Farm stalls
Seasonal produce.
Trappy at en.wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jeangagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jeangagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ottawa's oldest and liveliest shopping district, which grew from a farmers' market founded in 1826 and is counted among the oldest public markets in Canada, a few minutes' walk from Parliament Hill and the National Gallery. At the heart of the district is the historic market building, surrounded in the warm seasons by farmers' stalls in the streets selling fruit, vegetables, flowers, maple syrup and produce from the countryside around the city. The neighbouring streets are full of restaurants, cafés, bakeries and small shops. One of the best-known things to try here is the BeaverTail, a flat fried pastry shaped like a beaver's tail and topped with cinnamon sugar or chocolate, one of whose first permanent shops opened in this market. In the evening the district becomes a centre of nightlife. Entry is free and the market is open daily, with the farmers' stalls at their best from spring to autumn. Weekend mornings, before the evening crowds, are best.
Seasonal produce.
The beaver-tail pastry.
In old streets.
ByWard Market Square, east of Parliament Hill, Ottawa
Rideau CanalA historic waterway opened in 1832, running 202 kilometres from Ottawa to Kingst7 minutes walk4.8
National Gallery of CanadaCanada's largest art museum, in a striking glass-and-granite building by the arc8 minutes walk4.6
Parliament HillThe heart and symbol of Canada's capital, a group of Gothic Revival stone buildi12 minutes walk4.8
Canadian Museum of HistoryCanada's most visited museum, on the north bank of the Ottawa River in Gatineau,17 minutes walk4.6A flat fried pastry shaped like a beaver's tail, topped with cinnamon sugar or chocolate, an Ottawa favourite.