Land in the heart of it all
When you fly from Windsor to Toronto with Porter, your plane lands just minutes from downtown.
As you fly into Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, you’ll pass the Rogers Centre, CN Tower, and dozens of towering buildings that make up the downtown core. A bustling business centre, experimental art galleries, a thriving culinary scene, and plenty of parkland add to the countless cool things to do in Toronto.
While new skyscrapers dominate the skyline, Toronto’s history shines at ground level. From the winding streets of Corktown, to the restored buildings of the Distillery District, the past is packed into Toronto’s older neighbourhoods.
Next door to the historic Grange House, stands the modern structure of the Art Gallery of Ontario. This Frank Gehry designed art gallery holds over 80,000 pieces, from the first century, through to the present day. Whether you’re up for a little or a lot of learning, a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum will give you your fill. Between these two collections, you’ll get a taste of Toronto’s extensive educational offerings.
The city’s parks are the perfect place to get some fresh air after a museum marathon. Between the refined designs of High Park and the challenging trails of the ravine system, Toronto’s parks have paths to suit casual strollers and hardcore hikers alike.
While the waterfront near Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport offers scenic city walking, Toronto’s shoreline really shines at the city’s beaches. Get some sand between your toes on Sugar Beach, or set off for the Toronto Islands to get closer at Lake Ontario.
If you’re in town from Windsor when the lake is frozen over, Toronto still has fun to offer. Lace up your skates at Nathan Phillips Square, or warm up in the evergreen Allan Gardens greenhouse, to see Toronto’s all-season appeal. Whenever you visit, Toronto’s points of interest are sure to impress.
West Queen West
Wild, wild, Queen West
See one of Toronto’s coolest neighbourhoods while you’re in town from Windsor, with a visit to West Queen West.
One of the first things you’ll notice in this neighbourhood is its fashionably dressed inhabitants. Unsurprisingly, this chic area is known for its shopping. With some of Toronto’s most stylish clothing stocked in its fashion boutiques, you can join the ranks of West Queen West’s best dressed while you’re visiting from Windsor.
Outside of the shops, West Queen West’s artists decorate the streets. Street art adds colour on almost every available surface in this neighbourhood. Paintings stretch down alleyways and onto traffic signal boxes in this artistically inspired area.
One of the area’s main artist hubs is the Gladstone Hotel. Even if you aren’t staying the night, you can enjoy hours of cultural activities in this hotel’s lounge. Built in 1889, the Gladstone has only gotten better with age and offers a handsome space for exhibitions. After admiring the art of the Gladstone, stop by the Drake Hotel’s all-season rooftop bar for a round of drinks.
Green is always in fashion in West Queen West, in Trinity Bellwoods Park. This century old green space acts as the neighbourhood’s backyard and meeting place, hosting everything from softball tournaments, to film screenings, to farmers’ markets. Whether you come for the flea markets, or the concerts, you’ll want to spend a few hours unwinding here while you’re away from Windsor.
Corktown
Quirky Corktown
While you’re visiting from Windsor, take the time to step outside the downtown core and explore the low-key, low-profile side of Toronto, in Corktown.
In the old Toronto neighbourhood of Corktown, the grid system that governs most of the city gives way to dead-end streets, narrow laneways, and concrete overpasses. The structure of this neighbourhood began to take shape during the 1800’s, when Irish immigrants started to settle in Corktown. The origin of this neighbourhood supposedly comes from these settlers, who hailed from County Cork, Ireland.
This now diverse neighbourhood documents its past on the pillars of the Corktown Underpass. Along this section of the Adelaide Street Underpass, the Frozen Moment Gallery displays the story of Corktown, from First Nations peoples, to Irish Settles, to present day locals. This permanent street art presentation is part art, part history, following Corktown from past, to present to ongoing urban developments.
In the Corktown Common, industrial land has been transformed into an innovative park. An oasis of hilly greenery, meandering trails, and lush marshland acts as a habitat for the area’s ducks, birds, and frogs. This eco-friendly ecosystem also prevents flooding, while sterilizing and recycling the stormwater. The park’s fountains and picnic tables offer an inviting escape from Toronto’s hustle and bustle during your trip from Windsor.
On the streets of Corktown, local fashion boutiques, quirky pop-up shops, and an apothecary or two make for a unique shopping experience. Alongside these stores, you’ll find trendy restaurants and cool cafés to keep you fueled as you explore the off-the-grid charm of Corktown.
Getting to Windsor International Airport (YQG)
Porter’s check-in desk is located in the departures area.
Windsor International Airport (YQG) is about 10 km / 6 mi from downtown Windsor.
Transportation
Please allow sufficient time to drop off your car rental before your departing flight.
Taxis from downtown cost about $25 CAD. Car service costs about $35 CAD.
Take the Transit Windsor 8 Walkerville bus to the airport stop. The fare is $3.00 CAD.
The information and figures above are for reference only, and may not be current. Please visit each airport's website for up-to-date details.
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Transportation to Downtown
There are many options for transportation to downtown Toronto from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ).
The trip is just 3 km / 2 mi away.
Transportation to downtown Toronto
From the base of Bathurst, you can take the 511 streetcar to Bathurst subway station or the 509 streetcar to Union subway station. You can take the subway, GO Transit, PATH or UP Express to and from Union Station. TTC fare for subways, buses, and streetcars is $3.25 CAD.
Hertz is conveniently located in-terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the lower level.
Uber and Lyft pickup is available at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. To find your ride, head to the rideshare pickup curb outside of the mainland terminal. Fares from the airport to downtown Toronto start at $9 CAD.
You can choose to take the pedestrian tunnel to the mainland terminal of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, or the 90-second ferry ride that runs every 15 minutes across Toronto’s inner harbour.
Taxis to downtown cost about $10 CAD. Car service is about $40 CAD.
The shuttle pick-up is just outside the mainland terminal area, under the shuttle bus sign. The pick-up and drop-off location is by the west entrance of the Royal York Hotel on York Street. The shuttle bus offers comfortable and complimentary service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and downtown, approximately every 15 minutes. Times may vary due to traffic and road conditions.
The UP Express Train connects you between Union Station, Bloor Station, Weston Station and Pearson Airport. For ticket fares and schedules, visit upexpress.com
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) Parking
Offsite parking is available at the Queens Quay West location in a bright, clean, eight-story parking facility with 1,100 parking spaces available to passengers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The facility is monitored by a security team, and is equipped with video surveillance to provide a safe environment for the guests. The daily rate is $15 when prebooked, and free shuttle runs to and from the airport.
The information and figures above are for reference only, and may not be current. Please visit each airport's website for up-to-date details.
Flights may be operated by Porter Airlines (Canada) Ltd or Porter Airlines Inc.
