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Where to park when visiting Toronto?

Barcelona
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4 posts
16 reviews
4 helpful votes
Where to park when visiting Toronto?
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Hi,

We are thinking to rent a car when we arrive at the Toronto airport because we will be living in the Carriage Hills Resort at Shanty Bay and we think would be necessary a car to go there, could you inform us the best way from the aiport.

We would like to visit Toronto, Niagara Falls and the Thousand Islands, please which is the best way to go there and where to park if you recommended to use the car.

Berlin, Germany
Level Contributor
6,858 posts
1. Re: Where to park when visiting Toronto?
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Let me make sure I understand your question correctly. It sounds like you're planning to spend your entire stay in Ontario at the Carriage Hills Resort near Barrie, and you want to visit Toronto, Niagara Falls, and the Thousand Islands as day trips.

I'm sure the resort is a very relaxing place, but I'd worry that the relaxation will slip away if you spend your days driving around Southern Ontario to see the sights. Part of the problem is that many people live in Barrie and commute to Toronto, so there'll be heavy traffic going into Toronto in the mornings and coming back to Barrie at night. Even without heavy traffic, Toronto would be 90 minutes away, Niagara Falls at least 2.5 hours, and Kingston (for the Thousand Islands) at least 4 hours. These times are each way: with over 8 hours of driving, Kingston is just too far for a day trip.

You can get directions and time estimates (for travel in light traffic) from Google Maps. This link -- http://tinyurl.com/o6o55x -- will get you started: just type in where you want to go, and it'll generate directions from the resort.

Could you spend part of your vacation at the resort, a few nights in Toronto, and a night or two in Kingston or Gananoque? It would really cut down on your daily driving and let you enjoy the cities much more.

Barcelona
Level Contributor
4 posts
16 reviews
4 helpful votes
2. Re: Where to park when visiting Toronto?
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Thanks for you early reply. Please inform us if there is any public transport to Toronto to avoid the heavy traffic of going to and coming back to Barrie.

West Grey, Canada
Level Contributor
107,948 posts
99 reviews
638 helpful votes
3. Re: Where to park when visiting Toronto?
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Hi paromo;

Barrie is approx. 58 miles / 94 km north of Toronto. From Toronto Pearson Int’l Airport;

• Highway (Hwy) 401 east to Hwy 400 north

• Hwy 400 north to Barrie

I’m sorry, but I am not familiar with the location of the resort, so I won’t comment on how to get there from Barrie.

Driving or using public transit will take a considerable amount of time out of your day when visiting Toronto.

For Niagara Falls & the 1000 Islands you will need to drive south into the Greater Toronto Area, (GTA) which is renowned for it’s traffic congestion, before turning southwest towards Niagara Falls (80 miles / 130 km from Toronto) or turning east towards the 1000 Islands (180 miles / 290 km from Toronto)

Respectfully, basing yourself in the Barrie area will be quite an inconvenience to visit Toronto, Niagara Falls and the 1000 Islands.

You should seriously consider MattInTO’s suggestion of breaking up your stay and spend some time in Toronto & the 1000 Island making Niagara Falls a day trip from Toronto.

Best Regards

Berlin, Germany
Level Contributor
6,858 posts
4. Re: Where to park when visiting Toronto?
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Yes, there's commuter rail and bus service from Barrie to downtown Toronto. It's less frustrating, but not terribly fast. See http://www.gotransit.com/publicroot/en/schedule/lstserdt.aspx?table=65 .

Ottawa, Canada
Level Contributor
13,856 posts
44 reviews
159 helpful votes
5. Re: Where to park when visiting Toronto?
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Hi Paromo,

You have received some excellent advice so far... I would have to echo the comments about considering accomodations in Nigara Falls, Toronto and Kingston & the 1000 Islands for those outings.

I agree that if you are staying in Barrie, then having a car is a valuable way (and probably the most economic way) of getting around to all the areas you'd like to see.

As you are probably quickly discovering, Canada is a HUGE Country... and although things can look fairly close on a map, distances are quite far apart.

Barrie to Kingston for example is about 350 kms apart, and Gananoque (the heart of the 1000 Islands) is another 30 or so Kms east of Kingston... 4 Hours drive in my estimation is very conservative... especially when one counts in the traffic in and around Toronto (North America's city with some of the worst traffic by volume).

It would be helpful to know when you are visiting, and how many people are in your group in order to advise you further on Kingston & the 1000 Islands.

Cheers!

Wine-4-2

6. Re: Where to park when visiting Toronto?

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