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How to enjoy Ottawa on a budget

Ottawa Canada

Ottawa is Canada’s capital city and because of that we can expect things to be slightly pricier than we would in other cities. However, many people do not want to miss out on this part of Canada when they come to visit. The beautiful Victorian architecture and the stunning Rideau Canal are not to be missed; especially when the latter freezes over in winter! If you are thinking of visiting Ottawa with a strict budget in mind, here are some tips and tricks to help you stay on course financially.

 

How to enjoy Ottawa on a budget

 

Start with Planning

You can save a massive amount of money during your planning and booking stage. The advantage of this is it then gives you more money to play with when you get there. Would you rather stay in a hostel and eat well or would you rather have a nice hotel room but scrape and save on food and activities? These are the sorts of questions you need to be asking yourselves.

One of the best places where you could save a little money is with your flights to Ottawa. You can often save money by splitting up your trip by flying into different cities instead of direct, or you could go for an airline with lower prices but a commitment to delivering a great service. If you would like to know more about the latter, you can check out the link here: https://www.flyporter.com/en-ca/book-flights/where-we-fly/canada/ottawa

 

Get Around Town on the Bus

You should always aim to travel on public transport instead of getting taxis in a new city and Ottawa has made sure that this is easy for you to do. If you want to use a bus to see more of the city, you can buy a DayPass. This allows you unlimited same-day travel on the bus system in the city; perfect if you are going to be going here, there and everywhere.

 

Get a Bike

Ottawa has plenty of cycling trails and bike lanes, making it a very safe city for cyclists. Even if you are not the most confident of cyclists, you are bound to get around with little difficulty. There are plenty of places where you can rent a bike to get about. Whether you want it for just a day or a little longer, you will be able to find the perfect rental for you.

Head out to Petrie island from Rideau Hall for a longer day trip but a beautiful ride. You will hug the Ottawa river all the way down the coast. If you are in the mood for something a little more challenging, head up into Gatineau Park.

 

Ottawa Canada

 

Know Where the Free Attractions Are

Luckily, many of the attractions in Ottawa are either free or have certain times when they are free to the public. For example, Parliament Hill is open for free tours every day. If you are interested in finding out more about the government of Canada, you should definitely swing by here. The tours can change or reschedule due to events happening in the government but there is no reason why you should not be able to have a look around at some point.

Many of the museums in Ottawa are paid admission but they also run certain nights where it is free to enter. On Thursdays between 5 and 8 PM, you can enter the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, and the Canadian War Museum for free. These are just some of the places you can get into if you know where to look.

 

Eat How the Locals Eat

There are plenty of restaurants in Ottawa which cater to tourists but these places may be on the pricier side because of this. Never be afraid to eat how the locals want to eat! One great way to save some money is to book accommodation which is self-catering. This might be out in the suburbs, meaning it would be cheaper anyway, and then it would also have access to a local supermarket or two.

Here you can pick up all the food you could want for much less than what a restaurant might offer. You can even attempt to make some of Canada’s national dishes for yourself this way, in the comfort of your rented accommodation. The DIY attitude can also extend to lunches. Why spend a fortune on lunch in a fancy restaurant when you can just as easily pick up a picnic to have in one of Ottawa’s many beautiful parks? Small changes like this are bound to save you money in the long term; money which you can easily spend on another part of your holiday.

 

Grab Some Yoga on Parliament Hill

Had a flight which has put a crick in your neck? Been travelling for weeks on end and just need a moment to relax? You should check out the yoga on Parliament Hill. This is a free session run on Wednesdays which allows the population of Ottawa to come out and have a stretch. It is not unknown for the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to also pop out with his yoga mat every now and then. I did not know about it at first until I was inside the Parliament building and noticed people practicing yoga below on the grass. So cool, right?

These sessions are completely free and are sponsored by the Canadian brand Lululemon. If you feel the need to let go and stretch out your muscles a little then you should definitely consider stopping by one of these sessions in the sun.

 

Head Over in Winter

The temperatures might drop but Ottawa comes alive in winter. The Rideau Canal completely freezes over and turns into the world’s largest outdoor skating rink at a staggering 7.8km! It could form the perfect way for you to get around the city if you are visiting in winter. Skate rentals are everywhere up and down the length of the canal so you can always grab a pair.

