3 Days in Ottawa: A Long Weekend Guide for Busy Foodies
If you live in upstate New York and haven’t done a weekend in Ottawa you’re missing out on one of the easiest trips you can take. Ottawa is just a few hours away and it’s a great size city for a few low key days away. Read on to see what’s worth your time and what isn’t!
What You’ll Love About This Trip:
- Low stress. Leave after work Thursday, be home in time for work on Monday.
- The food scene is great IF you know where to look.
- Ottawa has a ton of museums, but it’s a small city so you won’t feel overwhelmed by a short trip
why Ottawa?
When I told people that I spent a long weekend in Ottawa, they all had the same question: WHY?
It’s a fair question. Ottawa isn’t known for French-Canadian charm like Montreal or Quebec, and it doesn’t have a bustling food scene like Toronto. Honestly, it’s easy to forget that it even exists.
But it’s a short drive from Albany, I was looking for something low key, and I’d never been there before and wanted to check it out. For me, that’s more than enough of a why!
It’s a small enough city that three days gave us more than enough time to feel like we saw a lot and got a good feel for things, without feeling like we absolutely need to go back (although we would!)
The Hotel: Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market
We stayed at the Andaz.
I love Andaz hotels. They’re owned by Hyatt, so they have great deals if you want to pay with credit card points, but they tend to be smaller and have more of an elevated, boutique hotel feel than some of the more corporate chains. We booked our room through the American Express travel portal, so we got $200 back as a statement credit and a $100 hotel credit. The credit was enough to cover parking. (Note: The hotel only offers valet parking, but does have unlimited in-out privileges.)
At check-in we were welcomed by name and they gave us a gift certificate for a free glass of wine at happy hour, which was a really thoughtful touch.
The room decor was minimalist, with lots of light colored wood and Canadian themed artwork.
They had a Nespresso machine AND liquid creamer in the room. I know this is a small thing, but it’s the kind of thing that always wins me over. There’s nothing worse than bad coffee and powdered creamer packets. There were also complimentary Vickie’s chips in the room.
In terms of other amenities, there’s a gym (no pool), a rooftop lounge/bar with a nice outdoor space, and a lobby restaurant/bar.
The hotel is right near ByWard Market, so you’re walking distance to all of the key spots: Parliament, the National Gallery, and plenty of restaurants and food spots. I couldn’t have asked for a better location.
If the Andaz isn’t for you or if you‘re loyal to another hotel chain, there’s a Courtyard Marriott literally right across the street, and Westin and Doubletree are a few blocks away.
In April 2026, there was some construction in the lot next to the hotel. It didn’t bother me at all (I actually thought it was fun to watch the huge cranes from my window!), but they did provide earplugs in the room as a consideration.
Day One (Thursday): Drive, Check In, Wind Down
We drove in after work on Thursday and kept it low key.
It took us a little under 5 hours to get there from Albany, and we knew we wanted to start Friday bright and early.
If you have the energy and want to stretch your legs after the drive, you can take a walk to the light up Ottawa sign a few blocks away, near the market. It’s an easy way to feel like you saw something right away, without taking a lot of time.
Day Two (Friday): The Museum Day
Friday was rainy and cold, but that was fine since we wanted to check out a few museums. We visited the Diefenbunker, the Royal Canadian Mint, and the National Gallery.
The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum
This was the surprise hit of the trip. The Diefenbunker is a really cool, four-story underground bunker that was built during the Cold War to protect Canada’s government officials and military leadership if there was a nuclear attack. Now it’s a museum.
You enter through a blast tunnel, which is pretty surreal, then walk through workspaces, living quarters, and the communications center, all still set up with old maps, rotary phones, and early computers. There are a few interactive exhibits (some worked, some didn’t), lots of information about the Cold War, and some surprisingly humble acknowledgements that they didn’t always do things right.
At night, they use the space for escape room experiences that look SO FUN. I wish we had known that before making it the first stop of the day.
Diefenbunker is about 45 minutes outside of downtown Ottawa, but it’s a cute drive through small towns.
Admission: $19.50 CAD (about $15 US, depending on the exchange rate)
The Royal Canadian Mint
We wanted to do the Mint tour but it was sold out. If it’s on your list, make sure you make a reservation ahead of time. They seemed to be pretty short staffed, which didn’t help.
If you can’t get a tour, you can still go in and see the gift shop, which had some pretty cool commemorative coins and other stuff to browse.
Admission: $14 CAD; reservations required.
