Ottawa Travel Guide

Ottawa is Canada's capital. With over a million citizens, it is Canada's fourth-largest city, and Ontario's second-largest city. Across the Ottawa River is Gatineau, Quebec. While most Ottawans are English-speaking, 15% are native French speakers, making Ottawa Canada's largest Francophone city outside of Quebec. Visitors come to Ottawa to see Parliament Hill, as well as Canada's national museums. Ottawa swallowed the entirety of the former Carleton County that surrounded it in 2001. However, this article deals (primarily) with the urban area of the Ottawa, sometimes called "Old Ottawa". Wikivoyage has separate articles on the suburbs of Kanata and Carp.

ATMs and a currency exchange booth are available in the arrivals hall (lower level). There is one International Currency Exchange (ICE) branded ATM near the baggage carrousels which charges higher transaction fees and offers poor exchange rates and one Royal Bank ATM near the washrooms with lower transaction fees and better exchange rates. There is a 24 hour baggage storage facility (Pars 2000) in the arrivals hall. Luggage can be stored for $5 per day or $8 overnight. There is also an informati

Ottawa is a very safe place to live and visit, so if you use common sense it is at least as safe as any other city. There are many tourists in the city, especially in summer months, and there are very few incidents of robbery or assault. Exercise caution and common sense after dark or when traveling alone; instances of harassment and (very rarely) unprovoked violence have occurred to locals and travellers alike.