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Getting There By Air:

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
Tel: (416) 247 7678 (T1, T2) or 776 5100 (T3) or 1 866 207 1690.
Website: www.gtaa.com

Pearson International Airport is located 27km (17 miles) northwest of downtown Toronto. Canada’s busiest and largest airport, it handles almost 30 million passengers per year and is served by 65 scheduled and charter airlines, providing service to 110 destinations in Canada, the US and the rest of the world.

Airport facilities: The airport’s three terminals have facilities that include ATMs, bureaux de change, shops, duty-free boutiques, banks, childcare facilities, medical clinics, chapels, porters, left luggage, traveller’s aid, bars and restaurants. Free shuttle buses link the terminal buildings regularly. Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Hertz, National and Thrifty.

Business facilities: Sheraton Gateway Hotel (tel: (905) 672 7000) offers a business center. Some business facilities are available through the various airline executive lounges. There are public Internet stations in T2 and T3 and wireless Internet access available in T1.

Transport to the city: Pacific Western operates the Airport Express bus (tel: (905) 564 3232 or 1 800 387 6787; website: www.torontoairportexpress.com) from the airport to downtown Toronto every 20 to 30 minutes 0355-0255 (journey time - 20-35 minutes). A shuttle bus to hotels off the main route costs extra.

Public bus services run by the TTC (see Getting Around) include bus 192 (the ‘Airport Rocket’) to Kipling subway station (journey time - 20 minutes), bus 58A to Lawrence West station and night buses 307 to Eglinton station (journey time - 45 minutes) and 300A, which travels along Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue.

There is also a GO Bus (tel: (416) 869 3200 or 1 800 438 6646; website: www.gotransit.com) to Yorkdale and York Mills subway stations (journey time - 35 minutes). Buses run Monday to Saturday between about 0600-0000, 0800-0000 Sundays.

A number of private bus companies operate services to various destinations, including Niagara Falls. Information desks for each company are located in the arrivals area of each terminal. Licensed limousines and taxis are also available at fixed rates based on a zone system, with journeys to downtown Toronto taking about half an hour.

Toronto City Center Airport (YTX)
Tel: (416) 203 6942.
Website: www.torontoport.com

Toronto City Center Airport is situated on an island in Toronto harbor. Handling scheduled commercial, charter, private and corporate flights, the airport primarily services the nearby business community, offering flights from nearby destinations in Canada, such as Montreal, London and Ottawa.

Airport facilities: There is a restaurant at the airport. Car hire should be arranged in advance from downtown companies (see Car Hire), which will arrange for pick up at the ferry landing.

Transport to the city: A two-minute ferry ride (free of charge to airline passengers) provides transportation every 15 minutes to the mainland, where taxis are available at metered rates. Ferry services operate daily 0615-2300.

Approximate flight times to Toronto: From London is 8 hours; from New York is 1 hour 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 4 hours 35 minutes and from Sydney is 18 hours 15 minutes.

Getting There By Road:

An extensive network of secondary highways (designated by two or three digits, such as Highway 35 and Highway 118) and motorways (400-series highways, such as Highway 401) covers the Province of Ontario. The speed limit on secondary highways is 80kph (50mph). On 400-series highways it is 100kph (62mph). Traffic drives on the right. The minimum driving age in Ontario is 16 years. Proof of insurance is compulsory. North American and European visitors may use national driving licenses, while visitors from other countries are often required to carry an International Driving Permit as well. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08%. Seat belts must be worn at all times.

The Canadian Automobile Association - CAA (tel: (416) 221 4300 or 1 800 268 3750; website: www.caa.ca) provides a breakdown service throughout Canada and has partnership agreements with various motoring organizations, such as the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Emergency breakdown service:
CAA (416) 222 5222 (Toronto area only)
CAA/AAA 1 800 222 4357 or *222 from most mobile phones

Routes to the city: Toronto is served by a number of 400-series highways. Highway 401 bisects the city north of the city center, connecting with London and Windsor to the west and Montreal to the east. Detroit is reached via Windsor. Further north, a toll motorway, Highway 407, operates as a northern corridor around the city. The QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) runs along the lakefront from Hamilton and Niagara Falls to downtown Toronto. Buffalo is reached via Niagara Falls. North-south routes include Highway 400, running from Barrie to the city’s west end, and Highway 404, running from the distant suburb of Newmarket to the city’s east end, becoming the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) as it nears downtown Toronto.

Approximate driving times to Toronto: From Niagara Falls - 1 hour 30 minutes; Buffalo - 2 hours; Detroit - 4 hours; Montreal - 5 hours.

Coach services: A number of private companies operate scheduled services to and from cities throughout Canada and the USA, including Calgary, Montreal, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Operators include Greyhound Canada (tel: 1 800 661 8747; website: www.greyhound.ca), Coach Canada/Trentway-Wagar (tel: 1 800 461 7661; website: www.coachcanada.com), Ontario Northland (tel: 1 800 461 8558; website: www.webusit.com) and Can-ar Coach Service (tel: (905) 738 2290 or 1 800 387 7097; website: www.can-arcoach.com). The main terminus for all of these companies is the Toronto Coach Terminal, 610 Bay Street (tel: (416) 393 7911), which has bar and restaurant facilities, luggage lockers and traveller’s aid services.

