Just across the river from Ottawa is Gatineau, which has the stunning Canadian Museum of Civilization and some mighty good restaurants too. There is a scenic national park of the same name just to the north-west, with high cliffs and deep, clear lakes.
To the south-east of Ottawa is a large flat rural area consisting mostly of small commuter towns, agricultural villages, and the occasional woodland. This lowland is sprawled over eight counties and stretches all the way to Montreal and the United States border, hundreds of kilometres away. In this agricultural hinterland lies:
Merrickville, 45 min by car south of Ottawa, claims to be Canada's prettiest village.
Perth, 1 hour south, a very scenic town with mills, and heritage buildings.
Carp, a tiny village 10 km north of Ottawa, houses the surreal Cold War "Central Emergency Government Headquarters" Diefenbunker, now a museum.
To the west of Ottawa lies more rugged terrain. The Madawaska Highlands, which start about 90km to the northwest, is a sparsely inhabited wilderness area composed of miles upon miles of lakes and forests. In this area lies:
Greater Madawaska, the Calabogie Ski resort about 1 1/2 hour west of Ottawa.
To the north of Ottawa lies Renfrew County, the heart of what is know colloquially as the Ottawa Valley. Though Ottawa lies geologically in the Ottawa Valley, as a colloquial term it is used to refer to the cultural region to the north of Ottawa.
Beyond the Ottawa region lie other Canadian cities, such as:
Montreal, the largest city in Quebec, is 200km east. The largest French-speaking city outside of Europe.
Toronto, Canada's largest city, is about 500km to the southwest.
Kingston, about 200km to the southwest, on the way to Toronto. An old city composed of limestone buildings and home to Queen's University, one of Canada's most prestigious universities.
