Ottawa

Charming Ottawa is a smooth cocktail of a touristic adventure. It’s made strong by a long historical narrative of river-dwelling aboriginals and British colonialism, easy-to-savour by its laid-back locals and discernable by its pretty downtown visage, loaded with the smooth-cut architecture of Gatineau and the glorious majesty of Parliament Hill. The capital city is built around the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that becomes even more alluring in winters when it converts into the world’s longest (8 km) skating rink. Sightseeing opportunities abound, and those visiting at a time when the elements allow for city strolls should be sure to quiz their Ottawa tourist guide about the must see buildings of the downtown—from the Victorian Gothic Houses of Commons, to the beautiful Library of Parliament. Then there are the fantastic institutions; the Bytown Museum of Ottowa’s own history and the massive Canadian Museum of Civilization, both definitely worth the visit (even if you do miss the free-admission parties on Canada Day). Foodies will adore this metropolis too, its evidence of cultural diversity exhibited through all those hole-in-wall joints serving steaming noodles in Chinatown, those Italian pastry houses dousing beavertail breads in oodles of cinnamon, and that heady overload of classic Canadian coffeehouses.