Ottawa for Canada Day

[fnkyyellow]

Now that I know there are so many people on this board from Ottawa, I need some help.

We would like to go to Ottawa for Canada Day - Thursday night to Sunday.
I've been checking on the Ottawa Tourism site and there are already full hotels.
Is there somewhere else I could look online? Also, any recommendations on where to stay?

There would be me, DH, 2 kids 7 & 4 and maybe my parents as well.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Ted in Halifax]

Just did a quick look at Hotels.com and there were some nice places open .... Minto Suite Hotel .. $181 per night 4 star with lots of room options. $181 per night plus taxes

 

[branmack]

Canada Day in Ottawa attracts large crowds and since Prince William and his wife will be in Ottawa that day, the crowds will be even larger. There is a holiday inn in Kanata that is very nice and right along the highway into the city. The other option might be Hull PQ

 

[Gigi22]

There is always a huge crowd, a lot of streets downtown are closed to traffic for most of the day, many people take buses downtown.

If you do decide to stay a distance from downtown, I suggest you take a good look at the OC Transpo website, and plan to book a hotel near the extreme eastern or western end of some of our main commuter bus lines--a lot of July 1 buses fill up at the stops farthest from downtown, and do not take on any new passengers until they drop people off downtown. You can wait a very long time for a bus on July 1!

There is a very nice Holiday Inn Express in Kanata that would be ideal for your purposes. Their restaurant is good, and they are located beside a big box mall that has a number of other restaurants.

 

[castlefor2]

We took our kids (4 and 6) to Ottawa last year for Canada Day. We stayed at the Minto. We had a deluxe room with a full kitchen, washer and dryer and separate bedroom.

We tried to go to Parliament Hill for Canada Day but the crowds were too great and we couldn't make it into the Hill. This was at 10am. We tried watching the activities on the large screen but we were getting tired of holding the kids up. We ended up watching the buskers on the street and went to the War Museum (something my husband wanted to do). I believe all the museums are free on Canada Day. We saw the fireworks which were really nice.

I think there's a new water park, Calypso that opened last year. We were thinking of going, but passed as the weather wasn't the greatest when we were there.

 

[mtmbyck]

Try hotels in Gatineau also. It's basically 5 minutes from downtown Ottawa.

 

[fnkyyellow]

Thanks for all your replies. We managed to book at Minto for the three nights.
I can't believe that at 10 am the hill is that packed. From watching on TV every year, I know they have entertainment on the main stage, but what about through the crowds then? It's going to be a long Canada Day with those crowds, something I didn't really think of......

Holly

 

[Gigi22]

Haven't gone to Parliament Hill on July 1 for years. That said, if the OP has small children, she may wish to scale down her plans for spending the entire day on Parliament Hill--it is tiring, very crowded, there is no shade on that big lawn in front of the Parliament Bldgs., and adults are not always on their best behaviour--KWIM? (The brother of a friend of mine was mugged a few blocks away from Parliament Hill on July 1 a couple of years ago). IMO, you would be well advised to spend a couple of hours on the Hill, and then take a walk down to Sparks St. and cool off. Then decide if you want to return.

 

[3pletprincesses]

Yes be prepared for LARGE crowds but lots of fun.

 

[MM_Bound]

I took my 3.5 year boy old down last year. I love downtown on Canada, but the queen was there and it was crazy busy. I was scared for our saftey only because he was small there eas tons pf people and it would be failry easy for him to squeeze through people and get away. Everyone around me was happy but we were really crammed together. It took us 45 min to get out of the crowd (from Metcalfe and Wellington to about Sparks). We left early because I felt there were just too many people in one spot. Here are some photos.

and here is where we were standing

 

[casper_jj11]

We go every year with our kiddos and we love it. Last year was insane with teh Queen there. We got stuck in one location and it really wasn't pleasant. With the Prince and Princess coming this year, I expect the same crowds. We'll still go down but our plans will be different. The key is to avoid the front of Parliament just before and just after their arrival. The problem is that with the Queen there last year, they blocked off a large part of the hill so you couldn't actually get on the grass ... at least there was no way for us to get there. It made for a huge group of people that would normally be more spread out. If you want to see the musical ride, watch them warm up on the grass in front of the Supreme Court of Canada building. Very few know they are there and they're there for at least 1/2 hour to an hour warming up. You can then tour inside the building if you want. I'd avoid right in front of the hill between 10am and noon when royalty will be there. You can wander Sparke Street or head towards the Rideau Canal. You could also head towards Majors Hill Park. I'm sure you'll still see the snow birds that fly over around that time but just won't be in the immovable crowd. Our plan is usually to watch the musical ride, head to the hill to watch them there at 10am, hang out in front til the governor general/PM arrive. Watch the flag on top change when the GG arrives. Listen to them talk til the snow birds fly over. Watch them leave and then hang out on the grass watching the show. We head then towards the canal and to Majors Hill Park. Grab a chicken sandwich there for lunch and wander the exhibits there. We head out around 3pm or so to do things in our own neighbourhood. We tried it the same way last year and it just didn't work. We'll do the same this year but change the locations to avoid the front of the hill when royalty is there.

We stayed once, before kids, for the evening show. Its fantastic! If you're kids are late nighters, I'd leave part way through the day and head back for the evening show and fireworks.

HTH

 

[Baltica]

I think you made a wise choice in choosing the Minto Suites Hotel over the Holiday Inn in Kanata. The Holiday Inn is nice but it's still a considerable drive in to downtown. And then you'd have to deal with parking.

The Minto Suites Hotel is walking distance to the Hill, making it easy to get back to for an afternoon nap or dip in the pool.

With young kids you might want to check out Jacques Cartier Park on Canada Day. It's in Gatineau, right across the Alexandra Bridge from the National Gallery and across the street from the Museum of Civilization. It's not a bad walk. They always have a large number of activities and events aimed at younger kids. The crowds aren't as maddening as on Parliament Hill; it's something we go to each year.

 

[bankr63]

Minto Suites is very close to the action; a good choice.

We usually escape the city for Canada Day, either spending it at the cottage in Muskoka or camping in Algonquin - no big crowds there!

Based on the years where we have stayed in town, I'll add my vote for Jacques Cartier Park. You can always cool off at the Museum of Civilization next door. It has a great Childrens' Museum section.

Our favorite vantage point for the fireworks is Major's Hill Park a couple of blocks away from Parliament; behind the Chateau Laurier. They have a stage there with live entertainment as well - not as big as the names on the main stage, but still very entertaining, and room to actually spread out on the grass.

Mugging in Ottawa? I wouldn't worry about it on Canada Day unless you plan on lingering long after the crowds have left. It is hard to get mugged in the biggest happiest crowd you'll see outside of WDW...

Enjoy your visit!