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About Ottawa

English and French are spoken equally in Ottawa, Canada's capital and 4th largest city. In Ottawa traces of the British and French colonial presence can be seen in its architecture, history, and local cuisine. At the same time it is a diverse city with visible Chinese, Indian and Italian cultural elements in various neighboorhoods as well.
 
Rideau Canal, Byward Market, Rideau Hall, Parliament Hill, the Casino du Lac-Leamy, Alexandra Bridge, Bytown Museum, Natural History Museum, the Science and Technology Museum, the War Museum and the city's Art Museum are some of the most visited tourist venues. 
 
Restaurants, cafes, shopping centers and bars all come together at Byward Market, one of the city's most attractive areas. Elgin Street is home to city's nightlife. Shopping opportunities can be found on Banks Street, Rideau Street, and Sparks Street.
 
Ottawa is also famous for its colorful festivals held every year: the International Chamber Music Festival, the Dragon Boat Race Festival, the International Children's Festival, Tulip Festival, Jazz Festival and Blues Festival. Visiting any of them will stay in your memory for a long time.  
 
Ottawa has a continental climate, with hot and humid summers and cold winters. The city is served by Ottawa International Airport.

Transportation to Ottawa City Center from Airport

Gatineau Ottawa Executive Airport

In Ottawa, buses are very important in terms of public transportation. It is possible to reach almost every part of the city by bus. You can buy your ticket in cash after getting on the bus. You can also buy your ticket from one of the ticket offices or use Presto Card.

If you will stay in the city for a long time, using a Presto Card is both budget-friendly and practical. You can buy this card by paying 6 dollars. You can load money on your card online or from one of the ticket offices.

If you pay cash, you will need to pay a higher amount. For example, while one-way ticket price is 2 dollars per adult, it is 2.84 dollars for Presto Card holders and 3.55 dollars for cash payment. Children under 5 can travel for free. Passengers over 65 and children between 6-12 can benefit from reduced tariff. Daily ticket price is 8.30 dollars. Monthly ticket price is 103.25 dollars per adult and 82.25 dollars for children between 13-19.

Another public transportation alternative in Ottawa is O Train. O Train, which is a light rail train system, offers service on two routes. One of them is between Blair and Tunney’s Pasture, the other is between Bayview and Greenboro. You can buy your ticket from the machines at the stations. You cannot get on O Train with your ticket bus. However, you can use both bus and O Train including the express lines with the daily DayPass ticket that you can buy by paying 8.30 dollars.

You can buy your DayPass ticket from the bus driver or machines at O Train stations. The use of bicycles is very common in Ottawa. Thanks to approximately 200 kilometers long bicycle roads spreading over the majority of the city, you can comfortably and safely get on a bicycle.

In the city, there are many self-service bicycle rental points. You can rent a bicycle for an affordable amount by using your credit card and end your rental process by delivering your bicycle at one of these points anytime you want. A fair amount of provision is added to your credit card in order to prevent any possible theft or damage.

Taxi is also a means of transportation that you can easily find in the city of Ottawa. All taxis are equipped with a taximeter and a standard fare is applied in all taxis. Taxi fares are higher at late hours. You can rent a car or motorcycle from one of the car rental companies located in the city center or at the airport during your stay in Ottawa.

If you rent a car, you can comfortably and quickly visit the nearby cities and towns in addition to travelling in the city. Traffic is not very heavy in the city and drivers are very careful about the traffic rules. However, you shouldn’t forget that you need to have an international driver’s license in order to rent a car abroad.

If your driver's license isn’t suitable for international use, you can rent a car with a driver. Ottawa Municipal Airport, which is located in Ottawa, is 4 miles south of the city and offers service for small private jets and airplanes. While Ottawa Rockcliffe Airport was used as a military base until 1994, it is currently home to the Ottawa Aviation Museum.

Domestic and international flights of the city are performed from Macdonald - Cartier International Airport. You need to transfer by getting on a bus if you want to reach the city center from Macdonald - Cartier International Airport by using a means of public transportation. For an easier and quicker transportation, you can get on a taxi. If you wish, you can rent a car at the airport. In addition, airport private shuttles carry passengers to the city center. You can find all of the licensed transportation vehicles in front of the “Arrivals” terminal.

You can get information about the transportation alternatives by visiting the “Ground Transportation” desk located on the first floor of the “Arrivals” terminal.

Bus

You can reach the transfer center where you can change busses or get on the O Train by using the bus route 97. The bus route 97 operates as an express route and ticket price is 4.28 dollars for Presto Card holders. If you will pay cash, this price is 5 dollars. If you buy ticket, this price is 3 dollars. Travelling from the airport to the city center by bus or O Train lasts about 1 hour including transfers.

