Embrun is a small francophone town in eastern Ontario, about 35 kilometres southeast of Ottawa along Highway 417. It is not a tourist destination in any conventional sense — there is no major attraction and no reason to go out of your way — but it functions as a comfortable bedroom community for the capital with a distinctly French-Canadian character that sets it apart from its anglophone surroundings.
The town sits in southern Ontario's warmest corner, which means genuine summers of 30°C or higher and winters that are cold without being brutal by Canadian standards. The main activity for visitors and residents is the New York Central Recreational Trail, a long bike path built on a former rail corridor that runs through the centre of town and out into the countryside. The path is beautiful if buggy — bring insect repellent.
Getting here from Ottawa or Montreal is by car; there is no rail service and buses are infrequent. From Ottawa take Highway 417 east and exit at Rockdale Road (Exit 88); from Montreal take Highway 40 west into Ontario, then Highway 417 east to Exit 79 at Limoges Road.