The National Gallery of Canada
After the Mint gift shop, we headed to the National Gallery, which is right next door. This is the building with the giant spider statue out front.
The building itself is gorgeous. I love architecture and couldn’t get enough of the soaring ceilings, all the windows overlooking the river and the courtyard-like spaces inside.
The museum collection had all of the standard stuff you’d expect to see in any art museum, but you’re there for the collections of Indigenous and Inuit art and contemporary Canadian art.
We got hungry while we were here so we went to the museum cafe. I’ll be honest and say it wasn’t that good. Eat before you go, or plan to grab something afterward. There is a coffeeshop on the ground level that’s much better.
Admission: $22 CAD, with a $3 discount if you book online. FREE on Thursday nights from 5-8pm if you get into town early enough.
Other Museums to explore
We didn’t get to everything, but here’s what I’d add on a longer trip or a second visit:
Canadian War Museum: This one came highly recommended by a lot of people. It covers Canadian military history from early conflicts all the way to contemporary ones.
Canadian Museum of History: Across the River in Gatineau (technically Quebec). It has the largest indoor collection of totem poles in the world and tells the story of Canada from Indigenous history forward.
Canadian Museum of Nature: A natural history museum set in a beautiful historic castle-style building minutes from Parliament Hill. Think: dinosaur fossils, minerals, and birds.
Canada Aviation and Space Museum: Over 130 aircraft including one of the most complete Lancaster bombers in existence.
Park Omega: A drive through zoo featuring Canadian animals like moose and grey wolves.
Happy Hour
We went back to the hotel to rest a little, then used our complimentary wine vouchers at the lobby bar.
dinner: speakeasy Ottawa
We walked around ByWard looking for dinner and landed on Speakeasy Ottawa which was a great call. It was dim and a little moody, with live music, great cocktails, and small plates that were perfect for sharing. We had beef tataki (made with marbled Canadian beef that was so much richer than any tataki I’ve ever had) and seared scallops (served with beets, parsnip puree, and chili oil). Both were incredible.
The cocktails are where this place really shines. I had the Velvet Passion, which had vanilla vodka, passionfruit puree, lime, and egg white and was served with a sidecar of prosecco (I don’t know why, but I’ll take it!). It struck the perfect balance of being fruity without being too sweet. Shawn enjoyed The Capone, which was bourbon with cucumber, basil, and ginger beer.
CASINO
We closed the night out at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau. They had a fun band and lots of people were dancing, so this is a fun spot even if you aren’t a gambler.
Day Three (Saturday): Parliament, Free Museums, Dumplings
Breakfast: Le Moulin de Provence
Le Moulin de Provence is a cute bakery right on the corner of ByWard Market. They’re VERY proud of the fact that Obama visited and bought cookies. It’s pretty touristy, but felt like a “must do” and was worth a quick stop. They have coffee and a great selection of pastries, along with a small hot breakfast menu.
Parliament Hill Tour
After breakfast, we headed over for a tour of Parliament.
Centre Block (the main building with the Peace Tower) is currently closed for renovation, so they moved where the legislative chambers meet. The House of Commons converted an office building courtyard into a temporary chamber, and the Senate meets in the old train station. It was really fascinating to see how they shuffled things around, and learning about how the Canadian government operates was interesting (especially given my job in government in the States!)
There’s also a Centennial Flame in front of Parliament. It was lit in 1966 to commemorate Canada’s 100 years anniversary. It was originally planned as a temporary exhibit, but it’s still there.
Admission: Free; reservations required.
The Bank of Canada Museum: Free and SO MUCH FUN
The Bank of Canada Museum was recommended by the woman working at the Mint gift shop, and I’m so glad I took her advice. This place was so much fun, with tons of interactive exhibits. Plus it was free! The topics are a little boring (monetary policy, the psychology of economic expectations, the history of Canadian bank note design) but the activities made it fun. You create your own avatar and move through economic scenarios, like playing a space-invaders type game to keep inflation in check, designing your own currency, and balancing supply and demand. I could have spent so much time here.
Admission: FREE
Afternoon: Got a foodie Tattoo
This was a me thing, not necessarily something for everyone. But if you’re in the market, Ottawa has a ton of tattoo shops. I loved the vibe of Colibri and finally got the pasta tattoo I’d been thinking about for months. They did an amazing job and I absolutely love it.
