Canada Guide
Ontario
Getting around
Most of Ottawa's important attractions as well as many of its better restaurants, bars and hotels are clustered in the downtown area within comfortable walking distance of Confederation Square. If you're venturing further afield, however, you may need to catch a bus. OC Transpo ( 
613/741-4390, 
www.octranspo.com ) provides a comprehensive network of bus services across Ottawa and its suburbs, while STO buses ( 819/770-3242, www.sto.ca ) cover Gatineau and the north side of the river. The hub of the OC Transpo system is the Transitway, which runs from the Mackenzie King Bridge along Albert Street (one-way west) and Slater Street (one-way east). STO buses leave for Gatineau from the west end of Rideau Street, between Sussex and King Edward Avenue. Key buses with both companies operate from 5am or 6am to around midnight daily.
Ticket prices are very reasonable. OC Transpo tickets, which can be bought at corner stores, the tourist office and many hotels, cost just $0.95 each and a standard single fare within the city limits (costing two tickets) is $1.80 – a good bit more if you pay cash to the driver (exact fare only). A DayPass, which allows unlimited travel on the OC Transpo system for one day, costs $7. If you're travelling on an ordinary ticket and need to change buses to complete your journey, ask for a free transfer at the point of embarkation. There are taxi ranks outside major hotels and nightspots.