Season guide · Ottawa · Canada
Ottawa in spring
March–May: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Hayden Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
Quick answer
Snowmelt and slush in March and April give way to the Tulip Festival in May, one of the prettiest times in the city. Expect highs up to 19°C (66°F) and lows around -7°C (19°F), with about 36 rainy days across March–May. May is among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- March–May
- Temperatures
- -7°C (19°F) to 19°C (66°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 36
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in spring
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 2°C (36°F) | -7°C (19°F) | 11 | 11.8 h | 2/5 |
| April | 11°C (52°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 12 | 13.5 h | 2/5 |
| May | 19°C (66°F) | 8°C (46°F) | 13 | 14.9 h | 4/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 11°C (52°F) against a yearly 11°C (52°F), and 36 of the year's roughly 141 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
What's on in spring
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- March: Sugar-shack season around Ottawa and in Quebec (usually March–April)
- May: Canadian Tulip Festival (usually mid-May)
- May: Ottawa Race Weekend — marathon and shorter races (usually late May)
Good choices for spring
![– Wladyslaw [Disk.]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ottawa_-_ON_-_National_Gallery_of_Canada.jpg){kind=link}
Gallery · ByWard Market and Lowertown
National Gallery of Canada
Moshe Safdie's glass-and-granite gallery, with a tower echoing the Library of Parliament, holds Canada's national collection: Group of Seven landscapes, Emily Carr, extensive Indigenous art and European masters.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Old Hull, Gatineau
Canadian Museum of History
Walk across the Alexandra Bridge from the National Gallery; the view of Parliament from the bridge is one of the city's best.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Iconic
Museum · LeBreton Flats
Canadian War Museum
The museum's angular building on LeBreton Flats traces Canada's military history from early conflicts through both world wars to peacekeeping, with tanks, artillery and personal stories.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Centretown
Canadian Museum of Nature
Children love the live-animal gallery and the dinosaur hall; go there first before the school groups.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
- Architecture
Museum · Rockcliffe
Canada Aviation and Space Museum
On the old Rockcliffe airfield east of downtown, a huge hangar displays one of the world's largest collections of civil and military aircraft, from bush planes to a Lancaster bomber and surviving pieces of the cancelled Avro Arrow jet.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Day trips in spring
- Montreal (About 2 hours by train or car) — Montreal's cobbled Old Port, Notre-Dame Basilica, Mount Royal and its bagel and smoked-meat institutions make a full day out.
- Kingston (About 2 hours by car) — Kingston, Canada's first capital, sits at the southern end of the Rideau Canal on Lake Ontario.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is spring a good time to visit Ottawa?
Yes: May is among the best months. Snowmelt and slush in March and April give way to the Tulip Festival in May, one of the prettiest times in the city.
+What is the weather like in Ottawa in spring?
Highs of up to 19°C (66°F) and lows around -7°C (19°F), with about 36 rainy days over the season.