Toronto Getting there & around

Getting there & around

Flights, tours and rail tickets can be booked online at www.lonelyplanet.com/travel_services.

Local transport

Taxi

Metered fares start at $3; plus $1.50 for each additional kilometre, depending on traffic. Taxi drivers will usually take you where you want to go without ripping you off - hail one on the street and watch them brake, U-turn or swerve majestically across several lanes to pick you up. Taxi stands reside outside of hotels, museums, shopping malls and entertainment venues.

Taxi companies include the following:

Crown Taxi (416-292-1212, 877-750-7878; www.crowntaxi.com)

Diamond Taxicab (416-366-6868; www.diamondtaxi.ca)

Royal Taxi (416-777-9222; www.royaltaxi.ca) Also has wheelchair-accessible taxis.

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Bus & tram

Bus

Long-distance buses are cheaper than trains, but not as fast or comfortable. Bus lines covering Ontario, the rest of Canada and US destinations lurch out of the Metro Toronto Coach Terminal(416-393-7911; fax 416-979-8772; Dundas Square, 610 Bay St; Dundas; 5:30am-midnight), which has coin lockers and a Travelers' Aid Society (416-596-8647; www.travellersaid.com; 9:30am-5:30pm) help desk, providing accommodation bookings, maps and brochures.

Greyhound (800-661-8747; www.greyhound.ca) covers much of southwestern Ontario, including the Niagara region and Stratford. Discounts on standard one-way adult fares are given to ISIC cardholders, seniors, children and pairs traveling together. Walk-up rates are the most expensive; purchase tickets at least a week in advance for better fares (advance tickets don't guarantee a seat - you still have to line up!). When making reservations, always ask for the direct or express bus.

Walk-up rates for long-distance routes from Toronto (add $3 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday travel) include the following:

TTC subway, streetcar & bus

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC; 416-393-4636; www.city.toronto.on.ca/ttc) operates an efficient subway, streetcar and bus system throughout the city. A helpful TTC Ride Guide is available from subway station attendants. More detailed (and very complicated) route maps are posted at streetcar shelters, major bus stops and inside subway cars.

Subway lines operate from approximately 6am (9am on Sunday) until 1:30am daily, with trains every five minutes. The main lines are the crosstown Bloor-Danforth line, and the U-shaped Yonge- University-Spadina line which bends through Union Station. Stations have Designated Waiting Areas (DWAs) monitored by security cameras and equipped with a bench, pay phone and intercom link to the station manager. They're located where the subway guard's car stops along the platform.

Streetcars are slower than the subway, but you'll see more and they stop every block or two. Streetcars operate from 5am until 1:30am on weekdays with reduced weekend services. Route numbers and destinations are displayed on both front and rear cars. The main east-west routes are along St Clair Ave (512), College St (506), Dundas St (505), Queen St (501 and 502), and King St (503 and 504). North-south streetcars grind along Bathurst St (511) and Spadina Ave (510). The 511 turns west at the lakefront towards the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds; the 510 turns east towards Union Station. The 509 Harbourfront streetcar trundles west from Union Station along Lake Shore Blvd.

Visitors won't find much use for TTC buses, which are slow and get held up in traffic. Women traveling alone between 9pm and 5am can request stops anywhere along regular bus routes; notify the driver in advance and exit via the front doors. Bus stops with blue-banded poles are part of the limited Blue Night Network which operates basic city routes between 1:30am and 5am daily, running every 30 minutes.

For more far-flung travel, the TTC system connects with GO Transit's GO Bus (416-869-3200, 888-438-6646; www.gotransit.com) routes in surrounding suburbs like Richmond Hill, Brampton and Hamilton.

Fares & passes

The regular adult TTC fare is $2.75 (student/senior $1.85, child 70¢). You can transfer to any other TTC bus, subway or streetcar for free using your paper streetcar/bus ticket or transfer ticket from automated dispensers near subway exits. Exact change is required for streetcars and buses; subway attendants are more forgiving. Ten subway tokens cost $21 (student/senior $14, child $4.70), available from subway stations or stores displaying the TTC ticket agent sign. Day Passes cost $8.50, and can be used by individuals, couples, or two adults and up to four kids traveling together. They're valid for unlimited rides from the start of service until 5:30am the following morning. Weekly Metropasses cost $30 (student/senior $23.75), and run from Monday to Sunday.

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Water

Ferry

From April to September, Toronto Islands Ferries (416-392-8193; www.city.toronto.on.ca/parks/island/ferry.htm) run every 15 to 30 minutes from 8am to 11pm, taking about 15 minutes to cross Toronto Inner Harbour. A return ticket costs adult/child/concession $6/2.50/3.50. Queues can be ridiculously long on weekends and holidays, so show up early. From October to March, ferry services are slashed to a minimum (roughly hourly), only servicing Ward's Island, plus a couple per day to Hanlan's Point if you're lucky. The Toronto Islands Ferry Terminal is at the foot of Bay St, off Queens Quay, just west of the Westin Harbour Castle.

