Situated on the southern Ontario/Quebec border, Ottawa, the capital of Canada, lies just an hour's drive from the US border and is a pleasant distinctly Canadian city. It gets very cold here in the winter but luckily has some good skiing nearby, while the famous Rideau Canal offers top skating.

Major attractions include the grand Parliament Buildings on Parliament Hill, complete with a nightly sound-and-light show; the superb Canadian Museum of Civilisation (the country foremost museum); and the brilliant National Art Gallery of Canada. The Byward Market is the most popular area in the city to hang out, with excellent shopping in the day and pumping nightlife until the early hours.

Gatineau Park is another popular attraction in Ottawa; a huge green-and-blue swathe of land and water to the north of the city into Quebec which is noted for its sporting prowess, namely cycling. There are kilometres of biking trails here, including hilly sections for mountain bikers, while rock climbing, roller blading, canoeing and skiing can also be enjoyed.

Ottawa has plenty of museums, including the Science and Technology Museum, Canada’s largest museum, which features no end of hands-on exhibits. Logos Land Resort and Storyland Family Park are not far from Ottawa and provide further fun for kids and adults.

On the entertainment side, Ottawa boasts lots of interesting shopping areas, numerous terraced cafés, fine restaurants, and pubs and clubs galore. The Byward Market is the leading area of the city to enjoy all of this, while Sparks Street and Westboro Village are also popular touristy areas.

Summers are quite hot in Ottawa and when visitors can enjoy cycling, walking and hiking in and around the city. On the flip side, it gets really cold during the winter; so much so that the Rideau Canal totally freezes and becomes the world’s longest ice skating rink. Many people also visit at this time to sample the nearby ski resorts.

Out and about, tourists who hire cars will find Montreal and Toronto (east and west respectively) within easy driving distance of Ottawa, while interesting towns like Merrickville, Gananoque, Brockville, Tremblant, Kingston, and Monteb are also within reach.

Accommodation wise, the downtown area of Ottawa has the pick of the hotels, which generally hover around mid-range and upper price bracket venues, yet most budgets are catered for. The nearby ski slopes also have hotels as well as chalet-style accommodation. As Ottawa is busy during the summer and the winter, hotels can be tough to pick up on a whim. Whatever time of year you visit, be sure to book a hotel in advance. Online hotel booking offers the best prices and range of availability.

MacDonald-Cartier International Airport, just south of downtown Ottawa, is the gateway to the Canadian capital and receives flights from all over. The airport is well equipped, featuring modern passenger facilities, while ground transportation options include public buses to downtown Ottawa throughout the day, a hotel shuttle bus to the city’s major hotels, and taxis and car hire.

As one of the world’s coldest capitals, Ottawa is best visited during the summer (unless you’re coming for the skiing), although expect hot, humid and often rainy days in July and August. Summers are generally short, extending from June to August at the latest, with highs of around 27ºC in July and three inches of rainfall to boot.

Due to its inland and northern positioning on the North American continent, Ottawa experiences very cold winters, with lows of around -20°C and daytime highs rarely breaching freezing. If you are here for the skiing, Ottawa is best visited between December and March, when accommodation in general is cheaper than at other times.