Centretown is Ottawa's walk-to-work neighbourhood: heritage brick houses, Bank Street shops, Elgin Street restaurants and a museum that looks like a castle, all just south of Parliament Hill.
Centretown Ottawa sits between Gloucester Street and the Queensway, with the Rideau Canal on its east side and Bronson Avenue on its west, according to the City's definition. Its main streets are Bank, Elgin and Somerset, and it holds the Canadian Museum of Nature, Dundonald Park and Minto Park. This guide covers what each street is like, where to eat and shop, how the O-Train, OC Transpo, cycling and parking work, and what living here involves. Chinatown, Little Italy and the ByWard Market border it and have their own guides.
Key Highlights
TL;DR: Centretown runs from Gloucester Street to the Queensway and from the Rideau Canal to Bronson Avenue. Bank Street is the shopping spine, Elgin Street the restaurant strip and Somerset Village the nightlife stretch. There is no O-Train station inside it, but Lyon and Parliament stations sit on its northern edge and a frequent bus runs down Bank.
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| 📅 Museum hours | Canadian Museum of Nature, Sept. 8, 2026 to May 20, 2027: Thursday 9:30 am to 8 pm, other days 9:30 am to 4 pm, closed Tuesday |
| 📍 Boundaries | Gloucester and Lisgar streets (north), Rideau Canal (east), the Queensway (south), Bronson Avenue (west) |
| 🎟️ Museum admission | Adult $26, student, senior and child $19, tax not included. General admission is free Thursday from 5 pm to 8 pm |
| ⏰ Nearest O-Train | Lyon and Parliament stations on Line 1, both on Queen Street at the north edge |
Where Centretown Ottawa Starts and Stops
The City defines Centretown as the area bounded on the north by Gloucester and Lisgar streets, on the east by the Rideau Canal, on the south by the Queensway and on the west by Bronson Avenue. In everyday talk the name stretches further. Real estate listings and the Centretown Community Association often fold in the Golden Triangle and the downtown core north of Gloucester, and the neighbourhood's business improvement area describes its patch as running "from Sparks to Catherine, Bronson to Elgin."
The older part of the neighbourhood is protected. The City designated the Centretown Heritage Conservation District in 1997 (By-law 269-97) under the Ontario Heritage Act. Most buildings in it date from 1890 to 1914. The common house is a hip-roofed single-family home with a projecting gabled bay, and medium-density flat-roofed apartment buildings fill in between. The area opened for development in the mid-1870s as Stewarton and the By Estate, and it became a residential neighbourhood within walking distance of Parliament Hill and the government offices.
About 25,687 people lived there at the 2021 Census, a gain of 7.8% from 2016, on roughly 2.1 square kilometres, according to Wikipedia's tally of the census tracts. Further west along Somerset Street, Chinatown runs from Bay Street to Preston Street, and Preston Street is the centre of Little Italy. Both have their own guides: see our Chinatown Ottawa guide and Little Italy Ottawa guide. Businesses the directory files under this area are listed on the Centretown neighbourhood page.
Bank Street and Somerset Village
Bank Street is the main north-south commercial street through Centretown. Between Wellington Street and Gladstone Avenue it is officially the Bank Street Promenade, a shopping and business district. Contrary to popular belief, it is not named after the Bank of Canada. The street name dates from the 19th century, and it is believed to refer to the road running between the banks of the Ottawa and Rideau rivers. It was first called Esther Street, after Colonel By's wife.
Several independent shops sit on or just off it. Myths Legends & Heroes at 240 Bank Street, Unit 103, has sold comics since 1990, and its site lists hours of Tuesday to Sunday with Monday closed (check before you go, since holiday hours differ). Herb & Spice - Bank at 375 Bank Street, near Lewis Street, describes itself as an independent health food store serving Centretown for more than 40 years. It also makes lunch in-house on weekdays. Spaceman Music at 388 Gladstone Avenue sells used and vintage instruments, repairs guitars, basses and tube amps, and says it is open seven days a week. Dave's Drum Shop at 270 Catherine Street is closed Sundays except in November and December, and its site says there is free parking in front of the shop. More shops of this kind are listed under gift and specialty stores in the directory.
