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Quebec City and Ottawa, two hugely popular cities in Canada, are different in their own unique way. They both offer that warm and charming ambience that has become synonymous with Canada, which continues to attract the world to this beautiful country.
Just what makes these two cities tick? We take a look at why you are spoiled for choice between Quebec and Ottawa.
Weather
Ottawa is Canada's capital city and is found in Ontario, a province in east-central Canada. Generally, Ottawa has fairly warm weather, however, unlike other cities in the province of Ontario, Ottawa does not sit off the shores of Lake Ontario. Due to this geographical location, Ottawa experiences high summer temperatures while the winter weather is one of the harshest in the country, with snow depths of over 1 cm for 120 days of each year. The ice cold winter weather also transforms the Rideau Canal into a long skating rink that is a particular delight to skaters and fans of winter sports. Other winter activities like skiing, and snowshoeing are accessible within 20 minutes of the city centre. The summer temperature has an average of 35 to 40 degrees, let’s just say Ottawa sort of gives you the best of both worlds.
On the other hand, the weather in Quebec City is more widespread and diverse. Because it has such a large and wide area, Quebec City experiences four seasons that includes really hot summers, cold, snowy and rainy winters in a year. The best time to travel to Quebec is between the months of June, July, August, and September, where the weather is generally stable, with the warmest month being July. If you don’t like rain the month to avoid is November as it is considered the wettest month in Quebec City with just a little over 15 days of rain.
City Icons
Quebec City is home to the elegant and magnificent Chateau Frontenac, a traditionally designed, old school 4-star hotel that overlooks the St. Lawrence River. T
he castle-like hotel is a favourite for visitors to the city, offering some splendid river views from its balconies.
Parliament Hill, built in 1877 is the headquarters of the Quebec provincial government and is another must see in the city. Other famous icons in the city include: Musse de la Civilisation (a historically rich museum with 3 different locations), Citade (a complex housing a military museum and summer residence of Canada’s governor general), Quartier Petit-Chaplain (one of the most scenic areas of the city), Place Royal (a square that is home to many historic buildings) and Grande Allee (19th century style buildings, full of restaurants, patios and entertainment venues), just to mention a few.
Not one to be outdone, Ottawa has its own world famous icons and places in the City. When one talks of Ottawa, the first thing that comes to mind is the Peace Tower, also known as The Tower Of Victory and Peace. It is a focal bell and clock tower that is adjacent to the parliament buildings in the City d was once featured on the Canadian twenty dollar bill.
Opened in 1988, the National Gallery of Canada i s a glass and granite building in Ottawa that overlooks the parliament buildings on the opposite side and is one of the most prominent art galleries in Canada. It features a collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures and drawings, and should be a must see for all art lovers.
Other Icons worth of note based in the City of Ottawa are: Rideau Canal (connects Ottawa and Kingston on lake Ontario, and is 200 kilometres long), Canada war museum (displays exhibitions and artefacts of Canada military past), Upper Town (home to string of high-end department stores, restaurants, and boutiques).
Cost of Living
Quebec City is one of the most affordable places to liveor visit in Canada, with some of the lowest real estate prices in the country. Prices of day-to-day commodities are affordable, there is free health care and tuition fees are very competitive too, by Canadian standards. Quebec City has a healthy thriving economy and is the second largest economy in the province, making it a very attractive and conducive City to live in or visit.
Although the City of Ottawa has an above average cost of living, it is quite affordable too. Apartments for rent range from prices of $700 to $1400 a month, however, cheaper accommodation is also available due to the presence of local Universities in the City. Groceries and other utilities are known to be a t more expensive in the city, which has a tax rate of 13%.
Sport
For sports fans, Ottawa is a four season sports destination and is home to three professional sports teams. And the people of Ottawa love their sports and stadiums are usually full on game days creating an exciting atmosphere that can leave an impression on first-time visitors. With teams of professional soccer, CFL football league in summer and the NHL hockey season in the winter months. The most famous teams in the City are: The Ottawa Senators, locally known as “the sens”, they are an NHL team that plays in the winter months between October and April. The Ottawa Fury FC, also known as “The Fury FC”, they are a professional soccer team that plays in the North American Soccer League NASL.
Quebec City also has some fun outdoor sports, renowned for its water rafting, biking, and skiing sports activities all year round.
For biking fans in Quebec City, there’s Monte-Sainte-Anne, which has come to be known as the biking Mecca, with its bends and curves in the mountain terrain a darling to daredevils and thrill seekers.
The City has near perfect conditions for skiing during its winter months d has four skiing resorts all across Quebec. A must visit for skiers and boarders of all levels to test their skills and enjoy the winter outdoors.
Maybe you are more laid back and prefer the relaxation and smell of grass on a golf course, Quebec City is sprawling with some of the most professional golf courses for golfers. With mountain views and glimpses of St. Lawrence River, there’s the elegant Portneuf golf course to the spacious La Jacques-Cartier, you can test your golf skills in plush and green environments.
It is clear to see that the two Canadian Cities of Ottawa and Quebec are different in their own way and it’s these qualities that make the two cities even more fascinating and the main reason why they are visited by millions of people year in year out.
