Ottawa from the Cabins

Canada's capital is about 105 road miles from the cabins by the Seaway International Bridge at Massena and Cornwall, roughly two and a half hours each way once you count the border. That makes Ottawa a long, full day: the Parliament buildings, the Rideau Canal, ByWard Market and four national museums sit within a few miles of each other along the Ottawa River. This page covers the crossing, what you can see at Parliament while Centre Block is closed, the canal in summer and in skating season, the museums with their hours and prices, parking, papers, money and a plan that gets you home to the hot tub.

Choosing the bridge

Two bridges over the St. Lawrence work for Ottawa, and both are open to travelers around the clock. Measured door to door from the cabins to Parliament Hill:

The Cornwall route is shorter by about 33 miles and is the one to use most days. On the New York side it runs 38 road miles from the cabins to the U.S. port at Massena; the Canadian side is about 67 miles, almost all of it on two divided highways. The Ogdensburg route earns its extra miles only when the line at Massena is long, or when you want to come home a different way, along the St. Lawrence through Ogdensburg. The Ottawa drive page breaks both roads into stretches with stops, tolls and season notes, so this page does not repeat them.

The Seaway bridge charges a toll in each direction, so a day trip pays it twice: C$5.25 or US$3.75 for a car, payable in either currency. Trout River, the crossing on NY 30 north of Malone, is closed to U.S.-bound traffic until about May 2028, and it never made sense for Ottawa anyway. For every other crossing in the area, see crossing the border.

A detour worth knowing: Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg is about 60 road miles from the cabins by the Cornwall bridge, and going to Ottawa by way of the village adds only about 14 miles. It fills its own day, so treat it as a second trip rather than a stop.

Parliament Hill while Centre Block is closed

The building most people picture, Centre Block with the Peace Tower, is shut for a rehabilitation that Public Services and Procurement Canada expects to finish its main construction between 2030 and 2031, with the building reopening about a year after that. Parliament still runs a full visitor program in four other places, and every one of them is free. Each building needs its own ticket, so if you want two of them, book two.

The House of Commons at West Block

West Block, at 111 Wellington Street on the Hill itself, holds the House of Commons while Centre Block is closed. The guided tour lasts about 40 minutes and starts at the Visitor Welcome Centre to the right of the building. Parliament asks visitors to arrive 30 minutes early for registration and security screening. When you book, you give each visitor's full name and date of birth, and everyone 16 and older must show government-issued photo ID at the door, so bring passports or driver's licenses for the whole group. After the tour you may visit the Room of Remembrance, which holds the eight Books of Remembrance with the names of every Canadian who died in military service. The Parliamentary Boutique is in the Visitor Welcome Centre.

The Senate of Canada Building

The Senate sits in the former Ottawa train station at 2 Rideau Street, a short walk east of the Hill across the canal. The guided tour runs about 30 minutes; arrive 25 minutes before your time for screening.

The Centre Block show on Sparks Street

At 211 Sparks Street, one block south of the Hill, Parliament runs a free timed exhibition and 360-degree multimedia show about Centre Block, about 30 minutes long and open daily. You only need to arrive 5 to 10 minutes before your ticket time, and you may wait outdoors, so dress for the weather. The show includes moments of near darkness, flashing lights, motion video and surround sound, and Parliament warns that it may not suit visitors with photosensitive epilepsy or sensitive hearing. Since May 2026 it also has a photo exhibit on the 150th anniversary of the Library of Parliament.

East Block in summer

East Block opens in summer only, for a 35-minute tour of four restored heritage rooms that show life at Parliament in the 19th century. Arrive 20 minutes before your tour time and expect to wait outdoors.

Tickets, bags and sitting days

• Book ahead. Parliament encourages advance reservations because same-day tickets may run out. Tour times vary by day; check the reservation pages for the date you plan to go, and call the Tours Reservation Office at 613-996-0896 with questions.
• One small bag. Each visitor may bring one bag no bigger than 14 by 12 by 7.5 inches (35.5 by 30.5 by 19 cm). There is no bag check, no coat check and no food service.
• Sitting days. Guided tours of the Senate and House of Commons are not offered while that chamber is sitting, and schedules can change without notice. On those days you can watch from the public galleries instead, first come, first served; cameras, umbrellas, overcoats and bags are not allowed in the galleries, and hats come off.
• Photos. Photography for personal use is fine on the tours, without flash.
• Access. West Block, the Senate building and the Sparks Street show are wheelchair accessible, with wheelchairs and cane seats available first come, first served. The tours involve stairs, and staff can arrange an elevator if you ask.

The Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal runs 202 kilometers, about 125 miles, from Ottawa to Kingston on Lake Ontario. It was planned after the War of 1812 by Lieutenant Colonel John By of the British Royal Engineers, built by crews of Irish immigrants, French Canadians and Scottish stonemasons, and opened in 1832. It is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America, and UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 2007 as the best-preserved slackwater canal on the continent and the only one from that era still working along its original line.

In Ottawa the canal comes down to the Ottawa River through the Ottawa Locks, a flight of eight hand-operated locks between Parliament Hill and the Chateau Laurier hotel that lowers boats about 79 feet. You can walk down beside the locks to the river. At the bottom, the building put up as the canal's supply office, the oldest building in Ottawa, houses the Bytown Museum.

For the classic view of the locks, the river and the Parliament buildings, cross Sussex Drive to Major's Hill Park, the capital's first park, in use since 1826 and formally made a park in 1875. The capital's first Canada Day celebrations, with fireworks and bonfires, were held there in 1867. Its washrooms are open from May to October. The park sits between the canal and the National Gallery, so it connects the Hill, the market and the gallery on foot.

Skating the canal in winter

When the ice allows, the National Capital Commission turns 7.8 kilometers of the canal, nearly five miles, into the Rideau Canal Skateway, winding through the middle of the city. When it is open, it is free and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with skate and sleigh rentals and skate sharpening. The season usually runs from January to early March and depends entirely on the weather. Recent winters show how much it varies: the Skateway did not open at all in the 2022-23 season, opened for only 10 days in 2023-24, and in 2024-25 opened on January 11 and stayed open 52 days.

That makes a skating day something to plan on short notice. Watch the NCC's Skateway status before you leave the cabins, and have a museum plan ready if the ice closes. Bring your own skates if you have them, warm layers, and a thermos; a winter drive back after dark is easier with the winter driving guide in mind. Closer to home, the ice skating guide covers rinks within an hour of the cabins.

ByWard Market

ByWard Market is the easiest place to eat on a day trip, and its history runs back to the canal. John By, the canal's builder, arrived in 1827, founded Bytown and laid out the market on George Street in what is now Lower Town. The first timber market hall was taken down in 1842; the second opened on November 6, 1848, burned in 1862 and was rebuilt in 1865; a fourth, designed by James Mather, opened in 1876, and after a fire in 1926 the present building went up and still stands. A bell still hangs in the market building and is rung every morning. Bytown became Ottawa in 1855.

The market building, Heritage Hall at 55 ByWard Market Square, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and its public washrooms keep long hours. Around it are more than 500 independent businesses, from produce stands to bakeries, cafes, pubs and restaurants, and in summer the district averages about 50,000 visitors a weekend. Each restaurant and shop keeps its own hours.

The market is a few minutes' walk from the Senate building and the Rideau O-Train station, and close to Major's Hill Park and the National Gallery, which makes it a natural lunch stop between Parliament and the museums. Prices in the market are in Canadian dollars with Ontario tax added at the till.

The National Gallery of Canada

The gallery, at 380 Sussex Drive, holds the most comprehensive collection of Canadian art, including Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, along with large Indigenous and international collections. The glass building, designed by Moshe Safdie, opened in 1988. Louise Bourgeois's giant spider Maman, about 30 feet tall, stands on the plaza out front and is free to see from the sidewalk.

Every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. admission is free with a free ticket, and the gallery stays open until 8 p.m. that evening. Plan around Mondays: from September 14, 2026 to March 31, 2027 the gallery lists Mondays as closed, apart from holiday Mondays such as Thanksgiving. Regular prices vary by age, so check the gallery's admission page for the day you go. Its underground garage has listed C$2.75 per half hour up to C$21 a day, cards only, with a clearance of about six feet (1.8 m), which matters if you are driving a tall SUV with a roof box.

The Canadian Museum of History

The Canadian Museum of History stands across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, at 100 Laurier Street, directly opposite Parliament Hill. It holds the world's largest indoor collection of totem poles, and its other spaces include the Grand Hall, the Canadian History Hall, the First Peoples Hall and the Canadian Children's Museum, which shares the museum's hours.

From September 8 to December 9, 2026, the museum opens at 9 a.m. every day and closes at 5 p.m., or at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, when general admission is free from 5 to 7 p.m. Regular admission is listed at C$25 for adults, C$23 for seniors, C$20 for students, C$18 for children 3 to 12 and C$68 for a family, before tax, with 10 percent off online. Special exhibitions may need a separate ticket. The indoor garage charges C$2 per half hour to a C$18 daily maximum, open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with no overnight parking.

