Flight Destinations

Flights to Ottawa

Destinations in Canada

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Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and is situated mainly in the province of Ontario, though parts of the city pan into the province of Quebec as well. Sometimes overlooked in favour of cities like Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, Ottawa is actually a beautiful city with some great attractions.

The international airport in Ottawa is the MacDonald-Cartier International Airport (airport code: YOW), which is easily accessible by a good public bus system or private taxi cabs. Other small airports in the Ottawa area include the Rockcliffe Airport, Gatineau Airport and the Carp Airport. These are for local air traffic only. There are a number of scheduled airlines that have flights to Ottawa, though none are direct. All have one connection en-route. Continental Airlines and Virgin Atlantic connect in New York, whereas British Airways and US Airways both travel through Philadelphia. For Canadian connections, Air Canada and British Midland both transfer in Halifax. There are also a number of charter and low cost airlines offering flights to Ottawa such as Air Transat, Thomas Cook Airways, and Fly Globespan.

Ottawa Tourist Attractions

It may seem strange to some visitors that although Ottawa is the capital of the whole of Canada the city is not well linked for flights from the rest of the world. The reason for this is simply because there is not as much demand for flights to Ottawa as there is to Canada’s larger cities, and this is unfortunate because Ottawa is a lovely city.

One of the big appeals with Ottawa is that it is a far smaller city than somewhere like Toronto. Visitors can fairly easily walk from one attraction to the next here.

Parliament Hill

Dominating the city of Ottawa is the impressive Gothic revival style parliament buildings and expansive lawn to the front that it often the site of peaceful protests and other events. This is Ottawa’s top attraction and tours of the building are available. Although entry is free you do need to pick up a ticket which gives you a designated tour time. Tour routes and lengths vary depending on the time of year and whether there are sessions going on, but one of the main highlights is a trip up into the Peace Tower for fantastic views of Ottawa.

During the summer months you can also enjoy the Parliament Hill Sound and Light Show that is a free event held twice nightly and lasts about 30 minutes.

Museums

Ottawa has many excellent museums though two which always stand out for a variety of reasons are the Museum of Civilisation, and the National Gallery. The Museum of Civilisation is a large museum telling the story of Canada’s people. The full size totem poles are always a hit!

The National Gallery is very recognisable which its large glass atriums rising into the sky. This is a huge art museum and could easily take up a day or more of your time in Ottawa. Other museums include the Canadian War Museum, Canada Aviation Museum, Ottawa Bytown Museum, and the Science and Technology Museum.

The Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal was mainly responsible for Ottawa becoming the city it is today, as this important waterway links the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The canal is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and during the winter it becomes a huge ice skating rink as the water freezes over. In the summer it’s a pleasant place to walk.

When Should You Visit Ottawa?

There is a humid continental climate in Ottawa which gives the city warm and humid summers, though cold and snowy winters. Although the city is great to visit in the winter and has many things going on, visitors not used to the cold may find it a little too harsh!