Ottawa's Essential Landmarks

Ottawa’s historic core is defined by Parliament Hill’s Gothic Revival architecture and the UNESCO-listed Rideau Canal, North America’s oldest continuously operated slackwater canal system. The ByWard Market remains the city’s primary public market and entertainment district, while the Canadian Museum of History and Canadian War Museum document national heritage and military service. Nearby, the 19th-century Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica stands as the city's oldest church. These sites, along with scenic vantage points like Nepean Point and Major’s Hill Park, represent Canada’s political and cultural foundations.

Parliament Hill

Parliament Hill, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa,…

Byward Market

The ByWard Market, is a retail and entertainment district in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Canadian Museum of History

The Canadian Museum of History is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec,…

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica

The Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada located on 385 Sussex Drive in the Lower…

Confederation Square

Confederation Square is an urban square in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and is considered the second most important ceremonial centre in Canada…

Major's Hill Park

Major's Hill Park is a park in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. The park stands above the Rideau Canal at the point where it enters the Ottawa…

Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal is a 202 kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River, at Ottawa, with the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario,…

Canadian War Museum

The Canadian War Museum is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Nepean Point

The National Capital Commission is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital…