Major's Hill Park is a green terrace immediately above the Rideau Canal locks, between the National Gallery and the Château Laurier, with a direct view of Parliament Hill across the water. It is the oldest urban park in Ottawa, established in the 1870s, and its lawns slope down toward the canal in a way that feels informal and accessible in a city full of formal government spaces.
The park is used for the annual Canadian Tulip Festival in May — a remnant of the tradition established when the Netherlands gifted Canada tulip bulbs after the war in gratitude for sheltering the Dutch royal family in Ottawa. During the festival, tens of thousands of tulips bloom across the park. In summer the lawn is popular for picnicking, kite-flying and watching the tour boats on the canal. The view from the upper end of the park, looking across the locks to the Château Laurier with the Parliament tower visible beyond, is one of the defining images of Ottawa.