Montreal to Ottawa by private car: drive time, stops and cost

Montreal to Ottawa by road is about 200 km (124 mi) from downtown Montreal to Parliament Hill, roughly two to two and a half hours on a clear road. Most drivers take Autoroute 40 west out of Montreal and Highway 417 through eastern Ontario into Ottawa. From Montreal-Trudeau airport (YUL), it is a little shorter, about 186 km, because you start on the west side of the island.

A private car makes it a simple door-to-door transfer: from a Montreal hotel, home or the airport arrivals hall to your Ottawa or Gatineau address, with one chauffeur and a fixed price. This guide from the Elly8.net desk covers drive times, the two routes, a worthwhile stop in Montebello, how the car compares with VIA Rail, and what it costs.

How long does it take to drive from Montreal to Ottawa?

VIA Rail's Montreal to Ottawa page gives that average over 185 km, with 35 departures a week. The road figures come from routing between downtown Montreal, the airport and the Hill. The honest summary: the train and the car take a similar time in the middle; the car saves the station legs at both ends.

See Ottawa prices and reserve

Two routes into the capital

Ontario side: Autoroute 40 and Highway 417. The fastest and most common route. Out of Montreal on the 40, across the western end of the island and past Vaudreuil, into Ontario, then the 417 straight into Ottawa from the east. It arrives near Orléans and the downtown core, convenient for the Hill, the ByWard Market and Rogers Centre Ottawa.

Quebec side: along the Ottawa River. A slower, more scenic option follows the north shore of the Ottawa River through small towns to Gatineau. It suits a leisurely day or a stop in Montebello, and it brings you into the capital from the Gatineau side, handy for the Canadian Museum of History or a Gatineau hotel.

Your chauffeur will suggest the right one for the day: the 417 when the schedule matters, the river road when the trip is the point.

When to leave Montreal

• Avoid Montreal's peaks. Leaving the island during the morning or afternoon rush can add a lot of time before you even reach the highway. Mid-morning or early afternoon departures are usually smoothest.
• Summer construction season brings lane closures on Montreal's highways; the desk builds extra time into departures with a fixed arrival.
• Friday afternoons are busy in both directions in summer.
• Winter is manageable on the main route, but allow more time in snow. Quebec requires winter-ready vehicles from December 1 to March 15 for vehicles registered in the province, per the Government of Quebec.

Montebello: the stop worth making

Montebello, on the Quebec shore of the Ottawa River, is the classic stop between the two cities and a destination in itself.

• Fairmont Le Château Montebello is a resort known for its rustic architecture and setting by the river, a natural place for lunch on the way, or for a weekend before continuing to Ottawa.
• Parc Omega, at 399 Route 323 North in Montebello, is a wildlife park of about 2,200 acres with a 12 km route you drive through among free-roaming animals. Families often make it the highlight of the trip.

A chauffeur can wait while you visit; tell the desk how long you plan to stay. For a long stop, an hourly booking may be simpler than a one-way transfer, and the desk will suggest whichever costs less for your plan.

A sample day with a Montebello stop

For a family of four leaving a Montreal hotel on a Saturday, a relaxed version of the trip might look like this. Times are a plan; traffic and weather move them.

• 10:00 a.m. Pickup at the hotel after breakfast. Child seats fitted before arrival, cases in the back.
• Late morning. West along the Ottawa River to Montebello.
• Around midday. Parc Omega, driving the 12 km route among the animals, then lunch at the Château or in the village.
• Mid-afternoon. On to Gatineau and across the river into Ottawa, arriving at the hotel in time to rest before dinner in the ByWard Market.

The direct version, on Autoroute 40 and Highway 417 with no stop, leaves at 10:00 a.m. and is usually in Ottawa around lunchtime. Either way, the chauffeur handles the driving, the parking at each stop and the luggage, and the price was fixed before you left Montreal.

