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Published: 12/23/2025
Discover all the best things to do in Ottawa this winter
If you’re headed to Ottawa this winter and curious what you can get up to on your visit, wonder no more! I’ve got you covered with a comprehensive list of Ottawa’s best winter activities and places to visit.
As Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, Ontario has a sleepy reputation. It doesn’t have the deep history (and successionist tendencies) of nearby Montreal and it most definitely missed out on Vancouver’s chill vibes. Since many people come into town on official government business, it’s easy to overlook just how fun Ottawa can be.
And at no point in the year is Ottawa a better time than in the depths of winter. Since winter is Canada’s longest, coldest, and most defining season it only makes sense that this is Ottawa’s time to shine. Winter days might be short, but with outdoor skating, hockey games, skiing, museums, and winter festivals galore you won’t struggle to fill them in Ottawa.
To help you plan your winter visit, I’ve broken down this list of Ottawa winter activities into outdoor and indoor suggestions. The adage, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing,” certainly rings true in outdoor loving Ottawa. However, in case of a full-on blizzard (not an uncommon experience in Ottawa!), you might prefer an indoorsy activity like afternoon tea, a hands-on art night, or visiting one of Ottawa’s many excellent museums like the National Gallery or Museum of Nature.
So, grab your parka, pull on your toque, and let’s dive into what to do in Ottawa this winter!
Outdoor Winter Activities in Ottawa
1. Ice skating
Let’s start out strong with Ottawa’s premiere winter attraction: the Rideau Canal Skateway! Each winter (weather permitting), the historic Rideau Canal transforms into the world’s largest skating rink and best-known ice skating trail. The 7.8 km skateway, which runs through downtown Ottawa, opens when ice thickness reaches 30 cm (that’s just shy of one foot for us Yanks) which is usually in mid/late January and stays open until late February or early March.
To be honest, the Rideau Canal is the entire reason we visited Ottawa in February 2025 and it was 100% worth the journey. I loved skating through Ottawa’s neighborhoods and being able to skate right up to food and drink booths may have spoiled me for all other skating experiences.
Pro tip: Expect a lot of skate aids getting shoved around and wobbly skaters outside the warming house by the Rideau Centre. Once you get about .2 miles down the canal, skater confidence increases dramatically and it’s much less crowded.
Sadly, some years it just isn’t cold for the Rideau Canal to freeze thick enough to open the skateway. (Curse you climate change!) Don’t worry: there are still plenty of skating opportunities sprinkled around the nation’s capital. Outdoor rinks close to the city center include Bingham Park Outdoor Rink, the Rink of Dreams just south of Confederation Park, and the outdoor rink at Lansdowne Park.
2. Cross country skiing
Take advantage of Ottawa’s notoriously snowy winters and get a few clicks in on your cross-country skis during your stay. Ottawa gets an average of about 85 inches of annual snowfall so you should have any problem getting out on the trails any time from December – March.
Your most convenient option is to hit up Kichi Sibi Winter Trail along the Ottawa River. This 18 kilometer multi-use trail starts just west of Parliament Hill.
For another convenient, but shorter cross-country skiing experience, head to the Rideau Winter Trail located east of downtown. Also a multi-use trail, this trail follows the Rideau River (yes, this is different from the canal) for 9 kilometres and makes various loops. You could also check out Mooney Bay Ski Centre, especially for their night lit trails.
Hands down your best option if you’re a passionate cross-country skier is to head across the Ottawa River to Gatineau Park in Quebec. If the word “park” makes you think of a small stretch of green space that covers a couple city blocks, let me clarify that Gatineau is actually a massive forest preserve that’s more provincial park than city park. You’ll find an impressive 200 kilometres of ski trails here!
I packed a ridiculously large suitcase for my trip to Ottawa, but didn’t manage to fit my cross-country skis inside. Luckily, it’s easy to rent skis for your Ottawa visit. You’ll find rentals available at Fresh Air Experience in Ottawa or Relais Plein Air near Gatineau Park.
3. Downhill skiing
Not one for skinny skis? You don’t have to travel far to find downhill skiing and snowboarding opportunities in Ottawa. Camp Fortune is a small ski hill located about a 15-minute drive from downtown Ottawa in Chelsea, Quebec. A little further north, you’ll find Mont Cascades which offers a wider range of runs than Camp Fortune.
If you’re an experienced downhill skier, you may prefer to trade longer drive for more run options. Calabogie Peaks, Mont Chilly, or Mont Ste. Marie are all about a 60-75 minute drive outside of Ottawa.
4. Snowshoe
It’s a well-known fact that I draw the line for strapping things to my feet in the name of winter recreation when it comes to snowshoeing. However, there’s no denying that snowshoeing is a peaceful winter activity and has the advantage of not requiring groomed trails.
Most of the places where you can cross-country ski near Ottawa’s city centre offers multi-use trails where you can also snowshoe, so check out Kichi Sibi Winter Trail, Rideau Winter Trail, or Mooney’s Bay Ski Centre. If you do opt to snowshoe on a multi-use trail, just make sure you stay out of the groomed ski tracks! Another snowshoeing option is Hylands Golf Course.
Need a pair of snowshoes for your visit to Ottawa? You can rent snowshoes on site at many snowshoe trail locations including from La Fleur Ski Rentals near at Mooney’s Bay Ski Centre and Hylands Golf Course.
Elevate your snowshoe experience by going on a guided evening snowshoe in Gatineau Park, complete with dinner.
5. Sledding
For quintessential winter fun, you can’t beat grabbing your toboggan and heading for the neighborhood sledding hill after a snowfall. Happily, Ottawa is rich in sledding hills.
Some popular sledding locations around Ottawa include Gatineau Park, Ski Hill Park (often referred to as Zellers Hill by locals), Green’s Creek, MacDonald Garden Park, Bruce Pit, and Carlington Park.
The City of Ottawa actually has an online sledding hill locator to make it super easy to track down the hill closest to you.
6. Fat Biking
Almost everywhere you can snowshoe in Ottawa (i.e. Kichi Sibi Winter Trail, Hylands Golf Course, and Rideau Winter Trail) you can also go fat biking. Sometimes referred to as snow biking, I don’t know much about this winter sport, but Ottawa would definitely be a great place to check it out.
If this is going to be your first fat biking experience, I recommend heading to Gatineau Park. You can rent bikes directly from Relais Plein Air and check out the park’s extensive network of fat bike trails.
7. Eat a Beavertail
Does a BeaverTail eaten anywhere other than Rideau Canal Skateway taste so good? Maybe this isn’t technically an outdoor activity, but we all know food tastes best when you eat it outside. I think Ottawa’s signature pastry, the BeaverTail, tastes best at the end of long day of outdoor winter fun.
What’s a BeaverTail, you may ask. It’s a very thin fried pastry that’s covered with cinnamon sugar, chocolate hazelnut spread, maple glaze, or a myriad of other toppings. One popular BeaverTail flavor is the Killaloe Sunrise, which is just a classic cinnamon sugar Beavertail served with a lemon wedge to squeeze on top to really make the flavors pop.
You’ll find BeaverTail stands all along the Rideau Canal Skateway, as well as sprinkled around Ottawa, especially in tourist hot spots like ByWard Market.
8. Warm up with a steaming beverage
Of course you’ll want to a warm beverage to wash down your pastry!
As an American, I am unhealthily enamored with Tim Horton’s. I know Canadians are rolling their eyes right now, but I’m always going to recommend swinging into the nearest location to grab a coffee to go when visiting our friendly neighbors to the north. It’s not my fault their coconut vanilla latte tastes like magic in a cup!
You won’t have to go far to track down a mug of hot chocolate in Ottawa either. You’ll find hot chocolate vendors all along the Rideau Canal Skateway as well as around the Sparks Street area if you’re visiting on a Winterlude Festival weekend.
If you’re looking for something stronger to warm up at the end of the day, I highly recommend a Northern Spike. Made with green tea, maple sap, and rum or whiskey, we tracked down this tasty pick-me-up at the Dunrobin booth on the Rideau Canal.
9. Take part in Winterlude festivities
Ottawa hosts an annual winter festival called Winterlude. Winterlude runs over three weekends, starting on the last weekend of January. To be brutally honest, Winterlude feels like most tourism board sponsored events – aka, it focuses more on promoting local businesses’ preexisting services than creating events to excite Ottawa residents and visitors.
That’s not to say there aren’t things to check out as part of Winterlude each year. In 2026, events include a mini powwow, a road race, freestyle snowmobile performances, and Igloofest music festival. The most tempting events are held in Gatineau’s Jacques-Cartier Park where you’ll find tubing, a ferris wheel, and hot drinks and snacks.
