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Metropolitan area
Photo: Amqui, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The National Capital Region is an official designation comprising Canada's capital Ottawa, in Ontario, the neighbouring city of Gatineau, in Quebec, and surrounding urban and rural communities. It used to be called Ottawa/Hull and is now sometimes called Ottawa/Gatineau, effectively one city but on two sides of the Ottawa River and therefore of the Ontario/Quebec border.
The northern parts of the Ottawa-Rideau region, in Eastern Ontario
The southern parts of the Outaouais region of Quebec
The large forested recreation area just north of the city.
A rural farming area surrounding Old Ottawa preserved from suburbanization by the Canadian government.
Most people will arrive via Ottawa but there is also a good highway (A50) to Montreal running along the Quebec side of the river.
Read in the guideThe municipal bus systems of both Ottawa and Gatineau have a few bus routes which go into the other city.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Ottawa · International · YOW
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a gateway to the eastern parts of Gatineau Park
Gatineau Park is the outdoor playground for Canada's National Capital Region (Ottawa and Gatineau). It offers amazing possibilities for outdoor recreation, within a 20-minute drive of either city.
a small town in the Outaouais countryside, that sometimes hosts large government conferences in the Château Montebello, the largest log structure ever built, and one of Canada's Grand railway hotels
a charming village with many restaurants and other tourist facilities
an all-season resort area, with summer and winter sports on the hills and surrounding forest, and motorsports and golfing nearby
small rural communities, with trails and conservation lands providing recreational activities
Articles and travel topics about National Capital Region (Canada) and Canada.
Travel tipsDiscover how to use AI to find cheap flights. Learn prompt strategies, smart fare engines, open-jaw routings, and error-fare booking techniques.
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Nature & adventureThe National Parks of Canada, and some of the National Historic Sites of Canada, are managed by Parks Canada, an agency of the Government of Canada.
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Travel tipsAlthough trains are not nearly as ubiquitous and convenient a mode of travel in Canada as in Europe or East Asia, they remain popular with some travelers because of the spacious design of the cars, the scenic routes,…
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Nature & adventureMany books have been written about hiking in the Canadian Rockies, particularly in Alberta and eastern British Columbia (the "Rocky Mountains" don't actually extend that far).
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