Ottawa: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: book your free guided tours of Parliament Hill (the House of Commons in West Block, the Senate Building and the 360-degree Immersive Experience) online ahead of time, plan your museum visits around Thursday evenings when Canada's greatest national museums waive general admission, and remember that walking across the Alexandra or Portage Bridge takes you from Ontario directly into French-speaking Gatineau, Quebec.

1. Two Cities, Two Provinces, One Capital Region

When you stand on the cliff behind Parliament Hill and look across the Ottawa River, you are looking directly into another province. The National Capital Region straddles the river between Ottawa, Ontario on the south bank and Gatineau, Quebec on the north bank:

• Ottawa (South Bank, Ontario): holds Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal, ByWard Market, the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian War Museum and the Museum of Nature.
• Gatineau (North Bank, Quebec, 10 Minutes' Walk Across the Bridge): holds Canada's most-visited museum, the Canadian Museum of History (which also commands the best skyline view looking back at Parliament Hill), and 361-square-kilometre Gatineau Park & Nordik Spa-Nature.

2. The Best Money-Saving Secret in Ottawa: 'Free Thursday Evenings' at the National Museums

Individual admission to Ottawa's acclaimed national museums normally carries a standard entry fee (check the official museum websites for current ticket rates), so visiting four museums in a weekend can quickly add up. However, every single Thursday evening year-round, general admission is completely free during late-day hours at the Canadian Museum of History, the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of Nature. In addition, the interactive Bank of Canada Museum on Sparks Street offers free admission every day it is open, and both the House of Commons in West Block and the Senate of Canada Building offer free guided interior tours when reserved online in advance.