We were in town mid-week during Winterlude and since the festival events are limited to weekends, the only Winterlude activity we could partake in was looking at the ice sculptures along Sparks Street and in Confederation Park. The sculptures were spectacular. I recommend swing by to see them both in the day and when they’re lit up after dark.
10. Parc Omega
One of the most unique winter things to do in Ottawa is to take an hour road trip over to Parc Omega in Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Quebec. This safari park is home to more 800 wild animals, mostly Northern American fauna like wolves, fox, elk, moose, beavers, deer, and caribou.
During your visit, you’ll drive a 12km route through the park. If you arrive early in the morning, you can go on a guided bus tour with a naturalist – available by reservation only. Other offerings include a wildlife observatory and a First Nations Walking Path where you learn about the indigenous people of the area.
If this is a little farther than you want to drive for a day trip there are restaurants and accommodations on site.
11. Nordik Spa
You could probably argue that a spa is an indoor activity, but at Nordik Spa Village, the largest spa in North America, you access most saunas and hot tubs via outdoor walkways. This spa village located in Chelsea, QC just 15 minutes north of downtown Ottawa, offers massages, facials, saunas, hot tubs, flotation pools, several restaurants, and so much more.
With the various dining options and spa services, you could easily while away an entire day at Nordik. Nothing beats a soak in an outdoor hot tub surrounded by snow-flocked pine trees.
12. Winter hiking
Don’t want to worry about tipping over skis or remembering how to balance a bike or skates? Winter activities don’t have to be complicated in Ottawa. Just lace up your boots and go for a hiking in one of Ottawa’s many green spaces.
Some favorite Ottawa locations for winter strolls include Carlington Park, Hog’s Back Park, and Dominion Arboretum.
If you want to spice things up, or just get to know Ottawa better, you could get your steps in on a walking tour of Ottawa’s downtown.
Inside Things To Do in Ottawa in winter
13. Tour the Houses of Parliament
Not going to the Houses of Parliament while in Ottawa is kind of like going to Washington D.C. and not bothering with the U.S. Capitol. I think this activity should be on any Ottawa itinerary, but it’s especially good option during inclement weather.
Since the main Parliament building is currently undergoing massive renovations and isn’t slated to reopen until sometime in the 2030s, you currently have two ways to “get inside” Parliament in the winter. You can either head to Parliament: The Immersive Experience on Sparks Street, or you can book a guided tour of the House of Commons. Both are free, but require advance booking.
If you only have time for one tour, I preferred the House of Commons tour.
14. Do a little shopping
If it’s blowing and snowy during your Ottawa visit, you’ll find plenty of shopping opportunities to keep you busy until the weather improves. Check out the ByWard Market and Rideau Centre area for great souvenir shops and lots of specialty shops like booksellers, jewelers, and disproportionate amount of smoke/vape shops.
This is another recommendation that might leave Canadians scratching their heads, but visitors to Canada love a spin through a Bulk Barn. This chain box store is where you can stock up on more than 4000 food items including candies, nuts, snacks, spices, baking supplies, and personal care products . . . all in bulk. The closest Bulk Barns to downtown Ottawa are on Riverside Drive and Trainyards Dr.
Sadly, our favorite Ottawa shopping destination, the Hudson’s Bay department store finally went under just weeks after our visit, bringing the company’s 355-year history in Canada to a close. Cue the sad trombone!
15. Have afternoon tea at ZOE’s in Chateau Laurier Hotel
ZOE’s is the restaurant located inside Chateau Laurier, a historic Ottawa hotel in the heart of downtown that looks like a castle. Despite its historic appearance, the hotel was actually built by the railways in 1912. Their daily afternoon tea service is a beloved ritual among both Ottawa residents and visitors.
The tea features a very typical selection of savory sandwiches and sweet treats including scones and clotted cream. You choose from a selection of more than 20 teas with an optional add-on of a cocktail or glass of sparkling wine. If you’re visiting over the holidays, they might be offering their festive afternoon tea service.
16. Tour the Royal Mint
I’m dating myself here, but I’m old enough to remember the roll out of the “Toonie” ($2 coin) to replace the Canadian $2 bill. So when I realized I could go to the birthplace of the Toonie while in Ottawa, I was all about it.
