Getting Around Toronto

Wayfinding

Welcome to Toronto. We take cardinal directions seriously here. Downtown Toronto is built on a fairly strict grid system. Even though the grid isn’t built to conform exactly to the cardinal directions, locals treat it as if it does. Being built on a hill makes wayfinding easy: Lake Ontario is at the south end of the city, with everything sloping down to its shore. The CN Tower helps. It’s located close to the lake, and provides a good indicator of where south is. In the local interpretation of directions, uphill is generally north, downhill is generally south. Major streets like College, Bloor and Dundas run east-west, while Spadina, St. George and University run north-south. Numbering on east-west streets splits at Yonge Street, while north-south streets number up from the lake.

Getting Downtown from the Airport

Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is located just outside of Toronto. From both terminals, public buses are available. The Toronto Transit Commission runs an express bus, the 192 Airport Rocket, which terminates at Kipling station, the western-most terminus of the the Bloor-Danforth subway line. From Kipling, simply take the subway eastbound to get downtown. The cash fare for the TTC is $3, and needs to be paid in exact change on the bus. In Terminal 1 of Pearson airport, TTC vending machines selling single-fare tickets are located inside the terminal and accept credit cards.

If you are arriving at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), congratulations! You’re already downtown. Simply take the shuttle bus from outside the terminal, which will drop you at Union station, which is on the Yonge-University subway line.

By Transit

The Toronto Transit Commission runs subways, buses and streetcars. The University of Toronto is located near St. George subway station, as well as the 510 Spadina and 506 Carlton/College streetcar lines and the 94 Wellesley bus route.

By Foot

Downtown Toronto is highly walkable, with a wide variety of restaurants, attractions and accommodations located within a short walk of the University.

By Bike

Bike Share Toronto operates a large fleet of bikes with conveniently placed docking stations. Longer term rentals are also available from local bike shops. The University of Toronto is well-served by bike lanes and lock-up posts.

By Car

Parking is available on campus, though daily rates are high. The University’s Transportation Department provides details on locations and prices of parking lots. Public parking lots are available elsewhere in the city, at comparable rates.