"Canada's capital." a Ottawa Travel Page by mwe

Ottawa is the seat of Canada's government, like London is the seat of the UK government. However, unlike London, Ottawa is not the financial capital & is neither the biggest city in either the province of Ontario (that's Toronto), or Canada itself (Montreal). So you could say Ottawa is to Canada what Washington DC is to the USA, what The Hague is to the Netherlands, or what Bonn was to West Germany.

The main picture shows Canada's Parliament building.

If you're wondering why the building behind the Royal Canadian Mounted Police car is flying the USA, rather than CDN flag, it's the US embassy, as Ottawa is Canada's political capital, so it's where all the embassies are.

The main point of interest for tourists is the parliament building & the area aound the Rideau Canal. Otherwise it's about as touristy as Reading (England)!
The Ottawa River is the boundary between Ontario & Quebec, so Ottawa's northern suburb (Hull) is in Quebec.
Neighbouring parts of Quebec have villages such as Wakefield, which have a slightly Swiss feel about them & good Autumn foliage.
Ottawa has a decent sized market (so does Norwich, England) & (like most English county towns) large department stores (The Bay & Eaton's).

For a map of Ottawa city-centre, click on www.rideaucentre.net under my shopping tips section.