Downtown Toronto Hotel Transfers: From Pearson or Billy Bishop to Your Hotel Door

Downtown Toronto hotel transfers look easy on a map and get fiddly at the kerb. The two airports are 28 km and 2 km from the core, the hotels sit on one-way streets, and several of the best addresses are beside a rail terminal or a pedestrian square. This page explains how to arrive at each district cleanly, whether you take a car, a train or a free shuttle.

How do I get from the airport to my downtown Toronto hotel?

The right choice depends on where the hotel is. A hotel across the road from Union Station is trivial by train. A hotel in Yorkville, on the far side of the downtown grid, is better served by a car. This page walks through the districts one by one, then compares the modes.

Check your fixed fare

The five hotel districts and where the car stops

Union Station and the Financial District

The Fairmont Royal York is at 100 Front Street West, directly across from Union Station, and the hotel's own page notes valet arrival at the east entrance for vehicles up to 6 ft 4 in (about 1.93 m). A chauffeur can drop you at the entrance the hotel directs, which is easier than stopping on Front Street where streetcars, buses and delivery vehicles queue. Bay Street's towers and the PATH walkway sit directly to the north. The hotel's retail promenade has been under renovation, so check the hotel's arrival guidance before you travel.

From Pearson, this district is the easiest of the five by train, because the UP Express ends at Union Station. See our Union Station page for the station layout, and the Pearson to Union Station route for the comparison.

Entertainment District and King West

North and west of the CN Tower, King Street West and the blocks around it hold hotels, theatres and restaurants. The Ritz-Carlton Toronto at 181 Wellington Street West is one example; the hotel connects to the PATH underground walkway and the St. Andrew subway station, and lists the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Scotiabank Arena and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre within walking distance. It also lists its distance from Billy Bishop at about 2.0 km and from Pearson at about 28.0 km, and notes that private car service is available.

King Street through this stretch is a transit-priority corridor where private cars face restrictions, so chauffeurs normally approach on side streets. During the Toronto International Film Festival this district is closed in places. See the TIFF page.

University Avenue and Queen Street West

University Avenue is a broad boulevard with a median, and the Shangri-La Toronto is on it, a short walk from Queen Street West and near the Art Gallery of Ontario, according to the hotel. The hospital and legal districts line the avenue north of there. Access here is simple: the car pulls into the hotel's drive or the side of the avenue, and nobody needs to cross a busy street with bags.

Yorkville and Bloor Street

Yorkville is the shopping and dining neighbourhood north of the core, with several of the city's best-known luxury hotels. Streets are narrow, and the hotels' entrances are often on a side street. Your chauffeur knows which side of the block to use. This district is where a car outperforms the train most clearly, because the subway stops are a walk from the doors, and the weather matters.

Harbourfront

On the lake, a few hotels sit near the ferry terminals and the foot of Bay Street. This district is next to the ferry to the Toronto Islands and not far from the pedestrian tunnel to the island airport. Drop-offs are generally easy because the streets are wider and calmer than in the core, but event nights at the nearby arenas add traffic.

From Toronto Pearson to your hotel: the options compared

Pearson is about 28 km (17 mi) from the core. The drive usually takes 30 to 45 minutes outside rush hour. On a weekday afternoon, or when the Gardiner Expressway is disrupted, allow 60 to 90 minutes.

The train fare comes from the UP Express fare page, and the Pearson figures from the airport's taxi and limousine page. Our Pearson to downtown route goes through each option in depth.

From Billy Bishop to your hotel

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is on the island across the Western Gap. The ride to a core hotel by car takes 5 to 15 minutes, once you are across. The free shuttle runs about every 15 minutes to the west side of the Fairmont Royal York, which is the quickest way to the Union Station area for a lone traveller. See the airport's shuttle page for the current details and our Billy Bishop page for the tunnel and ferry.

For the Ritz-Carlton and the Entertainment District, a taxi or booked car is simple and short. For Yorkville, it is longer, but still under half an hour in ordinary traffic.

When the train and a short walk beat a car

Be honest about the train: if you are staying at or near the Fairmont Royal York, it is hard to beat. The UP Express runs every 15 minutes, seven days a week, you step out at Union Station, and the hotel is directly across the street. If you are alone, travelling light and arriving between late morning and evening, the train is the better choice, with no highway traffic.

When a car wins

A booked car is better when:

• You arrive late or very early. Flight tracking is included, with 60 minutes' free waiting after international landings and 30 after domestic ones, so a delayed flight does not strand you.
• You travel with children or a lot of luggage. Child, toddler and booster seats are on request, and the car stops at the hotel entrance.
• The hotel is in Yorkville, King West or anywhere away from Union Station.
• There are three or more of you. A Luxury SUV carries up to 6 passengers and 5 to 6 large bags.
• Weather turns. A winter evening or a downpour removes the appeal of a platform and a walk.
• A meeting follows. A chauffeur can wait while you check in and change.

Reserve your car

Check-in, early arrival and late arrival

Standard hotel check-in is mid-afternoon; the Ritz-Carlton, for example, lists check-in at 4:00 pm and check-out at 12:00 pm. A morning arrival from overseas usually means early arrival at the hotel, before the room is ready. Ask the hotel to hold your bags, and consider asking us to hold the car for a morning meeting, a walk or a late breakfast. For a very late arrival, the chauffeur is waiting at the airport, not looking for a parking space at midnight.

Valet, vehicle height and what to expect at the door

Hotels in the core have valet entrances with height limits. The Fairmont Royal York's valet accommodates vehicles up to 6 ft 4 in (about 1.93 m), and the Ritz-Carlton lists valet for vehicles under 2.1 m (6 ft 10 in). An Executive Sprinter is taller, so a Sprinter drop is at the kerb rather than under a canopy. Sedans and most Luxury SUVs fit. Your chauffeur plans the stop and carries bags to the lobby on request.

Event days, closures and rush hour

Downtown hotels sit close to the busiest venues in the country. Hockey and basketball games at Scotiabank Arena, baseball at Rogers Centre, concerts, marathons and film festival days all alter street access, and the Gardiner Expressway is a single point of pressure for both airports. The desk takes these into account when it suggests a pickup time. For conferences at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, see our convention centre page.

Leaving your hotel for the airport

Choose the pickup time with your airline's check-in guidance in mind, then add margin for the day. For Pearson, the usual route is the Gardiner Expressway and Highway 427, and a Friday afternoon can double the time. For Billy Bishop, add the crossing. Read the Toronto Pearson page for terminals and drop-off, and remember that Pearson's Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are served by a free link train.

If you leave on a very early flight, ask the hotel to prepare an early check-out, and book the car for a time when streets are empty.

Staying longer: hourly hire and sightseeing

A car by the hour turns a hotel stay into a plan: a morning at the market, a museum and dinner in Yorkville, with the car waiting between stops. See things to do in Toronto by private car for itineraries and day trips, and our Toronto limousine page for the vehicles. Business travellers can set up a corporate account with monthly invoicing, and multi-leg itineraries sit on one booking.

More downtown Toronto hotel transfers and local guides

Browse the hotel transfers hub, the Toronto hub and the Canada hub for related pages. If you are arriving from abroad, read the guide for international visitors.