I visited Ottawa back in March (2026) for two days as part of a longer trip in Canada.
All the guides and people I knew told me to skip the city, because it was notoriously “boring”. Still decided to give it a go, and I can gladly say that I would have regretted missing out on this. As someone who loves architecture, the buildings were stunning. I went to a few museums (the national gallery is a must-visit), walked around for way too long, toured the parliament and rideau hall; and even sat in on a supreme court case.
The only “bad” thing that happened was Air Canada losing my bag after I landed at night, but man the guy at the Air Canada desk at the airport was great at helping me through this. Sorry, I forgot your name but shoutout to you - as well as the taxi driver who gave me a mini guided-tour on the way to my hotel!
I had a wonderful time in Ottawa and I was not bored at all during my trip. I felt that two to three days is the perfect amount of time to see the highlights of the city.Also some of the friendliest people I have ever met were here, yall really are nice! I would definitely visit again in the summer, since it was COLD. Visiting from California where it was in the 80’s (about 27 celsius), it was quite an... experience, as it dipped below freezing temps in the evenings.
Thank you so much, Ottawa!!!