Somerset Village is the stretch of Somerset Street West between Bank and O'Connor streets. The part of Bank Street between Somerset and Gladstone is considered the centre of Ottawa's gay village, and the City has put up signs identifying it where Somerset, James and Nepean streets meet Bank. During the pandemic Somerset was closed to traffic between Bank and O'Connor, and patios and foot traffic filled the street, as the Ottawa Citizen noted in 2025. For a night out here, Union Local 613 at 315 Somerset Street West is one option. Its site describes southern-inspired food, a speakeasy downstairs behind a bookcase and a sister restaurant upstairs, and it advertises weekday drink specials.
Elgin Street, Boushey Square and the Sens Mile
Elgin Street starts at Confederation Square, just east of Parliament Hill, and runs south past the National Arts Centre, Confederation Park and City Hall, then turns residential before it meets the Queensway. The part through Centretown is mostly restaurants, bars and small shops, and it is nicknamed the "Sens Mile" after the 2007 Stanley Cup playoff celebrations for the Ottawa Senators.
The street looks different from a decade ago. The City closed Elgin between Somerset and Catherine streets to vehicles from January to December 2019 for a rebuild, and announced the work complete in November 2020. The project replaced sewer and water mains, buried overhead utility lines, widened sidewalks, cut the road to two lanes with traffic calming, added bike lanes at the south end and new bus shelters, brought in public art and created a public square, Boushey Square. Ottawa Street Markets runs the Elgin Street Market there in the summer, and Ottawa Tourism lists it as a Sunday market at 211-A Waverley Street. Dates change by season, so check the market's page before you go.
If you are staying nearby, our guide to hotels in downtown Ottawa covers rooms within walking distance of Elgin.
Canadian Museum of Nature, Dundonald Park and Minto Park
The Canadian Museum of Nature is at 240 McLeod Street, at the corner of Metcalfe Street, and is a 15 to 20 minute walk south from Parliament Hill. Between Sept. 8, 2026 and May 20, 2027 it is open 9:30 am to 4 pm on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9:30 am to 8 pm on Thursday. It is closed on Tuesdays, and also closed Jan. 18 to 27. General admission is $26 for adults and $19 for seniors (65+), children (3 to 12) and students, tax not included, and 10% off if you buy online. General admission is free on Thursdays from 5 pm to 8 pm. The museum says every visitor needs a ticket, even when the ticket is free.
Dundonald Park takes up a city block at 516 Somerset Street West, bounded by Bay, MacLaren and Lyon streets. It is named after the Earl of Dundonald, the last British officer to command the Canadian militia. Plaques there commemorate Igor Gouzenko, the Soviet defector. RCMP agents watched his apartment across the street from the park on the night men from the Soviet embassy came looking for him.
Minto Park fills the block between Elgin, Gilmour, Cartier and Lewis streets. The City bought the land in 1899 for $7,700 from J. R. Booth and named the park after the Earl of Minto, then Governor General. It has picnic benches, a bust of the Argentine general José de San Martín and Enclave: The Ottawa Women's Monument, a memorial to women murdered and abused by men. Memorial events for the anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre have been held there.
Where to Eat, Drink and See a Show in Centretown
Elgin and Bank are the two streets to walk if you want choices, and the Somerset Village blocks add bars. For a vegetarian meal, Pure Kitchen - Elgin at 340 Elgin Street describes its food as vegetarian with a juice bar. For a quick weekday lunch, the made-in-house counter at Herb & Spice on Bank is one more option. After dark, Union Local 613 is a short walk from Bank.
For live music, Bronson Centre Music Theatre at 211 Bronson Avenue sits on Centretown's western edge. It is a mid-size live music venue with a standing floor and a seated balcony, and its site lists shows into December. Browse the rest of the neighbourhood in the directory by category: restaurants, bars, cafés, bookstores and theatres.
For picks across the city, see our best restaurants in Ottawa by neighbourhood and, when money is tight, best cheap eats in Ottawa. The nearby ByWard Market guide covers the market district across the canal.
Getting Around Centretown: O-Train, OC Transpo, Cycling and Parking
There is no O-Train station inside Centretown, but two on Line 1 sit at its northern edge. Lyon station is at Lyon and Queen streets, with one entrance at the southwest corner and another through Place de Ville, a few steps from Sparks Street (see our Sparks Street history). Parliament station is at Queen and O'Connor streets, near Parliament Hill. Bayview station, where Line 2 meets Line 1, is farther west near Little Italy. For how the system works, see our O-Train LRT guide.
On the bus side, Route 6 is a frequent route that serves Centretown, the Glebe and Bank Street, and runs to the Rideau Centre. OC Transpo describes frequent routes as running every 15 minutes or less between 6 am and 6 pm on weekdays. Routes change, so plan trips with the OC Transpo travel planner.
