Ottawa/Gatineau

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All of Canada, all in one city

That’s the claim to fame of Ottawa, Canada’s national capital and an internationally renowned destination in its own right.

A naturally beautiful city surrounded by three rivers and awash in green spaces, Ottawa is a showcase for Canadian history and culture and a leading centre for high technology (it’s often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the North). With 29 museums lining its historic streets, Ottawa is home to more national treasures than any other city in Canada — and that’s aside from the venerable Parliament Buildings. Perched atop a limestone escarpment that looms over the Ottawa River, the Gothic-style stone buildings are the seat of the Canadian government and a major city attraction. The daily Changing the Guard ceremony is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

But all is not pomp and circumstance in Ottawa. Far from it. The city’s 60-plus festivals prove that the national capital is a party-goer at heart. There’s always something to celebrate in this distinctly Canadian city, where the two national languages of English and French can be heard everywhere around you and where everything from cool blues music to hot air balloons is deserving of a festival in its honor. This is the site of the world’s biggest Tulip festival (and you thought that distinction belonged to Holland!) and the world’s longest skating rink — the Rideau Canal — which is the epicenter of the annual Winterlude festival that takes place here each February.

Aside from its many festivals and events, Ottawa also boasts an exciting nightlife, and fabulous dining, with a distinctly European twist. And when it comes to shopping, group tours are encouraged to make tracks for the city’s many upscale markets, malls and brand-name boutiques.

The Capital Region...

• Covers 4,715 sq. km. of river valley, mountains, wetlands and fields
• Lies at 79 metres above sea level
• Enjoys a “continental” climate(hot and humid in summer, cold and snowy in winter)
• Has a population of 1.2 million (2002)
• Is one of Canada’s most bilingual communities, with nearly half a million people speaking both English and French
• Has one of the world's only successful greenbelts, a 200-square-kilometre belt of protected wild and rural land
• Is the fourth largest metropolitan area in Canada with a population surpassing 1,000,000
• Is home to over 1,000 associations and over 100 embassies and diplomatic missions

Straddling the border of two provinces - Ontario and Quebec, Canada’s Capital Region contains two major cities - Ottawa and Gatineau and has two official languages - French and English.