Year built, number of storeys, number of suites and the builder, so you can see at a glance whether it's a boutique building or a large tower.

A short description of the building's style and history, from the industrial look of Central 1 in Centretown to the 1873 Wallis House, a former hospital converted into lofts in 1996.

What the building offers. Where a list isn't complete, the profile says so, and you can ask us for the current amenity list.

By neighbourhood, name A–Z, newest first, oldest first, tallest first or smallest buildings first.

Examples include Wallis House (1873, converted 1996), Schoolhouse Square (1910, converted 1997), Les Lofts du Montfort (1912, converted 1997–98), School House Lofts (1912, converted 2009) and Warehouse Lofts (converted in 2000).

Older conversions can differ a lot in layout, noise, parking and building systems, which is why the status certificate and an in-person visit matter.

Walking lanes run alongside open sections once there's enough packed snow, so you can enjoy the canal without skates.

The Rink of Dreams at City Hall and the skating court at Lansdowne Park are free outdoor options. Bring your own skates, and check the season and hours before you go.

Rideau Hall also offers an outdoor skating rink in winter. Check the official site for current hours.

Mer Bleue Conservation Area and the Greenbelt offer snowshoeing and winter hiking close to the city.

Camp Fortune, within Gatineau Park, offers downhill skiing and snowboarding, with lessons and rentals.

A European-style market at Lansdowne in the Glebe. One holiday-market guide reports dates of November 20 to December 31, 2026, but Ottawa Tourism still lists dates as to be announced, so confirm before you go.

Ottawa Tourism lists the museum's annual Christmas Market for November 26 to 29, 2026.

Parliament Hill, Confederation Park and other downtown sites are lit up each holiday season, free to see. Check Canadian Heritage for 2026-27 dates.

The Glebe, Old Ottawa South and Centretown put you close to the Skateway and, in the Glebe, to Lansdowne's market and skating court. Our Ottawa Condo Building Guide profiles 70 buildings across 11 neighbourhoods if you want a walkable winter lifestyle.

Westboro and Kitchissippi are near the Ottawa River pathways, and the west end connects to the Kichi Sibi and Ottawa West winter trails.

Neighbourhoods on Ottawa's north side and in the west end have fast access to Gatineau Park, about a 15-minute drive from downtown.

1510 Stittsville Main St

A bright, rejuvenated space with a bohemian feel, according to one reviewer. Expect hot and cold drinks, breakfast sandwiches, scones and cakes. Reviews are mixed on the espresso drinks, so try a few things to see what you like.

1300 Stittsville Main St

An independent coffee shop and roaster that has been part of the Main Street scene for years, with reviewers praising the friendly staff and environmental focus.

1626 Stittsville Main St · Classic diner

Less of a specialty coffee shop and more of a traditional diner. Reviewers describe piping-hot coffee, real ingredients and friendly service. A good pick for a classic breakfast.

Coffee, food and live music

A newer Stittsville spot that reviewers praise for its coffee, cozy atmosphere, patio and regular live music. Check their social media for the current schedule and hours.

ByWard Market

A French-inspired bistro tucked inside The French Baker. Fresh pastries are steps away, and Saturday brunch is known for lineups. Saturday brunch is first-come, first-served.

Wellington West

A "not so greasy spoon" with a twist on diner classics, like a Jamaican-inspired benny and chicken and waffles. Walk-in only.

Near Bank St · 40 Adeline St

A modern brunch spot with hash browns and sourdough pancakes that get plenty of attention. It's listed as a Wednesday-to-Sunday brunch, and reservations are through Resy.

Want the full diner experience? Wilf & Ada's. A dressier occasion? Gezellig. A market morning with pastries? Benny's Bistro. Something creative and casual? Chesterfield's.

282 Kent St

Known for its Ashta pancake and shawarma benedict, a Middle Eastern twist on brunch.

1071 Bank St

Pancakes and home fries are what people mention. A good option on the south end of Bank Street.

