Travel from Toronto to Ottawa

If you're looking for a quick but interesting weekend trip, traveling from Toronto to Ottawa is an easy way to experience another city without spending a lot of money or making a big time commitment. As the capital city of Canada, Ottawa has many museums, galleries and cultural events to chose from, and of course offers a lot for the politically-minded and for history buffs.

Where is Ottawa?

Ottawa is found to the north-east of Toronto, on the Ontario-Quebec provincial border.

Its proximity means it's easy for Torontonians to get to know both cities intimately, and for tourists to make a stop in both the capital of Ontario and the capital of Canada during the same trip.

• Learn more Ottawa Canada Basics

More Reasons to Visit

There are many great reasons for anyone to visit Ottawa and explore Ottawa's top attractions. But here are a few special draws for Toronto residents:

• NHL fans can try to book tickets to see the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place (which is a 15 minute drive from downtown Ottawa, according to the Senators' website).
• Although there are plenty of great Canada Day events in Toronto, there's something to be said for celebrating our nation's birthday in our nation's capital at least once in your life.
• Held every May, the Ottawa Tulip Festival is an annual event that all Canadians can take pride in. The festival stems from a thank-you gift given to our nation in 1945 from Princess Juliana, who wanted to thank Canada for helping liberate the Netherlands and taking in exiled Dutch royalty during World War II.

Traveling from Toronto to Ottawa

There are many options for easy travel between Toronto and Ottawa:

• VIA Rail offers a train between downtown Toronto and Ottawa several times a day, seven days a week. The trip takes between four and five hours, depending on the schedule you choose.
• Porter Airlines offers multiple daily flights from the downtown, island-based Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) to the Ottawa International Airport (YOW), which is located south of the Ottawa city centre.
• Greyhound Canada offers regular bus service between the two cities.
• And of course there's the option of driving yourself from Toronto to Ottawa. The estimated travel time varies quite a bit depending on who you ask (and how fast they drive), but expect to spend at least four hours in your car.

For more on what to do and how to visit the City of Ottawa, visit the official tourism site, www.ottawatourism.ca.