Gatineau

Arrive in Gatineau through Ottawa, since the city has no big airport or main rail station of its own. Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) is roughly half an hour by taxi or ride-hail from the Hull sector outside rush hour, and the Portage Bridge leads from Parliament Hill straight into Hull. Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier (YOW) is the airport, roughly half an hour by taxi or ride-hail to the Hull sector outside rush hour; VIA Rail trains from Montreal and Toronto stop at Ottawa station, from where a taxi or the O-Train plus a bus completes the trip. From the Ottawa side, the simplest crossing on foot is over the Portage Bridge from Wellington Street near Parliament Hill, which drops you a few minutes from the Canadian Museum of History. Drivers from Montreal can stay on the Quebec side all the way: Autoroute 50 follows the north shore of the Ottawa River straight into Gatineau in about two hours.

Ottawa airport (YOW)

About 30 minutes by taxi or Uber to Hull; no direct bus across the river

OC Transpo route 8

Frequent, seven days a week, from Dow's Lake into Gatineau; route 13 adds peak-hour trips from Tunney's Pasture

STO buses

Many Gatineau routes stop at Parliament Hill and the ByWard Market in Ottawa

Intercity coach

Coaches from Montreal run to Ottawa, then cross by STO bus or taxi; regional buses come down the Gatineau valley from Wakefield

• OC Transpo buses into Gatineau take Ottawa fares and PRESTO, while STO buses use their own fares; check which company you are boarding.

Stay in the Hull sector of Gatineau to walk to Parliament Hill in about 15 minutes, often for less than an equivalent room in downtown Ottawa. Lac-Leamy has the casino resort hotels beside the lake, and old Aylmer, further west along the river, is the quiet choice for drivers and cyclists.

Hull

Best Western Plus on rue Laurier and Auberge de la Gare on boulevard Saint-Joseph; walk to the museum, rue Laval and the bridges, but the bar streets are loud on weekends

Lac-Leamy

The casino and Hilton Lac-Leamy beside a lake east of Hull; resort feel, but you will need a car or taxi

Aylmer

Quieter western sector on the Ottawa River with its own old main street, rue Principale; suits cyclists, far from the museum

Gatineau and Buckingham sectors

Residential east side on the Rapibus line; cheaper, but little to do in the evening

Get around Gatineau on STO buses or by bike, because the city, a merger of Hull, Gatineau, Aylmer, Masson-Angers and Buckingham, stretches a long way along the Ottawa River. The Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) runs the Rapibus rapid-transit line, and the Voyageurs bike paths follow the river. The Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) runs the buses, including the Rapibus, a bus rapid transit line on its own roadway that links Hull with the eastern sectors, and many STO routes cross into downtown Ottawa. Taxis such as Taxi Loyal and Xtaxi, plus Uber, cover the rest. Cycling is the pleasure here: a large network of paths runs along the Ottawa River, links both cities over the bridges and climbs into Gatineau Park, and Bike Ottawa publishes maps that grade routes for difficulty and traffic. The park itself is about 20 minutes' drive from downtown.

STO and Rapibus

City buses and a bus rapid transit line from Hull to the east, with routes into Ottawa

Cycling

Riverside and park paths shared with Ottawa; Bike Ottawa maps rate each route

Taxi and Uber

Taxi Loyal, Xtaxi, Aylmer Taxi and app rides

Car

Easiest for Gatineau Park lakes, Lac-Leamy and sugar shacks in the countryside

• Gatineau Park car parks at the popular lakes fill early on hot summer weekends; go before 9 or cycle in.