Hintonburg · Budget-friendly

A neighbourhood pub in a renovated laundromat. One local guide notes that nothing on the menu is over $13, though prices may have changed.

Sandy Hill · Affordable

A local writer's go-to for an affordable brunch while living in Sandy Hill.

BBQ meets brunch

Better known for its barbecue, but with a solid brunch. Apple pie pancakes are one to look for.

Pastries and sandwiches

A bakery-style option that appears on weekday brunch lists. A good fit if you want something lighter.

French · Splurge

An elegant French option that's usually seen as a special-occasion brunch. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

ByWard Market

A ByWard Market spot that reviewers call a fantastic brunch option, with reservations on OpenTable.

Home to Wilf & Ada's and close to a lot of downtown amenities. Plenty of condos and apartments are in the area.

A village feel with Gezellig and lots of cafés, shops and the Ottawa River pathways nearby.

A lively strip with Chesterfield's, The Third and many other restaurants and coffee shops.

Benny's Bistro, The Clarendon Tavern and a long list of cafés and bakeries make it a natural brunch neighbourhood.

Dukes and Dessert First are along or near Bank Street, with shops and restaurants all around.

$600,000 is about $100,000 below the typical single-family home. You can find detached homes at this price, but they tend to be older, smaller or further from the core.

$600,000 is above the typical townhouse. This is where your budget goes furthest in terms of space, and it opens up newer builds and better locations.

$600,000 is well above the typical condo. It can buy a larger two-bedroom, a unit with a den, a newer building or a prime location.

Location and lifestyle

In central Ottawa, $600,000 puts larger two-bedroom and two-bedroom-plus-den condos, newer towers and prime locations within reach. Our Ottawa Condo Building Guide profiles 70 buildings across 11 neighbourhoods to help you compare.

Commuter towns

Communities near Ottawa, such as Russell, Carleton Place and Rockland, often offer more house for the money, with a longer commute. Gatineau is also generally less expensive, though Quebec taxes differ.

The building was designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and Ottawa's KWC Architects in a joint venture.

The curved wood roof, completed in 2024, is the building's signature feature, visible from the O-Train at Pimisi station.

Reports describe natural and recycled materials, triple-glazed windows and rooftop solar, with the aim of meeting net-zero carbon building standards.

Look up a building, an address or a builder by name.

Narrow the list to hard lofts, buildings with a pool, buildings near the O-Train, newer buildings (2015 and later) or boutique buildings under 100 suites.

Jump straight to the part of Ottawa you're interested in, from Centretown to Westboro to the Glebe.

See all 70 buildings on a map, filter by neighbourhood, and tap any pin to open a building. Hard lofts appear as gold pins. Pins are placed by street address and are approximate.

Each listing shows the building's address, neighbourhood, build year, storeys and suite count, plus tags like pool, boutique, loft-style or near the O-Train.

Found a building you love? Browse current condo listings, or ask us to keep an eye on the buildings on your shortlist.

320 McLeod StBoutique

Built 2007, 8 storeys, about 70 suites.

457 McLeod StLoft-style, 12-ft ceilings

Built 2007, 4 storeys, 35 suites.

203 Catherine StNewer build

Built about 2019 to 2020, about 20 storeys, about 209 suites.

Parks, pathways along the canal and rivers, the Greenbelt and nearby Gatineau Park are all within a short drive of most neighbourhoods. You can be skating, skiing, cycling or hiking within minutes.

Ottawa is widely considered a safe large Canadian city, and many families say they feel comfortable letting older kids walk to school and the park. Crime varies by neighbourhood, so visit at different times of day.

In September 2026, the average sale price was about $685,640, with the benchmark for a single-family home near $705,100 and townhouses near $546,500, according to Ottawa Real Estate Board data. That's still a lot, but it goes further than in many big Canadian cities.

Growing up in a bilingual capital is a real benefit. French immersion and French-language schools are widely available, which can open doors for jobs in the federal government and beyond.

