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Centretown & Downtown — Condo Living

Walkability, transit access, and nightlife for buyers who want to live where the city happens.

OVERVIEW

Getting to Know Centretown & Downtown

Centretown and downtown Ottawa are the city's dense, walkable core — Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market, and the Rideau Canal are all within walking distance of most condo buildings here. It's the natural fit for buyers who value transit access and nightlife over yard space, with the Golden Triangle, Sandy Hill, and Little Italy each offering a slightly different flavour just steps from the core.

Explore the neighbourhoods, schools, and everyday amenities below, or jump straight to real homes for sale in the area.

EXPLORE THE MAP

Centretown & Downtown at a Glance

Choose a category to see it on the map — click any pin for details.

HOMES FOR SALE

Live Listings in Centretown & Downtown

Real active listings in Centretown & Downtown right now — filter by price, size, and property type to find your fit.

Click any listing for full details. This shows live active listings, not sold data.

What's it like to live in Centretown or downtown Ottawa? How do condo prices downtown compare to the rest of Ottawa?
NEIGHBOURHOODS

Centretown & Downtown's Sub-Areas

Golden Triangle

A sought-after core pocket bounded by Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal.

Centretown

The core downtown residential district, home to Sparks Street and the Parliament precinct.

ByWard Market & Lowertown

Ottawa's historic market district, with condos above shops, restaurants, and nightlife.

Sandy Hill

A bilingual, historic neighbourhood near the University of Ottawa.

Little Italy

Ottawa's Italian cultural district, centred on Preston Street.

Centretown West

The western extension of Centretown, bounded by Bronson Avenue.

LeBreton Flats

A riverfront redevelopment area home to the Canadian War Museum.

Chinatown

Ottawa's Chinatown, centred on Somerset Street West.

SCHOOLS

Schools Serving the Area

Elgin Street Public School

A public elementary school (OCDSB) with French Immersion, serving the core downtown catchment.

Lisgar Collegiate Institute

Ontario's oldest continuously-operating school, a public high school (OCDSB).

Cambridge Street Community Public School

A public elementary school (OCDSB).

York Street Public School

A public elementary school (OCDSB) in Lowertown.

École secondaire publique De La Salle

A French-language public secondary school (CEPEO).

SHOPPING

Where to Shop

ByWard Market

A historic public market dating to 1826, with shops, restaurants, and the original 1927 market building.

CF Rideau Centre

Downtown Ottawa's major shopping mall, connected to the ByWard Market.

Sparks Street

North America's first pedestrian mall, lined with shops and restaurants.

World Exchange Plaza

An underground and street-level shopping and dining concourse in the office-tower core.

DINING

Restaurants, Cafés & Bars

The Whalesbone

A casual seafood spot known for oysters and chilled shellfish platters.

Town

A warm, eclectic small-plates restaurant with an Italian-leaning menu.

Beckta Dining & Wine

Ottawa's benchmark fine-dining and wine-pairing restaurant.

Johnny Farina

A long-running traditional Italian trattoria.

Harmon's Steakhouse

An upscale steakhouse from a locally known chef.

Gitanes

A French bistro built around sustainably-sourced seafood.

El Camino

A lively taqueria and Mexican-inspired small plates spot.

Datsun

Asian street-food-style ramen, bao, and cocktails.

Elgin Street Diner

A classic 24-hour Ottawa diner — breakfast, burgers, and poutine.

The Standard

A gastropub with elevated comfort food.

Al's Steakhouse

A neighbourhood steakhouse with grilled classics.

Fauna Food + Bar

A modern bar-food menu in a stylish Centretown room.

North & Navy

A Northern Italian kitchen with a seasonal, pasta-forward menu.

Union Local 613

Southern and soul-food comfort cooking.

Prohibition Public House

A neighbourhood gastropub with a big patio.

Daldongnae Korean BBQ

All-you-can-eat Korean BBQ.

Natural History

A cocktail-forward bar with elevated bar food.

Restaurant e18hteen

Upscale steak-and-seafood fine dining in the ByWard Market.

Sidedoor

Contemporary Asian-inspired small plates and cocktails.

Play Food & Wine

Eclectic global tapas and a natural wine list.

The Keg

A familiar steakhouse chain, reliable for visitors.

Oz Kafe

An all-day contemporary Canadian café and brunch spot.

BeaverTails

An iconic Canadian fried-dough pastry stand, a Market institution.

JOEY Rideau

An upscale chain restaurant and bar with a contemporary international menu.

Heart & Crown

An Irish pub with live music, part of a beloved local chain.

Ahora

An authentic Mexican kitchen.

Das Lokal

German and European comfort food and beer.

Pili Pili

Charcoal-grilled piri-piri chicken.

Copper Spirits and Sights

A specialty-cocktail bar.

Ratatouille Bistro

A French bistro and brunch spot.

Earl of Sussex Pub

A budget-friendly British-style pub.

Joy on Sussex

A refined tea house and light bites.

Social

French-leaning small plates and cocktails.

Shawarma Palace

A long-running, well-loved late-night Middle Eastern shawarma spot.

La Terrasse

An elegant bar and lounge with a river-view patio, inside the Fairmont Château Laurier.

Riviera

Upscale Canadian cuisine in a grand former-bank-hall dining room.

ATTRACTIONS & RECREATION

Things to Do

Parliament Hill

The seat of Canada's federal government, open for public tours.

Rideau Canal

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest continuously operated canal in North America.

National Arts Centre

Canada's national performing arts venue, right on the canal.

Confederation Park

An NCC park that hosts Winterlude, Canada Day, and the Ottawa Jazz Festival.

National Gallery of Canada

Canada's national art museum, with iconic glass architecture.

Canadian War Museum

A national military history museum in LeBreton Flats.

Canadian Museum of Nature

A natural history museum in the historic Victoria Memorial Museum Building.

Bank of Canada Museum

A free interactive museum on money and economics.

Supreme Court of Canada

The seat of Canada's highest court, with public tours available.

Ottawa Art Gallery

A free contemporary art museum.

Major's Hill Park

Ottawa's oldest park, with sweeping views of Parliament Hill.

Nepean Point

A lookout point with river and Parliament Hill views, behind the National Gallery.

GOOD TO KNOW

Common Questions

Is Centretown mostly condos?
Condos dominate, but Centretown and the Golden Triangle also have low-rise apartments and some converted rowhouses — detached homes are rare this close to the core.
Is downtown Ottawa walkable?
Yes — Centretown and downtown consistently rank among Ottawa's most walkable areas, with Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market, and the Rideau Canal all reachable on foot from most buildings.
What's the school situation like downtown?
Downtown skews toward young professionals and empty-nesters, so options are limited — Elgin Street Public School is the main in-catchment elementary school for the core.
How do condo prices downtown compare to the rest of Ottawa?
Ask HAI for current comparable sales in any specific downtown building or block, or use property search to see what's actually active right now.

Ready to See What's Available Downtown?

Book a free consultation with Narges for a guided tour of Centretown and downtown, or ask HAI for current pricing trends in the area.

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