Ottawa, Ontario Hotel & City Guide

Ottawa was made capital of the British colonial Province of Canada in 1857. In the twentieth century, the expanded capital region was created to serve as a locale for Canada?s capital. Since 1969, Ottawa and Gatineau (two cities that face each other across the broad Ottawa River) and the surrounding urban and rural communities have been formally recognized as Canada?s Capital Region. From modest beginnings, Ottawa has evolved into Canada's cultural capital. The most difficult problem visitors have when visiting Ottawa is deciding what to do first. There are over fifty galleries and theatres in the region - including the National Gallery of Canada - showcasing the best of Canadian and international art; the performing arts are represented in a profusion of theatre, music and dance. The city's museums, heritage buildings, parks and monuments provide an stimulating portrait of Canada's colourful past and offer a glimpse of into the future.

Ottawa blends English and French cultures, with nearly half the residents bilingual but is also home to considerable ethnic diversity as a result of the region's German, Lebanese, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Portuguese and Asian populations, among others. This truly cosmopolitan city celebrates its heritage in many colourful, multicultural festivals and events throughout the year. it also means you can find restaurants featuring most of the world's cuisines and grocers catering to the diverse needs of the communities and embassy market.

Ottawa is one of four capitals - along with London, Johannesburg and Budapest - that are neo-Gothic in style and spirit. The intricate, scenic quality of Gothic design distinguishes these capitals from the spirit of monumental grandeur that characterizes neo-classical Rome, Paris and Washington.

The Rideau Canal (built through the wilderness between 1826 and 1832 to link Ottawa to the Great Lakes) was one of the great engineering feats of the nineteenth century. In winter, a large section of the Canal becomes the world?s largest skating rink; in summer you can paddle the canal or enjoy lunch on its banks.

If you like to shop, you'll love Ottawa. Whether you're looking for major department stores, discount warehouses or individual boutiques, Ottawa has them. The capital region is home to 70 large shopping centers and myriad smaller shopping centres and boutiques in the downtown core. If it's entertainment you're after, the city has something for every taste. The ByWard Market and Elgin Street are known for night clubs, pubs, dance clubs and live music halls and Ottawa has five theatres staging plays, musicals, operas and classical concerts. The Corel Center, an 18,500 seat sports and entertainment facility, offers NHL hockey, music's biggest stars, figure skating and many family events.

OTTAWA QUICK FACTS:

• Cyclists and in-line skaters enjoy the Capital Pathway, 170 kilometres of recreational pathways, the most extensive off-road, multi-use system of its type in North America
• 90 kilometres of scenic parkways run through the Capital, following the waterways from East to West and extending deep into Gatineau Park to the North and the Greenbelt to the South
• The Capital region has one of the world?s few successful greenbelts, a 200-square-kilometre belt of protected wild and rural land located in the Southern part of the urban capital
• Over a million tulips bloom in the Capital region in the spring. The original bulbs were a gift from the Dutch in appreciation of Canada?s role in the 1945 liberation of the Netherlands.
• A boardwalk leads into Mer Bleue, a wetland only a few kilometres from Parliament Hill that is protected as under the U.N. Ramsar Convention
• Nearly 200 kilometres of trails in Gatineau Park (a fifteen minute drive from Ottawa centre) offer some of the most beautiful and challenging cross-country skiing in the world
• There are three universities in the area, Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Universit? de Qu?bec ? Hull and two community colleges, Algonquin College and La Cit? Collegiale
• The National Gallery of Canada is home to the world's largest collection of Canadian art (including major works by Inuit artists) and exceptional European and American collections
• The National Arts Centre is Canada's premier showcase for the performing arts. It features three stages, where visitors can enjoy the best of English and French theatre, dance, avant garde to classical, music, opera and variety performances year-round
• The National Arts Centre Orchestra has gained a high international reputation, touring at home and abroad. Ottawa's own Opera Lyra brings opera centre-stage with its performances at the National Arts Centre.
• The capital is divided by the Rideau Canal into Upper and Lower Town: to the West, on the steep banks of the Ottawa River, the Gothic-inspired Parliament Buildings are the high point of Upper Town, while in Lower Town the focal point is the boulevard of Sussex Drive, which curves along the river to the mansions of Rockcliffe in the northeast, passing the National Gallery and several other smaller museums on the way. To the south, beyond the Lower Town, the National Museum of Science and Technology.