Transportation in Toronto
 

Looking for best way to get downtown Toronto from airport- bus, train, car rental? Cab ride to expensive? Are CN Tower and Skydome worth checking out? Will only be there for the day. Appreciate any advice. Thanks

You can get ground transportation information here:

http://www.gtaa.com/Index.aspx?Sid=N....1.3&Tpl=1

Last time I was there, I took the cheapest way to downtown - the 192 Airport Rocket bus and transfer to subway. C$2.25. Can't beat that.

It depends on what you define as "best"

rkkwan has definitely got "best" if you want cheapest, but I dont know how much luggage you have and with only one day time may be a priority for you. www.gtaa.com is the airport website which lists a number of options depending on your priorities

Assuming not rush hour, it is about 20- 30 minute drive from the airport to downtown. A rental car isnt going to be worth it for one day since you wont use it in the city. Price for a taxi is a fixed rate and based on the map posted above it looks like downtown is 40-45 dollars Canadian each way.

Are you staying downtown? There is the Airport Express bus service that for 15 dollars Canadian each way stops at the downtown bus terminal as well as several hotels - this may be the best combination of ease of transport (no transfers) and price.

The CN tower is definitely worth it - at least up to the "main" level - stand on the glass floor area, it makes you realize how far up you are! I dont think the extra fee to the higher level (whatever they are calling it now) is worth it but some people do.

If you are interested in sports and/or engineering then Skydome is worth taking a tour - or of course if the Jays are in town, catching a game. It doesnt have the atmosphere of Camden Yards in Baltimore, say... but not many stadiums probably will :-)

There are lots of other things to choose from in TO as well (Art Galleries, museums, Kensington Market, St. Lawrence Market, Chinatown etc.) depending on your tastes. What do you enjoy doing? What day of the week will you be in TO on (some things are closed)? When are you coming (some things are seasonal)?

My flight gets in 9am on a thursday but have to be back to the airport by 6pm same day to catch the flight out. No luggage, just there to see the sights and shop a bit.

Would the bus/subway combo take an hour or so? Decent shopping downtown? How about Little Italy for a nice lunch? would like to take in more but am limited by timeframe

Theh bus/ subway combo is not that bad an idea, because it would take you through several Toronto neighborhoods, giving you an idea of how lots of Toronto poeple live, and the subway ride might be fun.

Take the subway down to the St. George stop, which is where a north-south subway route intersects with an east-west route, and get off there.

Walk through that neighborhood, (there's two, really; The Annex and Yorkville) and then continue on a long walk down Yonge Street to The Dundas Street and Queen Street interesections.

GFrom here the one-day visitor has more choices, whether the harbor, or the Art Gallery of Ontario, or the CN Tower, or the Hockey Hall of Fame, or Choinatown, or shopping on Queen Street West.

Then just walk back to the Royal York Hotel or the Sheraton Center Hotel and take the express bus (the $15 one) back to the airport in time for you flight.
Unless you are a compulsive italian eater, there are lots of good, more convenient, restaurants without the extra trip to Little italy. Why spend forty minutes travelling, when you can eat more conveniently?

Toronto is packed with good restaurants; you won't have trouble finding a good place to eat lunch.
BAK