Toronto airport blows. I spent 12 hours there overnight once. Even Shanghai airport in China was better (spent 18 hours there).
My wife made it to France. I don't have a lot of detail on her 9-hour layover ordeal, but I generally understand that she stayed in the airport and that it sucked.
I liked most of the airports in China that I was in. The downside was the flights themselves, where it was utter madness in coach (thank god I was in first): kids running wild all over the place, flight attendant having to block everyone off as the plane got to the gate and there was a bull rush to stampede off. Unreal. The airports were cool though.
I reviving this thread because I'm going to join my wife this weekend and I have the same itinerary she had, including the 9-hour Toronto layover. I intend to learn from her mistake and leave the airport. I'm thinking of renting a car and driving down to Niagara Falls, which I've never seen. It's 1.5 hours each way. But, I'm concerned because it will no doubt be packed. Is it crazy for me to think I could spend a mere 3 hours there? I also considered renting the car and driving into downtown Toronto (it sounds like other forms of transportation will take longer and be more expensive). Will I be able to drive around, park, etc? What should I see there besides the tower (been there, done that). I was also thinking about taking a bus to the closest mall, and catching a movie, getting some decent food, and taking it easy until it's ready to go back. Is it suicide to trust Toronto's transit authority?
I would definitely leave the airport, but do NOT go to Niagara Falls (especially on the weekend, traffic is terrible). I went to Niagara from Toronto almost this is exact time last year on a Saturday and it took FOREVER to get there (longer than 3 hours with traffic). You have to keep in mind, people in Toronto only have this type of weather for a very short period of time each year, so pretty much everyone is outside in the summer, especially on the weekends. With that said, you definitely have enough time to hang out in downtown Toronto. Renting a car would be a good idea if you want to save money (roundtrip taxi will cost you $120 CAD); however, the TTC (subway) is very efficient in getting around the city (it doesn't go to the airport though). As for food recommendations -- anything ethnic, especially East/South Asian (Toronto is the most ethnically diverse city in the world, with the most foreign born residents of any city on earth). There's a really good Thai restaurant on Yonge Street downtown called Salad King (weird name..they don't even have salads, but it's really good). All of the really good Indian food is on Gerrard Street East, which is accessible by the TTC streetcar. Neighborhoods worth checking out are Little Italy near College Street, lots of good restaurants on Bathurst, and Queen Street East. The largest mall in the area is right downtown at the intersection of Yonge Street (pronounced Young) and Queen Street, it's called the Eaton Centre -- there's an AMC Theatre right up the street at Yong and Dundas in Dundas Square (the fake ass Times Square, as I call it). Enjoy T.O!
Thanks for the advice Slandballa. If I chose to take a bus and stay near the airport, is there a mall with a movie theatre that is both accessible and worth a damn out there? I probably should go into town and get some culture, but I like to have options.
I'm sure there are plenty of suburban malls and movie theatres within 5km-10km from the airport (check in the cities of Brampton, Mississauga, and Etobicoke). Another cheaper option for getting into the city without a car is taking a cab from the airport to Kipling subway station (this will cost you about $30 CAD each way instead of $60 CAD), and then it's a 30 minute subway ride to downtown. I did this once to avoid traffic during a blizzard and it's pretty straight forward. Now that I think about it, there's actually a shuttle that runs from the airport to the Kipling subway station (I think it takes about 20 minutes or so).