You can walk there from downtown Ottawa. The Alexandra Bridge and the Portage Bridge both carry walkways to the Quebec side; the Alexandra has had short closures to cars for repairs in 2026 while staying open to walkers, so check the federal bridge notices if you plan to drive across it. Quebec is a different province with different rules from Ontario: prices carry the 5 percent federal GST plus the 9.975 percent Quebec sales tax, and the drinking age is 18 instead of 19.

The Canadian War Museum

The Canadian War Museum is at 1 Vimy Place on LeBreton Flats, at Booth Street and Kichi Zibi Mikan, west of the Hill along the river. Its LeBreton Gallery is filled with military vehicles and technology, and the collection runs to tanks, jet fighters, artillery and art. Memorial Hall holds a single object, the headstone of Canada's Unknown Soldier, and is built so that at 11 a.m. on November 11, Remembrance Day, sunlight through a single window frames it.

Until December 9, 2026, the museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Thursdays, with free admission on Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Every visitor needs a timed ticket, free hours included. Regular admission is listed at C$23 for adults, C$21 for seniors, C$18 for students, C$16 for children 3 to 12 and C$62 for a family, before tax, with 10 percent off online. The museum garage charges C$2 per half hour to an C$18 daily maximum, and has electric-car charging at C$1.50 an hour.

The Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Guests in The Aviator, the cabin decorated with aircraft prints and an old municipal airports poster, have the obvious reason to make this museum the anchor of the day; the story of that cabin has more aviation outings. The museum stands at 11 Aviation Parkway in Ottawa's east end, about 103 road miles from the cabins, the closest of the national museums to the cabins and the easiest to drive straight to.

It holds the most extensive aviation collection in Canada, more than 130 aircraft and artifacts from civil and military flying. Its best-known pieces include the largest surviving parts of the Avro Arrow, the Canadian jet interceptor (its nose section and wing tips), the original Canadarm flown on the space shuttle Endeavour, and a Second World War Lancaster bomber. Ingenium, which runs the museum, lists the hours as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with admission at C$16.75 for adults, C$14.50 for seniors and students and C$11.50 for ages 3 to 17, taxes extra. Parking on site is paid.

Ingenium's pages have listed different hours over the years, so confirm the hours and prices before you go. If the museum leaves you wanting to fly, see scenic flights near the cabins and the airports guide.

Hours and tickets at a glance

These are the hours and adult prices the places list for fall 2026, in Canadian dollars before tax. They change with the seasons, so check each one before you set out.

The free evening hours are generous; for a day-tripper they mostly matter if you plan to stay late and drive home after dark. A Thursday works well for that: the Gallery, History and War museums are all open late, and a family can see a museum free before heading back.

Parking downtown

There is no parking at the Parliament buildings. The city and private garages nearby are the answer, and the simplest plan is to park once and walk: the Hill, the Senate building, the locks, Major's Hill Park, the market and the National Gallery are all within a short walk of each other.

• ByWard Market. The City of Ottawa runs the ByWard Market garage at 70 Clarence Street and the Dalhousie garage at 141 Clarence Street. The city reviews its garage rates three times a year and posts them on its map of paid parking, and the market garage has had a three-hour daytime limit, so read the signs at the entrance.
• The museums' own garages. The Museum of History and the War Museum both charge C$2 per half hour to C$18 a day, and the National Gallery has listed C$2.75 per half hour to C$21 a day. For a museum-first day these are the least fuss, and the War Museum's has chargers for electric cars.
• The Aviation and Space Museum. It sits on its own grounds in the east end, a drive from downtown, with paid parking on site.

Garage clearances matter if you carry bikes or a cargo box on the roof; the National Gallery lists about six feet. OC Transpo's O-Train Line 1 serves Parliament and Rideau stations if you would rather leave the car in one place.

Papers for both borders

You cross two borders on this trip, and each side has its own list.

Going into Canada

The Canada Border Services Agency recommends a valid passport for U.S. citizens. Without one, you need documents that together show your full name, date of birth and citizenship, such as a birth certificate with a U.S. enhanced driver's license; if your proof of citizenship has no photo, the officer may ask for photo ID. U.S. permanent residents arriving by land show their green card. Anyone bringing a child whose other parent is not along, or a child who is not their own, should carry a consent letter with the full names, addresses and phone numbers of the parents or legal guardians; the CBSA suggests having it notarized.

Coming back to the United States

At Massena or Ogdensburg, U.S. citizens need a U.S. passport, passport card, enhanced driver's license or a trusted traveler card such as NEXUS. U.S. and Canadian citizen children under 16 may show a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship, and an original, photocopy or certified copy is accepted. Guests who are not U.S. or Canadian citizens should check their own entry rules before leaving the country for the day. Remember that West Block also asks for photo ID from everyone 16 and older, so the passports do double duty.

