Friends, Canadians, Torontonians... lend me your ears (and give me advice)

[pr surfer]

So... I'm going to go to T.O. for the first time as an adult in October.

I'm planning on visiting friends in York and going to Oktoberfest in Kitchener.

Right now, I have but a single question:

I do not plan on renting a car, as I'm just going to hang out with my friends while there who will do the driving. Without taking a cab, is it possible to use public transit (bus/subway/etc) to get there? They live about 1km from the Eglinton West station in York.

Thank you all in advance

 

[Nicki828]

As long as you are in Toronto you'll have no problems with public transit. Now if you're asking about going to Kitchener from Toronto you'd need to go to Union Station to catch a Greyhound bus.

 

[pr surfer]

Well, to Kitchener I'll be driving with my local friends... it's just getting to York from the airport that I'm trying to figure out.

 

[Wilec]

An Airport bus can get you to the nearby Yorkdale Mall. From there you can take the subway to Eglington West Station. You should be good without the hassles of a rental car.

 

[amw]

Well, to Kitchener I'll be driving with my local friends... it's just getting to York from the airport that I'm trying to figure out.

Are you trying to get to York Region? And if so, which town?

There are now special GO buses that run from the airport to Mississauga (in the West) and to Markham (in the East) at a reasonable fair. From the go transit website:

Airport Express GO Bus service

This route serves Square One GO Bus Terminal in Mississauga. Square One offers connections to Mississauga Transit.
Some trips also serve the Richmond Hill Centre. The Richmond Hill Centre offers connections to York Region Transit and VIVA.

 

[MaryannF]

So... I'm going to go to T.O. for the first time as an adult in October.

I'm planning on visiting friends in York and going to Oktoberfest in Kitchener.

Right now, I have but a single question:

I do not plan on renting a car, as I'm just going to hang out with my friends while there who will do the driving. Without taking a cab, is it possible to use public transit (bus/subway/etc) to get there? They live about 1km from the Eglinton West station in York.
Thank you all in advance

If your friends are within 1 km of the Eglinton West station then you are talking about the old City of York not York Region. The old City of York is now part of the City of Toronto. Here's a link to the Toronto Transit Commision website. www.ttc.ca
There is a link on the TTC homepage that takes you to info about Pearson International airport. You should be able to get around without a rental car.

 

[Punchy]

I live in that area. Take the GO Bus from the airport to Yorkdale mall and have your friends meet you there. Or you can jump on the subway and it's just a couple stops south to Eglinton West.

 

[LittleFlounder]

As long as you are in Toronto you'll have no problems with public transit. Now if you're asking about going to Kitchener from Toronto you'd need to go to Union Station to catch a Greyhound bus.

To catch a Greyhound bus from Toronto to Kitchener, you will need to go to the Greyhound Bus terminal in downtown Toronto(the corner of Bay and Dundas Streets). The bus does not leave from Union Station. I take buses from the bus terminal all the time when I visit Toronto. Its very simple.

 

[pr surfer]

Thank you guys so much for the advice

 

[pr surfer]

I have two more questions that come to mind.

1- What's the weather like in October? I'm going the week after CDN Thanksgiving

and

2- It's been a long time since I've been at a US CBP Preclearance airport. Once I preclear at YYZ, I deplane stateside like any US domestic flight, right? I have a 50 minute layover in Chicago and if I have to clear customs/immigration stateside, that's too much of a close call.

 

[pr surfer]

bump for my last 2 questions

 

[Valjean13]

I have two more questions that come to mind.

1- What's the weather like in October? I'm going the week after CDN Thanksgiving

and

2- It's been a long time since I've been at a US CBP Preclearance airport. Once I preclear at YYZ, I deplane stateside like any US domestic flight, right? I have a 50 minute layover in Chicago and if I have to clear customs/immigration stateside, that's too much of a close call.

October weather can be wet and cold or it can be warm, even hot. Last year at Thanksgiving we had a fluke warm spell - it was over 30 degrees. Usually it's decent, maybe 15 degrees. It does get a lot cooler at night. I live in Kitchener, and I'd advise you to buy your Octoberfest tickets now, if you haven't already. Some of the popular venues get sold out in advance.

Yes, you pre-clear customs at Toronto and then you can just walk off the plane in Chicago. Your connection will be fine.

 

[WDWcanuck]

Just a note on customs at YYZ: Depending on the time and day, the wait can be pretty excessive, especially if it's a morning on the weekend. Just make sure that you give yourself a bit of time.

Weather in October can be cold and wet as stated above. For some reason, it was incredibly warm last year. Just dress for everything! LoL

In terms of Kitchener, make sure your friends have Oktoberfest tickets in advance. The best hall is the one at the Waterloo Rec Centre, which is the Ruedesheimer Garten Festhallen. There's thousands of people and lines of tables and guests. Other good locations, smaller venues, still lots of fun, are the Alpine Club (Kitchener) or Heidelberg Haus (Waterloo). I found that the Festhallens in Waterloo were for a younger crowd (lots of Uni students) than the halls in Kitchener. Then again, I was in University then! And make sure to head downtown Kitchener.