These super touchy Americans are etremely inhospitable. Was very cold and windy out and they…read morewouldn't even let us in the building to keep warm while we asked some questions. Had to talk to the security officer in the cold outside. What's the bloody point of having a "visitors" door when you don't even let visitors in? Waste of time and gas going here. I'd advise to call instead.

The US Embassy in Ottawa takes up two city blocks. Buster expected to be greeted by the ambassador…read morehimself, instead we were not allowed even though the front door. Blame in on 9/11. But as an American at least I was able to check it off my bucket List.

The Italian Embassy isn't at all what you think it is until you start working there like I did. I…read morethought I would be treated with respect which I did from everyone except three people. #1 The Ambassador - Gian Lorenzo Cornado...what a joke. This guy doesn't care about human decency and has no respect for any of his staff. He sits in his office all day and night and doesn't say hello to anyone. He screams at his staff me included and he even had the audacity to scream at me saying "I will ruin your life, I will ruin your career, I will ruin your job" all in reference to (not renewing my contract trial period). Okay there...what world do these people live in? 9 month probation what a joke! This guy shouldn't even be allowed to work in Canada. Threatening a new driver for making you wait 30 seconds to getting picked up? What a joke. Not only did I have to work RETARDED OVERTIME HOURS with no OVERTIME PAY but I had to put up with his shit. This guy has been reported to the police who told me they couldn't do anything about it because I had no proof. I reported him to the Liberal Government who told me they couldn't assist me because he's a diplomat and told me to contact the Labour board. The labour board told me they couldn't do anything either. WOW its all I could reply to him when he screamed at me over 6 times while working with him. Who does this guy think he is screaming at an employee? What does he think this is Italy in the 1930's and Hitler is in power? I would strongly suggest to anyone who tries to go work at the embassy that they do not do it, unless they want to be treated like trash or worse. Gian Lorenzo Cornado Italian Ambassador to Italy is a fake, phony, joker who will run over you with his shady ways. This guy is glued to his work and has no understanding of valuable employees even if it means you start work at 9am and at 1am you are still waiting for him to come out of a house for you to drive him home. I wish I would have quit and left his dumb ass on the street. #2 Gaetano Mazza - The Ambassador Driver This guy is married with two kids and all he could do all day while I worked there was talk about women in derogatory ways. He is super unprofessional, self loathing, completely stupid, unable to work with co-workers, super shady, a cry baby, control freak, and did I say unprofessional? He says everyone he works with are "Gente di Merda" translation in English "People of shit", why does he work there then? By far the biggest piece of crap I know him and the Ambassador THE PERFECT COUPLE! This guy is so off the tracks I have no clue how he was offered a job at the EMBASSY!! Wow what a mind job! #3 Rosa Maio - Secretary of the Ambassador This woman isn't all there mentally. She snaps at the littlest thing and has a warped sense of reality. If anyone has any questions about these people let them end here, these three people are the cancer of this Embassy who hold the entire Embassy under the dark cloud of their negative personalities. BEWARE say NO to the job, don't trust these people.

I have missed the embassy on my first visit as it is hidden in the residential area. Parking is not…read moreallowed on the front driveway, but is available behind the house (drive around). The staff there are friendly, extremely helpful, and compassionate to my situation. They should be recognized for their work ethics and passion for their job. By far the most pleasant experience I had with any embassy.

Since I live right pretty well on the border of Rockcliffe Park, I often go walking there. It is…read morereally nice to walk by all the different residences of ambassadors. Not only are the houses huge, but they seem to have lots of character of the countries that they represent. People in the neighbourhood are always friendly and greet eachother when passing. There are always plenty of people out walking their dogs, cycling and jogging. The neighbourhood is really safe and I have gone walking at night on several occasions without any problems.

