Looking for a fun way to spend the day in Ottawa without driving—and without spending a fortune on gas? Leave the driving to OC Transpo and enjoy these day trips around Ottawa without a car. Each suggestion includes transit tips for buses or the O-Train. (Note that you could easily do all of these by bike, too, depending where you live and how energetic you are.)
Be a flâneur in New Edinburgh
What’s a flâneur, I hear you ask? Basically, it’s a fancy French word for someone who likes to observe the world while strolling in a relaxed way. And why is New Edinburgh—a small, central neighbourhood near the spot where the Rideau River meets the Ottawa River—good for flâneurs? It’s ideal because there are lots of pretty side streets lined with lovingly preserved Victorian houses you can admire as you amble along. You can also stop by the governor-general’s residence, Rideau Hall (1 Sussex Drive), to take a free tour of the house or a self-guided tour of the 32-hectare (79 acre) grounds.
If you feel peckish, pop into the Scone Witch (35 Beechwood Avenue) for a “sconewitch” sandwich or the Union Street Cafe (42 Crichton Avenue) for a whoopie pie made with chewy ginger cookies. Alternatively, you can meander to the Tavern on the Falls (1 John Street) for cocktails and charcuterie, which you can enjoy while admiring the view of Rideau Falls. Check out my one-hour walk in New Edinburgh for more ideas.
Transit: OC Transpo bus routes 6, 7 and 9 serve New Edinburgh directly; routes 19 and 20 pass close by.
Hit the beach in Britannia
Who says you need a car—or a flight—to spend a day basking on the sand? Britannia Beach, on the Ottawa River near the intersection of Pinecrest Road and Carling Avenue (2805 Carling Avenue), is easy to reach by bus. This west-end Ottawa beach has everything you could want for a day by the water: change rooms, a canteen, picnic tables, barbecue pits, accessible washrooms, a playground and, at peak times, lifeguards. You can also rent standup paddleboards or volleyball nets, and beach wheelchairs are available to borrow for free on a first-come, first-served basis.
Nearby, you can hike around Mud Lake. Bring your binoculars for birdwatching and stay on the paths in this ecologically fragile area (note that bikes and dogs are not permitted). Afterward, reward yourself with an ice cream cone from Beachconers (273 Britannia Road).
Transit: OC Transpo bus route 51 serves Britannia Park and Britannia Beach directly; several routes, including 57, 58 and 85, serve nearby Carling Avenue.
P.S.: If you’re craving a beach day but you live in the east end, check out my post about Petrie Island in Orleans. It’s not quite as accessible by bus; you’ll need to take route 38 to the corner of Inlet Private and Trim Road, then walk 15 minutes to Petrie Island.
Get two neighbourhoods for the price of one: The Glebe and Old Ottawa South
Many Ottawans are familiar with the Glebe, the downtown neighbourhood where you’ll find TD Place at Lansdowne Park. TD Place is home to all sorts of sports teams, including the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League and the Ottawa ’67s of the Ontario Hockey League. And the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park (AKA the Cattle Castle) hosts the Lansdowne Farmers’ Market, 613Flea and other events.
You may be less familiar with the Glebe’s sister neighbourhood just across the Rideau Canal, Old Ottawa South. Like the Glebe, Old Ottawa South offers lots of independent shops and restaurants, along with attractions such as Ottawa’s oldest independent theatre, the Mayfair, and several pretty parks along the Rideau River. In summer, you can rent standup paddleboards and kayaks from Ottawa SUP (1314 Bank Street).
Intrigued? Check out my detailed guide to the Glebe and guide to Old Ottawa South.
Transit: OC Transpo bus routes 6 and 7 run right through both neighbourhoods, along Bank Street. Route 5 serves the southeast corner of Old Ottawa South. Route 10 travels along Bronson Avenue, on the west side of the Glebe and the northwest corner of Old Ottawa South, and routes 55 and 56 serve the north part of the Glebe. Route 2 is currently serving the Carleton O-Train stop while the Trillium Line is under reconstruction. And, finally, the Billings Bridge Transitway station (multiple bus routes) is about a 10-minute walk from the southern tip of Old Ottawa South.
Enjoy the village life in Manotick
If you’re trying this trip from downtown on transit, it will likely take you an hour or so. However, if you’re coming from Centrepointe or Barrhaven, it’s a very manageable day trip. In fact, it’s just a 14-minute ride from the Marketplace Transitway station in Barrhaven to the corner of Bridge and Manotick Main streets, which will put you right in the middle of the “village.”
I’ve put village in quotation marks because, in recent years, Manotick has grown a lot. There are big mansions all around the edges and a number of new developments. However, with its working 1860s grist mill (Watson’s Mill, 5525 Dickinson Street), human-scaled main street and heritage homes, the centre of Manotick still feels like the small community it once was. Pick up some treats at the Gingerbread Man (1134 Tighe Street) or Mimi’s Donuts and Dairy Barn (1088 Bridge Street), or stop for lunch at the Black Dog Bistro (5540 Manotick Main Street), before checking out the many shops or just relaxing next to the Rideau River.
To discover lots more you can see and do in a day, check out my complete guide to day tripping in Manotick.
Transit: OC Transpo route 176 serves Manotick.
Take a day trip on the O-Train’s Confederation Line
Prefer to travel by train? Here are just a few places you can reach via the Confederation Line (Line 1) of Ottawa’s light-rail transit line, with the names of the nearest O-Train stations. Click the links for my in-depth guides to some of the neighbourhoods. (I’m working on posts about the others!)
- Wellington West and Hintonburg (Tunney’s Pasture, Bayview)
- Centretown (Lyon, Parliament)
- ByWard Market (Rideau)
- Sandy Hill (uOttawa)
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.
As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.
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[…] Note that this post does not cover municipal transit companies, such as Ottawa’s OC Transpo and Gatineau’s STO. There are just too many of them to list here! However, here are some ideas if you’re interested in day tripping within Ottawa by bus. […]