Category: Travel Deals

Toronto, the capital of Ontario and Canada’s largest city, is one of the most rewarding city breaks in North America. It has a skyline anchored by the CN Tower, a string of car-free islands a short ferry ride from downtown, major museums and galleries, big-league sports, a film festival that draws stars every September and neighborhoods where you can eat your way around the world in a weekend. It is also one of the best-connected cities on the continent. Toronto Pearson is Canada’s busiest airport, and the downtown island airport, Billy Bishop, puts some flights a short walk from the Financial District. That volume of flights is what makes good fares possible, but only if you know how the city’s seasons, events and airports affect the price. This guide explains when to go, when to book, which airport to use, how fares from within Canada, from the United States and from overseas differ, how to get downtown, and how to keep the whole trip affordable. It is part of our flight booking series, which starts with our guide to the best time to book cheap flights and hotels.

The short answer

Winter and the quieter shoulder weeks are cheapest, while summer, the September film festival and major holiday weekends are the most expensive. Book about one to three months ahead for domestic and U.S. trips and two to six months ahead from overseas, earlier for peak dates. Compare both Toronto airports: Pearson has by far the most flights, while Billy Bishop is right next to downtown. Search a whole month, because shifting by a day often changes the fare. Compare the total price with bags and seats included. And if you are not Canadian, check your entry requirements, including whether you need an eTA, before you book. Compare fares across the month on our Toronto flights page.

Why Toronto is worth the trip

Toronto works for almost any kind of traveler, which is part of why so many flights go there.

• Landmarks and views: the CN Tower, the waterfront and the view of the skyline from the Toronto Islands.
• Museums and culture: the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, a large theater district and a busy live music scene.
• Neighborhoods and food: Kensington Market, Chinatown, Little Italy, the Distillery District and the St. Lawrence Market, with food from nearly every culture in one of the most diverse cities in the world.
• Sports: the Maple Leafs and Raptors in winter, the Blue Jays in summer, and soccer and football too.
• Easy day trips: Niagara Falls and the Niagara wine region are a manageable drive or tour away.

Our guide to things to do in Toronto covers the highlights in detail, and the official tourism site, Destination Toronto, lists events and attractions.

When to visit, and what it does to the price

Toronto has four real seasons, and flight and hotel prices follow them closely.

For the best mix of weather and price, look at May, early June, late September and October outside the film festival and Thanksgiving weekend. For the lowest prices, a winter weekend can be remarkably cheap if you do not mind the cold, and much of Toronto’s appeal, from museums to theater to restaurants, is indoors. Our month-by-month guide to the best time to fly to Toronto goes deeper.

Events that move prices

Big events fill hotels and flights on specific dates. Before you fix your trip, check what is on during your dates on our Toronto events page. A major concert run, a playoff series or a festival weekend can make hotels expensive even when flights look reasonable. If you are coming for the event, book as early as you can; if not, consider a different weekend.

Which airport: Pearson, Billy Bishop or somewhere else?

For most visitors, the choice is between Pearson and Billy Bishop. Toronto Pearson is in Mississauga, northwest of downtown, with Terminal 1 and Terminal 3; check which one your airline uses before you travel, and see our Toronto Pearson airport guide. Billy Bishop sits on the Toronto Islands, connected to the mainland by a pedestrian tunnel and a short ferry, with a shuttle to Union Station. A slightly higher fare into Billy Bishop can easily be the cheaper trip once you count the transfer from Pearson, if you are staying downtown.

Using a distant airport only makes sense when the numbers really work. Add the cost of the transfer, parking or a rental car, the time involved and, for Buffalo, the border crossing, before you decide.

Flying from within Canada

Toronto is the biggest domestic hub in the country, with frequent flights from every major Canadian city. Air Canada, WestJet and Porter all fly to Toronto, and low-cost airlines serve some routes. A few things are worth knowing:

• Busy business corridors. Routes such as Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver to Toronto carry many business travelers, so weekday peak flights are pricier. Midday, Saturday and midweek flights are often cheaper.
• Compare airports on both ends. From Montreal or Ottawa, both Pearson and Billy Bishop are often options; from Vancouver or Calgary, you will almost always land at Pearson.
• Check the train and the car for short trips. From Montreal and Ottawa, the train or a drive can compete with flying door to door. Our Toronto to Montreal and Toronto to Ottawa road trip pages cover those routes.
• Know your protections. Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations set out what airlines owe you for delays, cancellations and denied boarding.

