A Short Trip to Canada’s Capital City: Ottawa

Ottawa is Canada’s Capital and only a good two hour drive from Montreal. But most importantly, if you are Dutch and/or totally into ice skating on natural terrain aka rivers (which is a national thing in the Netherlands), Ottawa is the place to go in winter.

The Rideau Canal which goes right through the city and marks the boarder of Ontario and Quebec, usually freezes over from January to March and becomes the largest naturally frozen skating rink in the world. The Rideau Canal Skateway was even named an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
So of course hubby wanted to go there and hit the ice. We decided to make use of our free days in the first week of the new year, packed up a few things and drove south, playing Christmas carols over and over again in the car while the girls would sing along loudly.

Unfortunatly, the moment we left Montreal, temperatures started rising, up to the point where they closed The Rideau Canal Skateway again. So, we did not get to go ice skating after all. But we anyway made our trip worth while despite of the rather gray and unfriendly weather. Still, I feel that we could not appreciate the city at its true value. Nevertheless, we found some things to do during the short two days we spent there.

Her’s what we did:

stay

We stayed at the Andaz Ottawa Byward Market, a modern boutique style hotel by Hyatt, very well located with a good Restaurant which offers dinner and breakfast (we had both there).

eat & drink

For simplicity’s sake we had twice a breakfast and once a dinner at the Hotel. It was very delicious, staff was friendly and they had highchairs for the children.
Lollo Salads & Coffee: They offer a good choice of salads and other healthy treats as well as coffee to eat in or to go (not very cozy but they have high chairs).
Equator Coffee Westboro: A busy small place with a play area, books and toys for the little ones. Coffee and muffins were delicious but somehow the vibe was not very relaxed.
Pure Kitchen Westboro: This Vegetarian Restaurant and Bar should have been our lunch place on the day we visited the area but unfortunately there was no space anymore. It looked like a place to check out, though! Brunch must be good there too…
We actually wanted to go and indulge in some oysters at Supply and Demand but unfortunately there was more demand than supply and therefore no space for us anymore (make reservations!). They told us to have a look at the next-door venue called The Wellington Gastropub. We frowned upon the idea to go to a pub with our kids but turns out all Pubs are not created equal. When it came to pubs we always imagined fatty fries and burgers but we had a surprisingly delicious, almost fancy dinner there – I highly recommend a visit (and they have high chairs for children).

Lollo Salads & Coffee
Equator Cafe
The Wellington Gastropub

where to go, what to do

The Rideau Canal Skateway (Go skate and eat a Beavertale – but make sure it’s open)
Parliament Hill: (go watch the Lightshow)
Ottawa Art Gallery (not necessarily the best way to entertain your kids, but some culural education has never hurt no one, right?)
Magic of Lights: This was fantastic for the kids. It’s a drive-through lightshow placed in a camping ground. Lights are blinking and flashing on all sides and they tell you which radio to tune in for the fitting Christmas music background.
Byward Market: A five by five or so block district with many small shops, restaurants and bars. We found it was a bit of a tourist trap but I guess it’s a must see for first-time visitors.
Go to Westboro, a neighborhood a bit outside of the city center and stroll up and down Richmond Rd. You will find many little (and bigger) shops, boutiques and cafes.