Early Dinner/Snack: The Dumpling Bowl, Chinatown
After getting back from our Asia trip last winter, we’ve been a little obsessed so we wanted to check out Ottawa’s Chinatown. It was…small. Not like the one in Toronto at all. That said, we grabbed some dumplings at The Dumpling Bowl, and they were very good. My favorites were the pork and chive dumplings with their homemade chili sauce.
Sunset Drive
We took a drive along the river to watch the sunset. Kiweki Point, right by the National Gallery has great views.
Late Night Wandering, Dinner
We spent some more time exploring the ByWard neighborhood, it seemed like every time we walked the same streets we’d notice different places.
Axia Station is a Japanese shop with so many fun things to look at, and we also really loved wandering around La Bottega Nicastro, an Italian specialty store with groceries and prepared foods (the coffee smelled so good!)
Eventually we got hungry but couldn’t decide what we wanted so we just went back to the Andaz for a late-night burger and espresso martini (a negroni and chicken Cesare salad for Shawn). There drinks were excellent, but the food left something to be desired.
We also checked out the rooftop lounge, which was hopping! The outdoor space was closed for the season (it was early April) but has fantastic views.
Day Four (Sunday): Lazy Morning + The Drive Home
We had a lazy morning, then grabbed beaver tails and coffee before hitting the road to head home. Beaver Tails are a MUST for any foodie visiting Ottawa. They’re similar to fried dough or elephant ears, but thin and crispy and finished off with all sorts of fun toppings. Of course I went for one with Maple Butter.
Do not even think about sharing these with someone. Trust me, you’re going to want your own.
Lunch Stop: Restaurant La Belle, Lachute
On the way home we detoured through Lachute, Quebec, because we heard the poutine at Restaurant La Belle was the best around.
It was PACKED! To note, this restaurant is counter service only and the staff speaks French French (have your translator app handy!) but OMG it lived up to every bit of the hype. Real Quebec poutine is out of this world. The gravy was so savory and rich, and the cheese curds were the best I’ve ever had. 11/10. No notes. We each got a medium (ordering mishap) and barely made a dent. I’d say two people could definitely share a small. Give yourself a half hour to walk around the cute town before getting back into the car.
We were back home in time to catch a show at the Palace Theater before heading back to work Monday morning.
Practical Notes
Getting there: Ottawa is about 4-5 hours from Albany, depending on traffic and the wait at the border. Remember that you’ll need a passport, passport card, or enhanced drivers license to cross the border.
Money: Canada uses CAD. The exchange rate works in your favor as an American. Prices look similar to what you’d expect at home, but are actually significantly cheaper, especially if you have a credit card that doesn’t have international transaction fees!
Language: Ottawa is officially bilingual, but unofficially seemed to operate mostly in English.
The Ottawa Museums Pass: If you’re planning to go to a few museums, the Ottawa Museums Pass gives you admission to 9 different places (including the Mint, Diefenbunker, and the National Gallery) for $40 for 1 day or $75 for 3 days. I wish I had known about this sooner!
Tipping: Canada tips similarly to the U.S., with 15–20% being standard.
Phone Service: Your phone should still work, but you might get hit with international or roaming fees. I recommend grabbing an eSIM to avoid surprise charges. I personally use roamless because it works in a ton of countries, so I don’t have to have to get a new card/plan for each trip. For this weekend, I used what I had leftover on my card from a trip to the Caribbean in February. Use code BKBMJIBK for $5 in free global credits!
Parking: There’s a lot of construction around, and parking can be hard to find and is almost exclusively paid parking. Lucky, the touristy areas of Ottawa are very walkable and you can also grab and Uber or Lyft.
The Full Itinerary at a Glance
Thursday: Drive in, check into hotel, explore ByWard Market
Friday: Diefenbunker → Royal Canadian Mint → National Gallery → Happy hour → Dinner
Saturday: Le Moulin de Provence → Parliament Hill → Bank of Canada Museum → Chinatown → Sunset → Dinner and Drinks
Sunday: Lazy morning → Beaver tail for the road → Poutine stop → Home
Final thoughts
So, what’s 100% worth your time as a Busy Foodie? Beaver tails for sure. (They’re worth every last calorie!) Speakeasy Canada for both food and cocktails. Restaurant LaBelle. The Dumpling Bowl.
Save your time and skip the National Gallery cafeteria (visit Happy Goat Coffee at the ground level instead), Feast + Revel at the Andaz.
Would I do another weekend in Ottawa? Yes, I’m already thinking about a trip back for a more nature focused weekend centered around Nordik Spa-Nature and Park Omega.