Before you head for the bridge in either direction, CBP's wait-time page shows the current line at Massena and Ogdensburg. Food, firewood, dogs and duty-free allowances are all in crossing the border.

Money, cards and taxes

Ottawa runs on the Canadian dollar. Most businesses take major credit cards and debit cards, and banks and exchange counters change cash. Bring some Canadian money from home if you want cash, since only some merchants take U.S. dollars. Before you go, find out whether your card adds a foreign-transaction fee and whether your phone plan covers roaming in Canada.

• Tax. Ontario adds the 13 percent harmonized sales tax at the register, so shelf prices and museum admissions are before tax. Across the river in Gatineau, Quebec adds 5 percent GST and 9.975 percent provincial sales tax.
• Tipping. A tip of 15 percent of the pre-tax bill is customary for good restaurant service; check the bill first, since some restaurants add a service charge for groups.
• Drinking age. 19 in Ontario, 18 in Quebec. Plan the drive home with a designated driver.
• Same time, same plugs. Ottawa is on Eastern time like the cabins, and the outlets and voltage match the United States.

Thinking of bringing home a bottle of Canadian wine, beer or whisky? Check CBP's current guidance first: a U.S. ban on imports of a long list of Canadian-made alcohol took effect on September 29, 2026, and how it treats a traveler's own bottles is still unsettled. The crossing guide has the details, and the breweries, wineries and distilleries guide covers what you can buy on the New York side.

A plan for the long day

Here is the planning tip in one line: start early and pick two sights. With five hours or more on the road and two border stops, a day that tries to cover Parliament, the canal, the market and two museums ends with a rushed drive home in the dark. Two anchors, a meal in the market and a walk along the locks fill a day well.

A sample summer or fall day

1. 6:45 a.m. Leave the cabins with passports, ID for everyone 16 and up, Canadian dollars or a card, and your Parliament tickets on your phone.
2. About 8 a.m. Cross at Massena and pay the bridge toll; up Highway 138 and Highway 417.
3. About 9:30 a.m. Park near the market. Walk to the Hill for a West Block tour, arriving 30 minutes before your tour time.
4. About 11:30 a.m. Walk down the Ottawa Locks, then up to Major's Hill Park for the view back to the Hill.
5. About 12:30 p.m. Lunch in ByWard Market.
6. About 2 p.m. The National Gallery, a few minutes' walk away, or drive to the Museum of History or the War Museum and use its garage.
7. About 4:30 p.m. Leave Ottawa. Allow two and a half hours to the cabins, a little more if the U.S. line at Massena is long.
8. About 7 p.m. Dinner in Malone or at the cabin, and the hot tub.

An aviation day

For The Aviator's guests, go straight to the Aviation and Space Museum when it opens, since it is the first museum you reach and has its own parking. Spend the morning there, drive downtown for a late lunch in the market and the Centre Block show on Sparks Street, and start home by about 4:30 p.m.

A winter skating day

If the Skateway is open, skate in the morning when the ice is freshest, warm up over lunch in the market, then spend the afternoon in the Museum of History or the War Museum. Daylight ends early in January, so start home by mid-afternoon if you want daylight on NY 37, and check road conditions on both sides of the border before you go.

On a Monday, a holiday or a sitting day

A few dates change the plan. The National Gallery is closed on Mondays until the end of March 2027, while the History, War and Aviation museums list Monday opening hours. Canada's statutory holidays do not always match U.S. ones, and on a long weekend the border lines grow; the Ottawa drive page lists the holiday dates for the coming year. When the House of Commons or the Senate is sitting, there are no guided tours of that chamber, so check the sitting calendars before you book. On Remembrance Day, November 11, the War Museum marks 11 a.m. with the beam of light in Memorial Hall.

Ottawa compared with Montreal

From the cabins, Montreal is a slightly shorter drive with its own crossings and a different kind of day, built around Old Montreal, Mount Royal and the markets; the Montreal day trip lays it out. Ottawa suits guests who want Parliament, the canal and the national museums in a compact center they can cover on foot.

Coming home to the cabins

The way home is the morning's road in reverse: Highway 417 east, Highway 138 south to Cornwall, the toll, and the U.S. booth at Massena, then NY 37 east through Akwesasne to Malone. Malone is the place for groceries and fuel on the way back, and the last miles south of the village are covered in getting to the cabins. Each of the three cabins has its own hot tub, which is the right place to end a five-hour driving day. If you have a second day for the area, the Eisenhower Lock in Massena and the Akwesasne Cultural Center sit along the same road and make an easy half day.

Questions

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Hours, fees and schedules change; confirm before you go.

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