Ottawa & Eastern Ontario

The Eastern Ontario region has all of the amenties a traveler could hope for. Fine dining, fabulous accommodations, efficient transportation and of course lots and lots to see and do. Ottawa, the nation's capital, is well known for it's wide array of museums and historic sites. Tours of the Parliment Building, the Mint and the Canadian Archives are popular with visitors.

 

The surrounding Greenbelt along with Gatineau Park provide a wealth of outdoor opportunities. Ski hills abound for the winter visitor and of course there's the Rideau Canal which turns into the world's longest skating ring during the colder months.

Ontario Tourism

Ontario Travel Net - Official Government Tourism Site

 

 

Eastern Ontario Tourism

Eastern Ontario - Offiical Site

 

Ottawa and Kingston Tourism

Ottawa Tourism - Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority

Tourism Kingston - Kingston Tourism and Economic Development

Ontario Travel Information Centres

Ontario Ontario Tourism Information Center - In Toronto
Eaton's Centre
220 Yonge St., Level One
P.O. Box 104
Toronto, Ontario M5B 2H1
Tel: (416) 314-5899
Fax: (416) 314-5901

Most of the major vehicular entry points to Ontario have Ontario Travel Information Centres.

Eastern Ontario

Cornwall - 903 Brookedale Ave
Hawkesbury - (Chute a Blondeau, Quebec Border) 777 Highway 417 - Seasonal
Hill Island - (Lansdowne) 700 Highway 137 - Seasonal
Lancaster - 20806 Country Road 2 at the intersection of the 401 - Seasonal
Prescott - 103 Highway 16 at the U.S. border - Seasonal

Other Ontario Points of Entry

Fort Erie - 315 Bertie Street
Fort Frances - 400 Central Ave.
Niagara Falls - 5355 Stanley Ave.
Kenora - Highway 17 at the Manitoba Border - Seasonal
Pigeon River - 7671 Highway 61 at the U.S. border - Seasonal
Rainy River - 301 Atwood Ave. - Seasonal
St. Catherines - QEW Westbound at the east end of Gardner City Skyway
Sarnia - 1415 Venetian Blvd.
Sault Ste. Marie - 261 Queen Street West
Windsor Huron - 1235 Huron Church Street
Windsor Park - 110 Park Street East

Government

 

Chamber of Commerce

Ontario Chamber of Commerce
Eastern Ottawa Chamber of Commerce

 

Currency Conversion

Eastern Ontario

Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport

Wellington Foreign Exchange - Kingston
Capital Foreign Exchange (Forex), 1500 Bank St., Ottawa
Accu-Rate Foreign Exchange - 2573 Carling Ave. and 111 Albert Street at the World Exchange Plaza

Toronto

Thomas Cook - Terminal 3, Pearson International Airport

Thomas Cook - Downtown
9 Bloor St W 416-923-6549
10 King St E 416-863-1611
123 Queen St W 416-363-4867

 

Banks and Trusts

 

Credit Cards

 

Postal Services

 

Phone Directories Online

 

Travel Agents - Canada Wide

 

Surrounding Regions

Eastern Ontario is a roughly triangular shaped area in the south eastern region of the province. It is surrounded on two sides by rivers. The Ottawa River forms the north eastern boundary with Quebec, with the Outaouais, the Laurentians and Monteregie as Eastern Ontario's immediate neighbours. The St. Lawrence River provides the southern boundary seperating the region from New York State in the US. Central Ontario South and the Algonquin Region (Park) are the immediate neighbours to the west within Ontario. At the very northern tip of the region you'll find the eastern sector of Northern Ontario.

Official Sites

 

Regional Guides

Shopping

Centres, Malls and Areas

 

Stores

 

Golf

 

Hostels

If you're idea of Hostelling is pulling up a piece of the rug, in an urban fallout shelter, with a dozen strangers - think again. Hostels range from a place to unroll your sleeping bag, to something approaching resort like accommodations, in beautiful settings, with you're own private room. Prices are still unbeatable and the company is usually interested, and interesting world travelers. If you're a boarder or skier take note, there are hostels in most of the major resort areas throughout the country.

