So, Toronto is not the capital? You’re not the only one who got that wrong. Queen Victoria chose Ottawa more than a hundred years ago because it was quieter. What did she want? Find canadacapital.ca a place where the French and English can meet, away from the crowds, where the place has its own tale to tell.

Parliament Hill, with its pointed spires and green rooftops, looks over the Ottawa River like a vigilant parent. The Peace Tower rises, ringing the hour as visitors wait in line for pictures and parliamentarians rush by. Once in a while, a Mountie glides by and looks at guests with a hint of a smile.

When winter comes, Ottawa leans right in. People don’t complain; they put on their skates and head to the Rideau Canal. Picture a huge frozen river that has become a huge skating path across the center of the city. Along the way, there are hockey games, couples holding hands to be warm, and kids begging for a sugary beavertail, which is fried dough with cinnamon or chocolate on top. Cold air hurts, but it feels real.

There’s more to Ottawa than politics and ice. People from all over are talking throughout the city. If you walk around the ByWard Market, you’ll hear French, English, and Arabic, sometimes all in one line for lunch. It’s strange, yet shawarma is the dinner of choice. If you ask five locals where the best place is, you’ll get five angry answers and maybe even an invitation to supper.

People who live here can also go to the museums. With its vast exhibitions and hidden gems, the Museum of History brings Canada’s long, complicated past to life. When you visit the National Gallery, you can see the sky through huge glass walls as you look at Indigenous art, old masterpieces, and Canadian landscapes. You might forget the time until your feet start to hurt.

You can always reach nature. If you go six minutes from downtown to Gatineau Park, you’ll find rough roads, hidden lakes, and chipmunks that don’t care about city stress. Tulips take over every spring, and their rainbow colors are a thank-you from the Dutch royal family. It’s like a piece of history flowering right in front of you.

Ottawa really lets loose in the summer with jazz evenings, festivals, and fireworks over the water. People put on more clothes and keep going after the snow starts to fall. Here, winter isn’t a time of year; it’s a way of life. As you skate, someone might give you a steaming cup of hot chocolate or wave to you from a procession of bundled-up people in July.

This city has a lot of stories, from politics to pancakes to the best skate track in the world, as well as ordinary events. Ottawa creeps up on you. It doesn’t stand out, but it leaves a mark: a recollection of cold cheeks, warm mittens, pleasant faces, and the feeling that you’ve found a secret worth saving. You will want to find those surprises again and again if you come back.