I am writing this review in regards to the cycling available along the rockcliffe parkway, which…read moreruns through the park. This is a wonderful route to follow, especially if you can find a time when it is not busy with cars. I went out on March 7th around 1pm, and it was lovely. The air was crisp, and there were no cars. The view along the river is breathtaking, and offers several opportunities to venture off the road and shore. The whole parkway is about 22km one-way, and there seemed to be a gentle slope. The actual parkway road is decent, however the surround streets you use to access it are ridden with potholes. I would suggest bringing your bike to one of the parking lots in the park and setting out from there. I am sure it can only get lovelier as the weather gets warmer, and the festivals and tourists dots the landscape. From my understanding the parkway is heavily used by cyclists in the summer, this is comforting. Also, I found drivers passing me on the road gave me a lot of room. I will definitely keep riding this route, and return once the snow clears to explore the park! The only downside to cycling, is the actual parkway is not very long. You could do the stretch multiple times but your passing the same scenery which is boring. Once the parkway ends the roads get considerably more busy.

This is a neat place to visit if you haven't yet. I was fortunate enough to get an architectural…read moretour, and it was breathtaking to say the least. This delegation building is modeled after a rock crystal based on Fatimid Times in the 10th century. The roof is model after rock crystal and regulated temperature made with woven fiber glass. The ceiling was created with great detail, and it was a prestigious piece with which to work as many neighbors saw it come to fruition after a long period of time. The crystal piece itself is often considered difficult to work with, but when hit by a light source, it bends light to show colors. It's neat detail to each corner and piece of the building allows one to notice the separate spaces and those with intentional limited visibility allowing for both the private the public to exist together. I was especially impressed by the use of local materials such as Canadian maple wood in the flooring and walls along with clean lines allowing for lines of clarity. The garden is beautiful and multi-functional and made with Canadian winters in mind! The Char Bagh (4 square gardens) represents four seasons and is inspired from common Muslim architectural gardens. I hope to return one day, but it's a definite gem in Ottawa.

Scam. Got my name and phone number and said my ID was used in China and they're shutting my phone…read moredown. But can't answer me in English or French. What kind of embassy only speaks Chinese.

This phone number keeps calling my number and a few friends lately…read more It either Leaves no voicemails or ones for about 3 seconds long; and when I did pick up the one time it was just nonsense coming from an automated voice recording in Chinese. As an Embassy here in Ottawa, I would suggest you look into this and stop spamming peoples phone lines.

So lovely and fitting for the Japanese Embassy to host the bonsai exhibit by the Ottawa Bonsai…read moreSociety (September 23-24, 2023). The embassy is pretty easy to access and they have a small bike rack inside the gates. The entrance/lobby area was used for the demonstration so there were 2 rows of chairs but more people showed up than anticipated so many were standing and crowding around the front doors. There were several long tables set up in the wood paneled meeting hall to display the several dozen bonsais.

I provide information about repatriation in Ottawa. The…read morecorrespondence was at the beginning, analyzed emails for 3-5 days clearly, very carefully, with understanding. The process went straight away: thoughtful details were provided promptly and with respect. The embassy staff react under pressure, but work competently and quickly. I would like to note especially - Natasha, for her professional and humane approach to compatriots. I feel part of the great country! Huge thanks to all of you!

I stay in this hostel whenever I am in ottawa... This place is super clean, beds are comfy and…read moreduvets are nice and fluffy and they give you a fresh towel everyday! There is a large tv downstairs and 2 computer workstations to access internet. Wifi is fast and reliable. There are 2 bathrooms one upstairs and one downstairs the one upstairs is super big and modern! The one downstairs is a typical shower very useful if someone is taking their sweet time upstairs. The only downside is their kitchen doesn't have a stove to cook, there is however a microwave, coffee maker and toaster. The hostels owner is the same owner as the Swiss hotel next door, you check in at the Swiss hotel. The owner is also very friendly and knowledgeable! Highly recommended!

