We came to Ottawa for the weekend to discover the wonderful Canadian Tulip Festival. If you’re looking for things to do in Ottawa this weekend, join us as we explore Canada’s capital city and its many attractions during a beautiful spring weekend.
The Rideau Canal and Its Locks
Starting at Commissioners Park, home to the wonderful Canadian Tulip Festival, we follow the Rideau Canal for 7 kilometres towards downtown. As we get closer to the heart of the city, the pretty houses with their flower-filled gardens gradually give way to more official-looking buildings. At the end of the Rideau Canal, we reach Major’s Hill Park. This is where you’ll find the old, decommissioned locks that allow the canal to flow into the Ottawa River. In fact, this is where the Rideau Canal begins. It stretches 202 kilometres all the way to the city of Kingston, where it flows into Lake Ontario.
Major’s Hill Park
Major’s Hill Park leads us to a viewpoint overlooking the vast Ottawa River. Across the river, beyond the bridge, we’re no longer in Ottawa, Ontario, but in Gatineau, Quebec, where French is spoken. We also get a breathtaking view of Parliament Hill, rising above the river.
The Parliament of Canada
From there, we make our way downtown to Parliament Hill. We discover Canada’s Parliament, unfortunately right in the middle of renovations and covered in scaffolding. It is flanked by the House of Commons, the Senate and the Prime Minister’s Office.
Downtown Ottawa
Like every North American city, downtown Ottawa is dotted with skyscrapers, each seemingly taller than the last. During this first weekend of the Canadian Tulip Festival, the city is buzzing with activity and welcoming plenty of visitors. Without a doubt, it’s the perfect time to visit Ottawa. You’ll also find the National Gallery of Canada and the National Arts Centre, with numerous statues scattered around their grounds. And of course, as Canada’s national capital, Ottawa is expected to set an example when it comes to bilingualism. After all, Canada’s official languages are both English and French. We quickly notice just how present French is in this predominantly English-speaking city, whether on signs, street signs or posters.
![The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55464434393_cf963eadd6_k.jpg")
ByWard Market
During our visit to Ottawa, we obviously made sure to eat at ByWard Market. It’s one of the liveliest neighbourhoods in the city, with restaurants, cafés, bars, a public market and even a great ice cream shop for an afternoon treat. We went for Indian food in the evening, followed by Turkish food for lunch the next day.
Chinatown
Chinatown is about a 20-minute walk from downtown. On our way back to the Jeep, which we had left near Commissioners Park for the Canadian Tulip Festival, we took a little detour to check out the beautiful arch marking the entrance to the neighbourhood. The street is lined with Asian restaurants: Chinese, of course, but also Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese.
The Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa
Sunday morning turned out to be rainy, making it the perfect time to visit a museum. We wanted to check out a museum in Ottawa, and the Canadian Museum of History caught our eye. We spent three hours exploring the museum’s four floors, which trace Canada’s history, from the First Nations and their traditional way of life to the arrival of Europeans, the history of colonization and coexistence, right through to modern-day Canada.
The Canadian Museum of History is the most visited museum in Canada, and for good reason. It houses the world’s largest indoor collection of totem poles, the largest exhibition on Canadian history, and highlights the achievements of Indigenous peoples in the First Peoples Hall.
Six years after moving to Canada, and having literally travelled the length of the Americas, from the North all the way to the South, it was about time we finally visited the national capital! Just a 2.5-hour drive from Montreal, Ottawa is an easy destination for a weekend getaway. And there’s no better time to visit than during the wonderful Canadian Tulip Festival, which we absolutely loved!
