Views of Ottawa, Ottawa

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Favorite thing: Downtown Ottawa is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the Rideau Canal to the east, Gloucester Street to the south and Bronson Avenue to the west.

Fondest memory: 'The towers of downtown Ottawa are not as tall as other those in other cities, as legislation prevented buildings being built taller than the Peace Tower until the 1970s, so as not to overshadow the Parliament Buildings.

Today, several buildings are taller than the Peace Tower, with the tallest being the 29-storey Place de Ville.'

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Favorite thing: Ottawa is a city with plenty of photography opportunities. Firstly, there are many historical buildings where you are take interior and exterior photographs. Secondly, there are opportunities for night photography because the major attractions are lighted, especially near to Christmas time. Thirdly, the city itself has many picturesque locations such as the Ottawa River, Parliament Hill, several parks etc. Personally, I took many photographs of Ottawa using my digital camera when I was there in November 2005.

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Favorite thing: There are 3 bridges across Ottawa River, namely MacDonald Cartier Bridge, Alexandra Bridge and Portage Bridge. Alexandra Bridge is the one in the middle and nearest to major attractions such as Parliament Hill, Byward Market, Canadian Museum of Civilization etc. To really enjoy the scenery, try walking across Alexandra Bridge (there is a huge foot path so it is very safe) and it is really a good experience.

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Favorite thing: If you want to see fantastic views of Ottawa, the best place is at Parliament Hill, especially the Peace Tower at the Centre Block. You can take a lift up to the top of the Peace Tower where there is a viewing gallery with breathtaking views (see photographs at the travelogue section of this VT page). I would recommend that you go for the free guided tour of the Centre Block of Parliament Hill first, then go up to the Peace Tower.

Favorite thing: This was taken behind Parliament Hill....a RCMP was eying me the whole time, so I just took this pic and left. I don't think I was supposed to be there.....but there's nothing to see here, so who knows?

Favorite thing: Another activity that's fun to do is taking a river tour. There are different companies that do boat tours. It's a nice way to get a different view of Ottawa from the Ottawa River. You go down by the Rideau Canal and the boats launch from there. We sailed up past Parliament then back down to the Rideau Falls coming quite close to them and then across and along the Quebec side near Gatineau. I went on one in the evening, docking by about 9 so we saw the sunset.

Favorite thing: As I mentioned, the architecture in Ottawa is amazing.. Because of that, Ottawa is one of the prettiest cities I've even seen when it's all lit up at night.. If you have a chance, walk around the downtown core at night..

Fondest memory: Walking to the Byward Market with some friends late at night.. This picture is the view you would see if you walked from my place to the Market..

Favorite thing: The main Parliament building in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. The Ottawa river is in the foreground with tourist boat. Rideau Canal lock system on the left-hand side of photo controls the flow through the man made canal. In winter the canal forms the longest skating path in the world.

Favorite thing: Parliament Hill grounds taken from the top. The Chateau Laurier, where I plan to stay on my next visit, is in the background!

Favorite thing: Cross the river to Gatineau, Quebec and take a look back over at the city. Across the frozen Ottawa River on a sunny day, the city was really beautiful.