Cycling is possible on dedicated routes. The museum lists the Capital Pathway and the O'Connor Street Bikeway among the paths near it, and the O'Connor segregated bike lanes opened in October 2016. Laurier Avenue has a segregated bike lane that the City describes as Ottawa's first, and the Elgin Street rebuild added bike lanes at its south end. The Museum of Nature has bicycle racks.
Parking costs money almost everywhere. The Museum of Nature's lots charge $5 per half hour from 4:30 am to 4:30 pm, with a maximum of $18 per day, and a $7 flat rate after 4:30 pm. They take debit, Visa and Mastercard but not cash, and the museum warns the lots can fill quickly on weekends and holidays. On the street, look for the Pay and Display signs. The City has been extending paid hours into evenings and Saturdays in busy areas since September 2025, so read the posted hours on each block. Dave's Drum Shop is one of the few businesses here that mentions free parking in front.
Living in Centretown
The appeal is a short commute. Centretown was built as a place to live within walking distance of Parliament Hill and the government offices, and that is still its character. Bank and Elgin are the big commercial streets, while smaller ones such as MacLaren and Gladstone are mostly residential. Housing is a mix of original single-family homes, newer infill and townhouse developments, and low-rise and high-rise apartment buildings. Because much of the area is a heritage district, ask the City's heritage staff before planning exterior work on an older house.
Daily life runs through the City's community facilities. Jack Purcell Community Centre, at 320 Jack Purcell Lane at Elgin and Lewis, has an 18 metre warm-water pool, a weight room and meeting rooms. Behind it in Jack Purcell Park a neighbourhood outdoor rink opens in late December and runs until February, weather permitting. St. Luke's Park at 166 Frank Street has play structures and a summer wading pool. For culture, the directory also lists local cultural organizations and galleries in the area.
The City's 2013 Mid-Centretown Community Design Plan set out how the neighbourhood would grow, including which parts should be protected from growth. If this is your first Ottawa winter, our winter preparedness guide for Ottawa is a useful read.
FAQ
Q: Where is Centretown in Ottawa?
Centretown is the area south of Gloucester and Lisgar streets, west of the Rideau Canal, north of the Queensway and east of Bronson Avenue. It sits directly south of the downtown core and Parliament Hill. Bank, Elgin and Somerset streets are its main commercial streets, and Chinatown and Little Italy are just to the west.
Q: What is Somerset Village?
Somerset Village is the stretch of Somerset Street West between Bank and O'Connor streets. The part of Bank Street between Somerset and Gladstone is considered the centre of Ottawa's gay village, and the City has put up signs marking it at Somerset, James and Nepean streets where they meet Bank.
Q: Is there an O-Train station in Centretown?
Not inside the neighbourhood. Lyon station (Lyon and Queen streets) and Parliament station (Queen and O'Connor streets) on Line 1 sit at its northern edge, a short walk or bus ride away. Route 6 also runs down Bank Street. Check the OC Transpo travel planner before you travel, because routes change.
Q: Is the Canadian Museum of Nature free?
General admission is free on Thursdays from 5 pm to 8 pm, on Canada Day and on Sept. 30. Otherwise adults pay $26 and seniors, children and students $19, plus tax. Everyone still needs a ticket, even a free one, so book ahead online. The museum is closed Tuesdays.
Q: Where can I park in Centretown?
Most parking is paid. The Museum of Nature charges $5 per half hour to a $18 daily maximum before 4:30 pm and $7 flat after, and it does not take cash. On the street, use Pay and Display zones and read each block's posted hours, since the City has been extending paid hours into evenings and Saturdays.
Final Thoughts
Centretown works best on foot. You can eat on Elgin, shop on Bank, visit the Museum of Nature and take the O-Train from a station at the north edge, all without a car. Check hours and ticket prices on each venue's site before you head out, since several of them change with the season.
Source: Wikipedia, Centretown
Source: HistoricPlaces.ca, Centretown Heritage Conservation District
Source: Canadian Museum of Nature, hours, admission fees and parking and directions
Source: Wikipedia on Bank Street, Elgin Street, Somerset Street, Minto Park and Dundonald Park
Source: Jack Purcell Recreation Association, facilities
Source: Wikipedia, OC Transpo routes and City of Ottawa, municipal lots and on-street parking