The Royal Canadian Mint is a beautiful stone building that looks more like castle than a coin factory. A visit to the Mint includes a 45 minute tour and they also have a gift shop where you can purchase collector coins and other unique Mint items.
I was really surprised to learn that they don’t only make Canadian coins. The mint actually produces coins for other countries and they also churn out medals, medallions, tokens, and collector coins. I loved getting to look at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic medals!
17. Head to a museum
As Canada’s capital, Ottawa is obligated to have some of the best museums in the country, and I think they hold up their end of that bargain very well. Some favorite Ottawa museums include the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian War Museum, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, and the Bank of Canada Museum.
We were too busy outside to hit up too many museums during our visit, but I do recommend a visit to the National Gallery for its fabulous collection of both European, Canadian, and indigenous artwork.
If you’re planning to hit up several museums during your visit, be sure to get an Ottawa Pass to save a little on your admissions. (Bonus: the Ottawa Pass often runs a mid-winter special!)
18. Go to a hockey game
Ottawa is a hockey town for sure and you won’t struggle to find a hockey game to attend during a winter visit to the city. Ottawa’s NHL franchise, the Senators, play just outside of the city centre in the suburb of Kanata.
If you want to stay within the city limits, both the PWHL Charge and Ottawa 67s play at TD Place in Lansdowne. A big bonus for a game at TD Place is that if the Rideau Canal Skateway is open, you can actually skate to the game!
19. Have a drink
I know I already recommended getting a warm beverage, but what I can I say, if there’s one thing northern climates are good at, it’s drinking alcohol.
Some favorite Ottawa spots to grab a specialty cocktail include the Jackalope speakeasy attached to the Rabbit Hole on Sparks Street or Nan’s Parlour in ByWard Market. Down by Lansdowne, CRAFT beer market serves up a mind-boggling amount of beers on tap. Randomly, there are so many Irish pubs in the ByWard Market area so you’ll never have to go far if you’re craving a Guinness in Ottawa.
20. Do a diner crawl or food tour
Ottawa has many, many diners, cafes, and coffee shops. You could easily devote a full day to crisscrossing the city centre searching out Ottawa’s best burgers, coffees, and milkshakes. While we hit up a few favorite diners and coffee shops during visit, we didn’t make a full day of it and I kind of regret it. If I were to do it again, I’d be sure to include Zak’s Diner, Wilf and Ada’s, and Little Victories Coffee Shop.
If you don’t want to bother with creating your own itinerary, just go a Taste of Canada Food Tour in ByWard market.
21. Have an art night
If you’ve been stuck inside all day during a blizzard, there’s no excuse not to get your creative juices flowing at one of Ottawa’s hands-on art nights.
Stained Glass Stuff offers a wide variety of beginner friendly glass classes included stain glass, fused glass, and mosaic in their Nepean location just west of downtown Ottawa. You could also look for Paint Night events around the city, usually hosted by Joyce of Art or Creative Sunshine.
If all the snow and ice has you starved for greenery, check out a flower arranging class at Wild Willy’s Plants and Flowers. Loretta Studios and Gallery is another great place for glass and metalsmithing classes.
Conclusion: How To Have Fun in Ottawa All Winter
If you don’t stay busy during your entire winter visit to Ottawa, you’re simply not trying hard enough. I really enjoyed my time in Ottawa and wanted to make sure you have a full list of possible activities so you don’t succumb to the lie that there’s “nothing to do in Ottawa.”
Ottawa might not be the flashiest of winter destinations, but some of its attractions like Rideau Canal Skateway are truly world class. If you love getting outdoors, Ottawa is a true winter playground with endless opportunities for ice skating, cross country skiing, sledding, fat biking, snowshoeing, downhill skiing, or just strolling through the beautiful Winterlude ice sculptures on Sparks Street.
But don’t write off Ottawa in the winter if you’re more of an indoorsy sort. There are plenty of things to do inside during an Ottawa winter including museums, dining, shopping, afternoon teas, and of course, a relaxing soak at Nordik Spa. Whether you find yourself more indoors or out in Ottawa, don’t forget to grab at least one BeaverTail pastry and Tim Horton’s coffee while you’re in town!
I hope this post helps you plan out your winter visit to Ottawa. If you think I missed a must-do winter activity, email me and I’ll make sure to add it to this list!
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