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YYZ layover

A layover in Toronto (YYZ)

The city is 25–30 min from Pearson each way, so budget around 1 hours of travel for the round trip before immigration and security. UP Express reaches Union Station in about 25 minutes and runs every 15 minutes. Flights to the US clear US preclearance at Pearson, which adds time: be back 3 hours before a US departure, 2.5 hours otherwise.

  1. 0–6hStay airside
  2. 6–10hUnion Station and the waterfront
  3. 10–24hThe Distillery District and Kensington

Checked against sources:· How we verify

Can you leave the airport?

That depends on your passport and ticket. Check the official rules before you plan anything outside the terminal:

We link the official sources rather than summarise entry rules, because they change and differ by nationality.

How much buffer to leave at Pearson

Your connection depends on the inbound flight. Over the last four weeks, 79.6% of tracked arrivals at Pearson landed within 15 minutes of their usual time; about 1 in 24 was more than an hour late. On a tight connection, book the earlier inbound flight or a longer layover.

Arrivals on time (Touchdown Index)
79.6%
6,603 flights · 4.1% over an hour late
Extra time circling or sequencing
2.7 min
average, last 40 nm · 0.2% of arrivals held
Taxi-out
12 min
median gate to take-off · 1 in 5 over 16 min
Tracked flights
3,359
take-offs and landings a week, airlines we cover

From public ADS-B flight tracking (adsb.lol, CC0), 4 September 2026 to 1 October 2026. How these figures are measured.

0–6 hours

Stay airside

Under six hours, Canadian entry both ways plus security (and US preclearance for US flights) leaves too little time downtown. Terminals 1 and 3 are linked by the free Terminal Link train.

6–10 hours

Union Station and the waterfront

Take UP Express from Terminal 1 to Union Station. The CN Tower, the Harbourfront and St Lawrence Market are all within a short walk, so you never need another ticket.

10–24 hours

The Distillery District and Kensington

Add the Distillery District's Victorian brick lanes, or Kensington Market and Chinatown by streetcar. Take the last trains into account: UP Express runs until about 23:00.

Into Toronto and back

  • UP ExpressPearson station, Terminal 1 (Terminal 3 via the free Terminal Link train) → Union Station, downtown Toronto · 25–28 min
  • Taxi or limousine (flat rate by zone)Taxi stands on the arrivals level → Door to door · 30 min–1h

Sources

Report a change — seen something different at the airport or on the airline's site? We re-check and log corrections publicly.