For couples · Ottawa · Canada
Romantic things to do in Ottawa
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Ottawa's romance is quiet and seasonal: twilight over Parliament, a canal skate in winter, tulips in spring and autumn colour in the Gatineau Hills. Couples tend to stay in ByWard Market and Lowertown.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 2
- Area for couples
- ByWard Market and Lowertown
- Best months
- September–October
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset at Major's Hill Park
Watch the sun set behind the Parliament buildings from the lawns above the canal locks.
2.Skating the canal at night
The Skateway is lit after dark; skate hand in hand and stop for hot chocolate.
3.Nordic spa in the Gatineau Hills
Outdoor hot and cold baths in the forest near Chelsea, Quebec, about 20 minutes from downtown.
4.Dinner in the ByWard Market
Choose a candlelit bistro in the old market streets, then stroll to Notre-Dame Basilica.
5.Champlain Lookout in autumn
Drive through Gatineau Park to the lookout over the Ottawa Valley when the maples turn red.
Sights couples love
Experience · Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal Skateway
Check the National Capital Commission's ice status before you plan around it; the best conditions are usually from mid-January to mid-February.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Active
- Kids
- Couples
Park · ByWard Market and Lowertown
Major's Hill Park
Bring a picnic from the ByWard Market and watch the sunset behind Parliament.
- Time needed
- 30–60 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Outdoors
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife, food lovers and couples
ByWard Market and Lowertown
The ByWard Market, laid out in the 1820s, is a grid of streets around a central market building with food stalls, outdoor produce vendors in season, and dozens of restaurants, pubs and patios. It is a five-minute walk from Parliament Hill, the National Gallery and Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, which makes it the most popular base for first-time visitors.
- Good
- Walk to most major sights; Huge choice of restaurants and bars; Lively in all seasons
- Watch out
- Noisy late on weekends; Some street disorder at night around the market
- Nearby
- ByWard Market, National Gallery of Canada, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, Major's Hill Park
Romantic day trips
- Kingston (About 2 hours by car) — Kingston, Canada's first capital, sits at the southern end of the Rideau Canal on Lake Ontario.
- Thousand Islands (About 1 hour 45 minutes by car) — Cruises from Gananoque weave between the granite islands of the St.
- Wakefield, Quebec (About 30 minutes by car) — A small riverside village in the Gatineau Hills with a red covered bridge, cafés, galleries and a historic mill.
- Merrickville (About 50 minutes by car) — A 19th-century stone village on the Rideau Canal with working locks, a blockhouse museum built to defend the canal, and streets of antique shops, galleries and cafés.
- Mont-Tremblant (About 1 hour 45 minutes by car) — Quebec's best-known mountain resort has a car-free pedestrian village of colourful buildings at the base of the slopes, with skiing in winter and a gondola, hiking and lakes in summer and autumn.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Poutine and Tourtière. Weekend brunch is popular and busy; book or arrive before 10am.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Ottawa romantic?
Ottawa's romance is quiet and seasonal: twilight over Parliament, a canal skate in winter, tulips in spring and autumn colour in the Gatineau Hills.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Ottawa?
Sunset at Major's Hill Park: Watch the sun set behind the Parliament buildings from the lawns above the canal locks.
+Where should couples stay in Ottawa?
ByWard Market and Lowertown: Market stalls, restaurants and the city's busiest bar streets beside Parliament.