Luggage storageOttawa

Storing luggage in Ottawa

Visiting Ottawa often means an Airbnb without a front desk, or half a day between checkout and a train out of town. Stasher helps you compare your options, including the city's own storage desk.

As Canada's capital, Ottawa is the country's political centre and federal government headquarters. Visitors also come for major business conventions, making advance luggage planning especially useful. Parliament Hill is Ottawa's most-visited attraction and the seat of Canada's federal government. The ByWard Market sits close to national institutions and monuments, so it is easy to combine it with sightseeing. Parliament Station gives direct access to Parliament Hill and Sparks Street from the downtown business district. Ottawa lies in southeastern Ontario, right on the provincial border with Quebec. With Stasher, you can store bags from CA$3.49 per bag per day.

Some top Stasher locations in Ottawa include:

• Restaurant, 5-minute walk from Canadian Museum of Nature

Local hosts include restaurants. Every booking comes with the Stasher Guarantee, which protects your bags up to C$19,000. Stasher storage in Ottawa can be booked through the website or app.

Luggage storage at the station and airport

Ottawa International Airport has a staffed baggage desk on the arrivals level, across from carousel 5, which is an official baggage storage facility, so you can drop a bag the moment you land. The VIA Rail station at 200 Tremblay Road is the city's intercity rail terminal, but there is no station-run left-luggage desk, so don't assume you can leave a bag while you wait for a connection.

That same station does have an O-Train stop that connects passengers to downtown Ottawa. The airport also has direct O-Train Line 4 rail service to South Keys Station.

Getting around Ottawa with bags

The fastest route from the airport into central Ottawa is O-Train Line 4 to South Keys, then Line 2 to Bayview, then Line 1 into downtown, which means two transfers along the way and a total journey of approximately 15 minutes. Line 4 runs about every 12 minutes on weekdays, so expect a train roughly that often when you plan your departure from the airport. OC Transpo's fare gates are wide enough for passengers with luggage, strollers, and mobility devices, so getting through the gates with a suitcase is straightforward. The city's transit by-laws prohibit luggage that inconveniences other passengers, so keep your bag close and out of the aisle rather than sprawled across seats.

Luggage rules at Ottawa attractions

The National Gallery of Canada asks you to check anything larger than 30 x 40 x 12 cm, plus backpacks and umbrellas, in its free cloakroom, so you won't be touring the collection with a full daypack on your back.

The Canadian Museum of History has a similar rule, permitting only one bag smaller than 35 cm x 30.5 cm x 19 cm per visitor, with everything else to be left at the coat check. The Rideau Canal is a waterway in warmer months and the world's largest naturally frozen skating rink in winter, so a bag left elsewhere means both hands free regardless of the season.