The Toronto Guide for Tourists

www.toronto.uk.com
Directory – Government Services - Downtown Toronto

2023 Edition

About this Edition:

This list is essentially a quick summary of Toronto tourist information. Use this list to navigate around Toronto to save you time on research and searching for answers.

Currency of Information:

Please check the source website for their most current update as information may change from the date of this publication. Information from this publication was last updated on January 9, 2023.

Toronto

Table of Contents

1. Arriving into Canada
Airport

Luggage and Packing
Airport Taxi
Airport Shuttle
Canadian Currency
Up Express (Airport Train)
Public Transit (Bus and Subway)

Airport Wi-Fi

Airport Foreign Currency Exchange

Language

2. Phone and Internet

3. WiFi in Toronto

4. Hotels and AirBnB

5. Car Rentals

6. Bicycle Rentals

7. Restaurants & Tipping

8. Retail Sales Taxes (HST)

9. Banks and ATM machines

10. Grocery Stores

11. Tourism: Sightseeing

12. Shopping

13. Culture & Arts

14. Travelling outside Toronto (Transportation Options)

15. Niagara Falls and Casinos

16. Public Libraries

17. Hospitals (Downtown) – Emergency Rooms

1. Arriving into Canada

Name of Airport: Pearson Toronto Airport (International) YYZ
Terminal 1 and Terminal 3

Luggage: Recommended in luggage: Apple Air Tag

Consider a small clothing kit in your carry-on in case luggage is delayed.

Phone: Recommended that you have a local Canadian data plan ready before

travelling to Canada. Be careful of roaming charges for data and talk if using an out of country phone plan.

Airport Taxi: Uber and Licensed Cabs

                         -Uber Pickup: (This can be confusing)
                         https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/ride-sharing
                         **Make sure you check the car plate before getting into the car**

-There is a tipping culture of 10% to 15%

Airport Downtown Train:
Called “The Up Express” (Airport Train)

Goes to: Downtown (Union Station)
Not a 24 hour train service.
Schedule: https://www.upexpress.com/

Public Transit: Called the “TTC”
                                         Does NOT operate 24 Hours
                                         Schedule: https://www.ttc.ca/routes-and-schedules
                                         Adult Fare: $3.25 (https://www.ttc.ca/Fares-and-passes)
                                         Not Recommended for new travellers to Canada.

Airport Wi-Fi Internet: Available, but not always satisfactory.

Canadian Currency Exchange: Available inside the airport. Exchange rates may be better outside Customs (after exiting into the main airport area where everyone is waiting outside).

Most common language used among people in Toronto: English

2. Phone and Data Plans

-“Pay as you Go” (prepaid) phone and data plans are available.

-Easy to Find: PC (Loblaws Grocery Stores), https://www.pcmobile.ca/en/plans/
Petro Canada (Gas Stations), https://mobility.petro-canada.ca/

Others (Carriers): Fido, Rogers, Bell

-There may be activation or connection fees.

Issues: Obtaining and Activating a prepaid data and phone plan in Toronto is not quite as
straightforward as other countries, such as the USA. You can order prepaid SIM cards

from www.toronto.uk.com, online shop, and have it shipped to your home country before travelling to Canada. Data SIM cards also available for rent, short-term. Recommended.

Payphones: Available at airport. You will need coins, such as “quarters”. Each call is now
50 cents, which is two quarters. Area codes: 416, 905, 647.

3. Public Wifi in Toronto: Not always reliable.

-Available in some places for customers: McDonalds, Starbucks, Toronto Public Library
-Not recommended as a main source of communication for tourists. A tourist will greatly benefit from a data plan to access maps, Uber, tourist information, and online resources.

4. Hotels and Airbnb

-Online websites: www.expedia.ca, www.kayak.com. Make sure you check the “final price” instead of just the “online price”. Sometimes there may be extra charges. Try to book before

12am because sometimes it is difficult to book in the evening once it is past midnight.

-Some Well Known Hotels: Ritz Carlton, Chelsea Hotel, Sheraton Centre Hotel,
Four Seasons Hotel

-Airbnb: There are risks for tourists if their reservation is suddenly cancelled.

Other Options: www.toronto.uk.com; Membership Services; Guaranteed short-term and

long-term rental services.

5. Rental Vehicles

-The Major Companies: Budget, Hertz, Avis.

-Insurance: Make sure to double check the cost of total price after calculating insurance.

-Pre-existing Damage: Make sure to check for damage before taking the car.

-Deductible: Make sure you understand what the deductible is in case of damage.

-Tolls, Speeding and Parking Tickets: Make sure you pay all fines and tickets or the company will
charge you.

6. Bicycle Rentals

-Toronto Bike Share (City of Toronto)

-Charges: The $7.00 “all day pass” DOES NOT mean you can ride the bike continuously all day. What it really means is that you have to return the bike to a docking station every 30 minutes or else you will pay extra charges. If you lose the bike or it does not connect properly to its docking station, the renter can be held responsible. Bike replacement may cost over $1000.

