Autumn is the perfect time to visit Ottawa, when the region's trees show off their vibrant fall colours and crisp temperatures allow you to enjoy plenty of outdoor adventures and savour on mouth-watering treats. We want to help you plan your trip to Ottawa this autumn. Here are some fall attractions to explore for groups and FIT.
Ottawa was chosen by CNN as one of the best destinations to visit in 2023. Ottawa is a beautiful, graceful place with its own charms.
Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa (North America’s Best Culinary Training Institution) received the award for best culinary training institution along with the Australian and French regions at the 3rd Annual World Culinary Awards.
Sonder The O’Connor is your home away from home in Ottawa. Sonder offers guests a convenient and tech-enabled experience—just check in, request fresh towels, and get dinner recommendations from your phone. All Sonder units include a fully equipped kitchen and convenient laundry facilities within the building. By combining award-winning design with modern services, Sonder redefines hospitality by bringing exceptional stays everywhere.
The Supreme Court of Canada has reopened its doors to visitors last November! Tour guides, who are all law students, will familiarize visitors with the operations of the Canadian judicial system and will explain how legal issues of public importance are dealt with by this important institution. When the Court is in session, it is possible to sit in on the hearing of an appeal.
During the annual Fall Rhapsody event in Canada’s capital region, you can discover the magic of autumn as vibrant colors illuminate greenspaces and urban areas. You can stroll or cycle along multi-use pathways that line waterways in Ottawa and Gatineau or stroll through Ottawa’s urban core and enjoy spectacular displays of fall colours.
Stroll through the urban core with The Original Haunted Walk of Ottawa as they highlights the ghostly past of historic sites such as the Bytown Museum, the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel and more. On the Haunted Ottawa Jail Tour, you'll walk in the footsteps of condemned prisoners toward Canada's last working gallows. Doors creak, floors squeak and guests regularly get the shivers.
Head to Ouimet Farms in Vankleek Hill this fall to enjoy an afternoon of fun group activities, including gem mining, rock climbing on a wall, trampoline jumping, pedal kart racing, and more. The 7-acre corn maze is wheelchair and stroller friendly; there's also a market with fresh produce for sale.
Brew Donkey Tours takes beer lovers on brewery tours in Ottawa. During your tour, you will have a chance to try many different types of beer and learn about the brewing process. Your tour guide will explain how beer is made, as well as give you the opportunity to sample some ingredients used in the brewing process. Starting May 2023, a new FIT experience will take you on a two-stop tour of Ottawa's history through beer and brewing. This tour will immerse you in the sordid history of the beverage makers that built Canada’s capital.
KIN Vineyards, a family estate winery nestled in the charming village of Carp and winner of Ottawa’s Best Local Winery in 2022, offers vineyard tours, tastings, and curated food pairings. This small producer has put Ottawa on the map as an emerging VQA region. Visitors to KIN Vineyards can enjoy wines by the glass, take part in guided tours and tastings, or savour a meal on the patio overlooking the picturesque Carp River Valley. Bask in the glow of spectacular sunsets for an idyllic dining experience.
In the fall, Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village attracts thousands of visitors to its award-winning 100-acre farm attraction, located in Ottawa's countryside. The farm offers a nighttime stroll through a spellbinding outdoor exhibit of more than 7,000 handcrafted pumpkins lit up along a kilometre-long path with a picturesque historic backdrop.
Nighttime at Parc Omega offers visitors a chance to observe their surroundings in an entirely new light. The one-hour 1.5km incline trail begins at dusk, when you can hear the crickets and frogs singing away. After passing by a marsh with real-life sounds of frogs, guests come across a massive moose sculpture and two elks fighting on a projection screen. Guests can also spy on a wolf pack at the wolf observatory at Omega by Night.
The ByWard Market, now one of Canada's oldest farmers markets, was established in 1826 by Lieutenant-Colonel John By. As the area evolved, so did its architectural styles. Many of the original buildings still house a melting pot of businesses and cultures – all of which contribute to the area’s eclectic charm.
Stay at the modern Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market. A Hyatt "progressive" brand, Andaz Hotels are known for immersing guests in the culture of each destination. Each floor of the 16-storey hotel is designed to reflect the history and character of a Canadian province or territory, with artwork that has been carefully curated. Enjoy Modern Canadiana in the heart of Canada’s capital featuring its signature roof top restaurant Feast + Revel, which pushes the boundaries of our national cuisine with dishes that blends English and French Canadian cuisine.
Le Moulin de Provence is an Ottawa institution for over 20 years. It serves a wide selection of gourmet food and drink in the heart of Ottawa's ByWard Market. Customers can start their day right with a pastry from Le Moulin de Provence and a steaming cup of coffee or stop in at lunchtime for a variety of sandwiches and salads available daily.
ZuPS ByWard offers an elevated take on poutine created with gourmet ingredients and innovative cooking techniques, finished with the freshest St. Albert cheese curds and house made sauces and gravy. Peruse the vast selection of artisanal foods from all over Quebec, Eastern and Northern Ontario. You will find farm-fresh products, fermented/pickled products, proteins, seafood, jams, jellies, confits, spices, sweets, and a variety of drinks (waters, seltzers, premium sodas).
Planning a new tour to Ottawa but can’t get here right now? Explore Canada’s capital through our many virtual guided tours and FAMs.
Ottawa Tourism’s last coffee-break FAM toured Casino du Lac Leamy.
If you want to enjoy gaming, live entertainment, great food, and much more fun at this casino located just minutes from downtown Ottawa in Gatineau, Quebec, try your luck under the stars at the Casino du Lac-Leamy. You can either dance the night away or applaud performers performing on stage at this entertainment complex.
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