Toronto’s transit is run by the TTC and is extensive, reasonably frequent and slower than you expect, because a great deal of it runs in traffic.
Paying
Presto is the regional card, sold at stations and some shops. You can also tap a contactless bank card or phone directly at every fare gate and on every vehicle, which is what most visitors should do.
One tap gives you two hours of unlimited travel in any direction, including transfers and return journeys — a genuinely generous rule that most cities do not have.
There is a day pass and a weekly pass; do the arithmetic against the two-hour transfer before buying one.
Cash is accepted on streetcars and buses with exact change and no change given, and it is worse value.
The subway
Line 1 (Yonge–University) is a U shape running north from Union Station up both University Avenue and Yonge Street. It serves Union, St Andrew, Osgoode, Queen, Dundas, Museum, Bloor–Yonge and Dupont among others.
Line 2 (Bloor–Danforth) runs east–west across the city on Bloor Street and the Danforth, crossing Line 1 at Bloor–Yonge and St George.
Line 4 (Sheppard) is a short northern stub of little use to visitors.
Line 3 in Scarborough closed permanently in 2023 and is replaced by buses pending a subway extension.
Between them, Lines 1 and 2 cover nearly everything a visitor needs.
Streetcars
Toronto has the largest streetcar network in North America, and it is how you reach a great deal of the interesting parts of the city — Queen Street West, Spadina, King, College, the Danforth waterfront.
They are low-floor, all-door boarding, and they run in mixed traffic on most routes, which makes them scenic and slow. 501 Queen, 504 King, 506 College and 510 Spadina are the ones visitors use.
Several routes run 24 hours.
The Eglinton Crosstown
Line 5, a light rail line along Eglinton Avenue, has been under construction since 2011 and its opening has been repeatedly and substantially delayed. Check whether it is running before planning around it — it materially improves access to the Aga Khan Museum and the midtown when it does.
GO Transit
The regional rail and bus network, radiating from Union Station to Niagara, Hamilton, Barrie and beyond. Separate fares from the TTC, with a discount when transferring between them on Presto.
This is how you reach Niagara Falls.
The PATH
Thirty kilometres of underground pedestrian tunnels beneath downtown, linking Union Station, the bank towers, the Eaton Centre and a great many buildings.
It is essential in winter and confusing at all times. See winter in Toronto.
Cycling
Bike Share Toronto has stations across the core. There are separated lanes on Bloor, Danforth, Richmond, Adelaide and University, and the Martin Goodman Trail runs the length of the waterfront.
Helmets are compulsory for under-18s only.
Driving
The Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway are frequently at a standstill, downtown parking is expensive, and there is no advantage. Uber and Lyft both operate.
The two-hour transfer
Worth restating because it is unusually generous: one tap buys two hours of unlimited travel on the TTC, in any direction, including transfers between subway, streetcar and bus, and including a return journey.
If you are making three or four trips in an afternoon, that is one fare. Work out whether a day pass beats it before you buy one — often it does not.
The transfer window is enforced by the tap time, so tap even when boarding through a rear door.
Accessibility
Improving and incomplete. Every streetcar is low-floor with a ramp, and the buses are accessible. The subway is not fully accessible — around two-thirds of stations have elevators, with a programme to complete the rest.
The TTC publishes a list of accessible stations and live elevator outages. Plan around it rather than assuming.
Night service
The Blue Night Network runs buses and streetcars on the main corridors roughly every 30 minutes when the subway is closed, from about 1.30am to 5am. Routes 300 and above.
Several streetcar routes — 501 Queen, 504 King — run 24 hours.
Streetcar etiquette
A few things that catch visitors out.
All-door boarding — tap at any door, not just the front. Do not stand in the doorway; the doors are wide and people move fast.
Cars are legally required to stop behind a streetcar when its doors open so passengers can cross to the pavement. They usually do. Look anyway.
The King Street Transit Priority Corridor restricts through traffic on King between Bathurst and Jarvis, which is why the 504 moves faster there than anywhere else in the network.