Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
IATA Code: YYZLocation: The airport is located 16 miles (27km) northwest of downtown Toronto.
Time: GMT -5 (GMT -4 from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November).
Contacts: Tel: +1 (416) 247 7678 (Terminals 1 and 2), and +1 (416) 776 5100 (Terminal 3).
Transfer between terminals: A 24-hour courtesy shuttle bus links the three terminals. The Airport LINK train system also operates a 24-hour free service between Terminals 1 and 3, as well as to the Reduced Rate Parking Lot.
Transfer to the city: The LINK Train offers free transportation between terminals 1 and 3, the Sheraton Gateway Hotel and Viscount Station. Several companies, including Coach Canada and Greyhound Canada, provide bus and shuttle transit services to and from the airport into Toronto and surrounding areas. There are information desks in terminals 3 and 1. The airport is also easily accessible on various public transportation routes with providers such as Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and GO Transit. The 24-hour Airport Express bus picks up passengers from the Arrivals level of all terminals and services the downtown bus terminal and major downtown hotels. There are also car rentals, taxis and limousines available to and from the airport.
Taxis: There are authorised taxis and limousines available from outside the arrivals hall of the airport. A taxi ride to the city centre will take approximately 40 minutes and cost about C$50.
Car rental: Car rental is available on Level 1 of the parking areas adjacent to each terminal. Rental companies include Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, Hertz, National and Alamo. Other off-airport car rental companies are also available and pre-arranged courtesy shuttles will take customers to their offices outside the airport.
Facilities: All three terminals are well supplied with facilities, including bureaux de change and ATMs, Internet access, shops and duty-free outlets, hotel reservation services, bars and restaurants, and children's play areas. Wireless Internet access is available in Terminal 1.
Parking: Multi-level car parking is available for each terminal.
Departure tax: None.
Website: www.gtaa.com
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Toronto
The most heavily populated city in Canada, Toronto is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city; the country's financial, commercial and cultural centre with a rich multi-cultural heritage of more than 80 ethnic groups, speaking more than 100 languages. It has a lively stock exchange, soaring futuristic architecture, museums, art galleries, performing arts companies, fine restaurants, large shopping complexes, a waterfront and hundreds of parks.
The city is situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and sports distinctive neighbourhoods as well as the longest street in the world, Yonge Street, as its main north-south artery. Toronto's main landmark is the CN Tower, which is the world's tallest free-standing structure with glass-fronted elevators that rise 1,815ft (553m) to indoor and outdoor observation decks. The city also boasts the 'Skydome', which is a multi-purpose entertainment complex with a retractable roof, billed as the world's greatest entertainment centre.
In the 17th century Toronto was a small French colony; then came the American Revolution which encouraged scores of British loyalist families to flee north. Many settled beside the lake establishing a town known as York, which slowly grew in importance as an administrative and manufacturing centre. In 1834 the name was changed to Toronto, an Indian word meaning 'meeting place'. The new name proved worthy when about a century later the city's English character began to be buried beneath the conglomeration of cultures brought in by a massive tide of immigrants from all corners of the world. Old English pubs and Victorian and Edwardian architecture survive among the skyscrapers, but Toronto is today a lively and cosmopolitan city and Canada's commercial capital.
It does get pretty cold over the winter months of November to March so if you are averse to chilly weather plan your visit over the mid-year period. Toronto just might be the destination that has it all - reason enough to visit and enjoy what has been described as Canada's 'world within a city.'
