Earlier this summer we set out on a road trip to experience some Ontario cities and attractions. You can see my 2-Day Kingston, Ontario Itinerary for the first part of our road trip! We drove through Gananoque and stopped for a 1000 Islands cruise on our way to Ottawa. The drive from Gananoque to Ottawa was about 90 minutes with no traffic, but we did made a few stops. We arrived in Ottawa around 1:45pm and checked into our hotel – the Ottawa Marriott Hotel. After dropping off our luggage, scoping out our room and a quick rest, we went out on foot to explore Ottawa. Here’s my 2-day Ottawa, Ontario Itinerary.
Ottawa, Ontario – Day 1
Our first day looked something like this:
- Mill Street Brew Pub
- Supreme Court of Canada
- Parliament Hill
- Rideau Canal
- Sightseeing & Monuments
- 3 Brewers
Ottawa, Ontario Itinerary Vlog – Day 1
If you want to take a look at our first day activities, you can check out my vlog below. Continue reading for details of each activity and my day 2 vlog!
Mill Street Brew Pub
If you know me and my husband (or have been following our travels), you know we like our craft beer. So, our first official stop was the Mill Street Brew Pub for lunch. We walked about 15 minutes from our hotel to the restaurant/brewery located by the Ottawa River. Here we got lunch and sampled the beers they had on tap. I ordered the Buddha bowl and my husband got the tourtiere. The food here was really tasty, and the beers were even better! We spent about an hour and a half here and finished with key lime and apricot ice cream from a local creamery that partnered with Mill Street. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and experience here and would definitely go back.
Supreme Court of Canada
We continued on foot after we left the pub (to walk off that meal and beer!) and did some sightseeing along the way to Parliament. We passed by the Supreme Court of Canada, and unfortunately we couldn’t get up close due to Covid (story of our entire trip!). But even from afar we could see how impressive the building was. This is the highest court in the Canadian justice system where appeals can be heard from provincial, territorial and federal courts. The building is located on a large park area with big trees and is a lovely place to take a walk or sit and enjoy Ottawa nature.
Parliament Hill
Our next stop was Parliament Hill, just a 5-minute walk from the Supreme Court. Parliament Hill is home to Canada’s federal government and where laws are made that affect the lives of Canadians across all provinces and territories. As our luck would have it, Parliament Hill was under major construction and renovations even during the pandemic. We weren’t able to get any photos of the beautiful buildings as planned, and due to COVID, the tours were not running to see inside. But what we were able to see from outside was lovely and we plan to visit when the pandemic is behind us.
We walked around the entire Parliament Hill area and were able to get some pretty views of the river below. We also found some interesting statues and monuments on the walking paths on the hill and got a Canadian history refresher.
Rideau Canal
Located just a few short minutes away was the Rideau Canal, a National Historic Site of Canada. In 2007 this canal was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a popular tourist attraction year round. The Rideau Waterway is over 200km long and connects Ottawa with Kingston, Ontario. From mid-May to mid-October the lock systems are open for use by water enthusiasts via boat, kayak, canoe, etc. During the winter months this canal transforms into a public skateway, attracting locals and tourists alike. It’s definitely worth a visit if you are in Ottawa!
Sightseeing & Monuments
As Canada’s capital, Ottawa is home to many memorial and tribute statues and sculptures around the city. In the downtown area alone we passed countless monuments. Some of these included: the National War Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the National Aboriginal Veterans Memorial, a tribute to Oscar Peterson, the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights, and we also passed by Ottawa City Hall. You could spend a whole day visiting the monuments and tributes around the city.
3 Brewers
We ended our day at the 3 Brewers (ou les Trois Brasseurs, en français) for dinner and drinks. This is a chain microbrewery restaurant located throughout Ontario and Quebec. They are known for having a decent variety of beers on tap, including the ones brewed at their microbrewery. We had to give their local beers a try and ordered the IPA and amber ale. For our main dishes we ordered the Normandy Burger with onion rings, and the Chicken BLT with a garden salad. And as always, we split it all!
