Ottawa and the Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal was cut in the 1820s to link Ottawa with Lake Ontario by a route away from the exposed St Lawrence, and because it survives largely as built, with its original masonry locks still hand-operated, it carries a World Heritage listing as the best-preserved slackwater canal of its era in North America. Its flight of eight locks steps down from the parliament bluff to the river. In summer boats work through them; in winter a long stretch through the city freezes and is maintained as a skateway, several kilometres of ice that commuters use to get to work and everyone else uses for beavertails, the fried dough sold from huts on the ice. Above it stands the Gothic revival parliament block, and the city holds the country's major national museums.

What you actually see

• The lock flight - eight hand-operated locks stepping down below parliament.
• The winter skateway - kilometres of maintained ice through the city.
• Parliament Hill - the Gothic revival block above the river.
• The national museums - history, nature and the National Gallery.

When to go

May to October for boating, cycling and the tulip festival in May; January and February for skating, though the season depends entirely on sustained cold and has been shortened or cancelled entirely in mild winters. Check whether the skateway is open before planning around it.

Honest expectations

The skateway season is at the mercy of the weather and has failed to open at all in recent mild winters, so it cannot be relied on. Ottawa is a government town and quiet at weekends outside the summer. Winter cold here is severe. The canal in summer is pleasant but low-key rather than spectacular.

Nearby

Gatineau Park is across the river in Quebec; Montréal is two hours east.