Discover Ottawa by Hire Car
The Canadian federal capital, Ottawa, is the only city in Canada that is officially bilingual (English and French) due to its national political importance.
With English being dominant in Ottawa and French being preferred in the neighbouring city of Gatineau.
The urban area is divided by the Ottawa River, on one side is Lower Town with the oldest buildings in the urban area and on the other side is Centre Town where the new downtown has developed.
Sights in Ottawa
Centre Town is home to shops, pubs, bars and restaurants, and the government district with Parliament and other government buildings adjoins this area.
The climate around Ottawa is continental, so the temperatures in summer are quite mild, but in winter the temperature goes down to -10C.
When you move around the urban area of Ottawa, it feels like you are in London. Many buildings were designed in imitation, of existing buildings in the British capital. I
at the Ottawa War Museum, you learn a lot about the great wars on our planet. If you are more interested in the history of Canada, you will find plenty of information at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Exploring the Ottawa area
With a hire car you can create great tours in the surrounding area of Ottawa, the province of Ontario has five large national parks where you can observe bears, moose and wolves, for example.
Also known as the province of lakes, Ontario is great for fishing.