The revamped MacDonald-Cartier International Airport is the main airport in Ottawa, receiving flights from all over Canada and the US, as well as from overseas with the likes of Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways, and Northwest Airlines. The airport is located eight miles to the south of town and has just one terminal which features ATMs, currency exchange, duty-free and restaurants.

An easy way to get to downtown Ottawa from the airport is to take public bus OC Transpo route 97 from bus stop 14, outside Arrivals on level 1. In addition, there is the Airport Shuttle Bus which serves the big hotels of downtown Ottawa, including Novotel, Radisson and Sheraton, operating every 30 minutes. Taxis are also on hand and hire cars can be pre-booked online.

You can actually get around the hub of downtown Ottawa on foot and the city has one the best cycle networks in the country. However, the winter months get very chilly in Ottawa, when the need for public transport is greater.

OC Transpo buses take in all of the main Ottawa districts and provide the least expensive and most comprehensive city transport option. Buses generally run all day, with “black routes” being the most useful to tourists. An Ottawa DayPass allows unlimited travel on all bus routes and tickets are available at newsstands and Pharma Plus drugstores.

Taxis can be hailed, booked by phone or picked up at any one of the many taxi stands in downtown or from major hotels. Another way to get around Ottawa is by boat along the Rideau Canal (Paul’s Boat Lines), while hire cars can be booked online and picked up at the airport.