Flower fiends should mark their calendars for the Canadian Tulip Festival. From May 8 to 18, over one-million tulips will bloom across Canada’s capital region as a vibrant way to celebrate spring. Commissioners Park has the largest and most impressive tulip display in the city, but Major’s Hill Park also offers striking views with Parliament Hill in the background. At Green Corners Farm, 30 minutes from Ottawa, you can pick your own tulips and snap a pic in a field of 300,000 blooms.

Ottawa is the ultimate gateway for outdoor activities. Located between the Ottawa River, Gatineau Park and the rolling Laurentian Mountains, nature is always close by. The National Capital Greenbelt is one of the most ecologically diverse areas in Eastern Ontario – think bogs and pine groves – and its 20,000 hectares of protected nature have more than 150 kilometres of hiking trails within them. But you don’t have to go far to be wowed by nature in Ottawa. From the newly revitalized Kìwekì Point, next to the National Gallery of Canada, you can take in panoramic views of the valley, river and city.

Runners, take note: The Tamarack Homes Ottawa International Marathon, which happens on May 24 this year, sees 5,000 participants race towards their personal bests. Whether you’re running it yourself or cheering someone on, the scenic race route follows the Ottawa River into Gatineau Park, passing landmarks like Parliament Hill, the Canadian War Museum and the National Gallery of Canada.

If you prefer to race on two wheels, the CN Cycle for CHEO (the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) is a great excuse to bike for a good cause. With 15-, 35- and 70-kilometre routes, there’s an option for everyone. You can also easily venture out on your own bike ride – the city has more than 800 kilometres of cycling paths to explore.

As the weather warms, it’s the perfect time to head out on the water, too. Ottawa is a water sport enthusiast’s haven with activities to suit your thrill level. You can canoe, kayak or stand-up paddle board on the peaceful Rideau Canal, or, for something more thrilling, gear up for white-water rafting on Ottawa’s world-class rapids. There aren’t many cities that can claim easy access to white-water rapids, but Ottawa can. The Ottawa River offers ideal conditions for tubing and friendly rafting conditions not far from downtown. For those who crave more adventure, within an hour’s drive of the city, you can tackle class III to V rapids on the river.

As the city celebrates its bicentennial throughout 2026, history lovers will find no shortage of ways to mark the occasion. The year-long program celebrates two centuries since Ottawa’s founding as Bytown in 1826. In the spring, the Bytown Museum will launch the new exhibition What’s in a Frame? 200+ Years of Community Portraits, a showcase of the people who have lived, worked and built community in Ottawa across generations.

There’s the city’s Indigenous history, too. The Ottawa region is the traditional and unceded territory of the Anishinabeg Algonquin. The Ottawa Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival, from June 20 to 21, is where you can experience Canada's diverse Indigenous cultures through activities like creative workshops, an Indigenous marketplace and competition pow wow performances. And starting in June, Indigenous Experiences will tour The Chief Speaks, an Algonquin cultural installation featuring a moveable wigwam dwelling and a hologram voiced by Elder Merv Sarazin. He’ll share his stories about Algonquin life, past and present.

With a lively urban arts scene, Ottawa is buzzing with cultural activities and programming, from mural-hopping downtown to festivals like Pique. It’s an eclectic musical, visual and multimedia arts festival on June 13 produced by Debaser, an independent, underground arts collective. Expect experimental projects, Indigenous-led performances and site-specific installations that centre underrepresented perspectives and voices.

Keen to get on the proverbial dance floor? From jazz to electronic to French, there are a handful of music festivals to plane a weekend around. And June 13 and 14 will also see the return of Art in the Park, the ultimate summer festival that gathers paintings, sculptures, crafts and more in Ottawa’s Glebe neighbourhood. There, you’ll get an opportunity to meet the artists themselves, learn more about their work and purchase a meaningful piece of art to take home with you as a one-of-a-kind souvenir.

As the weather warms and farmers’ markets reactivate after the winter break, foodies will have their choice of festivals to indulge, markets to shop and local farms to visit. In May, take your pick from diverse festivals like Ottawa PoutineFest to get your curd on, the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta for all delicious things Mexican, Ribfests in Barrhaven and Kanata and the Ottawa Chinatown Night Market. On June 7, Shawarma Fest 2026 will see a Guinness World Records attempt to build a 160-metre shawarma in the ByWard Market.

Just outside of Ottawa, The Log Farm hosts a Saturday Farmers’ Market from May to October. And you can shop a dozen markets in the Ottawa area, like the ByWard Market, one of the oldest in the country, the Lansdowne Farmers’ Market, which heads outdoors on Sundays from May to October, and the historic Parkdale Public Market, which was founded in 1924.

Refuel during your city explorations at Little Victories Coffee Roasters, which ranked 71st on the list of the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops in 2026. Their single-origin beans, available from one of the café’s three locations, make for a great souvenir. If brunch is more your speed, Canada’s capital has plenty of spots to get your fill. Head to Wilf & Ada’s, where almost everything is made from scratch including its house-smoked bacon, the Vanitea Room’s whimsical tea salon or the French-inspired Benny’s Bistro. Dining with a view isn’t difficult, either, with canal-side eateries like La Terrasse at the Fairmont Château Laurier and Canal Ritz in the Glebe.

Whether you're drawn by the blooming tulips, the thrill of the rapids, the rhythm of the festivals or the flavour of the markets, Ottawa in spring offers something special for every kind of traveller. And as the city turns 200, there's never been a better time to explore Canada's capital and discover the rich tapestry of history, culture and natural beauty that makes it worth returning to again and again.

Find more inspiration for your Ottawa itinerary here.