Tourist information for Ottawa-Gatineau, and getaways

There is lots to see and do around Ottawa in the city. Take a tour of the city's shoreline, either from land or by boat. You can visit a museums, lots of parks and waterfront greenspace, and activities and sports to keep anybody busy (and happy). We even have a page that has tips on hundreds of things to do with kids.

Major Annual festivals:

The Ottawa Valley is big, wide, and lush. In the summer there's river rafting up the Valley at Beachburg. At Pembroke, see Canada's first hydro-electric plant and the many murals around the downtown. At Chalk River, see the Nuclear Research Station. At Petawawa you pass Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, a major military training ground and a Forestry Research Station. Finally, at Mattawa, see the confluence of the Mattawa River, which was the major fur trading route to the west, now followed by the Trans-Canada Highway all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

There are many accommodation options in the area, from first class hotels, to motels, beds & breakfast, long-term accommodation, wilderness lodges and camping.

We even have lots of tips for getting away, including other countries' Online Travel Offices, links to travel guidebooks' web sites. We even have links to sites that can help you plan a honeymoon, eloped wedding, or romantic getaway. To round things out we have information about Canada & US Customs, a listing of Canadian embassies and consulates around the world, and an overview of our airport(s) and links to airports around the world (so you can check what to do during connections between flights)

We recogize that travel inherently uses a lot of energy and a lot of resources, since it involves moving us (and our luggage) large distances around the world. Here are a number of suggestions for reducing our impact as well as our "carbon footprint".