London (Ontario)

London is a medium-sized city in Southwestern Ontario with a population of 378,000. It is west of Toronto, between Lake Huron and Lake Erie at the fork of the Thames River, which was named after the River Thames in London, England.



Understand


London is a major manufacturing centre for southwestern Ontario, founded in 1793. Nicknamed the "Forest City," London has an abundance of urban parks and woodlands. Early in its history it was considered as a potential site for the capital city of Upper Canada, but that title eventually went to York (later Toronto). The city is roughly rectangular in shape, approximately 16 km (10 miles) from east to west, and 13 km (8 miles) from north to south.

Many cities, towns, counties, and rivers in this area of Southwestern Ontario take their names from their counterparts in England, and London is no exception. London features landmarks such as Picadilly Street, the Covent Garden Market and the Thames.

In the 1920s, London-born Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians hit the U.S. music scene and went on to achieve legendary fame. London's Wonderland Gardens later became a big-band hot-spot in 1935 - being situated on the Thames river where Guy Lombardo developed his love for speedboat racing by racing his father's small motorized boat on the Thames River behind the Labatt Brewing Company.

With two major hospitals, London is a regional medical centre, treating patients from up to 200 km away. London also has the region's only university (University of Western Ontario) which has all the typical professional schools (business, law, medicine, engineering, education) as well as sciences and the arts. Since the city is also home to Fanshawe College, students comprise a significant percentage of London's population during the school year.

Visitor information centers are located at:

Airlines
Canadian airlines operating to London:



Several low-cost airlines also operate seasonal flights between London and southern vacation destinations (including Orlando, FL, and Las Vegas, NV).

Ground transportation
City bus route 36 (Airport Industrial) connects to the airport.

By train

 * The following routes operate daily to London:
 * Between Sarnia and Toronto including stops in London, St. Marys, Stratford, Kitchener, Guelph, Georgetown, Brampton, and Mississauga. Travel time to London from Sarnia is 1.75 hours, from Kitchener is 1.75 hours, and from Toronto is 3.5 hours.
 * Between Windsor and Toronto including stops in Chatham, London, Ingersoll, Woodstock, Brantford, Burlington, and Oakville. Travel time to London from from Windsor is 1.75 hours, from Brantford is 1-1.25 hours, and from Toronto is 2.25-2.5 hours.

By car
London is most readily accessed from Highway 401 which runs along the southern edge of the city and connects London with Toronto (200 km to the north east) and Windsor (200 km to the Southwest). Highway 402 runs due west from its connection to the 401 in south-west London and ends about 100 km to the west at the Ontario-Michigan border in Sarnia. The speed limit on the 401 in most parts is 100 km/h, but expect most people to be travelling at ~120 km/h in good conditions. The easiest exit off the 401 to London is #186, Wellington Road North. This will put you right into a busy shopping district and pointed in the right direction to get to the downtown core.

By bus






By car
London is fairly easy to navigate, as its streets are based on a grid system. Except for a short section of Highbury Avenue, the city lacks internal freeways. Roads have a speed limit of 50 km/h unless signed otherwise. Traffic can cause delays, especially around Downtown and the University.

Oxford Street, Dundas Street and Commissioners Road are major east-west arteries. Fanshawe Park Road runs east-west across the northern part of the city while Southdale and Exeter Roads go east-west through the southern portions.

The main north-south arterial roads are, going east to west: Wonderland Road, Wharncliffe Road, Richmond Street, Wellington Road, Adelaide Street, Highbury Avenue, Clarke Road, and Veterans Memorial Parkway.

Parking is usually easy to find and free or reasonably priced, however be aware that a city bylaw doesn't let you park on any public streets overnight in the fall and winter.

By public transit
Operates within the city at a $3.00 cash fare (2020) for 90 minutes of travel. Ticket strips are available at a reduced price at most convenience stores. If you are staying longer and anticipate using transit often, a contactless smart card offers reduced fares and passes. Children 12 years and under ride for free. Buses vary from every 5 minutes downtown, to every 15 to 60 minutes in various other areas. The LTC doesn't operate past midnight on major routes, so expect to travel by taxi after that time.

By taxi

 * U-Need-A-Cab,.
 * London Taxi,.

By bike or on foot
The city has an extensive bicycle path network, and many (but not ubiquitous) bike lanes on the roads. A biking and walking map can be found at the city's website.

See




Parks
There are lots of parks in downtown London. They include:

Do






Buy
According to London Tourism, London has "more shopping per capita than anywhere else in North America."



Eat
Most of the Canadian and North American chain restaurants are represented in London, including The Keg, Kelsey's, Red Lobster, Tony Roma's, Milestones, Swiss Chalet and East Side Mario's. Tim Hortons, the Canadian coffee and doughnut chain, has about 30 locations within the city.



Drink
Generally, the locals head to the bars and clubs around 10-11PM and stay until closing time at 2:30AM (last call is at 2AM). Cover charges are minimal ($5-10) or nil, while drink prices are relatively reasonable.



Stay safe
The downtown area has suffered greatly following the Covid pandemic, which has led to a large number of vacancies and a major increase in property crime, homelessness and drug use. Visitors who are not familiar with the area are advised to exercise caution walking around at night.

There is urban blight on Dundas Street east of Adelaide and in the surrounding neighbourhood.

Go next

 * Grand Bend and the Pinary 70 km NW of London.
 * The beautiful town of St. Marys is located north of London.
 * Stratford, home of the Shakespeare Festival from May to October, is about 60 km north of London and is a great day trip for theatre-goers.
 * Toronto, the multicultural capital of Ontario, is about 200 km east.
 * Detroit, Michigan, is about 190 km south-west.
 * Niagara Falls, Ontario; Niagara Falls, New York; and Buffalo, New York are about 200 km north-east.