Taxi

You can see the taxis waiting for their passengers in front of the “Arrivals” terminal of the airport. Travelling to the city center from the airport by taxi lasts about 20 minutes.

Car Rental

At Macdonald - Cartier International Airport, there are many car rental offices of many companies such as Hertz, Avis and Budget. You can save time by completing your rental process online before your travel. You need to cover a distance of about 15 kilometers in order to reach the city center. You can reach the city center in about 25 minutes by driving through the highway 79N.

Hotel Shuttle

Some accommodation centers in the city center offer airport shuttle service for their guests. You can get in contact with your hotel in advance to learn whether they offer this service and if they do, you can make a reservation by giving your flight information.

Shuttle

You can use the shuttles of Yow Airporter Shuttle company in order to reach Ottawa city center from Macdonald - Cartier International Airport. These shuttles offer service as limousines or buses. If you wish, you can make a reservation in advance.


Ottawa Macdonald - Cartier Intl. - Macdonald Cartier Intl. Airport

Taxis can be easily found at any point of the day to take to the center of Ottawa, Canada's capital city, from Ottawa International Airport. If you prefer rental cars to reach the city in province of Ontario, there are many rental options at the airport terminal. You can also use shared car services such as UBER. Shared car services have the same comfort and convenience of taxis, as well as being more affordable.

Taxi

Taxis at Ottawa International Airport are one of the best options as they are comfortable and give you the freedom to travel whenever you want without being dependent on public transport times. The distance between the airport and the center of the city isn’t that far so you can take a taxi from the airport without paying too much. If you prefer a more economic option then you can also take an UBER or public transport. Before getting into the taxi you can get some idea of how much the journey will cost by telling the taxi driver your destination. However, you should keep in mind that this fee is only an estimate, and you should keep in mind that the taxi fare may increase further depending on factors such as road conditions and traffic. You can also make reservations for more passenger services or luxury vehicles by calling (905) 468-7727.

Limousine Rental

You can choose to get to Ottawa city center in a more private and privileged way from the airport by renting a limousine. You can make reservations for limousines almost every hour of the day. If you complete your pre-limousine reservation in advance, you can be picked up without losing time and dropped off in Ottawa center. If you decide to rent a limousine in the last minute, you can go to the consultation desk at Ottawa International Airport to get some guidance.

Ambulance Services

You can use ambulance type patient services when you want to come to the city center hospital from the airport. Ambulance services take their passengers from airport terminal gates and take them directly to the hospital in the center. You can contact 1-866-561-7787 to make a reservation or find out more information about ambulance services,

Public transport

You have the opportunity to travel from Ottawa International Airport to the center using public transport for most of the day. By taking the buses that leave in front of the terminal to the metro and train stations, you can quite quickly access many places in and around Ottawa. You can get information about bus tickets from the airport advisors or bus drivers.

UBER

UBER, one of the next generation transportation systems, is often used in Ottawa to get from the airport to the city center. You can call your car to the terminal with the help of the app that you download to your phone. UBER vehicles are among the best alternatives you can choose for a comfortable and fast journey in Ottawa. They usually wait at a certain point at the terminal exit. If you do not see your vehicle when you leave the airport, you can get information by communicating with the driver through the application. With UBER vehicles, the average fare of the journey from airport to Ottawa city center starts at $ 22. If you travel to Hintonburg you can travel at 19 dollars, 22 dollars towards Byward Market and 16 dollars to Carleton University with these cars. Before you get in the car, talk to the UBER drivers and find out how much you will pay for the average fare. With UberX vehicles you can travel with a cheaper fare, and if you’re travelling with a more crowded group of up to 6 people then you can make use UberXL and enjoy an easy and pleasant journey.

Rent a car

You also have the opportunity to rent a car from Ottawa International Airport to the offices of companies such as Alamo, Budget, AVIS, Entreprise, National and Hertz. Remember to prepare your documents in advance, such as your passport and international driver's license. If you want to rent your car from Alamo, you can make a car reservation before you arrive at the airport by calling 613-737-7023. Or do the same by calling 613-739-3334 for AVIS, 613-521-4844 for Budget, 613-248-0005 for Enterprise, 613-737-7023 for National and 613-521-3332 for Hertz. You can also make reservations in advance via the Internet for all of these companies.

Weather in Ottawa

DayMin - Max
MondayMin -6ºC - Max -1ºC
TuesdayMin -5ºC - Max -3ºC
WednesdayMin -4ºC - Max 0ºC
ThursdayMin -5ºC - Max 1ºC
FridayMin -10ºC - Max -5ºC

Frequently Asked Questions

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