The federal public service, tech sector, universities and hospitals give many families stable incomes. Note that core federal public servants have been required in the office four days a week since July 2026.

CHEO, the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, provides pediatric care for children up to age 18, which is a real comfort for parents.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is the largest English public board. From September 2026, it is streamlining elementary programs to English and French immersion at most schools, so check how that affects your neighbourhood school.

The Ottawa Catholic School Board runs English Catholic schools and is known for strong results. Priority for enrolment generally goes to Catholic families, so check the board's rules.

The French public (CEPEO) and French Catholic (CECCE) boards teach in French. Enrolment is generally limited to families with French-language education rights, so check eligibility with each board.

The Rideau Canal Skateway had 56 skating days last winter, and Winterlude every February brings ice sculptures, snow slides and a free kids' zone across Ottawa and Gatineau.

Ottawa has the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum and the Canadian Museum of History with its children's museum. Some offer free hours, so check each museum's schedule. The Ottawa Art Gallery and Bank of Canada Museum are free.

Pumpkin patches in the fall, tulips in spring, Canada Day on Parliament Hill, beaches in summer, and Gatineau Park year-round make every season family-friendly.

Family-focused suburbs with parks, recreation centres and newer homes, close to the Kanata North tech area.

One of the city's largest family suburbs, with many townhouses and detached homes at more approachable prices.

A large east-end suburb with a strong French-speaking community and good access to French-language schools.

Walkable, established neighbourhoods near the canal, with well-regarded schools and higher prices.

Established areas close to downtown, with mature trees, parks and schools, and a mix of detached homes and townhouses.

Manotick, Carp, Richmond and other areas offer larger lots and a quieter pace. A car is a must.

Benchmark price about $705,100. The most common choice for families, with the largest selection in suburbs like Kanata, Barrhaven and Orléans.

Benchmark price about $546,500. A popular middle ground between a condo and a detached home, especially in newer suburbs.

Benchmark price about $380,800, down about 6% year over year. Condos are the entry point for many first-time buyers, mostly downtown and along transit.

OC Transpo runs buses and the O-Train, including Line 1 (east-west), Line 2 (north-south) and Line 4 (to the airport), with the network still expanding. As of January 2026, the adult single fare is $4.10 and the adult monthly pass is $138.50.

Most households outside the core own at least one vehicle. Rush-hour traffic is real on the Queensway and major bridges, but nothing like Toronto. Downtown parking can be expensive.

Ottawa has an extensive pathway network along the Rideau Canal, the Ottawa River and the Rideau River, popular for commuting as well as recreation.

Walkable, close to government offices and the O-Train, with mostly condos and apartments. Best if you want restaurants, nightlife and a car-light life.

Established, character-filled neighbourhoods with good schools, shops and parks, and higher prices to match.

Trendy, walkable and close to downtown, with an indie shopping and restaurant scene.

Family-friendly suburbs in the west end, close to the Kanata North tech park.

Larger suburbs with newer homes, often more space for the money, and longer commutes to the core. Orléans has a large French-speaking community.

Places like Manotick, Carp and Richmond offer more land and a quieter pace, with a car required.

300 Preston StLittle Italy

Chef Justin Champagne-Lagarde's sustainability-minded Canadian restaurant offers a seasonal nine-course tasting menu, listed at $180 with an optional $100 pairing (wine or non-alcoholic). Dishes written up by local media include a scallop mousse macaron and birch-cured, hot-smoked Gitanyow sockeye salmon.

50 O'Connor StDowntown

Chef Raghav Chaudhary's farm-to-table, modern Canadian cooking comes as a chef's tasting menu (listed around $150) or à la carte, alongside a cocktail list and a deep wine list. Lunch runs Tuesday to Friday, with a "social hour" mid-afternoon. Reservations are highly recommended.

