An hour-by-hour itinerary — Parliament Hill · ByWard Market · National Gallery · Rideau Canal — plus crossing the river to Gatineau on the Quebec side, with the May Tulip Festival. Canada's underrated capital.
Ottawa is an easy walking city — Day 1 covers Parliament Hill and ByWard Market, Day 2 is art at the National Gallery and a stroll along the Rideau Canal, and Day 3 you cross the bridge in 5 minutes to Gatineau on the francophone Quebec side. Visit in May and you'll catch the Canadian Tulip Festival, the world's largest.
Each stop lists how to get there and an approximate cost. Prices in CAD (CAD 1 ≈ THB 27). Ottawa is compact — you can walk between the main sights; use OC Transpo bus and the O-Train for longer hops.
Drop your bags at the hotel and walk straight to Parliament Hill in the heart of the city — most Downtown hotels are a 5–10 minute walk away.
Canada's Neo-Gothic parliament from 1922 — the Centre Block is under restoration until 2031, but West/East Block and the Peace Tower still run free guided tours (book ahead). The best photo spot in the country.
A market dating to 1826 with the most restaurants in the city — try Smoque Shack (BBQ) or a French cafe. Don't miss the BeaverTails flagship store, the Canadian fried-dough classic that started here.
Walk up Major's Hill Park for an elevated view of Parliament and the Ottawa River. Nearby is the Royal Canadian Mint, where you can tour the gold bar vault (CAD 12, book ahead).
Ottawa's oldest church (1846), with a stunning blue-and-gold interior, free to enter — then walk Sussex Drive past the Prime Minister's residence (24 Sussex) and several embassies.
Back to ByWard, lively after dark — pick Play Food & Wine (modern Canadian tasting), The Whalesbone (oysters), or Heart & Crown (Irish pub with live music).
The country's largest art collection. The highlight is Louise Bourgeois' giant spider "Maman" out front, plus the Group of Seven (Canadian painters) inside, in a glass building designed by Moshe Safdie.
🎟️ Ottawa Museum Pass →Pick a café along the way — Bridgehead Coffee (local chain), Saigon Boy (Vietnamese), or the food trucks by the Connaught Building serving poutine and lobster rolls in summer.
A 202km canal linking Ottawa and Kingston, UNESCO-listed in 2007. In summer rent a kayak or bike along it (CAD 25/hr); in winter (Jan–Feb) it becomes the Rideau Canal Skateway, the world's longest skating rink at 7.8km.
The 1912 Fairmont Château Laurier, a French-château-style luxury hotel in the heart of Ottawa — drop into Zoe's Lounge for afternoon tea (CAD 65) or just photograph the grand lobby for free.
A free light-and-sound show projected on Parliament every night from 10 Jul–Sep, starting at 22:00 (21:30 in Jun/Sep). It tells Canada's story in 30 minutes, with free seating on the Parliament lawn.
Check out and leave bags with the hotel — walk the Alexandra Bridge (8 min) from Major's Hill Park over to Gatineau, Quebec. The language switches to French instantly (though most people speak English too).
Canada's largest museum, with a stunning view of Parliament Hill across the river. The highlight is the Grand Hall — the tallest First Nations totem poles (up to 12m) — plus the Canadian History Hall covering 15,000 years.
Walk Promenade du Portage in Old Hull — try Le Twist Café (authentic Quebec poutine), Edgar (great brunch), or Soif Bar à Vin (wine + cheese). A touch cheaper than the Ottawa side.
A) Gatineau Park, 361 sq km, a 25-min drive — Pink Lake, Champlain Lookout, and the best fall foliage in the region (October). B) If you're here in May, cross back to Ottawa for the Canadian Tulip Festival at Commissioners Park, 1 million tulips (a WWII gift from the Netherlands).
Optional — Casino du Lac-Leamy (free to enter, fine architecture), or Brasseur du Temps, a craft brewery and beer museum inside a 1920s brewery building. Try a beer flight (CAD 12).
Walk back across the bridge, collect your bags, and have a final dinner in ByWard — Khao Thai, Aiana (modern Indigenous), or Smoque Shack (BBQ) before you head on.
Based on the plan above — excludes flights and personal shopping. Hotel assumes a double room (split by 2). CAD 1 ≈ THB 27.
* CAD 1,100–1,500 ≈ THB 30,000–40,500 per person — varies with hotel tier. Ottawa has the lowest hotel prices of the three main cities (CAD 200–325/night avg). During Tulip Festival (May) and Canada Day (1 Jul) prices jump 50% — book 2 months ahead. Excludes flights and souvenirs. CAD 1 ≈ THB 27 (May 2026).
Click a pin to see which day each stop belongs to.
This plan stays Downtown or in ByWard both nights — a 10-minute walk to Parliament, the Market and the Rideau Canal, with the lowest hotel prices of Canada's three main cities.