Easy Getaways from Ottawa: Where to Go When You Need a Break

Sometimes you do not need a full vacation. You need a night away, a different view out the window, and a meal you did not have to cook. Ottawa is well positioned for this. Within 90 minutes of downtown, you can be at a lakeside lodge, a spa in the hills, a heritage inn in a canal town, or a cabin in the woods. These are getaways that require minimal planning and maximum payoff.

Wakefield and the Gatineau Hills

Drive time: 35 minutes north.

The closest true escape from Ottawa is straight north into the Gatineau Hills. Wakefield is a village on the Gatineau River with a handful of inns, a covered bridge, and a pace that slows down the moment you arrive.

The Wakefield Mill on Mill Road is the top accommodation option. It is a converted 19th-century grist mill with rooms overlooking MacLaren Falls. The on-site restaurant serves a seasonal menu, and there is a spa with treatments that draw on the natural setting. Rooms start around $200 per night, and the falls are lit at night.

For something less formal, rent a cottage on the Gatineau River through a local rental service. Several properties between Chelsea and Wakefield offer waterfront access, fire pits, and quiet that is hard to find this close to the city.

During the day, hike in Gatineau Park (the Luskville Falls trail and the King Mountain trail both offer rewarding views for moderate effort), swim at Lac Meech or Lac Philippe, or simply walk the village. In the evening, Les Fougeres in Chelsea is a 15-minute drive south and serves one of the best dinners in the region.

Perth

Drive time: 75 minutes southwest.

Perth is one of the oldest and best-preserved towns in the Ottawa Valley, with limestone buildings, a slow-moving river through the centre, and restaurants that would hold their own in a much larger city.

Stay at the Perth Manor on Gore Street, a boutique inn in a restored Victorian mansion. The rooms are individually decorated, breakfast is included, and the location is steps from the main street. Rooms start around $160 per night.

For dinner, Fiddleheads on Wilson Street is the town's best restaurant, serving Canadian cuisine with local ingredients in a stone building that dates to the 1830s. The Perth Pie Co. on Gore Street East is essential for a sweet or savoury pie. The Code's Mill complex on Wilson Street has a brewery, shops, and an outdoor terrace along the Tay River.

Perth works especially well as a couples' getaway. The town is walkable, the pace is gentle, and there is enough good food and atmosphere to fill an evening and a morning without needing a packed schedule. For families, combine Perth with a stop at the Bonnechere Caves or Parc Omega to add an adventure element.

Montebello

Drive time: 75 minutes northeast along Highway 50 in Quebec.

Montebello is a small Quebec town along the Ottawa River, best known for the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello, the largest log structure in the world. The chateau was built in 1930 and sits on a 65,000-acre estate with a golf course, tennis courts, horse stables, and river access.

Staying at the chateau is the main event. Rooms start around $250 per night, and the resort feel means you do not need to leave the property. In winter, there are cross-country ski trails, ice skating, and a curling rink. In summer, the river beach and outdoor activities take over.

If the Fairmont is over budget, Montebello has a few smaller inns and B&Bs in the village. Parc Omega, the drive-through wildlife park, is about 15 minutes from town and pairs well with a Montebello overnight, especially for families.

Calabogie

Drive time: 90 minutes west.

Calabogie sits on Calabogie Lake at the edge of the Canadian Shield, where the flat farmland of the Ottawa Valley gives way to rocky, forested terrain. The lake is the draw, and everything revolves around the water in summer.

The Calabogie Lodge on Barrett Chute Road is a lakeside resort with rooms, suites, and chalets. The lodge has a restaurant with lake views, a pool, and direct beach access. Rooms start around $150 per night. It is not luxury, but it is comfortable, family-friendly, and surrounded by nature.

Rent a canoe or kayak from the lodge, swim off the dock, or drive 10 minutes to Calabogie Peaks for hiking in summer or skiing in winter. The resort has a small hill by Ontario standards, but the views from the top over the lake and valley are worth the lift ticket.

Calabogie is one of the better year-round getaways from Ottawa. Summer is for the lake, fall is for the colours, and winter is for skiing and quiet evenings by the fire.

Westport

Drive time: About 90 minutes southwest.

Westport is a village of about 600 people at the top of Upper Rideau Lake. It is farther than the other options on this list, but it rewards the extra distance with a sense of genuine remoteness. The village has a small harbour, a main street with a few shops and restaurants, and access to some of the best paddling in eastern Ontario.

Stay at The Cove Country Inn on Bedford Street, which has comfortable rooms and a restaurant with views of the lake. For a more private experience, several cottage rentals are available on the lake and surrounding waterways. The Foley Mountain Conservation Area just outside town has a short trail to a lookout that offers one of the best views in eastern Ontario.

Westport is the kind of place where you arrive, take a deep breath, and realize you have not thought about work in two hours. It is best in summer and fall, when the lake is the centre of everything and the surrounding forest is at its most colourful.

Kemptville and the Rideau Corridor

Drive time: 45 minutes south.

For a very low-effort escape, Kemptville and the surrounding Rideau corridor offer a slower pace without a long drive. The town itself is not a destination in the traditional sense, but the countryside around it, particularly along the Rideau River and the canal, is pretty and peaceful.

Base yourself at a B&B or cottage rental along the Rideau between Kemptville and Merrickville, and spend your time cycling the canal towpath, browsing the shops in Merrickville, and eating well. The Rideau Canal scenic drive passes through this area and connects several of the best stops.

Choosing Your Getaway

The right escape depends on what you need. For romance and good food, Perth is hard to beat. For nature and water, Calabogie or Westport delivers. For convenience and minimal driving, the Gatineau Hills are right there. For a resort experience, Montebello is in a league of its own.

All of these work as one-night trips, though Perth, Calabogie, and Westport are even better with two nights, giving you a full day to settle in without rushing. Pack light, book dinner in advance where possible, and resist the urge to over-schedule. The point of an easy getaway is that it should feel easy.

For day trip versions of many of these destinations, see our small town escapes guide. For driving routes that connect several towns in one loop, check our scenic drives guide. And if you decide to skip the drive and stay in Ottawa instead, our quiet Ottawa guide shows you parts of the city that feel like an escape. For first-time visitors planning a weekend, start with our weekend planning guide.