Ottawa is an open, welcoming place—you’ll feel that right away, all over the city. But everything has a centre, and in Ottawa the centre of gay and lesbian life is right downtown.
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Bank & Somerset: This intersection is the hub of Ottawa's growing gaybourhood. With shops and bars it's the home base for local institutions serving the GLBT community both by day and by night
Being the Canada's capital and the legislative birthplace of same-sex marriage (and other important rights) in Canada
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Vibrant cultural scene
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Beautiful summer and winter natural setting
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Relaxed and welcoming urban vibe
Three Must Dos
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Visit Parliament Hill, the seat of Canada’s federal government and the site of Canada’s first-ever public march for gay and lesbian rights on August 28, 1971.
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Explore the Rideau Canal, Ontario’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Hang out in the eclectic ByWard Market — a local farmers’ market and shopping district by day, chic dining, outdoor cafés and lively clubs by night.
More Local Info
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Capital Xtra is Ottawa's monthly gay and lesbian publication. Try to get the print version as it has better detailed listings than the online version.
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GayOttawa.com has pretty good listings of events, bars and businesses.
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Ottawa Tourism has excellent general information, particularly about the many local attractions.
Tips
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Ottawa’s Museum Passport gives access to over 10 national museums over a 7-day period for only $30 per person.
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Just say “Oui”! As Canada’s capital city, most of Ottawa’s attractions provide service in both official languages—English and French
While many of Ottawa's attractions are within walking distance of the downtown area, consider renting a car to get to some of the interesting sights and museums a bit further afield or if you want to explore the natural beauty outside the city. Major rental companies are located in the airport terminal.
Taxi and limo ranks are just outside the arrivals area and taxis into downtown Ottawa will be approximately $25 for a taxi, more for a limo. The YOW Airporter bus offers shuttle service between the airport and most downtown hotels for a one-way fare of around $14. OC Transpo, the local transit system, has relatively quick service (about 25 minutes, depending on traffic) to the Rideau Centre in downtown Ottawa for a fare of $3.
By Train
VIA trains from Toronto and Montreal arrive at Ottawa Station, a short commute from downtown Ottawa. Bus service is available from the station though a taxi downtown will cost not more that $10.
By Car
Montréal is just two hours east while Toronto is four and a half hours southwest of Ottawa.
Where To Stay
Gay and Lesbian Options
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Home Sweetland Home - a small gay-owned B&B a short walk from downtown. (62 Sweetland)
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Radclyffe House - lesbian-owned B&B with a literary theme. (160 Waverley)
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Rideau Inn - located in a lovely area just east the downtown core. (177 Frank)
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Sheffield Inn - a three bedroom gay-owned inn in downtown Ottawa. (317 Cooper)
Ottawa has a wide selection of friendly hotels in the downtown core that are within walking distance of both many attractions and gay nightlife. The conxFavourite hotels are also TAG approved.
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ARC The.Hotel - a stylish, boutique hotel located in the heart of downtown Ottawa. (140 Slater)
Steps from heart of Ottawa's gay village, the Bostonian is within walking distance to Parliament Hill, National Arts Centre, the Rideau Canal and the gay bars along Somerset. The hotel has both studio and one-bedroom suites. (341 Maclaren)
Ottawa's leading four-diamond hotel, golf and spa destination located 20 minutes from downtown. Features four-diamond Perspectives Restaurant and Au Naturel, a lavish spa featuring 12 treatment rooms. A great choice if you're in town for business and want to be close to the high tech heartland. (525 Legget Drive)
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Delta Ottawa - popular with business travellers, the Delta is on the west side of the downtown area. (351 Queen)
Located next door to the Parliament Buildings, this landmark hotel features a health club, great restaurants and a lounge where you can enjoy high tea with a distinctly Canadian twist. It's a great location for exploring museums and the nearby ByWard Market neighbourhood. (1 Rideau)
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Lord Elgin Hotel - near the Parliament Buildings, small but comfortable rooms. (100 Elgin)
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Minto Suite Hotel - an apartment hotel with large, full-size units and perfect for a longer stay. (185 Lyon)
Warm and cozy, this moderately-priced intimate hotel specializes in personalized, friendly service in a quiet stress-free atmosphere. Located in the downtown core just a short walk from major attractions such as the ByWard Market. (33 Nicholas)
Visit many nearby Ottawa attractions including the trendy ByWard Market, Rideau Canal, the National Gallery and Museum of Civilization, all within a short stroll from the welcoming hospitality of the Marriott. (100 Kent)
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Westin Ottawa - a deluxe hotel downtown connected to Ottawa's major shopping centre and steps to the ByWard Market. (11 Colonel By Drive)
Where To Eat
Dining in Canada's capital ranges from five-diamond to more relaxed, casual fare—with a new Savour Ottawa program that’s all about locally produced and prepared food and menus. Here's a sampling of some of the many gay-friendly options.
