Explore Ottawa

The National War Memorial, titled The Response, is a tall granite arch with bronze figures by Vernon March in Confederation Square, Ottawa, dedicated by King George VI in 1939. Built for the Canadians who died in the First World War, it was rededicated in 1982 and 2014 to all of Canada's war dead. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed in front of it in 2000.

The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre waterway linking Ottawa with Kingston on Lake Ontario, built under Lieutenant-Colonel John By and opened in 1832. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Ottawa a flight of eight locks climbs from the Ottawa River between Parliament Hill and the Château Laurier, and in winter a stretch of the canal becomes the Rideau Canal Skateway.

Parliament Hill is the seat of the Parliament of Canada: Gothic Revival buildings on a bluff above the Ottawa River, begun in 1859. The Centre Block and its Peace Tower, rebuilt after a 1916 fire, are closed for a rehabilitation lasting into the 2030s. Visitors walk the grounds to the Centennial Flame; the House of Commons sits in the West Block, which offers guided tours.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica is the oldest and largest church in Ottawa and the seat of its Roman Catholic archbishop, on Sussex Drive opposite the National Gallery. Begun in 1841, it has twin spires with a gilded statue of the Madonna between them. Inside are carved wooden galleries, a vaulted blue ceiling and stained glass. It is a National Historic Site of Canada.

Rideau Hall is the official residence and workplace of the Governor General of Canada, at 1 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. Thomas MacKay built the original stone villa in 1838, and it has housed every governor general since Confederation in 1867. Guided tours show the state rooms and their Canadian art, and the 32-hectare grounds have gardens, woods and trees planted by dignitaries.