Ottawa in December
 

Hi,

I will be in Ottawa the first week of December to watch the Olympic curling trials. Since this is my first trip to Ottawa, I also want to do some sightseeing.

Would visiting the Rideau Canal be worthwhile that time year? I know its too early to ice skate, but wondering if it would be an enjoyable walk.

Also, I was wondering if touring the ground of Rideau Hall would be worthwhile in December.

Thanks!

Yes the canal should still be an enjoyable walk. There will be lots of runners out at lunch time and on weekends. Even the odd cyclist if the snow has not yet arrived. If there is a cold wind the west side of the canal is more sheltered than the east side.

The entire area around Rideau Hall makes for a nice walk, either inside or outside the grounds.

You can also take a tour of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill before it closes up for ten years.

Too bad the curling is not downtown. It's a bit of a hike out to the Can Tire Centre.

The Canadian Tire Centre is not, in real life, in Ottawa but rather the absurd planned suburb of Kanata. It is the home of the Ottawa Senators, for good hockey times and bad. Here is a link on how to get there (certainly not by hiking): http://www.canadiantirecentre.com/pl...ransportation/
Ottawa has lots of practice with winter and the cultural and wine-and-dine attractions should be in full swing during your stay.

Thanks for the info on the canal and Rideau Hall. One of my hobbies is photography so was thinking both places would be good for that.

I have a rental car to get to the arena and reserved parking.

Re the Canal a lot of people staying downtown don't visit the far end of the Canal at Dows Lake. Very picturesque. I should have mentioned that the Canal is partly drained for the winter so it is not quite as pretty as it is in summer.

The area behind the Chateau Laurier and then starting across the Alexandra Bridge pedestrian walkway is also great for photos.

Nice place to visit. It's historic. Also, in the winter, you can skate on the canal but not at the boat locks area of course. Nice place for a walk.

The canal was drained a couple of weeks ago. Dow's Lake ditto. Still pleasant walking but not so scenic.

I'd walk the length of Sussex Drive - passing the Byward Market, National Gallery, multiple embassies, Rideau Falls, the PM's residence (currently under renovation) and ending at Rideau Hall.

At the Nat. Gallery: a big show of James Morrice, a Canadian impressionist who mostly paainted in Europe. The paintings are owned by a single man, a former middle-level federal govt. employee who got into the art business and made a fortune.