📍 8 stops · ⏱ ~8 h
A full day that starts in the leafy, village-like Glebe, wanders through its independent shops and a buzzing farmers' market, then follows the Rideau Canal north to the capital's monumental heart. We'll cross into the ByWard Market for a late lunch before climbing to a quiet viewpoint behind the national gallery, ending the afternoon on a river cruise that ties the whole skyline together.
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The is one of those neighbourhoods that feels like a small town tucked inside a capital city — wide, tree-canopied streets, early-20th-century brick houses with deep porches, and a main drag of independent bookshops, bakeries, and cafés that have been here for decades. It's the kind of place where a morning stroll turns into an hour without noticing, and where the pace of the day is set by the clinking of coffee cups and the rustle of Saturday papers.
A genuine Ottawa institution, Kettleman's has been hand-rolling and boiling bagels in wood-fired ovens since the early 1990s. The location is a bright, busy spot where you order at the counter, watch the bakers work through a glass wall, and grab a sesame bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon — the classic order. It's a working bakery, not a sleepy café, and the energy of the place is a good jolt for the morning.
Locals order the sesame bagel with a schmear of plain cream cheese and lox — it's the simplest thing on the board and the one they've been doing longest. The everything bagel is a close second. Grab a coffee from the urn, not the espresso machine; it's faster and better.
On a Saturday morning, the 's main street, , is a slow parade of locals walking dogs, pushing strollers, and stopping to chat outside the greengrocer. The shop windows here are worth a look — there's a second-hand bookshop with a resident cat, a record store that's been spinning vinyl since the 1970s, and a few small galleries tucked between the cafés.
Held at Aberdeen Square in the complex, this market draws over 85 vendors selling everything from heirloom tomatoes and artisan cheeses to fresh-cut flowers and small-batch preserves. Live acoustic music drifts across the square, and the crowd is a mix of families, young couples, and serious home cooks with canvas totes. It's the kind of market where you can graze on samples — a sliver of aged cheddar here, a slice of sourdough there — and leave with a bag of peaches you didn't plan on buying.
Things to do nearby Ottawa: Taste of the ByWard Market Food Tour Tiqets from €86Skip a sit-down restaurant and build a picnic from the market stalls — a wedge of cheese from the dairy vendor, a baguette from the artisan baker, and a handful of late-summer strawberries. There are benches along the canal a three-minute walk away where you can eat with a view.
From Lansdowne, the stretches north toward downtown, a ribbon of calm water lined with paved pathways and weeping willows. In summer, the canal is speckled with kayaks and canoes, and the towpath is busy with joggers and cyclists. The stretch between the Glebe and the Ottawa Locks is especially scenic — the water is still, the appear on the horizon, and the city's noise fades to a low hum.
The sit on a limestone bluff above the Ottawa River, a sprawling complex of copper-topped turrets, pointed arches, and intricate stonework in the High Victorian Gothic Revival style. The is under long-term renovation, but the grounds are open, and the view from the lawn — across the river to the Gatineau Hills — is the postcard shot. The scale of the place is best appreciated from the pathway below, looking up at the escarpment.
This green space sits on a rise between the and the Ottawa River, with a clear sightline to and the locks below. It's a favourite lunch spot for downtown office workers, and on a Saturday it's lively but never crowded — people sprawl on the grass, read under the trees, or sit on the low stone walls watching the river traffic. The park's mature oaks and maples provide enough shade to make it comfortable even on a warm August afternoon.
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A family-run Italian market and lunch counter that has been a ByWard Market anchor since the 1960s. The front room is a grocery packed with imported olive oils, dried pastas, and wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano; the back counter serves made-to-order panini and plates of fresh pasta. The porchetta sandwich — slow-roasted pork with crackling, served on a crusty roll — is the thing to order, and the small standing tables by the window are the best seats in the house for watching the market crowd flow past.
Things to do nearby Ottawa: Taste of the ByWard Market Food Tour Tiqets from €86The standing tables by the front window are first-come, first-served, and they turn over fast. Grab one if you can — it's the best people-watching spot in the market. If they're full, take your sandwich to the benches in the market square, a thirty-second walk away.
The ByWard Market has been trading since 1826, and its low-rise brick buildings and narrow streets still feel like a 19th-century market district. On a summer Saturday, the outdoor stalls spill onto the sidewalks with pyramids of seasonal fruit, buckets of cut flowers, and maple syrup in every size. Street performers work the corners — a guitarist here, a living statue there — and the patios of the surrounding pubs and cafés are full from noon onward.
Formerly , this promontory behind the offers the best panoramic view of the capital — straight ahead, the Ottawa River curving below, and the Gatineau Hills rising in the distance. A statue of Samuel de Champlain stands at the highest point, and the newly landscaped terraces provide quiet spots to sit and take it in. It's one of those viewpoints that feels like a local secret even though it's right in the centre of the city — most visitors walk right past the path that leads up here.
The entrance to is a small paved path just north of the 's main entrance, behind the giant spider sculpture. It's not well signed — look for the stone steps leading up into the trees. Late afternoon is the best light for photos of from here.
's giant bronze spider stands on the plaza outside the , its legs arching thirty feet into the air and a sac of marble eggs suspended beneath its body. The sculpture was acquired by the gallery in 2005 and has become one of the most photographed pieces of public art in the country. Walking under it — the legs towering above, the scale suddenly very real — is a strange, almost visceral experience, and it's free to view at any hour.
A relaxed, narrated cruise that glides along the Ottawa River, offering a fresh perspective on the capital's landmarks from the water. The boat passes , the , the across the river in , and the Prime Minister's residence, all while a guide provides context on the city's history and architecture. The upper deck is open-air, and the late-afternoon light on the water makes the sandstone buildings glow. Tickets are required and can be booked ahead.
Ottawa: Sightseeing River Cruise · Boat tripTiqetsThe port side (left, facing forward) gives the best views of and the Gatineau Hills on the return leg. Late-afternoon departures catch the golden hour light on the sandstone buildings.
The cruise docks back where it started, at the foot of the Ottawa Locks. The late afternoon light is softer now, and the ByWard Market's evening energy is beginning to build — the patios are filling up, the street performers are working the dinner crowd, and the smell of grilled food drifts from the restaurant terraces. It's a good moment to wander without a fixed destination, letting the market's evening rhythm carry you.
Known to everyone as ',' this is the oldest tavern in Ottawa, pouring drinks in the ByWard Market since 1849. The interior is all worn wood, vintage beer signs, and a long bar that has seen more history than most museums — prime ministers, lumberjacks, and touring musicians have all bellied up here. The crowd is a genuine cross-section of the city: university students, market workers finishing their shifts, and old-timers who have been coming here for decades. Order a local draft beer and take a seat by the window to watch the market wind down.
Things to do nearby Ottawa: Taste of the ByWard Market Food Tour Tiqets from €86is a beer-and-a-shot kind of place — the cocktail list is beside the point. Ask what's local on tap; there's usually something from an Ottawa Valley brewery. The front window seats are the best spot for watching the market's evening bustle.
If you want to loop back through the market's side streets on the way out — the ones with the independent galleries and the vinyl shop — pulling up a map on your phone keeps the evening relaxed rather than a hunt for a street sign.
Get an eSIMAiraloAfter the day stalls pack up, the ByWard Market's restaurant and bar scene takes over. The pedestrian streets feel more intimate in the evening, and the patios are strung with lights — it's worth a slow loop before heading home.
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Sources give mixed signals about this spot — we recommend confirming before visiting.
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