-https://bikesharetoronto.com/get-pass/

7. Restaurants and Tipping

Restaurants charge for the price of the meal and;
-PLUS HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) of 13%; Mandatory for restaurant food, dining-in or take-away.

-Tip: Recommended is between 10% to 15%

-Unlike countries such as Australia, there is a tipping culture in Toronto.
-Some restaurants are “Cash Only”, so double check if uncertain.

8. Taxes; HST (Harmonized Sales Tax)

-The HST is a tax on merchandise, goods, and services - except “grocery food”. It is 13% in Ontario. Differs by province.

-Grocery food items are not taxed, unless it is a “prepared food item” from their kitchen (HST).

9. Banks & ATM

Major Banks: TD, BMO, RBC, CIBC, Bank of Nova Scotia.

Main Locations: King St. and Bay St. (Toronto Financial District)

ATM Machines – Available but check availability on their website

Private ATMs – at Restaurants and Convenience Stores – These may charge extra service fees.

10. Grocery Stores - Downtown

-The Major Grocery Stores in Downtown Toronto: Loblaws, Metro, No Frills, Freshco,
Food Basics

-Competitive Pricing: Freshco, Food Basics

-Two Major Pharmacy Brands: Shoppers Drugmart (Carlton St., 24/7 location), Rexall

-Other Large Competitors: Costco (not downtown), Walmart (Gerrard Square – no groceries)

11. Tourism: Downtown Sightseeing

*Check google.ca and tripadvisor.ca for such options as “hop on and hop off buses”.
*There are also travel discounts when buying admission tickets to multiple venues from discount operators.

Major Tourism (Downtown):
Toronto Harbourfront

The CN Tower

Ripley’s Aquarum
Art Gallery of Ontario

Royal Ontario Museum

Food and Cultural Districts (Downtown):

Chinatown

Little Italy

Korea Town

The Distillery District

The St. Lawrence Market (Day time, check hours)

A little more local:

The Brickworks

Tommy Thompson Park (Nature Walk, winter is too cold)

High Park (on a nice day)

Toronto City Hall (Skate Rentals during winters)

The University of Toronto – St. George Campus

Leslieville Restaurants

Liberty Village Restaurants

Trinity Bellwoods Park (very local)

Qew Beach (local)

The Toronto Zoo (not downtown)

The Ontario Science Centre (not downtown)

The Entertainment District (Nightclubs)

Casa Loma

Canada’s Wonderland (during summer)

Toronto Centre Island (during nice weather, boats may be crowded or long waits)

Nice Intersections in Toronto:

Yorkville (Yonge and Avenue Road or Bay St. and Bloor St) – check maps

North York (Sheppard Subway Station) – Korea Town II

Eglinton & Yonge (Eglinton Station – NOT Eglinton West Station), heading north

Portland St. & King St. West (during nice weather, outdoor dining)

Sports Teams of Toronto:
Toronto Blue Jays (Baseball)
Toronto Raptors (Basketball)
Toronto Maple Leafs (Hockey)

12. Downtown Shopping

Toronto Eaton Centre

Yorkville (Boutique, High-end retail)

Also see: Indigo Bookstore & Music (in the Toronto Eaton Centre)

Outside Downtown:

Cadillac Fairview Mall (Don Mills)

Yorkdale Mall

13. Culture & The Arts

Massey Hall

Roy Thompson Hall (Symphony)

Meridian Hall (formerly Hummingbird Centre)

Ed Mirvish Theatre

National Ballet of Canada

Large Downtown Movie Theatres (Downtown)

Scotiabank Movie Theatre (Richmond St. and John St.)

Cineplex, Dundas Square

*Note: Tickets are discounted on Tuesdays
*They also offer a “Scene Card” for movie discounts.

14. Travelling Outside of Toronto

-Major Bus Operators: Megabus

-Train Operator: VIA Rail

-Air Carrier: Air Canada

-Discount Air Carrier: Westjet
-Holiday Destinations: Sunwing

15. Niagara Falls and Casinos (Popular with International Tourists)

-Go Train and Mega Bus (check schedules)

-Niagara Falls boat: Maid of the Mist

-During Nice Weather: Niagara Falls Wineries

16. Downtown Public Libraries (Recommended locations)

-Toronto Public Reference Library

-Lillian H. Smith Public Library

-Riverdale Library

-University of Toronto Library

-North York Central Library (if in North York)

Recommended: Make sure you watch your belongings as there are thefts.

17. Downtown Toronto Hospitals

-Emergency Rooms (Adults): Mount Sinai, Toronto General, St. Michael’s, Toronto Western

-Emergency Room (Children): SickKids – The Hospital for Sick Children

-Walk-in medical clinics are also an alternative.

Highly Recommended: Have emergency medical insurance when travelling to Canada. Even out of province residents should be aware of health care coverage.
-ER wait times can vary.