Canadian air fares are advertised with all mandatory taxes and fees included, but optional extras such as checked bags and seat selection are not, so compare totals with the extras you need. Our guide to carry-on size rules compares Canadian and U.S. airline limits.

Flying from the United States

Transborder flights to Toronto arrive from dozens of U.S. cities, with the heaviest traffic from the Northeast, Chicago, Florida and major hubs. The route from New York is one of the busiest in North America; our guide to cheap flights from New York to Toronto covers it in detail, including all six airport combinations.

• Documents: the Government of Canada says U.S. citizens do not need an eTA but must carry proper identification such as a valid U.S. passport. U.S. lawful permanent residents are also eTA-exempt but need a valid passport and a valid green card. Check the official eTA page before you travel.
• On arrival: you clear Canadian border formalities in Toronto. The Canada Border Services Agency explains what to bring and declare on its travel documents page.
• On the way home: Toronto Pearson has U.S. preclearance, and Billy Bishop now offers it too, so you clear U.S. border formalities before departure. Arrive earlier than you would for a domestic flight.
• Currency: fares may be shown in U.S. or Canadian dollars depending on where you book; compare in the same currency.

Flying from overseas

Toronto Pearson has nonstop flights from Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond, and many one-stop options through other hubs. For long-haul trips:

• Book earlier. Two to six months ahead is a sensible window, and earlier still for summer and Christmas.
• Compare nonstop and one-stop. A connection through a European or U.S. hub can be cheaper, but check transit rules; connecting through the United States means going through U.S. border formalities even in transit.
• Check entry requirements. Most visa-exempt travelers need an eTA to fly to Canada, and some nationalities need a visitor visa. Apply well before you book nonrefundable travel.
• Consider an open-jaw trip. Flying into Toronto and home from Montreal or Vancouver can be a smart way to see more of Canada.

Our international flights booking tips cover routings, layovers and hidden costs in more depth, and our guide on how early to arrive for an international flight explains check-in deadlines.

When to book

The method is the same everywhere: start searching early to learn what a normal fare looks like, set a price alert, and book when the fare meets that level. Our fare calendar on the flight search shows prices across the whole month so you can see the cheap days at a glance. Waiting for a last-minute deal on a popular date usually costs more, not less.

Getting from the airport to downtown

• UP Express from Pearson: the UP Express train runs between Pearson and Union Station downtown. The operator describes the trip as 28 minutes, with trains every 15 minutes. It is the fastest and most predictable way downtown.
• TTC from Pearson: public buses connect Pearson with the subway. It is the cheapest option and slower, but useful if you are staying outside downtown. Routes and fares are on the TTC website.
• Taxis and ride-hailing from Pearson: convenient with luggage or a group, but traffic on the highways into the city can be heavy at rush hour.
• From Billy Bishop: walk through the pedestrian tunnel or take the short ferry to the mainland, then walk, take a streetcar, use the airport shuttle to Union Station or grab a taxi.

Do you need a car? For a downtown trip, usually not: transit, walking and taxis cover most of what visitors want, and hotel parking is expensive. For day trips to Niagara or cottage country, a car helps. Our guide to renting a car or using transit in Toronto weighs it up, and you can compare prices on Toronto car rentals.

Stopovers and connections in Toronto

Many travelers pass through Toronto Pearson on the way somewhere else: between Europe and the Americas, between the Caribbean and Western Canada, or between smaller Canadian cities. If your itinerary includes a long connection, it can be worth turning it into a short stopover. The UP Express makes downtown easy to reach, so even a single night lets you see the waterfront, eat well and see the skyline from the CN Tower or the islands.

• Check whether a stopover changes the fare. Sometimes adding a night or two in Toronto costs little or nothing extra; sometimes it prices the trip as two separate journeys. Search it both ways.
• Know the entry rules. Leaving the airport means entering Canada, so you need the right documents, such as an eTA or visa where required. Some travelers in transit also need an eTA or transit visa even if they stay airside, so check the official rules for your passport.
• Allow enough time on a tight connection. Pearson is large, and connections between international, transborder and domestic flights can involve border formalities and security. The airport’s connections page explains the process.
• Stay near the airport for very early departures. Airport hotels make sense before a dawn flight; for anything longer, downtown is the better base.