Dear Barefoot Hostel, During my past visits to the city,…read morehow did I not know that you existed in Ottawa along with Ottawa Jailhouse and the rundown looking Backpackers Inn?? But I'm so glad that the other two did not have bunks available for Canada Day and you unexpectedly came up on Tripadvisor as the third contender, and after looking at how clean and cozy the bunks looked, I just had to book a two nights stay. And should I admit that it was actually the private looking, lavish, hotel-level shower that actually convinced me to give you a try? Well, I have :-) But Barefoot hostel does come with a few minor set backs. First, the hostel does not have it's own reception, anyone planning to stay there has to go to it's affiliate the Swiss Hotel next door. Then you have to pick up the phone located at the front door that will dial you through to the reception desk. Only after you have let the front-desk agent know that you are there to check in, maybe you enter. Check-in is at 3pm and it is strictly at 3pm. After taking a 6:30am train and arriving in Ottawa around 12:30pm feeling like an Insomniac, I was hoping to be allowed to check in early, but no I had to leave my bags and walk around aimlessly for about two hours around the city, when my head really did not want to let my legs move. The last 30 minutes of my wandering around the Byward market area went by so slowly as I was getting anxious to get inside the hostel. Then as it got closer to 3pm I headed back and had to talk through the phone and was finally assigned a bunk. Mind you, the reception area at the Swiss Hotel looks charming and cozy, very much the the living room and patio area of the Jardin St. Anne in Quebec City. Check out was also a bit of bother, because again for security measures, I wanted to make sure my key card was left in the hands of a front desk agent. So around 7:30am I went over to the hotel and picked up the phone. The line was busy and was busy for a good five minutes. So I just left my key-card in the little wooden box on the wall hoping that someone would come take a look for any posts and messages for some of the Swiss Hotel guests. But to those of you reading this review, I will definitely say that the hassle is worth it. Barefoot Hostel is of really good quality at reasonable rate. The interior of the place is so clean and well-kept. And alot of natural light comes inside during the day. The spacious living room is furnished with big, comfortable sofas and couches. There were lots of places to sit and relax with your laptop or tablet. A large flat-screen tv hangs across from the couch with small collection of DVDs. The Wi-Fi connection is also smooth here. There weren't any moments that the connection froze or came to a stand-still. A flight of stairs leads up to the living quarters. A complimentary towel is placed on each bunk and there are more towels hanging inside the lavish bathroom and the bathrooms and shower downstairs. I enjoyed the duvet that graces each bed. In other hostels I have never slept with a duvet that enveloped itself around my body and instantly kept me warm. Man, I would have a really good sleep if I stayed here during the colder months! :-) That was the best feature for the beds. That bathroom looked just like how it was shown in the pictures. I know there was only one shower upstairs to be shared by about 16 people, but the other hostel stayers must have really loved this bathroom, because I don't think I've ever heard people going into this bathroom frequently, at other hostels. Oh, and has anyone stayed at a hostel where your bunk was given maid-service while you were out touring around the town? This one has it. I was surprised when I returned and saw my had been bed made and the duvet neatly folded and a new towel placed on top it. Even the one hostelmate who was also chilling there was impressed. That was awesome! I guess that's only possible when a hostel has any partnership with a hotel. Even other reputable hostel chains don't make up your bed unless it's for the purpose of the next person who is checking in. I have a couple of advice for those of you who stay at this hostel and the hotel. Try not to walked down Daly Avenue and Waller Street where the Ottawa Mission building is. You do not want to encounter the homeless and deadbeats who are constantly loitering in that area. Instead walk down Cumberland Street, past Besserer street in the direction towards the Metro grocery store. It will take you away from the Ottawa Mission and get you to Rideau Street and Byward Market. Come back the same way after a night of bar hopping or seeing what's going on in the market area. Apart from having to be cautious about where I went in the area so I won't run into trouble, I will be staying at the Barefoot Hostel on a future trip Canada's Capital City and I would love to feel the comfort of that duvet again. Keep up the high quality work :-)