Quick answer
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) is on the Toronto Islands, at the foot of Bathurst Street. You reach the terminal through the 853-foot pedestrian tunnel, which takes under six minutes from curb to check-in, or on the 90-second ferry, which is free for pedestrians. Every car, taxi and chauffeur picks up on the mainland side, at Eireann Quay. A flat-rate sedan from Union Station is $72.
Billy Bishop is one of the most convenient airports in North America to reach, since it is a few hundred metres from downtown Toronto. It is also one of the most confusing the first time, because the terminal sits on an island. You cannot drive to the check-in desk, and the place your car stops is not where your plane is.
This guide explains how the crossing works, where every kind of ride picks you up, and what a car to or from YTZ costs across the city.
Where Billy Bishop actually is
The airport occupies the western end of the Toronto Islands, across a narrow strip of water called the Western Gap. On the mainland side, everything happens at the foot of Bathurst Street, on Eireann Quay, where the mainland pavilion and the ferry terminal stand.
That is the address to give any driver: the mainland pavilion at Eireann Quay. From Union Station it is about 3 km, and our booking engine puts the drive at around 11 minutes outside rush hour.
Tunnel or ferry?
The pedestrian tunnel
The tunnel runs 853 feet under the Western Channel. Inside the mainland pavilion, six elevators take you down about 100 feet to tunnel level, and four moving walkways carry you across. The airport says it takes less than six minutes from curb to check-in. With a suitcase and a tight connection, this is the route most people take.
The ferry
The ferry leaves from the foot of Bathurst Street and crosses 121 metres in about 90 seconds. It runs every 15 minutes, from 5:15am to 12:07am daily. It is free for pedestrians and costs $15 return for a vehicle.
Either works. If you have just missed a ferry, the tunnel means you never wait for a crossing.
Where each kind of ride picks you up
The curb outside the mainland pavilion and ferry terminal is a designated no-parking area, reserved for loading and unloading. Where you meet your ride depends on what kind of ride it is.
| Ride | Where |
|---|---|
| Drop-off by any car | Stop briefly at the curb outside the mainland pavilion and ferry terminal |
| Friends or family picking up | Free spots inside the turning circle, limited to a 5-minute wait |
| Taxi | The taxi corral to the right of the mainland pavilion, at the foot of Eireann Quay |
| Uber, Lyft and other apps | The curb beside Little Norway Park, in the finger lanes (the lane closest to the curb) |
| Your Executive Limo chauffeur | At the mainland pavilion, timed to your flight, with a name sign |
The five-minute limit and the no-parking curb are why we track every arriving flight. Your chauffeur arrives when your plane does, not at the scheduled time, and meets you as you come up from the tunnel.
Getting downtown: shuttle, streetcar or car
The free airport shuttle
Complimentary shuttle buses run between the airport (2 Eireann Quay) and 44 York Street, on the west side of the Fairmont Royal York beside Union Station. They leave every 15 minutes, or every 25 at quieter times, from about 5:00am to 12:15am. The ride takes about 15 minutes, depending on traffic.
The TTC
Two streetcar routes stop nearby. For Union Station, walk up Eireann Quay to the Bathurst & Queens Quay West stop and take the 509 Harbourfront east, which takes under 15 minutes. For the subway, walk up Bathurst to Fleet Street and take the 511 Bathurst north to Bathurst Station.
A flat-rate car
The shuttle and streetcar work well if you are going to Union Station with light bags. A car makes more sense if you are heading somewhere else, carrying several cases, travelling as a group, or landing late. You go straight from the pavilion to your door, at a price agreed before you fly.
Flying from YTZ? See the flat fare from your address to Billy Bishop.
Price my tripWhat a car to Billy Bishop costs
These are flat fares to Billy Bishop from our booking engine, using real driving distances. They are one way, in Canadian dollars, with the airport fee included.
| From | Distance | Sedan | SUV | Executive SUV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Village | 2.5 km | $71 | $97 | $123 |
| Union Station | 3.0 km | $72 | $98 | $125 |
| Distillery District | 4.0 km | $74 | $101 | $128 |
| Yorkville | 5.4 km | $77 | $104 | $133 |
| Leslieville | 7.1 km | $81 | $109 | $138 |
| Etobicoke | 10.8 km | $89 | $119 | $150 |
| Yonge & Eglinton | 15.8 km | $101 | $132 | $166 |
| North York | 26.8 km | $125 | $161 | $202 |
| Markham | 33.6 km | $141 | $179 | $224 |
| Oakville | 39.4 km | $154 | $194 | $243 |
No meter, no surge, and the same fare at any hour. Your exact price appears when you enter your address in the form on this page.
From downtown, Billy Bishop costs far less to reach than Pearson. From Union Station a sedan to Pearson is $125, against $72 to YTZ. From further out, that advantage shrinks or reverses, so it is worth checking which airport your flight actually uses.
Timing your trip
- Arrive at least 90 minutes before your flight. That is the minimum the airport’s airlines recommend.
- The airport operates from 5:00am to 11:00pm every day.
- Porter and Air Canada fly from Billy Bishop. Porter also flies from Pearson, so check that your ticket says YTZ and not YYZ.
- Allow for downtown traffic. The distance is short, but Front Street, Spadina and Bathurst are slow at rush hour and on event nights.
Connecting between Billy Bishop and Pearson
The two airports are about 25 km apart. A flat-rate sedan from Pearson to Billy Bishop is $121, and from Billy Bishop to Pearson it is $120. The return is a dollar less because the route off the island is slightly shorter. If you are connecting between a Porter flight at YTZ and a long-haul flight at YYZ, give yourself far more time than the drive suggests. You will usually need to check in again at Pearson.
For more on Pearson’s two terminals, read our Terminal 1 vs Terminal 3 guide. For fares to both airports side by side, see Toronto airport taxi and limo service.
