Getting In, Getting Around Toronto

Pearson International Airport is about 45 minutes by car from the downtown core and is serviced by most major international carriers. There are two terminals: Terminal 1 hosts all Air Canada flights and a few other international carriers, while Terminal 3 hosts all other airlines including WestJet and Zoom. Several options exist for getting downtown from Pearson. Airport Express bus service is quick, convenient, and frequent (peak periods: every 20 minutes; off-peak periods: every 30 minutes). It picks up at both terminals, and stops at several major hotels in the downtown core. Adult fares are $16.45 one way, $28.35 for round trips. TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) provides public bus services that run to and from Pearson. The best TTC option is the 192 Airport Rocket that runs every 20 minutes or less between Kipling Station on the Bloor-Danforth Subway, in the west end of the city, and Pearson Airport. Kipling Station is the western most subway stop on the Bloor-Danforth line and it takes between 20 minutes to reach Kipling and then 30-45 minutes to reach downtown. One way adult fare on the TTC is $2.75 (or less if purchased in bulk). GO Transit, the commuter transit agency, provides express buses that run from the airport to Yorkdale and York Mills subway stations in North York for $4.05. This takes about 35-45 minutes, followed by another 20 minutes on the subway to get downtown. Taxis run a flat rate of $40 while airport limousines go slightly higher at $50. Limousines are generally slightly larger (though not stretched) and more comfortable vehicles than taxis.

Toronto City Centre Airport handles much less traffic. It offers short-haul regional flights to neighboring Canadian cities. A free ferry service makes the short crossing (just 121 metres - possibly the world's shortest regularly-scheduled ferry route) between TCCA and the mainland every 15 minutes.

Greyhound provides transportation from most major Northeast cities, Ontario Northland provides service from the northern parts of Ontario and Coach Canada links Montreal and Toronto. GO Transit provides buses from outlying Toronto areas. Greyhound, Coach Canada and Ontario Northland buses stop at Toronto Coach Terminal, which is a short walk to the Dundas or St. Patrick subway stations of the Toronto Transit Commission.

Toronto is situated along a primary VIA Rail corridor. Trains travel east towards Montreal and Ottawa, west towards Western Ontario (Windsor, Sarnia, and Niagara Falls) and north to Northern Ontario and then also out West from there. Express service exists between Toronto and Montreal. The only stop in between is Montreal Airport. It is a very nice service with beautifully painted carriages. Remember to ask for student fares if you have an ISIC card. The Canadian service operated by VIA (three times weekly) goes through "Northern" Ontario, across the praries, then through the mountains all the way to Vancouver. Daily through rail service from New York via Buffalo and Niagara Falls (the Maple Leaf) is operated jointly by VIA Rail and Amtrak. Other schedules use a bus from Toronto to Buffalo.

Major highways leading into Toronto are the QEW, the 404, the 401, the 400, and the 427. Toronto is in the enviable position of being the largest city in Canada, so it's relatively easy to find a sign pointing you in the right direction. Be advised that traffic on incoming highways can be extremely heavy. The main streets in Toronto are laid out in a grid pattern that makes it one of the easiest cities to get around in by car. Getting from point to point anywhere in the city can be achieved with only a few turns. Parking in the downtown core can be expensive and hard to find, but is plentiful and inexpensive or free throughout the rest of the city.

Toronto has a well maintained and effective public transportation system, run by the Toronto Transit Commission, and you can get pretty well anywhere you want in the main part of the city with the subway / streetcars / buses.