Nepean StCentretown

Northern Italian cooking inspired by Venetian bacari, in a converted home. A six-course tasting menu is listed at $150, with a $60 optional wine pairing, and its cacio e pepe gets plenty of local praise. Dinner Monday to Saturday.

Elgin Street. A long-time fine-dining favourite from sommelier Stephen Beckta, with a five-course chef's tasting menu or à la carte and a wine program that lives up to the name.

Sparks Street. Housed in a 1930s bank building, with chef-owner Jordan Holley's contemporary Canadian and Mediterranean menu and a negroni program with ten variations. Mains are listed at about $37 to $87.

ByWard Market. A 19th-century heritage building with a steak and seafood focus from executive chef David Godsoe. A classic choice for a celebration or client dinner.

ByWard Market. Contemporary Japanese with sushi and omakase-style plates, from chef Daniel Ken Miyamoto.

Elgin Street. Modern French cooking from chef Mitch Lacombe, with a truffle steak-frites often mentioned by local writers.

Wellington Street West, Hintonburg and Wellington West. Chef Steven Wall's seafood and pasta bistro, known for its raw bar and house-made pasta. Open Tuesday to Sunday evenings.

Chef Jon Svazas's seasonal small-plates restaurant with a raw bar. Order broadly and share.

ByWard MarketBasement

Down in the basement beneath Starling, on York Street, this is a dim, vintage-style cocktail lounge with prohibition-era touches: dark wood, velvet seating and a marble bar. Classic cocktails are the move here, and some listings mention live jazz on Thursday nights. Listings note that drinks can take a while to arrive, which is part of the pace.

CentretownSecret door

At 315 Somerset Street West, Union Local 613 is described in local guides as hidden behind a bookcase door that opens into a dim, jazz-infused room. The food is Southern comfort and the drinks lean toward whiskey and local spirits. Check its website or Instagram for events like whiskey nights, and book on weekends since it fills up.

370 Elgin Street. A basement bar beneath an unassuming apartment building, with a bohemian, mismatched look and a loyal crowd of artists and musicians. It's casual, doesn't take reservations, and there's famously little cell signal, so charge your phone and make your plans before you head down.

310 St. Patrick Street. An unassuming door off Cumberland Street leads down to a cosy basement in a former church, with live music and poetry nights. Check the online schedule for what's on.

337 Somerset Street West. Listed in local guides as an underground lounge, with dark wood and exposed brick and a menu that includes classics such as the Hemingway Daiquiri. It's relaxed, with a late-night happy hour listed.

106 Sparks StClosing Dec 31, 2026

Experimental, low-waste craft cocktails with chef-driven small plates. The owners have announced the bar will close at the end of 2026, with pop-ups and a New Year's Eve party planned and new downtown projects to follow in 2027. If you've been meaning to go, you have about two months.

340 Elgin St

A mid-century cocktail and wine lounge with a living-room feel, DJs on weekends and board game nights. Signature cocktails are listed at roughly $17 to $19, with a cocktail on tap. Reservations are available online.

William St, ByWard Market

Intimate, with no TVs or loud music, and a menu of seasonal signature cocktails alongside classics. It's good for a quiet drink and a real conversation.

Gladstone Ave, Hintonburg

A small, Scotch-focused lounge with 80-plus single malts and live jazz, and a happy hour in the early evening. It's a good pick if you'd rather sip than mix.

Dinner at the Rabbit Hole, then down to the Jackalope (reserve both). Stolen Goods is also on Sparks, so a nightcap there works before it closes.

A quiet first drink at Bar Ocelli on William Street, then a short walk to the Apothecary Lounge on York Street.

Southern comfort food and whiskey at Union Local 613 on Somerset, then walk over to Elgin Street for Charlotte or the Manx.

Saturday, Oct 31, 10 a.m. to noon at Rideau Hall, 1 Sussex Drive. A Halloween circus with performances, trick-or-treating, festive activities and a special Halloween concert in the historic residence. Free, and a great start for families with kids.