 

 

Air

Eastern Ontario's main port of entry by air is the Ottawa International Airport. Both Montreal and Toronto are options but will require further travel to reach the region (Toronto 41/2hr and Montreal 2.5hr by car to Ottawa). You can also connect into the smaller airport at Kingston, which has arrivals from several smaller cities as well as several flights a day from Toronto.

The Ottawa airport can be reached by from the downtown area by taxi for just north of $25C at the time of this is written. You can also take advantage of limosene service, a hotel shuttle, as well as the public transit system. See the appropriate heading in our travel section for more information on these options.

Macdonald-Cartier International Airport - Ottawa
Norman Rogers Airport - Kingston

 

Airlines - Regional National and International

The main Canadian carrier into Ottawa is Air Canada. There are a number of national, international and regional carriers which also service the region.

  • Air Canada - National and international of Ontario's gateway Toronto
  • CanJet - A Canadian airline featuring low fares and scheduled and charter flights to destinations in Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes.
  • Tango - A Canadian airline, owned by Air Canada, featuring low fares and flights to destinations across the country.
  • WestJet - A Canadian airline featuring low fares and flights to destinations
    across the country.

 

Airlines - International

 

Airlines - Regional

  • Air Ontario
    •

    Limosenes and Shuttles

     

    Travel Reservations 


    Automobile

    Ottawa Gas Prices

    Car Rental

    • CAA - The Canadian Automobile Association. The advocate for Canada's motoring and travelling public. Emergency Roadside Service, complete auto touring and travel services etc.

     

    Road Reports

     

    Driving Distances / Mileage

    Ontario Distance Calculator

    Belleville - Kingston 82km (51 miles)
    Ottawa - Kingston 190km (118 miles)
    Toronto - Kingston 265km (165 miles)
    Montreal (Quebec) - Kingston 290km (180 miles)
    Syracuse (New York State) - Kingston 215km (135 miles)
    Boston - Kingston 800km (500 miles)
    New York - Kingston 745km (465 miles)

    Approximate Flying Times into Toronto Direct (Add 1hr flying for Ottawa)

    Atlanta 2hrs
    Boston 1.5 hrs
    Chicago 1.5hrs
    Los Angeles 5hrs
    New York 2hrs
    San Francisco 4.5hrs

    Road Signs - Ontario Road Signs

    A valid drivers license from you country of residence is valid for up to three months in Ontario.Seat belts must be worn, by law, for adults and children over 40lb (18kg). The speed limits are as posted, with freeways generally allowing speeds up to 100km/h (62.5 mph), other highways 70 to 90 and side roads generally allowing 50km/h.You are permitted to turn right on red lights (once you've come to a stop and ascertained the way is clear) unless otherwise indicated. Ontario has photo radar, so keep a light right foot. Ontario is particularly stringent about drinking and driving - don't! Snow can fly early in the year, particularly in the north, so check road conditions and closures before setting out.

    Ferries

    While bridges are the common method to traverse waterways in Canada, ferries play a greater or lesser role depending on the province or territory of travel. Ferries are found throughout Ontario to facilitate river or lake crossings and shorten routes that would other wise involve large detours. They are also in service in the great lakes to reach off shore islands.

    There are several small ferries which taverse the Ottawa River between the main bridges. These are seasonal in nature and are often replace by ice bridges (depending on conditions) during the winter.

    The Glenora Ferry - Connects Quinte's Isle to the main land via highway 33 (the Loyalist Highway) on the east coast of the peninsula. From the ferry Picton is a short drive west along the 33. It should be noted that the main access is via several bridged highways onto the isle (see the introductory page for details) but the ferry is more fun and can be shorter, depending on your origin and destination. Perhaps the best part is that the ferry doesn't charge for passage.

