Location Transport

Need some help with planning a trip to Toronto, Canada?

In April, a group of us will be driving from NYC to Toronto, Canada. We plan to visit downtown Toronto a lot and will probably utilize the public transport system. To save costs, we want to stay outside of Toronto but near a subway or bus terminal that will provide access to the downtown area. Any advice on hotels near transport terminals? What subway routes/lines will take us to downtown Toronto. Are there are any must sees in Toronto that the locals recommend? We definitely want to get a local vibe as well (the touristy stuff is only half the fun).

Public Comments

1. Honestly, I don't see you saving a whole lot staying outside of downtown. Unlike NYC, you can find a hotel at a very good rate in downtown Toronto. Try using Hotwire.com or bidding on a hotel on Priceline.com. I actually just looked on Hotwire for you and there is a 4 star in downtown west "which is what you are looking for" for $109 a night. Once you start using Hotwire and priceline you will never go back. I always use it for when my family is visting me in Toronto. I get them great deals. If you don't feel confortable with that, try booking the sheraton toronto, and also a little cheaper and right accross from the royal york is The Strathcona Hotel. They have the best location you could ask for. Toronto Public transit is not nearly as efficient as NYC, so it makes sense to stay close to what you want to see. I know you will be happy you stayed downtown if you choose to. even though we have beautiful suburbs, thats where the best vibe of our city can be felt. I recommend the Distillery District, Kensington Market, St Lawrence Market - Saturday mornings,
2. When you say you're planning to stay outside Toronto, do you just mean outside the downtown core? There are relatively reasonably priced chain hotels not too far our of downtown. . . but they're still definitely in Toronto! I'm not sure staying "outside Toronto" would be reasonable at all. My favourite places in Toronto are Kensington Market - crowded little mostly-pedestrian streets full of markets & restaurants of varying ethnicities, vintage stores, and hipsters; and (the big) Chinatown right next door.
3. All the subway routes will take you downtown fairly quickly. The Yonge/University line is most central, running right through the heart of downtown. Most hotel websites will have a map with them, and you can find a subway map at the TTC website. Figure about 2 minutes per stop and the trains come at well under 5 minute intervals so there's no waiting to speak of. But I agree with the first poster. If you haven't checked hotel rates yet, google "budget hotels toronto" and you might be surprised at the reasonable rates that some of them have, and some of them are pretty nice for the price. Better to stay downtown where you can go out on foot in the evening, than be stuck at night in some place that's all freeways and parking lots. And if you're walking, you don't have to worry about having another glass of wine with dinner. Toronto has a very walkable downtown. Places to see? Kind of depends on weather, but you might check out Toronto Island if you like outdoor stuff. Take the ferry to Ward's Island, walk around a bit, there's a beach, no vehicle traffic, cool little houses. Not sure what's open for food at that time of year, you can google Toronto Island. Dress warmly, it can definitely be cooler and windier over there. The ferries themselves, the big black and white ones, are practically museum pieces.
4. The subway lines that reach downtown go North along Yonge St. and University Ave. until almost Thornhill (although there is express buses all the way up yonge street), and also east-west on bloor-danforth. Check out http://www.ttc.ca/. Must see: CN Tower, Dundas Square, Islands are good if weather's nice. High Park, a lot of good stuff. But you should be able to find a good hotel downtown