Where to Stay in Ottawa: ByWard Market vs Downtown / Parliament Hill, Elgin Street & The Glebe

Ottawa's hotel zones are divided right down the middle by the green ravine of the Rideau Canal: on the east bank sits the lively, historic restaurant-and-pub grid of ByWard Market & Rideau Street, while on the west bank sit the stately government avenues of Downtown (Parliament Hill / Sparks Street) and Elgin Street.

1. ByWard Market, Sussex Drive & Rideau Street (East of the Canal, Best for Dining, Nightlife & First-Timers)

If you want historic cobblestone charm, over 100 restaurants, bakeries and pubs outside your door, and a 5-to-8-minute walk to the National Gallery, Kìwekì Point, Rideau O-Train Station and the bridge to the Museum of History, stay on the eastern side of the canal:

• The Icon, Fairmont Château Laurier (1 Rideau St): opened in 1912 right between the Rideau Canal Locks and Major's Hill Park (its original builder, Grand Trunk Railway president Charles Melville Hays, perished aboard the RMS Titanic just 12 days before the hotel's scheduled grand opening). Book a Canal- & Parliament-View room or swim in its restored 1929 Art Deco indoor salt-water pool.
• Inside the ByWard Market Grid: look at sleek design-forward Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market (head up to its 16th-floor Copper Spirits and Sights rooftop lounge for a sunset drink view over Parliament Hill), boutique Le Germain Hotel Ottawa, Courtyard by Marriott right in the market lanes, or The Westin Ottawa connected indoors to the Rideau Centre and Canal.

2. Downtown (Parliament Hill / Queen St) & Elgin Street (West of the Canal, Best for Quiet Comfort & Museums)

Prefer quieter, wider streets at night while staying two blocks from Parliament Hill and the Museum of Nature? Book along Elgin Street (at landmark 1941 stone Lord Elgin Hotel directly opposite Confederation Park and the National Arts Centre, or Metcalfe Hotel) or along Queen, Albert and Slater Streets (Alt Hotel Ottawa, reStays condo-hotel on Sparks St, or ARC The.Hotel).

3. The Glebe / Lansdowne Park (10 Minutes South Along the Canal, Best for Families & Leafy Neighbourhood Atmosphere)

If you have a car or want to wake up right beside the Rideau Canal bike path and the stadium and market plaza of Lansdowne Park, stay in the Glebe.