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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.
The SurfOffice team helped me organise a great offsite abroad for my distributed team of 16 and the experience was seamless. Their clear communication made planning easy, and they thought of everything we might need. They have a great selection of hotels and experiences, helping us stay within budget without compromising on quality. What especially stood out was their real-time availability during the event, which helped us quickly solve a few last-minute issues.
We recently worked with Surf Office to organize a company retreat in Lisbon, and the experience was nothing short of exceptional. From the very beginning, Simon was incredibly patient and supportive, helping us navigate multiple destination changes until we finally landed on Lisbon. His calm demeanor and willingness to ensure we found the perfect location made the planning process much smoother. Once we signed the contracts, Cristi took over and was an absolute star. Her patience, clear communication, and flexibility made all the difference. She understood our brief, even in its most creative form, and worked tirelessly to bring it to life. Cristi kept us on budget, coordinated seamlessly with the right production team, and managed everything through an intuitive dashboard on Coda. She was always a step ahead, anticipating our needs before we even voiced them. On the ground, Fernanda was a force to be reckoned with! She ensured that venues delivered on time and to the highest standards, making sure every detail was executed flawlessly. What truly set Surf Office apart was their ability to make us feel like a collective team rather than just another client. They handled sensitive information with discretion, tackled challenges with calm professionalism, and ultimately delivered an unforgettable retreat. We would work with Surf Office again in a heartbeat and highly recommend them to anyone looking to plan a seamless, well-executed offsite.
From the very first contact to the last goodbye, Surf Office was an incredible company to work with for our company retreat in Portugal. The customer service was top tier and every single person I interacted with was absolutely lovely, professional and so helpful.
We recently had our company retreat in Spain which was organized together with Surf Office and the experience exceptional. From the initial planning stages to the final details, the Surf Office team was professional, attentive, and incredibly helpful. They provided tailored recommendations for a venue and their local expertise and network made the entire process smooth and stress-free. The seamless coordination of accommodation, transportation, and activities allowed us to focus on creating meaningful connections within our team without worrying about logistics. The retreat itself was a huge success, and a big part of that was thanks to Surf Office's ability to anticipate our needs and adapt to last-minute changes. I would like to give a special shoutout to Romane who is an organization wizard and made sure everything works out as planned, Fernanda who was our on-site support and did an exceptional job even for the very short-term requests. If you're looking for a reliable partner to help organize your next retreat, I highly recommend Surf Office. Their expertise, attention to detail, and dedication to creating memorable experiences are unmatched. Thank you!
We have organized company retreats for our distributed 30 people team multiple times with Surf Office and the team has loved it every time. Surf Office has some great venues as part of their portfolio and do a great job helping to facilitate pretty much everything from accommodation, food, activities, airport transfers etc.
Candela over at Surf helped us to organise our first ever team retreat in Portugal for 30 odd people (which included +1s and small children.) It honestly couldn't have been more perfect. Every detail was seen to and we felt completely supported. Our team came away from that trip feeling like a proper little family. Such wonderful memories. We honestly could never have done this without Surf and would recommend to anyone.
Surf Office made planning our 20 person offsite a breeze! They found the perfect location for us, advised on places we weren't originally considering, and the organization/logistics were very smooth. As a small people team, having this extra help makes a world of a difference. Our team had a great time!
We had a fantastic experience partnering with Surf Office for our 3-day company retreat in Costa Brava. From the early planning stages to the end of the event, everything ran smoothly and professionally. We first worked with Anthony, our Company Retreat Consultant, who helped us choose the right package. He was responsive, approachable, and clearly experienced—making it easy to select the hotel, which suited our needs perfectly. From there, we were supported by Romane, our dedicated Retreat Manager. She was absolutely great—well-organized, proactive, and always ready with thoughtful recommendations and local insights. Whether it was fine-tuning the schedule, adjusting logistics, or booking group activities like kayaking and hiking, she made sure every detail was handled. The mix of work sessions, team-building, and social time was just right. The hotel was comfortable, the activities were fun and well-coordinated, and the team dinners and beach events added a special touch. Everyone had a great time and felt the experience helped strengthen our team dynamics. Surf Office made it easy to plan and execute a retreat for 65 people without stress. We’d absolutely recommend them to any team looking to run an effective and memorable offsite—and we’ll definitely be working with them again.
We had the pleasure of working with Surf Office to organise our annual company offsite in Portugal and the experience exceeded all expectations. From the initial planning stages to the final event, the team demonstrated outstanding professionalism, attention to detail and a true commitment to making our event a success. Every aspect of the offsite was handled seamlessly, including venue selection, team-building activities and logistics. They have a deep knowledge and network of local and trusted vendors.
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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