Many travellers arrive in Ottawa by train or frequent buses from the more well-known cities of Toronto and Montreal, between which the Canadian capital lies and which have major international airports.

Trains and buses are more frequent to nearby Montreal.

But Ottawa also has its own airport, with very frequent services to airports in Canada and the USA, as well as direct services to France and destinations in the Caribbean.

By air

A large number of travellers head to Ottawa by plane. Distances in Canada are long and air travel is frequent, although very expensive compared to neighbouring USA.

The city has a single international airport , Ottawa YOW.

International flights

Ottawa is primarily a domestic hub and most international flights connect at Toronto, Montreal or via airports in the US, notably Newark and Washington-Dulles.

Compare prices for flights to Ottawa

However, direct international flights from several destinations also go to Ottawa:

• Air Canada - London and several destinations in the Caribbean such as Cancún, Punta Cana and others.
• Air France - Paris
• Air Transat - seasonal holiday flights to the Caribbean
• Porter Airlines - international flights to the USA, such as Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, New York and Orlando
• United - Chicago, Newark, Washington

Domestic flights

Most flights go to Toronto (1-3 times per hour), but also to Montreal (but it's faster to drive, bus or train to get from downtown to downtown), Calgary, Vancouver and other Canadian cities.

Typical prices for one-way tickets to Toronto or Brisbane are around 250 cad for low-cost airlines, and it pays to buy tickets about 1-5 months before departure.

Flights to more distant Canadian destinations such as Halifax, Calgary or Vancouver are priced from 350 cad.

Compare domestic flight prices

For domestic flights within Canada, use the following airlines in particular:

• Air Canada
• Porter Airlines
• Westjet

Long-distance coaches

Bus service is very frequent, especially to Toronto and Montreal, where it competes with less frequent rail and significantly more expensive air travel.

When comparing train and bus, it is usually the buses that win in terms of price and frequency, with the trains on the other hand being more convenient.

Where are the bus stations?

There are several major bus carriers that serve Ottawa, each of which uses different bus stops.

• Flixbus / Greyhound
  • in front of the train station (VIA Rail) - location on the map
    • The quickest way to get downtown is by streetcar/light rail (Tremblay station)
  • Gloucester Center - location on the map
    • The quickest way to get to the centre is by tram / light rail (Blair station)
• Megabus
  • St Laurent Shopping Centre - Location on the map
    • The quickest way to get to the centre is by tram / light metro red line (St. Laurent station)
• Orléans Express
  • in front of the railway station (VIA Rail) - location on the map
    • The quickest way to get to the centre is by tram / light metro red line (Tremblay station)
  • Gatineau Place du Portage - location on the map

Most frequent routes

From Ottawa, it's worth taking a bus on the following routes, for example.

	Carriers	Travel time	Frequency	Average Price
Montreal	Orléans Express	2.5 hours	7x daily	45 cad
Toronto	Flixbus/Greyhound Megabus	6 hours	1-2x per hour	35 cad
Kingston	Flixbus / Greyhound Megabus	2.5 hours	10x daily	15 cad
Niagara Falls	Flixbus / Greyhound	8.5 hours	1x daily	60 cad

By train

Long-distance passenger trains to Ottawa are operated by only one company - VIA Rail.

The only station is called Tremblay and is located in the eastern part of the city.

The downtown area is easily accessible by tram from Tremblay station in about 15 minutes. Detailed information about getting around Ottawa can be found in the Transportation chapter.

We recommend buying tickets at least 1 month in advance for the best price on the official website viarail.ca/en.

Direct trains without transfers run to the following cities:

	Travel time	Frequency	Average Price
Montreal	2 hours	5x daily	42 cad
Toronto	5 hours	6x daily	57 cad
Kingston	2 hours	8x daily	48 cad
Quebec City	6 hours	4 times a day	70 cad