Getting There By Rail:

VIA Rail (tel: (416) 366 8411 or 1 888 842 7245; website: www.viarail.ca) is Canada’s national rail transport provider. VIA Rail operates from the historic Union Station, 65 Front Street West, where tickets and information can be obtained in person. Facilities include restaurants, toilets, bars, lockers, shops, ATMs, bureaux de change, a business center and car hire.

Rail services: VIA Rail operates services between Toronto and a number of national destinations, including Montreal (journey time - 4-5 hours; night train - 8 hours), Ottawa (journey time - 4 hours) and Niagara Falls (journey time - 1 hour 45 minutes), as well as the USA via Niagara Falls. Both economy and first class (VIA 1) cars are available on services along the Quebec City-Windsor corridor, which accounts for 85% of Canada’s passenger rail traffic. The carriages are clean and quiet, with large windows that confer a sense of the country’s vastness, as the train passes acres of farmland and mixed conifer and deciduous forests. VIA 1 fares include a surprisingly good meal and complimentary Canadian wines. Longer distance services to Vancouver and the East Coast (changing at Montreal) offer a variety of seated and sleeper accommodation options. Union Station is also the main hub for GO Trains (see Getting Around), overland trains providing frequent commuter service to the city’s outlying suburbs.

Getting Around:

Public Transport
Toronto has a well-developed public transport system, operated by two companies. Principal services in the city center are run by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) (tel: (416) 393 4636; website: www.ttc.ca) and include subway and rapid transit lines, as well as tram and bus routes.

Toronto’s three subway lines operate Monday to Saturday 0600-0130 and Sunday 0900-0130. The arms of the U-shaped Yonge-University-Spadina subway extend from Union in the south to Finch and Downsview to the north. The Bloor-Danforth subway connects Etobicoke in the west with Scarborough in the east, where the Scarborough Rapid Transit basically provides an eastward extension to the line. The east-west Sheppard subway serves northeast Toronto.

Streetcars (trams) and buses operate throughout the city center approximately 0500-0030/0100 Monday to Saturday and Sunday from 0900. These are supplemented by the ‘Blue Night Network’ night services from 0130-0500.

Prepaid fares are cheaper and can be purchased at subway stations or from newsagents. These are often handier, as exact change is required on buses and trams. Transfers are available for switching between the subway, bus and tram. A day pass is available and is valid for two adults or an entire family on Sundays and holidays.

GO Transit (tel: (416) 869 3200 or 1 800 438 6646; website: www.gotransit.com) operates rail services from Union Station to suburban destinations to the east and west, as well as GO buses throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Tickets are available from GO train stations, bus terminals, transit ticket agencies and bus drivers. Ticket prices vary depending on distance traveled. Day passes are also available.


Taxis
Within the city center, taxis can be hailed at almost any time and also can be found at taxi ranks or ordered by telephone. Most taxis operate as part of one of Toronto’s major dispatching companies - Diamond Taxi (tel: (416) 366 6868), Crown Taxi (tel: (416) 750 7878) or Co-op Cabs (tel: (416) 504 2667). Taxi drivers are commonly tipped around 15% of the fare.

Driving in the City
Traffic is heaviest during the rush hours (0730-0930 and 1630-1930), particularly on the major motorways leading in and out of the city, which can make driving to the airport a longer than expected ordeal. Toronto is laid out on an easy-to-follow grid system, with a few notable exceptions, such as the Don Valley Parkway, snaking along the ravine east of the city center. Yonge Street, allegedly the longest street in the world, is the city’s main thoroughfare, bisecting the city center into east and west. Its junction with Bloor Street forms the city’s most major and central intersection.

Although there is a lot of street parking available, it is notoriously difficult for drivers to find a spot and many opt for the simpler although slightly more expensive option of parking in a private car park. Canpark (tel: (416) 482 2203) operates a number of 24-hour locations in the city center.


Car Hire
All major North American car hire companies are represented in Toronto, along with a few local ones, at numerous locations throughout the city. Those with the most central locations and accepting international reservations include Budget, 141 Bay Street (tel: (416) 961 3932; website: www.budget.com), Discount, 730 Yonge Street (tel: (416) 921 1212; website: www.discountcar.com), Hertz, 135 Parliament Street (tel: (416) 363 3559; website: www.hertz.com), National, 65 Front Street West (tel: (416) 364 4191; website: www.nationalcar.com), and Thrifty, 191 Parliament Street (tel: (416) 868 0350; website: www.thrifty.com).

Drivers must be at least 23 years old and pay by credit card. North American and European visitors may use national licenses. Visitors from other countries are often required to have an International Driving Permit as well.


Bicycle Hire
Bicycle hire in Toronto can be arranged through Cyclepath, 2106 Yonge Street (tel: (416) 487 1717; website: www.thecyclepath.com) and Wheel Excitement, 249 Queen’s Quay West, Unit 110 (tel: (416) 260 9000; website: www.wheelexcitement.ca). Wheel Excitement also hires out rollerblades at the same rates. Maps and information on cycling in the city are available from the Toronto Cycling Committee (tel: (416) 392 7592; website: www.toronto.ca/cycling), which has a downloadable cycling map, and the Toronto Bicycling Network (tel: (416) 760 4191; website: www.tbn.on.ca). Riding a bicycle in the winter is not a good idea, due to possible icy road conditions (not to mention the cold).

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