    Wolfe Island Ferry
    Horne's Ferry - Wolfe Island to United States
    Simcoe Island Ferry
    Pointe Fortune Ferry - Pointe Fortune to Carillion in the Laurentians, from the 40
    Lefaivre - Lefaivre-Montebello, from the 17

     

    Rail

    Via Rail provides passenger service for major centers in the east including those in Ontario and Quebec. Via has scheduled service into Montreal which connects to the Amtrak system in the US. The train station is located just off of the Vanier Parkway south of the 417. The station can be reached by the urban transit system (see Urban Transit for a link to Octranspo and description of routes). A taxi to down town Ottawa is approximately $15C.

     

     

    Bus

    The city has bus connections to towns in the region as well as several departures each day to Montreal and Toronto. The main bus terminus is located at 265 Catherine St just north of the 417 between Bronson and Bank St.

     

     

    Urban Transit

    Both Ottawa and Kingston have thier own transit systems which are modern and efficient.

     

    Cities, Towns and Villages

    Gatineau (Quebec)

     

    Sailing, Boating and Cruising

    Canal Systems

    Rideau Canal - The Rideau Canal system was intended for military purposes but today has become a recreational boaters dream. Stretching from Ottawa to Kingston it passes through some exceptionally beautiful areas, particulary in the southern section. There are over 40 locks along its 202km length with a total rise of 50m from Kingston or 83m from Ottawa. From Kingston the system includes the Cataraqui River, Cranberry Lake, Whitfish Lake, Sand Lake, Opinicon Lake, Indian Lake, Clear Lake, Newboro Lake, Upper Rideau Lake, Big Rideau Lake, Lower Rideau Lake, and the Rideau River. You'll find several parks and conservation areas on route including Foley Mountain CA, Murphy's Point PP, Mill Pond CA, Rideau River PP, Baxter CA and WA Taylor CA. Cities and towns starting from Kingston include Kingston Mills, Newboro, Westport, Smith Falls, Merrickville, Buritts Rapids, Becketts Landing, Manotick and of course Ottawa.

    Take a Tour of the Rideau with Don & Fran
    Paddling the Rideau Canal - the Rideau by kayak

    Nearby

    Trent Severn Waterway - 384km (215mi.), rivers, lakes, locks and channels connecting Lake Ontario in the south and Georgian Bay in the northwest. This is one of North America's great cruises.

    Hydrographic Charts

    If you planning to sail or cruise to the region by boat, hydrographic or nautical charts are essential. The maps can be obtained from the Canadian Hydrographic Service in Ottawa.

    Canadian Hydrographic Service

     

    Marine Forecasts

    Marine Weather Forecasts

     

    Yacht Clubs

     

    Cams

    • Ottawa - From the Government of Ontario

     

    Weather

    Air Quality
    Firewatch
    Marine Forcasts
    Pollen Forcasts
    Snow Reports
    UV Report

     

    Histoy & Culture

    Canada's national historic sites are managed by the federal government. The include fortifications, historic homes and buildings, canals as well as areas which have little obvious clues of their historical significance. In the latter case, efforts are often expended to reconstruct some of the details of the past. An excellent example of this is available at the l'Anse a Meadow site in Newfoundland, which reconstructs the earliest known European presence in the new world, in the form of a Viking settlement.

    Ontario has over twenty national historic sites. In addition there are sites of historic significance designated on a provincial and regional basis and of course those which are established by interested parties in the private sector.

    Archives of Ontario
    Canada Heritage Foundation
    Culture Canada
    Famous Canadian Woman
    History Alive
    Ontario Heritage Foundation
    Ontario Heritage Plaques
    Ontario Historical Society
    Heritage Ottawa


    National Historic Sites

     

     

     

    Maps

    Eastern Ontario - From Out-There

     

    Health & Beauty

    Ottawa Salons and Spas

    Ottawa Gyms and Health Clubs

     

    Ontario Celebrities, Performers and Personalities

    Canadian Celebrities, Performers and Personalities

    For an extensive list of actors bios along with a listing of their movies and TV work have a look at Northern Stars For a more extensive list of famous Canadians try Well Known Canadians

     

    Newspapers

     
     

    Resources

    Montreal

     
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