Canada · Ontario · Ottawa
Centretown, Ottawa — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Stone churches and downtown streets fill Centretown, the central district of Ottawa, from the Canadian Museum of Nature to Elgin Street.
About Centretown
Where to stay in Centretown
Where you base yourself shapes the visit — here's the character of each area.
Centretown makes a practical base in the heart of Ottawa, its downtown streets lined with older homes, churches and small hotels within walking distance of Elgin Street. Everything sits close. You might choose it to stay near the Canadian Museum of Nature and the shops of Somerset Street West, with the rest of the city an easy walk away.
It suits walkers well.
About Centretown
What are the main landmarks in Centretown?
Centretown carries some of Ottawa's best-known museums and heritage buildings. The Canadian Museum of Nature rises like a castle at one end of the district, while the Bank of Canada Museum and the Portrait Gallery of Canada sit among the downtown blocks. Churches mark the streets too: St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, the First Baptist Church and the Anglican Church of St. John the Evangelist.
Heritage homes such as Birkett House and Cheney House line quieter streets like MacLaren Street. The mix runs from national museums to family houses.
What is the history of Centretown?
Centretown took shape as a residential core within Ottawa, in the province of Ontario. Churches led the way. Congregations built St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and the First Baptist Church as the streets filled with brick and stone homes across this part of Canada.
Institutions followed, among them the Canadian Museum of Nature. The old street grid still holds.
Where is Centretown?
Centretown sits at the heart of Ottawa. Its downtown grid runs from Elgin Street across to Bronson Avenue, taking in Somerset Street West and the blocks around the Canadian Museum of Nature.
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More areas in Ottawa
Updated July 2026