When we lived in Montreal, we used to go to Ottawa regularly, but this visit was our first in a while. It’s a beautiful safe city with lots to do year-round and many restaurants to choose from. We were happy to revisit some of our favorite places in the city.
Parliament Hill
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, and its most famous landmark is Parliament Hill. It’s a trip back in time where history comes to life. It’s free to visit but advance booking of the various guided tours is recommended.
The East Block and West Block date back to 1859 making them the oldest parts of the Parliament of Canada buildings. The Central Block, the Parliament’s main building, was destroyed by fire in 1916. It was rebuilt with its iconic Peace Tower. Reconstruction started in 1922 and work was completed five year later in 1927.
Once again, the Center Block is undergoing a major restoration project. Reopening is planned for 2030-2031, but while the renovations take place both the Senate of Canada and House of Common are currently housed in other historic buildings. The Senate is located across the street inside a former train station, and the House of Commons is inside the West Block.
Parliament Hill is also where Canadians gather on July 1st to celebrate Canada’s birthday, Canada Day. But, throughout the year many simply come to walk around the historic Parliament buildings or along the Ottawa River for great vistas of the Parliament of Canada.
This is by far our favorite site in Ottawa and well worth the visit.
Parliament of Canada guided tours
Senate guided tour
We truly enjoyed our tour of the Senate of Canada building and as luck would have it, we ended up getting a private tour. Our guide did a fantastic job of explaining the role of the Senate and how everything works. He covered everything from how decisions are made to who sits where.
In the Red Chamber the three ceremonial wooden thrones located at the far end of the room are reserved for the Speaker of the Senate, the King and his consort or his representative, the Governor General of Canada and spouse. On the walls you can see the Coat of arms of Canada, as well as those of the 10 provinces and 3 territories.
We loved the indigenous art inside one of the conference rooms and all the maple leaves decorating the Senate Building.
We also learned about the history of the building itself. The building was built between 1909 and 1912 and served as a train station until 1966.
Elements of the old train station are still visible especially the large waiting room with a beautiful barrel-vaulted plaster ceiling with decorative coffers. We also learned that the train tracks ran along where the Rideau Canal now flows.
House of Commons tour
The West Block building houses the House of Commons and we got to take this guided tour. Our guide was very informative and explained how the House of Commons works, how decisions are debated and passed.
She described where the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and all cabinet members sit when in session. She also pointed out how there was only one chair at the head of the room and that it was reserved for the Speaker of the House. The King or his representative are not allowed to enter the House of Commons.
What we really enjoyed was seeing how they preserved the old walls of the historic building by adding a glass roof supported by steel columns to create an interim chamber while the House of Commons’ permanent house is under renovation. The space surrounding the chamber is decorated with wooden panels laid out to look like snowshoes or skis.
There were also paintings of the Prime Ministers of Canada. There are also some display cases with artifacts including one with the golden House of Commons Mace and another with a beautiful limestone sculpture made by an Inuit artist, Bart Hanna.
Guided heritage rooms tour
The East Block offers a guided tour of the historic rooms but be advised that these are only opened during the summer. Since we were there in October, it was closed to visitors. However, we did visit many years ago and truly enjoyed our tour.
Other points of interest on Parliament Hill
At the base of the Peace Tower, you’ll find the entrance to the Memorial Chamber. When we visited it was not open. Behind the Central Block is the Library of Parliament which was also temporally closed.
Other monuments and statues to see on the grounds of the Parliament include the Centennial Flame, Victoria Tower Bell Monument, Royal Sappers and the Miners Sundial. There are also many statues of important figures and various memorials. As you stroll along be sure to look from the ramparts at the panoramic views of the Ottawa River and environs.
Across the street, in Confederation Square, be sure to check out the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. If you time it right, you might catch the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
ByWard Market area
ByWard Market
The ByWard Market was established in 1827 by Lieutenant Colonel John By. But the market burned down in 1926 making the current structure 100 years old.
This area is a popular destination filled with specialized shops and eating venues. Of course, we just had to try a Queue de Castor (Beaver Tail), a traditional sweet delicacy. Yummy!
Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica
Nearby, there’s the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ottawa’s oldest and largest church. The church was built in 1847 on the site where an old chapel stood in Bytown. Only six years later it became a cathedral and was elevated to the status of basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1879.
The interior is beautiful with a royal-blue vaulted ceiling adorned with golden stars, elaborate stained-glass windows and wooden pillars made to look like marble. Some treasures include the original wood crucifix from 1856.
In the basement there is a little café serving freshly made pastries and delicious cappuccinos and other types of coffees.
National Gallery of Canada
Across the street from the basilica, you can’t miss the huge spider sculpture with eggs (Maman) by the entrance of the National Gallery of Canada. Made of bronze, stainless steel, and marble, Maman was created by artist Louise Bourgeois in 1999.
A must-see museum in Ottawa, the National Gallery houses a wonderful collection of Canadian and indigenous art. We loved the original pieces from the First Nations especially all the animal stone sculptures made by Inuit artists. Of course, there are also some exquisite paintings by renowned artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, and the likes.
The museum is nicely laid out with an interior Garden Court and a Water Garden. At the heart of the National Gallery, you can visit the historic Rideau Chapel. The chapel used to be part of a convent, but it was moved and rebuilt here in its original Gothic Revival style in order to preserve it. It dates to the late 1880s.
Another great museum in the area is the Canadian Museum of History. It’s located just across the bridge in Hull, Quebec. We visited it on a prior visit to Ottawa but didn’t have time to revisit this time around as we were here only for the weekend.
Major’s Hill Park
Major’s Hill Park is also in the area and the perfect place to go to simply stroll around and enjoy the sites.
Conclusion
Ottawa is about a 2 hours’ drive from Montreal and is a nice place to go for a quick getaway. It was nice to revisit and see some of our favorite places in Ottawa. We truly enjoyed walking around Parliament Hill and our tours of the Senate of Canada and the House of Commons.
The National Gallery and Ottawa’s basilica were nice additions to our itinerary and we enjoyed a lovely dinner and a Queue de Castor in ByWard Market. Not bad for an impromptu weekend trip to Canada’s capital.