Canada Day
 

Hi there,

We are planning a 2 week holiday and Canada Day *1st July)falls right in the middle. What exactly ahppens on this day - do all shops and attractions close? Do they re-open over the weekend?

Also, we could plan the trip so that we were in Toronto, Ottawa or Quebec for Canada Day - accomodation for gthat weekend in Toronto seems really expensive, Quebec is reasonable and Ottawa is very cheap. Does this mean that Ottawa empties etc?

Please help!!!

Far from emptying, Ottawa is THE place to be on Canada Day. It's a daylong party that goes well into the evening, with much of the downtown closed to traffic, various events and concerts on Parliament Hill etc. etc. All the various attractions (museums etc) will be open, as well as shops in the downtown area.

The National Capital Commission, which runs the Canada Day events, should soon be posting the schedule on its website:

http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/index_e.asp

Toronto's hotels are particularly expensive this year because of a huge AA convention that weekend -- over 40,000 delegates, I believe. Ottawa's the place to be that weekend, anyway.

We were in Ottawa several years ago on Canada Day and it was a lot of fun. We stayed at the Delta Hotel and were able to walk to everything.

Ottawa is a great place to be on Canada Day

We've been in Ottawa a couple of times for Canada Day and it is a tremendous experience. There is stage show on Parliament Hill in the evening and the famous "Musical Ride" on the grounds during the day, as well as the changing of the guard parade up the hill and a concert on the lawn. Byward Market is buzzing and there was a huge chicken barbeque in the park behind the Chateau Laurier. If you have the chance to be in Ottawa on Canada Day, don't miss it!

I say Ottawa for Canada day. It's the best walking city in Canada. The best evening view is on the bridge behind the National Arts Centre looking towards The Parliament buildings. You can walk anywhere from there. The best view from a Building anywhere is from the inside glass area of the National Art gallery (free admission) to the main part of the building. You will see the city from the inside of a glass building. The entire gallery was built for its views as much as the art. You can walk across the street for the best view of the fireworks (at the bridge) Sometimes the steets are blocked to traffic because of the location of the american embassy but it hasnt happened in a while. I'm not from Ottawa but it's my fafourite Cdn. city and it's beautiful year round.

Hi David_m11, I agree with everyone. Ottawa is the place to be on Canada Day. Canadians from all parts of the country flock to Parliament Hill to celebrate their country. The singing of the national anthem is always very moving, and the fireworks at around 10:00 PM are always outdoing themselves, year after year. You might want to save Quebec City for the St-Jean-Baptiste celebrations on June 24 (check their website to see what's on) or for their Medieval celebration (although I don't know if they have it still.) Enjoy your trip.