Traveling to Toronto with kids

Toronto is an easy family city, with the aquarium at the foot of the CN Tower, the Royal Ontario Museum’s dinosaur galleries, the islands’ beaches and a children’s amusement area, and a zoo on the east side of the city. For families, timing matters even more than usual: flights and hotels are most expensive during summer holidays, March break and the Christmas period. If your children are young enough to travel outside school holidays, the savings can be substantial. Book family rooms early, because they sell first, and check seat selection rules on your fare so you can sit together. Our guide to the best time to book hotels for family vacations has more on timing.

Where to stay

Downtown business hotels are often cheaper on Friday and Saturday nights, when the weekday corporate guests have gone home, which makes Toronto a good weekend destination. Compare prices on our Entertainment District hotels page or all Toronto hotels, and book a refundable rate so you can rebook if the price drops. Our guide to booking hotels in Canada has more tips.

A simple plan for a first long weekend

If you are flying in for three or four days, a loose plan helps you choose the right hotel and the right flight times. Arrive early on the first day if you can, so you have an afternoon for the waterfront and the CN Tower area. Spend a day on culture, with the Royal Ontario Museum or the Art Gallery of Ontario in the morning and Kensington Market and Chinatown for lunch and a wander. Give another day to the Toronto Islands in warm weather, or to the Distillery District and the St. Lawrence Market in the colder months, and finish with a game, a show or dinner in one of the city’s many neighborhoods. Save Niagara Falls for a longer trip, or for a day when you have a car or a tour booked. Booking a late-afternoon or evening flight home gives you one more morning in the city, but on the way to the United States, leave time for preclearance.

Keeping the whole trip affordable

• Use transit. The TTC covers downtown and beyond; a day of subway and streetcars costs far less than taxis.
• Take the ferry to the islands. The islands offer beaches, bike paths and the best skyline view in the city for the price of a ferry ticket.
• Eat in the markets and neighborhoods. The St. Lawrence Market, Kensington Market and the city’s many neighborhood restaurants are good value.
• Check free and discounted museum times. Some museums and galleries offer free or reduced admission at set times; check their websites.
• Stay over a weekend. Downtown hotels are often cheaper on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Travel light. A carry-on-only trip avoids checked bag fees on the cheapest fares.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Booking during the film festival or a festival weekend by accident. Check the events calendar first.
• Ignoring Billy Bishop. For a downtown stay, it can save time and taxi fares.
• Choosing a distant airport without doing the math. Hamilton and Buffalo only make sense with a large saving.
• Forgetting the eTA. Most visa-exempt travelers who are not U.S. citizens need one to fly to Canada.
• Underestimating the return. U.S.-bound travelers clear preclearance before departure; arrive early.
• Renting a car for a downtown trip. Parking and traffic make it poor value.
• Comparing base fares instead of totals. Add bags and seats before choosing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest month to fly to Toronto?

Winter months such as January and February are usually the cheapest, outside holiday weekends and school breaks. Late spring and October are good value with better weather.

Which Toronto airport is cheaper to fly into?

Pearson usually has the most flights and the widest range of fares, but Billy Bishop can be the cheaper trip overall if you are staying downtown, because the transfer is so short.

How far in advance should I book a flight to Toronto?

About one to three months ahead from within Canada or the U.S., and two to six months ahead from overseas. Book earlier for summer, holidays and the film festival.

Do I need an eTA to fly to Toronto?

U.S. citizens do not need an eTA, but they must carry proper identification such as a valid passport. Most other visa-exempt travelers do need an eTA, and some nationalities need a visa. Check the Government of Canada’s eTA page before you book.

How do I get from Pearson to downtown Toronto?

The UP Express train runs to Union Station in about 28 minutes, according to the operator, with trains every 15 minutes. TTC buses, taxis and ride-hailing are alternatives.

Is Toronto expensive to visit?

Hotels in peak season and during big events can be pricey, but winter and shoulder-season trips, weekend hotel rates, good transit and affordable neighborhood food make a budget trip very achievable.

Are last-minute flights to Toronto ever cheap?

Occasionally on busy domestic routes midweek, when airlines have seats to fill. On peak dates and weekends, prices usually rise as departure approaches.

Can I combine Toronto with other Canadian cities?

Yes. Montreal and Ottawa are close enough for a train or drive, and flights connect Toronto with every major Canadian city. See our guides to flying to Montreal and things to do in Ottawa.

Ready to plan your Toronto trip? Search a whole month of fares on our Toronto flights page to find the cheapest days, check what is on with our Toronto events listings, and compare rooms for the same dates on our Toronto hotels page. For more on timing, read our guide to the best time to book cheap flights and hotels.