Ontario
Discover Ontario
Ontario is Canada's second-largest province, and the most populous, with more than 14 million inhabitants. It is home to the Canadian capital city of Ottawa, and Toronto, which is Ontario's capital and Canada's largest city. Stretching from the shores of Hudson Bay (an arm of the Arctic Ocean) in the north to four of the five Great Lakes in the South and from Manitoba in the west to Quebec in the east, Ontario is truly massive at over a million square kilometres (almost half a million square miles).
What to Experience in Ontario
Taste of Ontario...
The Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, Golden Horseshoe, and Niagara Falls/Niagara Peninsula each offer you a wide variety of Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Latin American, Japanese, fast food, and French cuisines (all formal and informal). Toronto and Ottawa have large immigrant populations, and have an unusually high variety of quality specialty cuisines, that cater to Western, Asian, European palates. In Ontario, the legal drinking age is 19. In Southern Ontario, you will find a great variety of beer and spirits at your disposal, while in Northern Ontario your options are usually limited to the most common North American standards. Drinking in public is discouraged by law in Ontario and most parts of Canada, exceptions being licensed patios and the like. Beer is available from the Beer Store (run by Molson, Labatt and Sleeman), while beer, wine and other alcohol is available from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, commonly called the LCBO (run by the government). In Northern Ontario, you will typically only see the LCBO (and this will also be the case in some rural areas of Southern Ontario). Alcohol in a grocery store is very rare; beer was introduced to a handful of large grocery stores in 2015. A few rural villages unable to support a free-standing liquor store operate an LCBO agency as a sideline in an existing store. Certain convenience stores and gas stations sell pre-mixed cocktails, beer, cider, and wine; alcohol was legalized in these stores in 2024.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Ontario into what it is today.
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the region was inhabited by Algonquian (Ojibwe, Cree and Algonquin) in the northern/western portions, and Iroquois and Wyandot (Huron) people more in the south/east. The French explorer Étienne Brûlé explored part of the area in 1610–12. Samuel de Champlain reached Lake Huron in 1615, and French missionaries began to establish posts along the Great Lakes. The British established trading posts on Hudson Bay in the late 17th century and began a struggle for domination of Ontario with the French. After the French defeat during the Seven Years' War, nearly all of France's North American possessions were ceded to Britain in 1763, including most of what is now Ontario. The first big wave of European settlement occurred in 1782–1784 when 5,000 American loyalists arrived following the American Revolution. The British also set up reserves in Ontario for the Mohawks who had fought for the British and had lost their land in New York state. American troops in the War of 1812 invaded Upper Canada across the Niagara River and the Detroit River, but were defeated and pushed back by the British, Canadian fencibles and militias, and First Nations warriors. Upper Canada was an active theatre of operation during the conflict. After the War of 1812, relative stability allowed for increasing numbers of immigrants to arrive from Europe rather than from the United States....
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsMost visitors arrive by way of Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in Mississauga (just outside of Toronto). The airport is Canada's busiest and a major hub for most Canadian air carriers. If your destination is in Southern Ontario, you will likely pass through Pearson at some point. The airport is served by multiple daily flights from major Canadian and American cities, as well as nonstop flights to major European and East Asian cities. Pearson is a very expensive airport, however, so alternative airports in smaller cities (such as Hamilton, or even Buffalo across the border) are popular with travellers on a budget. For destinations in Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Valley, flights from within Canada, from the United States, and the United Kingdom are also available to Ottawa. Many American hubs have daily direct flights into Ottawa....
Regions
Explore AreasThe Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton and the Niagara Peninsula are usually described as the Golden Horseshoe. These are, together with Southwestern Ontario, described as "Southern Ontario". Ontario has …...
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Ontario is a large province and, as a result, the car is nearly the most convenient way to explore it. If you are arriving by plane, cars are easily rented if you are over 23, but easiest if you are over 25 years of age. There is more to Ontario than Southern Ontario and Toronto (or Hamilton, or Niagara), and driving to and through the vast and varied regions of Ontario can be an adventure. Coming from the USA, your options are numerous. In Northern Ontario, the car is a must if you wish to get from place to place. In most cases, you will be driving the Trans-Canada Highway (a cross-Canada network of highways, often offering more than one route), either on Highway 17 or Highway 11. Even by car, you will be unable to access the northern half of Ontario. Roads are the exception, not the rule, and you will rely on plane and train nearly anywhere north of Lake Nipigon. Speed limits are posted in metric. Roadways are usually in good condition.
Money & Budget
In Ontario, the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) is 13% (5% federal, 8% provincial). Exceptions do apply. Basic necessities such as hygiene products, unprocessed fruits, vegetables and meat, bread (6 or more) and children's clothing are tax-exempt. Fast food which is under $4 are charged only at 5% tax. As is the case for rest of Canada, visitors cannot claim tax refund on their purchases. Smoking any substance is prohibited in indoor workplaces in Ontario – including bars and restaurants, the workplaces of bartenders, waiters, and chefs. Depending on the city, it might or might not be legal to smoke on a restaurant's patio. Since 2018 buying, selling, and using recreational marijuana have been legal across Canada.
Language & Talk
English is the official language of Ontario, and is widely spoken throughout the province. French is spoken in some parts of the province especially along the border in eastern and northern Ontario, and has been officially recognized as a minority language by the provincial government. Services are available in both English and French at all federal and provincial government offices, and some municipal government offices. Many businesses, especially in Ottawa, offer services in French although this is not mandated by law, so don't expect it. The closer you are to Quebec, the more likely you can receive service in French in stores, restaurants and other businesses. Some businesses also offer service in Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) or Punjabi, particularly in Ottawa and Toronto.
Safety Information
Glimpses of Ontario
Aerial view of the autumn colours in northern Ontario
2020, Toronto
green and brown trees near body of water during daytime
calm body of water surround with tree covered land mass during daytime
Toronto Skyline
green trees beside river during daytime
city with high-rise buildings viewing body of water during night time
Toronto Skyline
crystal blue water
people walking on white bridge during daytime
Aerial view of the autumn colours in northern Ontario
2020, Toronto
green and brown trees near body of water during daytime