Ottawa, Ontario Itinerary – Day 2
If you want to take a look at our day 2 activities check out my day 2 (technically day 4 of our road trip) vlog below! We were able to cross the provincial border into Quebec and do some sightseeing in Gatineau. Our day 2 itinerary included the following stops:
- Mackenzie King Estate – Gatineau, Quebec
- Rideau Falls East Dam
- Rideau Canal (we went back for another view!)
- Byward Market
- Zak’s Diner
- National Gallery of Canada
- Major’s Hill Park – Parliament Hill
Ottawa, Ontario & Gatineau, Quebec Vlog – Day 2
Gatineau, Quebec – Mackenzie King Estate
We ended up in Gatineau, Quebec and found ourselves heading toward Gatineau Park. En route I saw signs for the Mackenzie King Estate, located within the park. Despite learning that the buildings would be closed due to the pandemic, we decided to visit. Luckily for us, the beautiful grounds, gardens, and trails were open for visitors, and parking was free! We were able to take a lovely hike through the grounds down to the waterfall on site. It was definitely worth the hike, though it was quite busy! I’d definitely recommend a visit here if you’re in the area.
Rideau Falls East Dam
After arriving back in Ottawa, we made a stop at the Rideau Falls East Dam. It was quite difficult to find parking in the area, but once we did we were able to get a beautiful view of the falls. There is a restaurant on site as well that had a great view of the river below – but you couldn’t see it unless you were standing. So, just something to note!
Byward Market
The Byward Market area is a popular tourist area, and for good reason! There are shops, restaruants, cafes, entertainment, and a market area selling produce, food items and handiwork. Definitely a great place to come if you’re looking for somewhere to eat, want to purchase some local goods, or even just to look around. If you’re staying in the city, you might also want to look for a hotel near this area to be around all of the great food options in this neighbourhood.
Zak’s Diner
We ended up eating at Zak’s Diner in the Byward Market area. This diner had a huge outdoor patio and a good variety of food options on their menu. We both got the same thing (which normally never happens) a burrito and onion rings. Probably not the healthiest choice, but oh man, it was delicious. The burrito was very flavourful but not too spicy. And the onion rings were not only massive, but covered more than half my plate! They were exceptionally generous with the portion sizes. We couldn’t even finish our meals they were so big. The food at other tables looked just as good as well, so I’d definitely recommend stopping here for a meal if you’re in the area.
National Gallery of Canada
No stop in Ottawa is complete without heading to the National Gallery of Canada. You don’t even need to go inside – another big tourist attraction can actually be found right out front. The giant spider sculpture “Maman” by artist Louise Bourgeois is right outside. If you’re not afraid of spiders, you can get up close to this sculpture made from bronze, stainless steel, and marble. Unfortunately we weren’t able to go inside due to the pandemic, but you can now visit the museum with some added safety measures in place.
Major’s Hill Park – Parliament Hill
We found the Major’s Hill Park completely by accident on our walk back from the Byward Market area. It is a beautiful park with views of the Parliament Hill buildings, walking paths, benches, and beautiful greenery. It actually reminded us of an area in Central Park in New York. Found an outdoor canteen called “Tavern on the Hill” that was serving food and drinks. It looked like a great spot to enjoy – but we had just eaten a huge dinner. If you’re visiting Ottawa, this is definitely a nice park to add to your itinerary.
Ottawa, Ontario Itinerary Summary
When I was booking our time in Ottawa, I worried that we wouldn’t have enough time to see the city. In reality (and I’m not sure if it was due to the pandemic or not) we had more than enough time to see the sights we wanted to see. Actually, it might have been too much time. I think if you’re planning a trip your Ottawa, Ontario Itinerary can be accomplished in a weekend. If you want to spend more time visiting museums, then you may need some additional time. We were in the city for 48-hours and that was the perfect amount for us!
Have you been to Ottawa? If so, what are some attractions you think I should add to my next Ottawa, Ontario Itinerary?