In February, Winterlude comes to Ottawa. This is a special festival which is all about the beauty and majesty of winter. With three weeks of frozen fun, the city might not be the cheapest to visit but you don’t want to miss out. Consider staying in one of the nearby towns and hopping into Ottawa on the local commuter transport so you can enjoy everything Winterlude has to offer without breaking the bank. These are just two of the events on offer in Ottawa over winter, proving it is as fun to visit as it is in summer.

 

Know You Can’t Do Anything

Unless you are in Ottawa for a short-term residency, there is no way you would be able to do everything the city has to offer. Even then, unless you go through one full year you will miss out on either the summer or winter activities this amazing place can provide. We think it is therefore important that you take the time to work out which of the attractions in Ottawa sound the most appealing to you.

You can always return to the city (it certainly isn’t going anywhere) which will allow you to explore more and more each time. Decide what is most important for you to see and make sure that you do that each trip. Ottawa might be a capital city but that doesn’t mean that you have to blow your budget each and every time you visit.

 

 



TIP: Here’s 34 interesting facts about Ottawa I learned there when I visited. Ottawa is full of surprises!

TIP 2: You might know that I was born in Slovakia, in Central Europe. You have no idea how surprised I was to see that Canada and Slovakia are similar in so many ways. What do I mean? Have a read 😉

Dinner at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

chocolate and nuts dessert at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

After the massage at Spa du Verger at Hotel La Ferme, I was starving and really glad Les Labours restaurant was just a minute away in the main building.

 

Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

Les Labours at Hotel La Ferme

Les Labours dinner menu

Les Labours dinner menu

 

As soon as I walked up the steps and entered, I was welcomed by ”Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler, right? Miss Kovacova?” Obviously, it was an English way of pronouncing my surname which has nothing to do with the real Slovak pronunciation but as usual made me laugh and made it for a great conversation.

I sat down at the bar as I was alone and wanted to watch the cooks working from close (and maybe even learn something). I was served a slice of bread from a local bakery where they just buy seeds and make their own flour for bread. It was extremely identical to Slovak bread we have at home – brown bread with little holes in it. I was in shock because the waiter spent like a minute telling me how proud they are of the unique bread here. We had a laugh once I told him we have a very similar bread back home.

 

sat at the Les Labours bar

sat at the Les Labours bar

traditional bread in Charlevoix

traditional bread in Charlevoix

beautiful modern design of Les Labours restaurant

beautiful modern design

 

I sat there and just looked. The cook was throwing food on the saucepans and making it all jump like in a circus. Believe it or not, it was a lot of fun to watch. Such a different experience when you develop a certain relationship with food and the cook himself when he looks at you and smiles!

When I was dining at Les Labours, there were all male cooks only.

I found myself wondering … Personally, I would not be comfy cooking myself with people watching me but they must be used to it. Even though the cook looked a bit nervous, maybe because of me and my camera … Or maybe it was because I spent some time staring at his veins too 🙂

 

observing the cook preparing my dinner

observing the cook preparing my dinner

the cute cook in action

the cute cook in action

 

My first dish came very quickly – sweet potato soup and croutons without cream but a bit of milk turned out super yellow and yummy.

 

sweet potato soup at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

sweet potato soup at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

 

Then my main dish followed – gnocchi with fresh veggies – with amazing smell of herbs and fish (smoked spurgeon) and made of 3 colours. The fish was hidden under the veggies, such a tasty surprise with very exquisite taste of portobello mushrooms, radish and spinach and thus giving gnocchi more taste than simple ones I usually have.

 

gnocchi with fresh veggies

gnocchi with fresh veggies

 

My cook came to me for the first time and his small eyes looked at me from behind the brownish hat … he was a bit shy and even came to apologize to me that he was too busy to talk to me more.  I was not sure who was more shy at that moment, if him or me as he made me shy with his look 😀

Afterwards, I tried to look at him less to make him feel comfortable again.

 

I was recommended a dessert with different kinds of chocolate and nuts. It had the right amount of sweetness but not too much. Comparable to the cook, I’d say …

 

chocolate and nuts dessert at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

chocolate and nuts dessert at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme

 

Well, as you can see, my time at Les Labours Hotel La Ferme was so worth it 🙂 So if you are visiting Canada, hop on Le Massif de Charlevoix train and visit Hotel La Ferme. They even have delicious healthy breakfast too.

 

my healthy breakfast at Les Labours

my healthy breakfast at Les Labours