Its location in southern Canada and its closeness to Lake Ontario ensures that Toronto’s climate is milder than lots of other parts of the country. Summers are warm and humid, while winters are cold with some snow. Rain falls year round. Temperatures during the first half of the year hover between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. In the winter, the average daytime temperature is about freezing, but snowfall of more than 10cm is not usual.
It’s not necessary to rent a car to get around Toronto, the public transport system is excellent and includes subway, buses and streetcars. A single fare costs about $3, but remember to get a transfer when you buy your ticket.
Go Transit links Toronto with the Greater Toronto Area (Halton, Peel, York, Durham, Hamilton and into Simcoe, Dufferin, and Wellington Counties).
Cycling is a great way to experience Toronto. There are lots of clearly marked bike paths.
Getting to the city from the airport
Car-rental with companies such as Avis, Budget and Hertz is available at Toronto Pearson International (YYZ). Licensed taxis and limousines are available too. Taxi fares downtown cost between $40 and $50.
There are several options as far as public transport is concerned. The Toronto Transit Commission offers bus and subway service to downtown, GO Transit operates bus and train service to downtown and Toronto’s suburbs, Mississauga Transit offers bus service within Mississauga, Brampton Transit bus service within Brampton and Pacific Western Airport Express is an airport-to-downtown service. Tickets on the airport express bus cost about $20 one way.
From Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ), there is TCCA 1 – a passenger and vehicle ferry – that travels across the 121-metre-wide Western Channel every 15 minutes during airport opening hours. The journey is also the world’s shortest ferry ride.
What is good to know if travelling to Toronto?- The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious international film festivals attracting film makers, industry professionals, media and lovers of film from around the world. There are about 20 programmes in which films from more than 50 countries are screened.
- Hockey is a religion in Canada. The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in downtown Toronto. It has the largest collection of hockey memorabilia in the world, where you can view hockey films, stop the shots of all-time greats Wayne Gretzky and get close to the impressive Stanley Cup.
- There are free public stargazing activities at the York University Observatory on Wednesday nights (9pm-11pm).