City Stories Index · Canada · 2026 edition
Montreal vs Ottawa
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Montreal leads 4–2. Character is a different question: Montreal is the old french port; Ottawa is the capital on the canal.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Montreal | Ottawa | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 41 | 32 | Montreal |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 322 | 645 | Montreal |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 2 | 5 | Ottawa |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 98 | 78 | Montreal |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 14 | 23 | Ottawa |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 23 | 9 | Montreal |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Montreal in orange, Ottawa in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
MontrealOttawa
11 places
arts & culture9 places
10 places
industry & modern era6 places
7 places
faith & churches2 places
6 places
parks & leisure5 places
5 places
guilds & trade1 place
1 place
royalty & nobility4 places
Montreal scorecard →
The old French port
Ottawa scorecard →
The capital on the canal