Downtown Ottawa is compact and walkable: Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market, the National Gallery, the Rideau Canal and most of the major museums are all within twenty minutes of each other on foot. Bike paths run along both sides of the canal and the Ottawa River, and the city's bike-share network is reasonable in summer. The OC Transpo bus system covers the rest, with a light-rail line (the O-Train) running east-west through downtown — a single fare gets you anywhere in the city. Taxis and Uber are easy to find. In winter the Rideau Canal Skateway becomes a genuine commuting route between Centretown and the universities to the south.
Crossing into Gatineau (Quebec) is straightforward — several bridges link the two cities and Gatineau's STO buses connect with OC Transpo, though a small supplement is sometimes needed when transferring. Driving in central Ottawa is generally easy by capital-city standards, but parking near Parliament Hill and the market is limited and expensive.