Maple-Scented Slumber: The Best Area to Stay in Ottawa Without Accidentally Booking a Room in Parliament

The Best Area to Stay in Ottawa: Where Your Accommodation Budget Meets Canadian Charm

Finding the best area to stay in Ottawa ultimately comes down to a simple question: are you here to check Parliament Hill off your bucket list, or do you want to experience the city as locals do, complete with passive-aggressive complaints about the weather? Either way, Ottawa’s neighborhoods offer distinctive personalities with accommodation options spanning from “I just graduated and my credit card is already maxed out” to “I regularly light cigars with $100 bills.” Let’s break down the city’s most visitor-friendly districts.

ByWard Market: Where Every Tourist Eventually Lands

ByWard Market stands as Ottawa’s oldest neighborhood and primary tourist hub, founded in 1826 when most of Canada was still untamed wilderness populated by lumberjacks with impressive beards. Think of it as Ottawa’s Quincy Market, but with more maple-flavored everything and fewer Boston accents. This historic district stretches across four square blocks of 19th-century stone buildings that have been lovingly preserved to house an improbable number of poutine vendors.

Accommodation options in ByWard Market cover every budget point on the spectrum. Budget travelers can experience the novelty of sleeping in a former jail at the Hi Ottawa Jail Hostel (around $30 per night for a dormitory bed, plus the bonus of genuine prison ghost stories). Mid-range travelers find satisfaction at the trendy Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market ($160-220 per night) with its rooftop bar offering Parliament views worth at least three Instagram posts. Those with deeper pockets gravitate toward the fairytale-like Château Laurier ($280-400 per night), an imposing limestone castle that makes visitors feel like they’ve stepped into Canadian Hogwarts.

The neighborhood’s greatest asset is its walkability to Ottawa’s greatest hits: the glass pyramid of the National Gallery of Canada sits just 0.3 miles away, Parliament Hill’s Gothic Revival buildings loom 0.5 miles to the west, and the picturesque Rideau Canal beckons a mere 0.2 miles to the south. This central location makes ByWard Market indisputably among the best areas to stay in Ottawa for first-time visitors determined to check off every TripAdvisor recommendation.

Activity levels here operate on a 24/7 schedule, with daytime market stalls selling everything from maple candy to beaver-shaped oven mitts (Canada’s idea of subtle souvenirs), while evenings bring the restaurant and bar crowds. Temperatures swing dramatically between 5F in winter to 80F in summer, with spring and fall serving as brief, beautiful transitions between extremes. The neighborhood’s insider secret? Most government workers flee downtown by 5 PM, meaning dinner reservations before 7 PM are suspiciously easy to secure—a phenomenon locals call “the bureaucratic exodus.”

Downtown/Centretown: For Business Travelers Who Occasionally Have Fun

Downtown Ottawa, officially known as Centretown, embodies the serious business vibe of Washington DC but at three-quarters scale and with universal healthcare. This neighborhood houses the actual machinery of government, with buildings that attempt architectural gravitas but occasionally look like they were designed by committee—which, being government projects, they absolutely were.

Accommodation in Centretown leans toward business-oriented properties catering to the government contractor crowd. The Delta Hotels by Marriott Ottawa City Centre and Sheraton Ottawa Hotel typify the offerings, with rates between $120-280 per night depending on whether Parliament is in session (when prices mysteriously spike). These hotels excel at convenience rather than character, offering reliable Wi-Fi and wake-up calls that actually happen when requested.

Proximity benefits abound in Centretown: Parliament Hill sits just 0.3 miles from most hotels, the Canadian Museum of Nature (featuring impressively intact dinosaur skeletons) waits 0.7 miles south, and the Rideau Centre shopping mall stands 0.4 miles east for those emergency maple syrup purchases. The neighborhood transforms dramatically between weekdays and weekends—Monday through Friday brings the business rush, while weekends see streets empty enough for impromptu street hockey games. This Jekyll and Hyde personality means great hotel deals on weekends but fewer food options as many establishments close when government workers depart.

The neighborhood’s saving grace is Elgin Street, locally dubbed “Sens Mile” during hockey season. This vibrant stretch offers the highest concentration of pubs and restaurants that don’t immediately close when civil servants go home. Here, establishments serve craft beer with unnecessarily complex origin stories and poutine in portions that would make a cardiologist faint.

The Glebe: Where Ottawa Hipsters Settle Before Having Children

The Glebe functions as Ottawa’s version of Portland’s trendy neighborhoods—a place where cold brew coffee costs slightly more than gasoline ($7 versus $5.50 per gallon) and conversations about sustainable urban beekeeping occur without irony. This residential area south of downtown contains the city’s highest concentration of yoga studios, vintage clothing stores, and people who can discuss the ethical implications of almond milk with alarming passion.

