusiasm, after all it is the capital city of this country that I really enjoyed visiting. Since the prime minister's home was not within walking distance we decided to go for the other two suggestions. The parliament hill was not particularly nice to look at and we didn't feel like doing a guided tour. We headed off to the "historical centre". Being european, I have seen Lisbon, Rome, Amsterdam and the historical center is usually very nice to see. Even smaller towns around Europe are really nice. To say we were dissapointed is an understatement. First we had to walk through some streets with some very dodgy-looking people (drunks, homeless, prostitutes, etc.), but we finally got to the Byward Market. What is there to see? Nothing. It is just the old market, now with some modern shops and street vendors. |
What's good We ended up walking across the bridge over the river to see the museum of Civilization, but it is technically not in Ottawa anymore ( see tip for more information). We dined (twice) at the "Blue Cactus" and it was great ( see tip for more information). We also had some nice Beavertails. I really like mirrored-glass buildings and there are more than enough of them to keep me happy. I might come back for the "Blue Cactus", but not for the city. Canada is beautiful! Don't spend too much time here. |
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| Pros: | "...not much" | | Cons: | "Modern, feels unsafe, not much to see" | | In A Nutshell: | "Canada is beautiful! Explore other places!" |
rsilva's Ottawa Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | | | Restaurants
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2 | Hotels & Accommodations
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for rsilva about Ottawa | | | | |
KiKitC Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:50 UTC
Great tips! Think I would rather enjoy a day looking at the totems in the museum you visited. Hope you have a great birthday, and have fun Down Under! | Carmanah Wed Nov 22, 2006 01:30 UTC
That's odd... Ottawa has a lot of great museums, and I think that's what makes Ottawa interesting. The tourist info centre gave you bad info! But it's funny, I ate at the Blue Cactus too, and I also have the same photo of that statue (of 3 people) | Mimi101 Mon Oct 10, 2005 01:47 UTC
Bad advice at info booth. Within walking distance of Parliament Hill: National Art Gallery, Portrait Gallery, Modern Photography, city art gallery, Bytown (city) Museum, etc. Tons of good restaurants, I can't believe you ate at the same place twice! | ATXtraveler Sun Aug 21, 2005 10:47 UTC
Well written tips, eh.... ya hoser. |
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