Go, but pay attention.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Ottawa at 69/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than Canada's national picture overall (79/100 vs 80/100).
City page · part of Canada
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Ottawa report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside Canada's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
30.7
Safety Index
69.3
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as Canada's national page, with crime swapped for Ottawa's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Ottawa, specifically
- • Ottawa is a very safe place to live and visit, so if you use common sense it is at least as safe as any other city.
- • There have been incidents on buses and at transit stations of violence and swarmings/robberies, even during daytime hours.
- • Ottawa is the fourth coldest capital city by annual average temperature, but it has the second coldest January, only topped by Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Legal status (national law)
Legal since 1969; equal age of consent since 1987+ UN decl. sign.
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / B · 120V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 911 / ambulance: 911 / fire: 911
Tipping
Tipping in Canada is similar to that in the United States due to the close cultural nature of the two countries but tends to be somewhat lower because of higher minimum wages. Restaurant wait staff in Canada typically receive 15–18% on the before-tax total. Tipping is not appropriate in cafeterias, fast food establishments and takeaway stands. One is not normally expected to tip hotel housekeeping
SIM / Data
Canada is part of the North American Numbering Plan (along with the US and most of the Caribbean) and uses the country code +1. Area codes and local phone numbers follow the same format as the United States: 1 — three digit area code — seven-digit local phone number. The leading '1' is omitted when making local landline calls and optional on local mobile calls. For long-distance calls,
Cash vs. Card
Credit/debit cards are widely accepted, with Visa and MasterCard being accepted in most places, and American Express somewhat less frequently. Discover and Diner's Club are usually accepted at places geared towards foreign tourists such as hotels and car rental agencies. UnionPay and JCB cards are sometimes accepted in larger stores and tourist areas, particularly those aimed at Asian tourists. Un
How this compares to Canada
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Ottawa at 69/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than Canada's national picture overall (79/100 vs 80/100).
See the full Canada page and all receipts →