Historic Site · Ottawa, Canada
Parliament Hill, Ottawa
Parliament Hill (French: Colline du Parlement) is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario.
Photo: Wladyslaw via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Ottawa, Canada |
|---|---|
| Type | Historic Site |
| Coordinates | 45.4247° N, 75.6994° W |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Parliament Hill, Ottawa is known for
Parliament Hill (French: Colline du Parlement) is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario.
About Parliament Hill, Ottawa
Parliament Hill (French: Colline du Parlement) is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose architectural elements were chosen to evoke the history of parliamentary democracy. Parliament Hill attracts approximately three million visitors each year.
History
Parliament Hill is a limestone outcrop with a gently sloping top that was originally covered in a primeval forest of beech and hemlock. For hundreds of years, the hill was a landmark on the Ottawa River for First Nations people and later for European traders, adventurers, and industrialists, marking their journeys to the interior of the continent. After the founding of Ottawa, which was then called Bytown, the builders of the Rideau Canal sited a military base on the hill, naming it Barrack Hill.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Parliament Hill, Ottawa website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Ottawa |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Ottawa / Rockcliffe Airport (YRO) |
| Distance from the airport | 4.0 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) · Ottawa, Canada · 7.2 miles away
- Montreal / Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) · Montréal, Canada · 94.9 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Canada
More historic sites
Frequently asked questions
What is Parliament Hill, Ottawa?
Parliament Hill (French: Colline du Parlement) is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario.
Where is Parliament Hill, Ottawa located?
Parliament Hill, Ottawa is in Ottawa, Canada. Its coordinates are 45.4247° N, 75.6994° W.
How do I get to Parliament Hill, Ottawa?
The nearest town is Ottawa, and the nearest airport is Ottawa / Rockcliffe Airport (YRO), about 4.0 miles away (straight line).
What is the history of Parliament Hill, Ottawa?
Parliament Hill is a limestone outcrop with a gently sloping top that was originally covered in a primeval forest of beech and hemlock. For hundreds of years, the hill was a landmark on the Ottawa River for First Nations people and later for European traders, adventurers, and industrialists, marking their journeys to the interior of the continent.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_Hill — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1589289 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://visitez.parl.ca/ — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.