Going the other way: Ottawa to Montreal and YUL

The same trip runs in reverse. Travellers finishing a visit to Ottawa often fly home from Montreal-Trudeau because of its wider choice of international flights. A booked car from an Ottawa hotel to YUL departures avoids a connecting flight from Ottawa or a train and taxi combination with luggage. Tell the desk your flight time; we plan the pickup with time for bag drop and security, and the price is fixed when you book. Groups heading to Mont-Tremblant for skiing or golf can be dropped there instead, using the same web booker.

Flying into Montreal, staying in Ottawa

Many travellers from Europe and further afield land at YUL and stay in Ottawa. A car straight from the arrivals hall avoids a connecting flight or a trip into downtown Montreal for the train. The chauffeur tracks your flight, waits inside arrivals with a name board, and drives the 186 km to Ottawa while you rest. If you are spending a night in Montreal first, see our Montreal car service for airport fares, from US$120 in a business sedan from YUL to downtown Montreal.

Montreal to Ottawa: car, train or driving yourself

Be fair to the train. For one person with a small bag, VIA Rail is fast, comfortable and usually the better value; Ottawa's station is at 200 Tremblay Road, east of downtown, and a short taxi or transit ride finishes the trip. If you will need a car every day in Ottawa, driving yourself may suit you; see chauffeur vs car rental.

The private car wins when:

• There are three or more of you with luggage. One Business SUV carries up to six people and six bags; an Executive Sprinter up to 12.
• You are landing at YUL and want to go straight to Ottawa without a second flight or a downtown detour.
• You have meetings at both ends. A car that waits in Montreal and then drives you to Ottawa keeps the day in one booking.
• You want to stop in Montebello or along the river.
• Children need seats. Child seats are fitted on request.
• A delegation or conference team is moving together. Ten colleagues heading from Montreal to a congress at Rogers Centre Ottawa travel in one Executive Sprinter, arrive together at the door and leave on one invoice. See conference transportation and corporate accounts.

What it costs

A Montreal to Ottawa transfer is priced exactly for your two addresses and vehicle in the web booker, under our city to city car service. The price is fixed and all-in before you pay, including chauffeur, vehicle, taxes and standard gratuity, with tolls and parking billed at cost. It is per vehicle, never per person.

Reference prices once you are in Ottawa, all fixed and in US$:

• Ottawa airport (YOW) to Parliament Hill: from US$105 in a business sedan to US$275 in an Executive Sprinter, the same in either direction.
• By the hour: from US$110 in a business sedan to US$220 in an Executive Sprinter, 3-hour minimum. See hourly chauffeur service.
• Private city highlights tour: from US$440 in a business sedan, covering the Hill, Sussex Drive, the canal and the Market. See private city tours.

Rides in Montreal and in Ottawa are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Vehicles are four model years old or newer. Montreal and Gatineau are French-speaking; if you would like a French-speaking or bilingual chauffeur, ask the desk when you book.

Arriving in Ottawa and Gatineau

The 417 brings you in from the east, so Orléans, the downtown core and the ByWard Market come quickly; Kanata in the west is the longest final leg. The river route arrives in Gatineau, across the bridges from the Hill. We treat both sides of the river as one service area. For visitors to Parliament, the Parliament of Canada visitor site explains tours and screening; the chauffeur can drop you at the visitor entrance.

Once you are settled, the Ottawa car service page has every local price, and our guides to Ottawa taxi or rideshare and the Ottawa airport shuttle vs private car cover getting around and flying home. Coming from the west instead? Read Toronto to Ottawa by private car. Extending the trip? Mont-Tremblant and Quebec City are on the same desk.

How to book

1. Enter your Montreal pickup, or YUL with your flight number, and your Ottawa or Gatineau drop-off.
2. Choose the vehicle by passengers and bags on the fleet page.
3. Reserve in the web booker, noting any stop in Montebello. Confirmation arrives by email, with the chauffeur's details before pickup.

Book any address

Need flights or a hotel too? Elly8.net books the car only; our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net handles air and accommodation.