Tiptoe through the tulips in Ottawa

Ottawa is ablaze with colour this week as the 10-day Canadian Tulip Festival runs until May 24. Ottawa’s flower fest has grown into the largest tulip festival in the world, stemming from a thank-you gift of 100,000 tulip bulbs donated to the city in 1945 by Princess Juliana of the Netherlands. Holland’s exiled royal family were given safe haven in Ottawa during the war.

More than 50 years later, the gift has blossomed into a two-week festival with eye-popping floral displays comprising millions of flowers and a whole host of activities for residents and visitors. If you’re able to visit “The Nation’s Capital” from now until Victoria Day, there’s plenty of activities and events to choose from. In addition to over three million flowers, the festival offers live entertainment, international cultural attractions, and Ottawa’s great museums.