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If you're thinking of visiting Canada, there's no better place to start than Ottawa. With cultural influences from around the world and a plethora of indoor and outdoor activities to discover, this is a fantastic city to host your next corporate offsite retreat.
Here, your team can upgrade their work-related skills, build stronger friendships or simply relax as they take in the stunning scenery and charming cityscape.
As Canada's capital city, Ottawa offers a consolidated slice of the nation's culture. This allows your team to experience the veritable beauty of Canada in a single, unforgettable trip.
And because of the dramatic changing of the seasons, no two visits are ever the same. During the winter, your team can enjoy group activities like ice skating and skiing while during the summer sailing and whitewater rafting are popular pastimes.
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We've put together a list of
team-building activities for company retreats in
Ottawa
, including options that work well for both small and large teams.
Along the Rideau Canal, ByWard Market, and Parliament Hill, this Ottawa retreat agenda combines structured sessions with a local outdoor experience and a relaxed final day.
Ottawa is a strong option for teams that want a calm, structured environment with a mix of government, culture, and nature. A corporate retreat in Ottawa combines a clean, organized city layout with access to green spaces and historic landmarks, making it ideal for focused work and relaxed team time.
Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) is about 15–20 minutes from downtown by car. It offers direct connections to major Canadian and some US cities, and additional international access is possible via Toronto or Montreal.
The most comfortable months are May to June and September to early October, with temperatures typically between 65–79°F. Summers are pleasant and suitable for outdoor activities, while winters are very cold, often dropping below 20°F, which usually shifts retreat plans toward indoor sessions.
Downtown Ottawa is the most practical for access to venues and landmarks, ByWard Market offers a lively and social atmosphere, Centretown provides a balanced and local feel, and The Glebe is quieter with a more residential charm.
Teams often choose activities like cycling along the Rideau Canal, boat tours on the Ottawa River, guided city tours, museum visits, and seasonal outdoor activities such as skating on the canal in winter or park-based challenges in warmer months.
Most teams plan 2 to 3 days in Ottawa. The city’s compact layout allows for an efficient schedule while still leaving room for team-building and informal moments.
Ottawa offers a quieter and more structured atmosphere compared to cities like Toronto or Montreal. It’s known for its clean layout, cultural institutions, and access to nature, which makes a corporate retreat in Ottawa feel more focused and less hectic.
Ottawa has a growing food scene with a mix of local and international options. Teams often organize group dinners in ByWard Market, try Canadian specialties, and explore casual dining spots across the city.
Ottawa is well suited for business-focused retreats, including strategy sessions, leadership offsites, and company gatherings that benefit from a quieter, more structured environment.
Ottawa can accommodate both small teams and larger groups. A corporate retreat in Ottawa can scale depending on the team size, with a range of hotels, venues, and activity options available.
In full transparency, everyone loved it. People are still talking about it. The main goal was team bonding and you helped me to reach it.
Everyone was delighted by the venue, the activities, the transfer coordination and everything! Long live Surf Office! Can’t wait to plan our next company retreat with you :)
Our team offsite retreat was excellent - great food, weather and activities. Even the people that couldn't attend wished they could have made it. And the location was perfect. Surf Office - Thank you very much for your help and support with planning and organization - and Beatriz our retreat manager was fantastic - fast, efficient and always kept us informed. It really made the difference. It really did!
Surf Office helped us plan our 60 person staff retreat, scoping locations, venues, restaurants, activities, and more. Angela was really on top of it and paid close attention to all of the details. Definitely saved us time on research and back-and-forth with all of the various contact persons!
We went into talks with SurfOffice and hit it off with the founders to make this happen. Theres a team that will guide you through the choice and a platform for when you are to arrive with an agenda. Our team likes to bring in community members to these types of events and the crew is excited. The onboarding is going well and we paid the deposit, and we're looking forward to the trip. Our party had to reduce significantly due to constraints and the team has been accomodating so far. 5* everyone had a good time and Rayna on site made everyone feel comfortable.
The location was great, the areas dedicated to us were amazing and all things we asked for were there - also, I love the shared dashboard to organize.
I recently worked with Surf Office to organize an offsite retreat for my company in Gran Canaria, and I couldn't be happier with the experience! Beatriz, the retreat planner, was incredible. From start to finish, she was exceptionally organized, responsive, and attentive to every detail. Planning a retreat for a team can be daunting, but Beatriz made the process seamless. She answered all my questions quickly and thoroughly, and her recommendations were spot-on. The offsite itself was beyond amazing – the accommodations and activities were perfectly tailored to our team’s needs. Surf Office took all the stress out of planning and delivered an unforgettable experience for our group. I highly recommend them to anyone looking to plan a work retreat. If you’re lucky enough to have Beatriz as your planner, you’re in great hands!
The most popular team building activities are surf lessons, SUP lessons and tapas night but there are plenty more to choose from.
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