Page 14 - 2026-2027 Travel Guide to Canada

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PARLIAMENT HILL CITYSCAPE • OTTAWA TOURISM
Ottawa-Gatineau:
A Capital Idea
BY LAURA BYRNE PAQUET
Award-winning vegetarian fare? Check.
A bus that turns into a boat? Ditto.
Festivals, the world’s largest skating
rink and wolves? You’ll find all that and
much more in Ottawa—Canada’s
capital—and its sister city of Gatineau,
directly across the Ottawa River.
This year and next, Ottawa is marking the
200th anniversary of its founding as Bytown,
with a year‑long program of city‑wide festiv-
ities that thread past and present together.
Themed “Celebrate Together,” expect
everything from a special Ottawa Bluesfest
featuring icons like The Guess Who, to
Heritage Day celebrations highlighting two
centuries of collective stories, interactive
animation art trails along Rideau Street,
spring tulip installations and community
block parties that invite visitors to dive into
Ottawa’s rich cultural heartbeat (ottawa-
tourism.ca/en/see-and-do/ottawa-200).
WHAT’S NEW?
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa welcomes
high rollers and super fans at a new entertain-
ment destination located just 15 minutes
from downtown. The new luxe 150-room
hotel drips with rock ‘n’ roll glam and
priceless memorabilia from Canadian music
legends expertly curated. Guests can catch a
show at the 1,800-seat Hard Rock Live theatre,
and yes, try their luck at the tables and slot
machines (www.casino.hardrock.com/
ottawa).
Opening in August 2026, HISTORY Ottawa is set
to inject fresh energy into the ByWard Market
with a 3,251-sq.m. (35,000 sq. ft.) state-of-the-
art new venue featuring premium seating and
a convertible main floor. Insiders report the
inaugural lineup at this 2,000-capacity, two-
tier concert hall will span Canadian and global
talent (www.historyottawa.com).
This summer, the National Gallery of
Canada with the Audain Art Museum will
celebrate Takao Tanabe’s extraordinary
contributions to Canadian art in collabora-
tion with the Art Gallery of Greater
Victoria. Takao Tanabe: Inside Passage on
exhibition from June 13th until October 19th
,
examines the seven-decade career of the
renowned artist who will celebrate his
100th birthday on September 16, 2026.
(www.gallery.ca).
SIP AND DINE
Ottawa chef Briana Kim took home top
honours at the Canadian Culinary Cham-
pionship a couple of years ago. As a result,
one of the capital’s hottest dining options
is her new intimate restaurant, Antheia
(www.exploretock.com/antheia).
For craft cocktails, try the Apothecary
Cocktail Lounge, hidden away on the lower
level of a Victorian building in the ByWard
Market area (www.apothecarylounge.ca).
A block south from Parliament Hill, the
tiny Stolen Goods Cocktail Bar serves
innovative drinks and small plates late into
the night (www.stolengoodscocktail
bar.com).
TAKE A TOUR
Can’t decide between a boat tour and a bus
tour? You don’t have to. Partway through an
excursion on the Lady Dive amphibus bus,
the vehicle that takes you by road through
the parliamentary area, prepare to splash as
she becomes a boat. It slips into the Ottawa