Oct 30 to Nov 1 in the ByWard Market (East York Street and William Street Plaza). Live music, folkloric dancers, traditional Mexican food, artisan vendors, workshops and colourful displays honouring loved ones. Free. Saturday and Sunday hours are listed as about 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A traditional altar honouring Mexican artist Diego Rivera is on display at the National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Drive) until November 1. Free, and it pairs well with a walk through the Market.

Many Ottawa Public Library branches, including Main, Manotick and Blackburn Hamlet, host free Halloween storytimes, crafts and screenings on Saturday, October 31. Check your branch's schedule.

Fridays to Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 6110 Mitch Owens Road. A historic barn full of handcrafted goods and international food, with a Día de los Muertos theme this weekend. Free to browse.

Saturday, Oct 31, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carp Agricultural Fairgrounds, 3790 Carp Road. The last market of the 2026 season, with 80-plus producers and a Halloween theme. Free admission and parking.

Saturday, Oct 31, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Tanger Outlets, 8555 Campeau Drive. A dog-friendly market with 30-plus local makers. Free admission, leashes required.

7893 Bleeks Road. Hayrides, hedge mazes, live and puppet shows, mild daytime haunts and pumpkin picking. Open daily through Sunday, Nov 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets from about $32.98.

1865 O'Toole Road, Cumberland. Pick-your-own pumpkins, a hayride, mazes, a petting farm and playgrounds. Runs through Oct 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets from about $28.36, with kids 2 and under free.

Thousands of illuminated hand-carved pumpkins along a night path in Morrisburg. Through Oct 31, 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets from about $21 and must be bought in advance online, with kids under 5 free.

A double-feature haunted house at 1D Studios, 2935 Conroy Road, through Nov 1. Open Friday and Saturday until 1 a.m. and Sunday until 10 p.m. Tickets from about $21.36.

A 90-minute walking tour of local legends on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. through Nov 7, starting at 1549 Stittsville Main Street. Tickets from about $19.56.

Oct 30 and 31, 7:30 p.m. at St. Matthew's Anglican Church, 130 Glebe Avenue. The 1922 silent horror classic with live choral singing, organ and violin. Tickets $30.

Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Stravinsky Stories with the NAC Orchestra (through Sat, Oct 31, from $33). Afro-Andean Funk on Friday at 7:30 p.m. (from $34). The Irish Descendants on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (from $45). And Miguel de Armas and Friends, a Latin jazz evening at the Fourth Stage on Saturday at 8 p.m. ($35).

Evil Dead: The Musical at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans (through Sat, Oct 31, $35.99). Leonard Cohen: Ten Years Gone at the Gladstone Theatre (through Nov 7, $38). Rogers v. Rogers at the GCTC (through Nov 1, from $30). Maestro improv on Saturday at 9 p.m. at Arts Court (from $15).

Ottawa 67's vs. Brantford Bulldogs on Friday, Oct 30 at 7 p.m. (from $24.65). Atlético Ottawa vs. Forge FC on Sunday, Nov 1 at 2 p.m., the first leg of the Canadian Premier League semi-final (from $29).

Events include Noche de Muertos, a Latin Halloween party at the Ottawa Art Gallery on Saturday at 8 p.m. (early bird $29.99), and several costume nights at venues around town. Check age requirements, and plan a safe ride home.

Fire officials commonly recommend testing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replacing batteries when the clocks change. It takes a few minutes.

Replace your furnace filter and make sure vents aren't blocked before the heating season really kicks in.

Disconnect and drain hoses, shut off outdoor taps if you haven't, and clear leaves from eavestroughs and drains before the first freeze.

Use reflective tape, glow sticks or flashlights, and choose costumes that don't drag or block vision. Remember it's already getting dark early.

Cross at corners, watch for cars in driveways, and drivers should slow down on residential streets, especially around 5 to 8 p.m.

Turn on your porch light, clear steps and walkways of leaves and clutter, and keep pets away from the door.