I will be there!
Here is some info for travellers. Toronto is a dense city center surrounded by vast low-density regions. Commuting to the city is a daily ritual for many of the people that live in the surrounding cities. It’s to the point where the highway to Toronto is the busiest highway in north america.
Here is a map of the local region
The yellow is downtown. The blue “x” in the arrow is approximately where Union Station and the famous CN tower is. The black “x” is the convention center. I’ve marked to two airports in red. The center is in kind of an empty part of the city, so if you never leave that area don’t expect too much.
The city is very safe. There has been a slight uptick in homeless populations since corona but this is typically limited to certain areas and they most you’ll likely experience is someone asking for money. I am more than comfortable walking alone at night.
The other thing I’ll say is that the transit system is really good for North American standards. There is a subway system that will take you to a limited number of places but there is an elaborate streetcar system that most people in the city use.
My advice: if you stay in the yellow, you probably won’t need a car for anything. This is where most of the interesting city things are. If you stay outside the yellow, having a car is probably an asset unless you are close to the convention center
Airports
There are two obvious choices. YYZ (like the Rush song) or “Pearson International Airport” is the big one. But it is far away. They recently built a train line that goes directly from the airport to the blue X on the map and it’s only like $9cad. It is VERY convenient especially if you opt not to drive. Make sure you check the hours in advance if you plan to use this
The other airport is YTZ or “Billy Bishop”. It is a very small airport in comparison. Flights there are typically super cheap through Porter (but avoid bringing anything more than a carry-on because they will charge you heavy). It’s actually only a 20 minute walk to the center right out of the airport gate! (it may be cold though).
Hotel
I live here so I can’t speak to hotels very much. It will probably be expensive. The city is expensive. We also have a 13% sales tax. But Americans have a built in 30% discount on everything so no complaining allowed. My recommendation is to look at the 509 streetcar line. It runs 24/7 and takes you RIGHT from Union station STRAIGHT to the convention center. If you stay anywhere on the line below the street car is perfect
The 504 line may also be useful
This opens up a lot of options if you don’t want to drive. If you do want to drive, there is a TON of parking right around the center and I just recommend staying away from the city center (not fun to drive there) and looking for a cheap place further away
Weather
It’s December, it will probably be cold. Expect between 3C and potentially -20C (37F to -4F). There might be snow, there might not. Bring a jacket and a hat.
