ByWard Market: Ottawa Travel Guide (4.4★)

Four blocks older than the country

Lieutenant-Colonel John By laid out this market in 1826 while building the Rideau Canal. Canada did not exist yet. The town was still called Bytown, and the grid of streets he drew is the one you walk today.

At the centre stands the brick market building at 55 Byward Market Square. The current hall dates from the 1920s. Inside are shops, food counters and places to eat. Around it, George, York, Clarence and William streets are lined with restaurants, patios and bars, so the district stays busy well after the building closes.

In the warmer months, vendors set up outdoor stalls along the building’s flanks and sell produce, flowers and maple products. Winter shrinks the outdoor trade, and the indoor hall carries the day.

Reaching Lowertown

Take the O-Train Confederation Line (Line 1) to Rideau Station. Come up through the CF Rideau Centre and walk north a few minutes along Sussex Drive or William Street.

The market sits inside a tight walking loop of Ottawa’s big sights:

• Parliament Hill: across the canal locks, about a 10-minute walk west
• Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica: twin silver spires on Sussex Drive
• National Gallery of Canada: glass-and-granite building with the giant spider sculpture Maman out front
• Major’s Hill Park and the Château Laurier: between the market and the Rideau Canal locks

Give the market itself 1–2 hours. Add the basilica and gallery and you have half a day on foot.

Timing the crowds

The market is one of Ottawa’s most-visited stops, and it fills fast. At the moment the market building opens 10am–6pm daily. Check before you go, because hours can change on holidays and with the seasons.

It is calmest on weekdays from 10am to 12pm, and again from 5pm to 6pm. Weekends are the problem. Try not to arrive between 12pm and 6pm on Saturday or Sunday. That stretch is the busiest of the week, with packed aisles and lines at the food counters.

If a weekend is your only option, come right at 10am, eat early, and be heading toward the gallery by noon.

Eating and paying in a bilingual market

Most visitors come for BeaverTails. The fried, hand-stretched pastry is sold from its stand in the market district, and the brand began in this area. Order the classic cinnamon sugar first, then decide whether you need the toppings.

• Paying: tap-to-pay cards work almost everywhere. Carry a little cash for smaller outdoor stalls.
• Tipping: at sit-down restaurants and bars, tip about 15–20% of the bill. Counter service is optional, and the card terminal will prompt you.
• Language: Ottawa sits on the Quebec border. Staff often greet you with “Bonjour, hi”. Answer in whichever language you want, and they will carry on in it.
• Patios: in summer, the terraces on George and York streets fill by early evening. Book sit-down dinners in the district rather than walking up.

Prices are posted at each stall and on restaurant menus, and they vary a lot between vendors. Look around the whole building before you buy maple syrup or souvenirs.