Hotel options in The Glebe remain limited, but vacation rentals flourish here, averaging $120-220 per night for accommodations in converted heritage homes with exposed brick and locally sourced throw pillows. Angela’s BandB represents the neighborhood’s traditional lodging option at around $140 per night, complete with homemade breakfast featuring ingredients so local they practically introduce themselves by name.

The Glebe’s crown jewel is Lansdowne Park, an entertainment complex housing TD Place stadium, where Ottawa’s sports teams consistently perform with admirable mediocrity. The neighborhood’s eastern edge borders the scenic Rideau Canal, which transforms into the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink in winter, stretching an impressive 4.8 miles. With a walkability score of 85, pedestrians navigate The Glebe with ease, passing boutique shops selling items nobody needs but everyone wants.

The renowned Ottawa Farmers’ Market operates year-round on Sundays, offering produce with price tags that make visitors quietly convert Canadian dollars to USD to assess the damage. Winter visitors staying in The Glebe during Winterlude Festival (first three weekends of February, when temperatures hover around a brisk 15F) enjoy prime canal access for skating adventures. The neighborhood’s proximity to both downtown attractions and local amenities makes it consistently rate among the best areas to stay in Ottawa for travelers seeking authentic experiences. Just book 4-6 months in advance if visiting during peak seasons, as The Glebe’s popularity has not gone unnoticed.

Westboro: For People Who Own More Technical Outerwear Than Business Attire

Westboro presents itself as Ottawa’s active lifestyle neighborhood, where residents seem to own at least three canoes and technical apparel that costs more than the average American’s monthly car payment. Located along the Ottawa River’s western reaches, this area attracts visitors who use terms like “performance fabrics” and “moisture-wicking technology” in casual conversation.

Accommodation options in Westboro primarily consist of vacation rentals ($100-180 per night) housed in renovated bungalows with suspiciously well-organized gear closets. The neighborhood’s limited boutique hotels compensate for their scarcity with charm, offering complimentary bicycle rentals and staff who can provide uncomfortably detailed advice about local hiking trails.

Westboro’s Ottawa River pathways (just 0.2 miles from most accommodations) provide scenic routes for running, cycling, and contemplating why Canadians seem so perpetually healthy despite their national obsession with cheese curds and gravy. The neighborhood houses Canada’s beloved Mountain Equipment Co-op, a store where visitors can spend hours examining camping equipment they have no intention of using. Farm-to-table restaurants populate the main strip, serving $22 salads with descriptions longer than some Russian novels.

Transit to downtown attractions takes a manageable 15-20 minutes via frequent buses, making Westboro ideal for stays exceeding five days when the Parliament Building starts to lose its architectural appeal. The neighborhood’s summer appeal peaks from June through August when temperatures reach a pleasant 75-85F, and Westboro Beach offers a surprisingly decent urban beach experience without the typical Canadian requirement of driving three hours to a cottage. For travelers seeking the best area to stay in Ottawa with an active lifestyle focus, Westboro delivers without requiring Olympic-level fitness.

New Edinburgh/Rockcliffe Park: For Diplomatic Types and Aspirational Visitors

These adjoining neighborhoods represent Ottawa’s most prestigious addresses, where international embassies and Canadian old money share real estate with subtle competitive energy about whose landscaping appears most effortlessly perfect. The streets feature homes that make visitors wonder, “What exactly do these people do for a living, and are they hiring?”

Accommodation options here remain deliberately limited—the neighborhood equivalent of a velvet rope. Higher-end vacation rentals ($200-350 per night) offer glimpses into how the diplomatic set lives, while the unique Prime Minister’s Suite at Auberge McGee’s Inn ($240 per night) allows guests to sleep in a room once occupied by a former Canadian leader, though they politely refuse to confirm which scandals originated there.

The area’s proximity to Rideau Hall (the Governor General’s residence) adds imperial flair to morning walks, while scenic paths along the Ottawa River provide constant reminders of Canadian natural beauty. The exclusive Rockcliffe Yacht Club signals to visitors that they’ve entered a neighborhood where “summer” functions as a verb rather than a season. The quiet residential atmosphere requires travelers to venture elsewhere for entertainment, with most attractions sitting 1-2 miles away—a small price to pay for staying in Ottawa’s equivalent of Beverly Hills but with better manners.

The area’s hidden treasure comes in the form of architectural tourism—with over 50 diplomatic missions housed in the neighborhood, visitors can identify embassies by their flags while wandering among ornate mansions for a free self-guided “embassy tour.” For travelers seeking the best area to stay in Ottawa with a side of prestige, these neighborhoods deliver diplomatic-level accommodations without requiring diplomatic credentials.