Why It’s Worth Visiting Ottawa in the Winter

Ottawa, Canada’s capital for those of you not current with capitals, is cold in winter. It seems to be a toss-up with statisticians between Moscow, Russia or Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the coldest capital in the world award but I can confidently say that Ottawa is the third coldest capital in the world.

That being said – why bother with a visit to this Godforsaken city in the winter? Why not come instead for its famous spring tulip display?

Because Ottawa is beautiful in the winter when it’s covered in snow, crowds are down and there’s plenty to do.

So what exactly does one do in a frosty city in winter?

Firstly arrive prepared to enjoy the city in winter. That means bringing your Sorel boots with a -45C rating, a Canadian goose down parka, handwarmers, scarves, hats and a thermos you can carry everywhere filled with steaming hot chocolate.

Or show up like I did with too few layers, a shell jacket (this should be fun tomorrow in -25C temperatures), and running shoes. The running shoes come in handy – dashing from cafe to cafe to warm up.

Assuming you’re warm, then it’s time to head out for a walk around the Parliament Buildings. They’re particularly lovely to see at night when coloured snowflakes light up the walls. Late December is also a good time to visit because you don’t have to worry about running into any politicians. But you can take a free tour of the Centre Block; tours are 20-60 minutes in length.

As an aside, when I was a kid, our class visited the office of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. I wonder if any school kids are allowed near the Prime Minister’s office now.

Take the time to walk from Parliament Hill to the Canadian War Memorial,  just a few blocks away; from there you can see the Chateau Laurier Hotel. Go in and have a drink, or at least a look around if you have time.

Then continue on to the Byward Market, just off of Sussex Drive. It’s loaded with all kinds of shops; holdovers like Lapointe Fish, a store that’s been around for 140 years to boutique type furnishings stores, to bookstores, clothing stores, cigar stores plus a huge assortment of cafes, bars and restaurants.

Join the lineup for a Beaver tail – a fried piece of dough with butter and sugar on it – plus assorted toppings as desired.

For a high end restaurant experience try Restaurant 18 on York Street and for reasonably priced pub food try Pub 101.

If you like museums then Ottawa and Hull are the places to be.

The National Gallery of Canada can fill a day if you allow it to – and we did for a solid 6 hours and believe it or not, we weren’t bored, or bothered by any crowds at any time. The Canadian section of the gallery is fabulous.

Tickets with head phones are $15 per adult, otherwise it’s only $9. It’s open from 10 am to 5pm and entrance is free on Thursdays after 5pm.

Other museum possibilities are the Museum of Civilization across the bridge in Hull, Quebec, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian War Museum and the Royal Canadian Mint.

Ottawa is one of Canada’s best cities for outdoor activities too.

Unfortunately the Rideau Canal isn’t open yet for skating but it will be soon. It offers 7.8 kilometers of continuous skating. Look for skate rentals, warming huts, hot chocolate and beaver tails along the route.

A short distance away in the Gatineau Hills you’ll find loads of cross country ski trails and numerous downhill ski resorts – including Camp Fortune, Edelweiss, Vorlage and Mont. Ste Marie.  Calabogie Peaks and Mount Pakenham are nearby too.

So yes it’s cold in Ottawa in winter, bloody cold at times. But it’s invigorating and there’s plenty to do when it really is too cold to go out.

I bet you’ll enjoy a winter visit to Ottawa.

And if you want even more information, contact Ottawa Tourism or shoot me an email and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

Have any of you been to Moscow or Ulaanbaatar in winter ? How was it?

Leigh McAdam

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