Ottawa: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada (Ontario), 71 m (233 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW), 10 km (6 mi) from the centre. It has 2 railway stations on record, including Rideau station. Our booking partner lists 225 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Ottawa runs from about 8 h 46 min a day in late December to 15 h 44 min in late June (computed for 45.41° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Ottawa is served by 5 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW), 10 km (6 mi) from the centre, whose 10,000-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Ottawa / Rockcliffe Airport (YRO, 7 km), Ottawa / Gatineau Airport (YND, 16 km), Ogdensburg International Airport (OGS, 83 km), Massena International Airport Richards Field (MSS, 85 km).
Flights to Ottawa: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Rideau station, Pimisi station. Trains to Ottawa
Buses to Ottawa · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 225 places to stay in Ottawa. Of the 118 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (57), and 1 are five-star. Across 106 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.3 out of 10. Guests have left 134,689 reviews in total.
Hotels in Ottawa: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Parliament Hill | 3,000,000 | — |
| Library of Parliament | 349,610 | — |
| Canada Science and Technology Museum | 347,917 | — |
| National Gallery of Canada | 237,391 | 2014 |
| Ottawa Public Library | 90,188 | 2016 |
The busiest is Parliament Hill at 3,000,000 visitors. At that volume, anything with a gate is worth a timed ticket or an early start.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Ottawa
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Toronto, 349 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Montréal, 165 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Mississauga, 374 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Brampton, 375 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Québec, 379 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Laval, 157 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Etobicoke, 364 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Markham, 330 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Vaughan, 348 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Gatineau, 7 km
Twin towns and sister cities: Cairo, Beijing, Catania, Montecastrilli, Buenos Aires, Palermo, Campobasso.
Common questions
Which airport serves Ottawa?
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW), 10 km (6 mi) from the centre, plus 4 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Ottawa?
About 1 million people live in Ottawa, across 2,779 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Ottawa in?
America/Toronto, currently UTC-4.
What currency is used in Ottawa?
The Dollar (CAD). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Ottawa?
Our booking partner lists 225 places to stay in Ottawa, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Ottawa?
Toronto (349 km), Montréal (165 km), Mississauga (374 km), Brampton (375 km), Québec (379 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.