Ottawa Guide
Best Used Bookstores in Ottawa
A guide to Ottawa's best used and independent bookstores, from floor-to-ceiling treasure troves to cozy café-bookshops and rare antiquarian dealers.
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13 results found
Places (12)
#shopping#books#used
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All Books
Downtown
A beloved used bookstore on Rideau Street packed floor-to-ceiling with secondhand books. Known for its remarkable owner who can locate any title from memory across the towering stacks.
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#outdoor#family#adventure
Attraction$10-$67
Arbraska Laflèche
255 Route Principale
An adventure park in Val-des-Monts featuring the largest tourist cave on the Canadian Shield, aerial treetop courses, ziplines over a turquoise lake, and North America's largest outdoor trampolines. About 45 minutes from downtown Ottawa.
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Barely Bruised Books
Downtown
A charming independent bookstore on the second floor of a Sandy Hill building, Barely Bruised Books carries over 80,000 new and used titles across all genres, with a personally curated feel and the largest Indigenous book section in Ontario.
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Black Squirrel Books & Espresso Bar
Old Ottawa South
A beloved independent bookstore and espresso bar on Bank Street in Old Ottawa South. Offers a curated mix of new and used books alongside coffee and tea, with regular live music, open mic nights, and author events.
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Book Bazaar
Centretown
Ottawa's largest used bookstore, family-owned since 1974. Two floors with over 55,000 used, rare, and out-of-print titles on Bank Street in Centretown.
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#escape-room#cold-war#bunker
Attraction$$
Diefenbunker Escape Rooms
Carp
The world's largest escape room inside a real Cold War nuclear bunker in Carp — 25,000 sq ft across an entire floor, with museum admission included.
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#museum#indoor#history
Attraction$13-$19.50
Diefenbunker: Canada's Cold War Museum
Kanata
A four-storey underground bunker built in 1959 as Canada's emergency government headquarters during the Cold War. Now a National Historic Site, it offers self-guided tours, guided tours, and an escape room experience 75 feet below ground.
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#vietnamese#authentic#budget-friendly
Restaurant$
Huong's Vietnamese Bistro
Downtown
A family-run Vietnamese bistro on Booth Street known for dishes rarely found elsewhere in Ottawa, including Banh Xeo (Vietnamese crepe) and Bun Bo Hue. Affordable, authentic, and full of character.
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#vegan#bakery#cafe
Cafe$$
Little Jo Berry's
Hintonburg
100% vegan bakery and cafe in Hintonburg serving doughnuts, mac & cheese, poutine, meatless ribs, and pies with a community-centered, LGBTQ+ friendly atmosphere.
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#outdoor#family#nature
Attraction$$
Parc Omega
399 Route 323 Nord
A 2,200-acre drive-through wildlife park in Montebello, Quebec, about an hour east of Ottawa. Home to over 60 species of North American animals including wolves, bears, bison, elk, moose, and caribou. Open every day of the year.
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Patrick McGahern Books
Downtown
One of Ottawa's oldest antiquarian bookstores, operating since 1969 in the ByWard Market. Specializes in rare and collectible books, maps, and prints on Canadian history, Arctic exploration, and Irish literature.
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#patio#rooftop#pizza
Restaurant$$
Rabbit Hole
Downtown
Underground cave-like dining room and tiki-themed rooftop patio on Sparks Street, serving wood-fire pizza, charcuterie, and oysters with themed nights throughout the week.
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