The high-speed international ferry between Toronto and Rochester, New York, ceased operating in January 2006 after losing $10 million in 10 months, but may one day be resuscitated.

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Air

Airlines

Major airlines serving Toronto's airports include the following:

Aeroflot(416-642-1653, 877-209-1935; www.aeroflotcanada.com)

Aeromexico(905-891-0093; www.aeromexico.com)

Air Canada(888-247-2262; www.aircanada.ca)

Air France(800-667-2747; www.airfrance.com)

Air New Zealand(800-663-5494; www.airnewzealand.com)

Air Transat(866-847-1112; www.airtransat.com)

Alaska Airlines(800-252-7522; www.alaskaair.com)

Alitalia(905-673-2442, 800-268-9277; www.alitalia.com)

All Nippon Airways(800-235-9262; www.fly-ana.com)

America West Airlines(800-428-4322; www.americawest.com)

American Airlines(800-433-7300; www.aa.com)

British Airways(800-247-9297; www.britishairways.com)

CanJet Airlines(800-809-7777; www.canjet.com)

Cathay Pacific(800-268-6868; www.cathaypacific.com)

Continental Airlines(800-523-3273; www.continental.com)

Cubana Airlines(416-967-2822, 866-428-2262; www.cubana.cu)

Czech Airlines (416-363-3174, 800-641-0641; www.csa.cz)

Delta Air Lines(800-221-1212; www.delta.com)

El Al Israel(416-967-4222, 800-361-6174; www.elal.co.il)

Finnair(416-222-0740, 800-461-8651; www.finnair.com)

Japan Airlines(800-525-3663; www.jal.co.jp/en/)

Korean Air(800-438-5000; www.koreanair.com)

Lufthansa(800-563-5954; www.lufthansa.com)

Mexicana Airlines(800-531-7921; www.mexicana.com.mx)

Northwest Airlines/KLM(800-225-2525; www.nwa.com)

Olympic Airlines(416-964-2720; www.olympicairlines.com)

Qantas(800-227-4500; www.qantas.com.au)

Scandinavian Airlines(800-221-2350; www.scandinavian.net)

Singapore Airlines(800-663-3046; www.singaporeair.com)

Thai Airways International(800-426-5204; www.thaiair.com)

United Airlines(800-864-8331; www.united.com)

US Airways(800-428-4322; www.usairways.com)

WestJet(877-937-8538; 800-538-5696; www.westjet.com)

ZOOM Airlines(613-235-9666, 866-359-9666; www.flyzoom.com)

Airports

Tickets for flights departing Canada, whether purchased in Canada or abroad, usually include departure taxes ($20 from Toronto).

Most Canadian airlines and major international carriers arrive at Canada's busiest airport, Lester B Pearson International Airport (YYZ; 866-207-1690, Terminals 1 & 2 416-247-7678, Terminal 3 416-776-5100; www.gtaa.com), a 27km drive northwest of downtown Toronto (Lester B, a former Canadian Prime Minister, also won the Nobel Peace Prize). Terminal assignments are subject to change, so call ahead or check airport entrance signs carefully. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) recently opened a new multibillion-dollar terminal that will eventually replace Terminals 1 and 2. Except for Air Canada's Star Alliance partners, most international carriers operate from Terminal 3. All terminals have food courts, duty-free stores, medical emergency clinics, baggage storage facilities, lost and found offices, ATMs, currency-exchange booths and information desks. Interterminal courtesy shuttle buses for transit passengers run frequently.

There are Travelers' Aid Society (Terminal 1 905-676-2868, Terminal 3 416-776-5890; www.travellersaid.com; 10am-9pm) help desks in the arrivals concourses of Terminals 1 and 3.

On the Toronto Islands, small Toronto City Centre Airport (TCCA; Map p000; 416-203-6942; www.torontoport.com/airport.asp) is home to regional airlines, helicopter companies and private flyers. Air Canada Jazz (888-247-2262; www.flyjazz.ca) flights from Ottawa land at TCCA rather than Pearson - it's quicker because you're already downtown, and you get a good look at the city too!

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Car & motorcycle

Car

Unless you're masochistic, we only recommended renting a car for excursions outside Toronto. Driving in the city is a headache: expressways are congested, construction never ends, parking is expensive and parking inspectors are hounds from hell.

Rental

Rates go up and down like the stock market, so it's worth phoning around or scouring the internet for the best deals. Booking ahead will get you a better rate; the airport tends to be cheaper than downtown. Typically, a small car costs $35 to $45 per day, or $250 to $300 per week. But after adding insurance, taxes, excess kilometers and any other fees, you could be handed a fairly hefty bill. Discounted weekend rates (under $100) may include 'extra days, ' for example from noon Thursday until noon Monday.

