Explore hundreds of kilometres of pathways by bike, inline skates or on foot through the picturesque city or along the riverbank and Rideau Canal. Take a walking tour of historic landmarks and tourist sites with Around About Ottawa (tel: 613) 599 1016; website: www.aroundaboutottawa.com) or a Haunted Ghost Walk of Ottawa's darker past (tel: (613) 232 0344; website: www.hauntedwalk.com).

Gatineau Park, 15 minutes north of downtown Ottawa, offers extensive trails for hiking and snowshoeing (website: www.canadascapital.gc.ca/gatineau). Cool off with a family rafting trip down the River Ottawa (tel: (613) 238 7238; website: www.owlrafting.com), or a cruise along the Rideau Canal or River Ottawa with Paul's Boat Lines (tel: (613) 225 6781; website: www.paulsboatcruises.com).

A vintage steam train chugs through the Gatineau Hills to the quaint riverside village of Wakefield (tel: (819) 778 7246; website: www.steamtrain.ca). The Bytown Trolley offers guided ‘hop on and off' tours around the nation's capital (tel: (613) 592 7741; website: www.bytowntrolley.ca), or you can ride a double-decker bus that visits city attractions (tel: (613) 565 5463; website: www.grayline.ca). Alternatively, try something a little different on a historical rickshaw tour around town or the ByWard Market area. Sit back while a runner pulls the rickshaw up and down the hills with frequent stops to tell local stories, or get involved personally in a teambuilding challenge where rickshaw teams compete against one another (tel: (613) 853 0012; website: www.rickshaws.ca).