Drifting in a hot air balloon high above Canada’s Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, I look down upon the Ottawa River Valley, the cane-shaped Rideau Canal, and expanses of green that I'd earlier seen at eye level. I am surrounded by more than 100 colourful balloons during the biggest hot air balloon festival in Canada, held annually in the neighbouring city of Gatineau on Labour Day weekend.
My bird’s eye view encompassed the mosaic of sites I have visited in Ottawa and nearby Gatineau, Quebec, by bike, boat, and on foot.
The secret to Ottawa’s livability is the greenbelt that surrounds the area. Stretching along three rivers and a huge canal, and spilling into the provinces of Ontario and Québec, it’s an active person’s paradise. There are more than 600 kilometres of bike paths in metropolitan Ottawa alone, meandering through luscious green space.
A good place to start your tour is at the Château Laurier, Ottawa’s grand old hotel and probably the best-known site in downtown Ottawa. You can rent bikes next to the hotel.
As you cycle south along the Rideau Canal, imagine it in winter when thousand skate on what becomes the longest outdoor rink in the world. From Dow Lake, take Preston St. through Little Italy to Scott Ave. The biscotti at the Italian cafés here is worth a stop. Turn west on Scott Street past the Russian Orthodox Church and the nearby mosque.