Major international car-rental agencies have reservation desks at Pearson airport, as well as several city-wide offices:

Budget(800-314-5885, 800-268-9000; www.budget.com)

Di$count Car & Truck Rental(877-742-8787; www.discountcar.com)

National Car Rental(800-227-7368; www.nation alcar.ca)

New Frontier Rent-A-Car(416-675-2000, 800-567-2837; www.newfrontiercar.com; 5875 Airport Rd, Mississauga; free airport shuttle)

Thrifty Car Rental(800-847-4389; www.thrifty.com)

Smaller independent agencies offer lower rates, but may have fewer (and perhaps older) cars available. Try the following:

Wheels 4 Rent(416-585-7782; www.wheels4rent.ca; Kensington Market, 77 Nassau St; 510)

Zipcar (416-977-9008; www.zipcar.com; Queen West, Ste 205, 147 Spadina Ave; 501, 510) Cost-effective and ecoaware city car-sharing.

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Train

Canadians feel a special attachment to the 'ribbons of steel' from coast to coast, although they don't take the train very often. Union Station is Toronto's main rail hub, with currency exchange and Travelers' Aid Society (416-366 7788; www.travellersaid.com; 9:30am-9:30pm) help desks on the upper and lower concourses (for accommodations bookings, maps and brochures).

VIA Rail (416-366-8411, 888-842-7245; www.viarail.ca) services are excellent along the so-called 'Québec-Windsor Corridor, ' the heavily trafficked thoroughfare between Québec City and Windsor, Ontario (just across the US-Canada border from Detroit, Michigan). Fares vary wildly, but are significantly cheaper if tickets are purchased at least one week in advance. VIA Rail's Corridor Pass (adult/concession $265/239) is good for 10 days.

America's Amtrak (800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com) has an information desk inside Union Station and runs several routes between the USA and Canada.

The GO Train (416-869-3200, 888-438-6646; www.gotransit.com) commuter network, run by GO Transit, serves the outer suburbs of Toronto. Service is fast and steady throughout the day, but unless you're staying in the 'burbs, you probably won't make much use of it. A typical fare to Scarborough or Mississauga would be around $3.80.

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Bicycle

Bicycle, in-line skates & pedicab

Toronto has 50km of on-street bicycle lanes and over 40km of marked routes for bicycles. In-line skaters can cruise along sidewalks, but it's illegal for cyclists to do so. The free Toronto Cycling Map is distributed by the Toronto Cycling Committee (416-392-9253; www.city.toronto.on.ca/cycling). You can download the map online, pick up a copy at City Hall (416-393-7650) or at the Toronto Reference Library.

Bicycles are permitted on TTC buses, streetcars and subways, except during weekday morning (6:30am to 9:30am) and afternoon (3:30pm to 6:30pm) rush hours, and other times when vehicles become heavily crowded. Bicycles are allowed on some, but not all, Toronto Islands ferries, with additional restrictions during peak periods. Check details at the ticket booths.

Deluxe pedicab rickshaws pedaled by impressively fit, young Torontonians can be hired around downtown during summer. Negotiate fares for longer trips with the driver before clambering aboard. Tip generously.

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Getting into town

Airport Express (905-564-3232, 800-387-6787; www.torontoairportexpress.com) operates an express bus connecting Pearson International with the Metro Toronto Coach Terminal and major downtown hotels, including the Westin Harbour Castle, Fairmont Royal York and the Delta Chelsea Toronto Downtown. Buses depart every 20 to 30 minutes from 5am to 1am. Allow 1½ hours to get to/from the airport. A one-way/round-trip ticket costs $16.50/28.50 (cash, credit card or US dollars). Students and seniors receive $2 off one-way fares; kids under 11 travel free. Buses leave Terminals 1/2/3 from curbside locations B3/17/25.

If you're not buried under heavy luggage, the cheapest way to Pearson is via the TTC bus and subway. From the airport, the 192 Airport Rocket bus departs from ground level of Terminal 1 and arrivals levels of Terminals 2 & 3, every 20 minutes from 5:30am to 2am. It's a 20-minute ride to Kipling Station ($2.75, exact change only), where you transfer free onto the Bloor-Danforth subway line using your bus ticket. Allow an hour for the full trip downtown. The 300A Bloor-Danforth night bus runs every 15 minutes from 2am to 5am ($2.75, exact change only). The 300A departs the same locations as the 192; it's a 45-minute run from Pearson to Yonge and Bloor.

A taxi from Pearson into the city takes around 45 minutes, depending on traffic. The GTAA regulates fares by drop-off zone ($46 to downtown Toronto). A metered taxi from central Toronto to Pearson costs around $50.

If you're driving yourself to/from the airport, avoid Hwy 401 during the am/pm rush hours; instead, take the Gardiner Expwy west from Spadina Ave then head north on Hwy 427. Parking at the Terminal 1, 2 and 3 garages costs $3 per half hour, $24 per day. Long-term parking at off-site lots costs around $13 per day or $50 per week, with free terminal shuttles available.

From the Toronto City Centre Airport, ferries (416-203-6945) chug over to the foot of Bathurst St every 15 minutes from 7am until 10pm. At just 121m, it's allegedly the world's shortest scheduled ferry route! It's free from the mainland to the airport, but costs $5.50 in the other direction. From Bathurst St it's a short walk to Lake Shore Blvd W and the 509 Harbourfront or 510 Spadina streetcars.

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