There’s never a better time to visit Ottawa, than for Winterlude, Canada’s free February festival!
Ottawa, the Canadian capital, brings so many joys in the Winter season – the pinnacle being the Winterlude festival that takes place in the region during the first three weekends of February each year! There is something for everyone to enjoy, from family-friendly activities to group adventures and date nights!
Prepare to be astonished by stunning ice sculptures created by artists from around the world, skate on the world-famous Rideau Canal Skateway (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and play around in a gigantic snow playground called Snowflake Kingdom.
Winterlude activities highlight Canada’s cultural and artistic diversity. Urban sites, museums and special events present seasonal programming as well as opportunities to connect with Indigenous culture. Most festival activities are free and take place in the Urban Ottawa-Gatineau region!
Here at INNW magazine we’re keen to find the environmentally friendly angle for any of our trips, and if you’re visiting for Winterlude (or at any other time of year) Ottawa makes life easy in that respect – Ottawa Tourism has taken the Sustainable Tourism 2030 pledge, committing to measuring and improving the progress of becoming a more sustainable destination by 2030.
Getting About
There are so many environmentally friendly ways to enjoy a trip in Ottawa and it’s easy to get about. The downtown district is compact and walkable, with Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market, delicious restaurants, diverse shopping, and multiple national museums and monuments within a short walk of each other.
One of the best ways to get a flavour of the city is to enjoy a walking tour, and with C’est Bon Ottawa for foodies and Ottawa Walking Tours for history buffs, there’s a walking tour for everyone.
As well as being walkable, the city is very cycle friendly with 800+ kms of bike paths, and businesses like Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals and RentABike offer bike rental to help you get moving.
For the more wild at heart, you can explore and learn about the natural landscape on an Ottawa City Rafting tour just minutes from downtown or get your adrenaline pumping in the wilderness at OWL Rafting or Wilderness Tours.
To travel further afield, Ottawa’s electric Light Rail Transit system is a carbon-free way to get around, as are the fleet of OC Transpo public buses (4 of which are zero-emission!) To see the city by water, the Water Taxi Eh and Rideau Canal Cruise are fully electric options open seasonally.
Where to stay
Your choice of accommodation can make a huge difference – at the LEED registered reStays Ottawa, their green roof reduces the heat island effect, and high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment saves energy. In Ottawa’s west end, the Hyatt Place Ottawa-West boasts solar panels, eco-friendly products and has won a Green Key Five Star Award for the ways in which their property works to protect the planet. And Brookstreet Hotel is powered by 100% renewable energy from Bullfrogpower among other sustainability initiatives.
Restaurants
In downtown Ottawa, Queen St. Fare produces no landfill waste and uses fully compostable and recyclable packaging. Fauna Food + Bar supports local farmers through its farm-to-table cuisine, as does Aiana Restaurant Collective which relies on Canadian ingredients cultivated or grown wild in and around Ottawa. A 30-minute drive from downtown Ottawa in Almonte, Vodkow turns unused milk sugars into a carbon neutral vodka that reduces waste and tastes great.
So if you’re looking for a winter break with sustainability at heart, Ottawa, Canada could be the place for you!
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