By Car in Toronto

Your driver's license may not be recognized outside your home country. International driving permits (IDPs) are available from the American and Canadian automobile associations and, in the United Kingdom, from the Automobile Association and Royal Automobile Club. These international permits, valid only in conjunction with your regular driver's license, are universally recognized; having one may save you a problem with local authorities.

Given the relatively higher price of gas and the ease of Toronto's public transportation system, car travel is recommended only for those who wish to drive to sites and attractions outside the city, such as the Niagara Wine Region, Niagara Falls, and live theater at Stratford or Niagara-on-the-Lake. The city of Toronto and its suburbs (Oakville, Oshawa, and Mississauga, for example) have excellent transit systems that are inexpensive, clean, and safe.

From the U.S.

Drivers must carry owner registration and proof of insurance coverage, which is compulsory in Canada. The Canadian Non-Resident Inter-Provincial Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card, available from any U.S. insurance company, is accepted as evidence of financial responsibility in Canada. The minimum liability coverage in Canada is C$200,000, except in Québec, where the minimum is C$50,000. If you are driving a car that is not registered in your name, carry a letter from the owner that authorizes your use of the vehicle.

Expect a wait at major border crossings. The wait at peak visiting times can be 60 minutes. If you can, avoid crossing on weekends and holidays at Detroit-Windsor, Buffalo-Fort Erie, and Niagara Falls, New York-Niagara Falls, Ontario, when the wait can be even longer.

Highway 401, which can stretch to 16 lanes in metropolitan Toronto, is the major link between Windsor, Ontario (and Detroit), and Montréal, Québec. There are no tolls anywhere along it, but you should be warned: between 6:30 and 9:30 each weekday morning and from 3:30 to 6:30 each afternoon, the 401 can become very crowded, even stop-and-go; plan your trip to avoid rush hours. A toll highway, the 407, offers quicker travel; there are no tollbooths, but cameras photograph license plates and the system bills you, if it has your address. The 407 runs roughly parallel to the 401 for a 65-km (40-mi) stretch immediately north of Toronto.

If you're driving from Niagara Falls (U.S. or Canada) or Buffalo, New York, take the Queen Elizabeth Way, which curves along the western shore of Lake Ontario and eventually turns into the Gardiner Expressway, which flows right into downtown. Yonge Street, which divides the west side of Toronto from the east, begins at the lakefront and continues north for 1,612 km (1,000 mi), though its name changes to Highway 11 at Orillia.