Exploring Ottawa without a Car
Ottawa, Canada’s capital city has a lot of cultural riches and icons to explore. The best part is that you don’t need a car to explore all these locations. You can take in all that Ottawa has to offer this summer by boat, bike, or you can decide to go on foot, says a report on the theweathernetwork.com.
In fact, if you decide to leave your car behind and travel on foot or bike, you’ll find that the Ottawa region together with the Outaouais region across the river has over 600km of pavement waiting for cyclists and pedestrians to come thread through.
Nives Scott, a spokeswoman for Tourism Ottawa had this to say “So definitely lots of pathways and lots of ways to explore within the city itself, as well as along the Ottawa River and in Gatineau Park.”
If you would rather see some of the more charming neighborhoods in the city such as Wellington West or the Glebe, can easily be reached in 30 minutes or less if you’re a patient walker and you can keep a brisk pace. There are some places, such as the always-busy ByWard Market,that isbestexperienced on foot. That way, you can sample everything the market has to offer at a leisurely pace.
The Canadian Museum of Nature, the national museums and other major attractions in Ottawa such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, and the Parliament buildings are all relatively short walk away from each other. Most of these attractions have the Ottawa River as a backdrop.
“It’s a very walkable downtown core. It’s a city made for pedestrians,” Scott says.
Ottawa can sometimes seem like a small place, but if you swap out your four-wheeler for two wheels, you’ll find that you’ll be able to get a richer experience of the city.
The 600km of recreational pathways runs through everywhere in the capital region. A cyclist can enjoy all the museums and major attractions that are accessible to pedestrians within the city itself because the trails run through the Ottawa River, along with the Rideau Canal, and through Gatineau Park.
The culture spots are not the only places to visit in the city. The Ottawa River is home to several beaches such as Petrie Island and Britannia Beach to the west. You can get easy access to the beaches bya bicycle, and they are a great way to cool off when it’s hot out.
If you’re someone who takes pleasure in keeping fit, then you’re sure to love summer Sundays. From the latter parts of May until Labour Day weekend, at least 50km of parkways stays closed to motorized vehicles. It is only open to pedestrians, cyclists, and any other self-propelled transportation as part of Nokia Sunday Bikedays. The event runs from 9am until 1pm.
Ottawa is a great place to explore once you’re ready to leave your vehicle behind. You can experience the best that Ottawa has to offer on land as well through the river. So if you want to really get to know and exploreCanada’s capital city this summer, then you may want to park your car and explore on foot, bike, or boat.