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Ahora - a popular, casual, gay-owned Mexican restaurant in the ByWard Market. (307 Dalhousie)
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Bridgehead - a fair-trade, organic coffeeshop in the gay neighbourhood. (366 Bank)
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The Buzz - a New York style bistro atmosphere perfect for intimate dining or wine & martini lounging. Every Friday, Beats on Bank is a sexy evening of cocktails and house music. Also popular for Sunday brunch. (374 Bank)
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East India Company - good quality food close to bars and other nightlife. (210 Somerset West)
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Empire Grill - nicely grilled meat and fish in the heart of the ByWard Market. (47 Clarence)
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Kinki - sushi and modern Asian fare in the ByWard Market. (41 York)
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Métropolitain Brasserie - French bistro/brasserie with a strong emphasis on fish and seafood. (700 Sussex)
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Stella Osteria - modern Italian in a coolly elegant setting. A strong wine list, particularly from (no surprise here) Italy. (81 Clarence)
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Shanghai - gay-friendly Chinatown restaurant offers a fusion of Cantonese, Szechwan and Asian fare. Thursday evenings are DJ nights. (651 Somerset West)
Where To Meet Locals
While there are no bars specifically for lesbians, women are welcome everywhere as Ottawa is the kind of easy going town where queers of all sorts happily socialize together.
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Centretown Pub/Cell-Block/Silhouette - known as CP by the locals, the friendly pub is on the main floor while the cruisey denim/leatherish dance floor is on the second floor. Attracts an somewhat older crowd. (340 Somerset West)
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The Edge - Ottawa’s biggest gay nightclub featuring live DJs spinning House, Techno and Hip Hop. Drag shows on Friday and Saturday nights. (212 Sparks)
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Helsinki - a queer-friendly dance bar and lounge featuring ambient beats by international DJs. The most popular night, Hump at Helsinki, takes place on Wednesdays with drag queen hosts. (15 George)
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The Lookout - a great pub in the ByWard Market with a mixed crowd. Thursday is men’s night, Friday is women’s night and drag queens host on Saturday. (41 York)
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Swizzles - billed as a "bias free bar", the crowd is a mix of gay men and lesbians. Best know for karoake on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and go-go boys on Wednesdays and Saturdays. (246B Queen)
Ottawa also has a frisky bathhouse scene for gay men looking for fun.
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Breathless - adult community centre and private club that caters to alternative lifestyles such as poly-relationships, BDSM and swinging. Activities range from discussion group and cuddle nights to play parties and BDSM nights. (318 Lisgar)
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Club Ottawa - bathhouse with steam room, sauna, showers, videos and gloryholes. There’s also a monthly blackout night. (1069 Wellington)
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The Edge - Features modern, spacious rooms. Clean, safe and fun are the rules of the game. (63 Bank)
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Steamworks for Men - Includes a sauna, whirlpool, steam room and gloryholes. (487 Lewis)
Other Stuff For Your "To Do" List
Parliament Hill
Take one of the daily free tours of Parliament Hill, Canada's seat of government. Or from late June to the end of August, you can catch the colourful Changing the Guard ceremony each morning at 10am, and each night from early July to early September there’s a free Sound & Light Show, where images are projected onto the Parliament Buildings.
Canadian Government and History
As Canada's capital, Ottawa is chock full of interesting and historic buildings to visit. Drop by the Supreme Court, Rideau Hall, home of the Governor General, or the Royal Canadian Mint. Bike along Sussex Drive past many impressive embassies and the home of the Prime Minister.
During winter, tens of thousands take to the Rideau Canal Skateway, which turns into the world's largest skating rink, stretching almost 8km (about 5 miles) through downtown. During the annual Winterlude festival, the Canal is the centre of a region-wide celebration of the season taking place over the first three weekends in February. For cross-county and downhill ski enthusiasts many, trails and slopes are just minutes from downtown.
Grab a Bike
In warmer months, over 175km (or 109 miles) of paved recreational paths welcome cyclists, in-line skaters and joggers across the region. On Sunday mornings from May through September several streets are closed to cars for Sunday Bikedays. RentABike and join in.
Get Outta Town!
Gatineau Park, a wilderness conservation area located only minutes north of Ottawa in the province of Quebec, is packed with recreational opportunities any time of the year, including hiking, rock climbing, camping, canoeing, skiing, snowshoeing and an exciting zip line aerial experience. Ottawa’s many waterways are ideal for kayaking, canoeing and boating, and the upper Ottawa River offers some of the best whitewater rafting anywhere.
Shopping
Start at Rideau Centre and the ByWard Market downtown, head to the antique district down Bank Street or the outdoors stores and specialty shops along Richmond Road in Westboro. For some queer shopping visit After Stonewall, the city's gay bookstore or Mother Tongue Books for feminist, lesbian and queer reading. Venus Envy is an education-oriented women’s sex shop while Wilde's is a men-oriented adult shop with peepshows on the second floor.
Capital Pride Festival
Capital Pride, Ottawa's big queer event, is a week-long event featuring music, theatre, dances, exhibitions, workshops which climaxes with the annual Pride Parade on the final Sunday.
