Passenger train service is run by VIA Rail in Canada and the main train station in Ottawa, Ottawa Station (IATA: XDS) , is less than ten minutes from downtown by car, taxi or bus. There are six trains daily leaving for Montreal and intermediate points, with five trains daily to Toronto and points in between. Service is reduced on Saturday, Sundays and holidays.
Ottawa has two train stations, the Ottawa Station near downtown, and a secondary station, Fallowfield Station, in the western suburb of Barrhaven, convenient for Nepean and Kanata points. All trains to Toronto stop at Fallowfield; two of the six weekday trains to Montreal originate or terminate at Fallowfield.
Ottawa Station is on a high frequency bus route (#94 or #95) and takes only 5 minutes to get you downtown, heading west. Fallowfield station is also on the #95 bus route but at the far south-west end.
It is possible to get downtown from the main train station on foot, although it requires a bit of navigation. This path should not be taken alone after dark and may be flooded after periods of intense rain or snow melting. Have a street map with you so you can locate yourself once you have reached Strathcona Park. The station to Strathcona Park takes about half an hour (2.5km). Another half hour from the Park to downtown. A map is available online .
On exiting the station, walk along the west (left-hand) arm of the vehicle loop and across the Transitway bridge.
Before reaching Tremblay Road, take the bike path to your left going west.
The path will take you along the bus lanes and will pass over Riverside Drive.
You will merge with a path coming up from Riverside Drive; continue walking west, away from the street.
Shortly after that, you will come to a fork; go right (north) and continue until you see a pedestrian bridge on your left.
Take the pedestrian bridge over the Rideau River.
Immediately after the pedestrian bridge, turn right towards the north.
Take the paved bike path, go under the highway bridge and keep following the Rideau River northward for about 1 km.
Once you reach the end of of the path, you are in Strathcona Park.
Use a street map or an on-line map service to find your way from Strathcona Park to your downtown destination; at the north end of the park is Laurier Avenue, a major east-west street; parallel to it and several blocks north is Rideau Street.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Ottawa
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Ottawa - updated May 2024
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Ottawa Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
