6 hours at toronto airport can we go into toronto?
 

I am trying to decide on which flight to take of Air Canada Baltimore to Rome through Toronto. First of all I am confused between YYZ(whatever that means) and International Pearson. One flight will give us a 6 hour stopover the other a two hour stopover. We are flying on November 1st so do I need to be concerned about "winter" weather flying into Toronto. If we take the 6 hour stopover would we be able to do anything outside the airport itself. I hope someone can give me some advice as I would like to purchase my tickets today. Thank you, Deborah

I can answer some of your questions, and other people will be able to give you good advice about the rest.
YYZ is the code for Pearson International Airport, which is Toronto's big airport just northwest of the city. The reason it's confusing is because there is another Toronto airport, a very small one on one of the Toronto Islands, right downtown. That small airport is only used for shorter flights. You will be going through Pearson.
It's extremely unlikely that winter weather will have hit Toronto by November 1st. I have seen a sprinkling of snow by that time but it doesn't amount to much. It's not totally impossible, mind you, but very very unlikely.
Even with a 6-hour stopover - and this is where other people's opinions may well differ and rightly so - I would suggest you stay within the airport. There is a huge amount of traffic congestion in the area, and security precautions for an overseas flight will require that you be there 2 hours ahead of time. There are a few things you could do outside of the airport but IMHO it would be too risky to try getting into Toronto itself, which is a fair distance away.

Thank you Meesthare, being unfamiliar with the airport I was hoping there was a train shuttle to city center, or a major shopping area like Mall of America in Mpls ;;) anything to pass the time as we will have a 6 hour stopover coming AND going from Baltimore to Rome. Thank you for your very complete answer to my questions. Deborah

I wouldn't leave the airport. If you exclude the time to actually get off the plane, and the time before your flight that you board, you are down to 5 hours! You also will need to change terminals, and go through customs with your luggage. Assume another hour for that. Yes, you will have about 4 hours to kill at the airport, but trying to leave is just going to really squeeze you for time. I wouldn't risk it. Visit Tim Hortons, buy some Canadian candy bars and magazines and call it a cultural experience!

I disagree with the others. There's enough time to take bus #192 Airport Rocket to the subway, to downtown and back. No time to really see anything, but I think that'd be a little less boring than sitting in the airport.

Keep in mind that on your way back, you need to clear Canada immigration customs; and also US immigration/customs before you board your final flight. Need extra time.

Official website of YYZ, including public transportation options, at www.gtaa.com

Thank you for your help answering my questions. RKKwan, I am encouraged to read it is possible to leave the airport for a couple of hours as this RT ticket is giving us two 6 hour stopovers at the Toronto airport. I will look into the #192 bus. Thanks, Deborah

Deborah, I would be a bit concerned about leaving the airport, even though you have 6 hours to kill. For one thing, it's common for flights to land later than scheduled. Your 6 hours might end up being more like 5 or less. Rkkwan is right in saying that the bus/subway trip wouldn't give you time to see anything - you'd just be going downtown and back, and much of that, on the subway, is underground. I don't know how enjoyable that would be. Traffic coming back to the airport could be delayed significantly and you would end up getting awfully nervous about missing your flight.
The airport is connected to the Sheraton Hotel; maybe if you need to get out of there for a while, you could hop over to the hotel and have a meal or a drink. I wouldn't suggest you go much further than that. Just my opinion.

My suggestion is that you come to Toronto specifically for a visit. Toronto is just too big a city and too interesting to try and see anything in the time you have. You'll be missing a lot if you don't come back!!!

For sure do not opt for the two hour stopover. You would probably make it but it would be stressful. I would be prepared with flexible plans to leave the airport. Your flight from BWI gets in at noon so you should be through Canadian customs at terminal 2 in well under an hour. You should be back at Terminal 1 by 4 PM for your 6 PM flight. You will need to take a shuttle bus to a temporary infield terminal so this reduces margins for error. (This could possibly change because new gates will be opening in the main terminal 1 but assume the worst.) This leaves about three hours to use. TTC to downtown should be a bit less than an hour. Or your could get off the subway at Jane (three stops from where the airport bus drops you) and walk east looking for a nice little restaurant for lunch. This way you see Bloor West Village and get out of the airport. Taxis will cut travel time if you don't mind spending a little money. Even closer to the airport there must be some decent Indian Restaurants in Malton that would be a short taxi ride. Don't just rot at the airport!

It would be wise to phone Air Canada (but now is not a good time for obvious reasons!) to make sure of what they expect of you and not rely on what we say here.

Thank you very much for the information. Knowing my husband, it is less likely we will leave the airport after reading about the different terminals and areas of security and customs/immigration that we will have to go through. Unless all the variables fall right into place and give us a large block of time, we certainly don't want to miss our plane due to taking a quick look/see of Toronto. thanks for your opinions. Deborah