Peterborough (Ontario)

The City of Peterborough is considered the hub of the Kawarthas, and is the region's major business, education, cultural, and health care centre. This is a varied community -- a retirement city, but at the same time a university and college city. It has a permanent population of approximately 81,000 (2016).

Understand
Considering that Peterborough sits between two major Canadian cities (Toronto and Ottawa), it has managed to maintain a small-town friendly feel to it. By many, Peterborough is considered a retirement community; however, during the school year there is a thriving domestic and international student population. With its relaxed atmosphere and laid-back attitude, Peterborough allows the days to go by unnoticed. There is a big arts community in the city, meaning Peterborough is the best place in Central and Southern Ontario to create a band, become an artist, or showcase your talent.

As of 2020, Peterborough is going through an opioid and housing crisis.

By car
Peterborough is well connected to the rest of Ontario by the highway network, including by the following highways:


 * Highway 7 skirts the southern edge of the city and connects Peterborough to near Kanata. This route enables travel from Ottawa (3½ hours) by taking Highway 417 westbound and then taken Highway 7 westbound.  Peterborough can also be reached heading eastbound on Highway 7 from Whitby and Toronto's northern suburbs, and provide connections to Orillia and Muskoka. The portion of Highway 7 near Peterborough is part of a branch of the Trans-Canada Highway that passes through the area, traveling between Sudbury and Kanata (near Ottawa) on Highway 69 and 400, then Highway 12, then Highway 7, then Highway 417.
 * Highway 28, to the east of the city, runs north through the Kawarthas and onto Bancroft.


 * Highway 115, which heads northeast, ending at Peterborough. It is about an hour's drive from Oshawa and 1½ hours from downtown Toronto, in both case involving travel east on Highway 401 and then northeast on Highway 115.

By train
Peterborough's heritage railway station has had no passenger train service since 1990. Oshawa's station is accessible by GO commuter bus, and has service from Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston, and Montreal. Another option is the VIA Rail station in Port Hope or Cobourg, an hour's drive south.

By plane
Toronto Pearson International Airport, 150 km to the west, is the nearest major airport. Benson Airport Shuttle provides private service from $145 for one person, $170 for two (Apr 2020), by reservation. You can take the UP Express train ($9) to Toronto's Union Station, and a GO Transit bus from there to Peterborough.

By public transit
Peterborough has a fairly inconvenient public transit system, though they have made efforts to improve it. The regular bus fare is $2.50, $22 for a 10-ride pass, or $8 for a day pass for up to 2 adults and 4 children (July 2017). Passes are available at the Transit Terminal and Landsdowne Place. Discounts for seniors, students and children are provided only on monthly passes. The buses run to and from downtown bus terminal every 40 minutes, but are often either late or early, so arrive in advance. One positive aspect about the centrally located bus terminal is that the buses wait for each other, and depart at the same time. This is the leading cause for their sporadic times, but it is convenient if you need two buses to go somewhere.

Getting from downtown to Trent University is much easier, as there is a separate bus system, Trent West, and Trent East. During the school year they run every 10-20 minutes. Trent Weekend runs every 30-60 minutes on the weekends, and the holiday schedule is similar.

By foot
Peterborough downtown is easy to walk around, and most of the attractions and parks are within walking distance. Any farther trips will require a car or the transit bus. Lots of people bike around also, which is strongly encouraged, especially in the warmer months of the year.

By bicycle
There are good bike paths leading north west out of the downtown core, through Jackson's Park, that continue for several kilometres to the outskirts of the city. There is also a bike path along the east side of the Trent River that leads up to Trent University and, beyond that, all the way north to Lakefield.

By taxi
Hailing a cab in downtown Peterborough is somewhere between difficult and impossible, so your best bet is to call in advance.

See

 * Visit Trent University's Lady Eaton College. One of the best examples of modern architecture in Canada.
 * Visit Trent University's Lady Eaton College. One of the best examples of modern architecture in Canada.
 * Visit Trent University's Lady Eaton College. One of the best examples of modern architecture in Canada.
 * Visit Trent University's Lady Eaton College. One of the best examples of modern architecture in Canada.
 * Visit Trent University's Lady Eaton College. One of the best examples of modern architecture in Canada.
 * Visit Trent University's Lady Eaton College. One of the best examples of modern architecture in Canada.
 * Visit Trent University's Lady Eaton College. One of the best examples of modern architecture in Canada.
 * Visit Trent University's Lady Eaton College. One of the best examples of modern architecture in Canada.

Do

 * Walk or hike along the many trails within and outside of Peterborough. Many of the abandoned railway tracks have been converted into paved trails, including the Rotary Trial along the Otonabee River.

Winter activities
With its rolling hills and many lakes and rivers, the Peterborough area is a good spot to do some traditional Canadian winter activities.

Learn


Trent University is a small university with faculties in Arts, Business, Education and Science and Technology. It is best known for its undergraduate studies in humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. The main campus occupies a beautiful spot spanning the Otonabee River in the far north end of the city (head out Water Street past the zoo and turn at Nassau Mills Road).

Fleming College is a College of Applied Arts and Technology. Its main campus is in the south-west corner of the city, off Brealey Drive.

Eat
Peterborough downtown presents a unique opportunity to try out various cuisines for various prices. Hunter Street, between George and Aylmer, especially now boasts a wide variety of places to eat. The downtown core has much more to offer in variety and authenticity than mall strips, like Lansdowne and Chemong.

Drink
Peterborough's small size is not a reflection of its excellent choice of watering holes. A list:



Stay safe
While most of Peterborough remains somewhat safe, the downtown core, with a lot of bars in close proximity, has become a little dodgy. Avoid walking Aylmer St and Stewart St after dark. There has been a marked increase in vandalism, generally to nearby shops, and sometimes to parked cars. Leave the downtown core before the bars close and drunken patrons fill the streets looking for taxis or mischief. The Galaxy Cinema is in the same general vicinity as these bars: be careful when leaving a late show.

Violent and property crime has risen in Peterborough, which has been struggling with a severe opioid crisis, and had the most overdose deaths in the province in 2019. Assaults have become more common in park areas (such as Jackson Park). Don't walk alone. Many locals consider walking downtown at night (especially alone) to be unsafe.

Go next

 * Bobcaygeon — A cottage country town with a busy main street, popular among summer cottage country commuters and Trent-Severn boaters for shopping and snacking.
 * Buckhorn, Lakefield and Stoney Lake — Petroglyphs Provincial Park is known for impressive pre-Columbian Indigenous rock carvings.
 * Fenelon Falls  — Built around waterfalls between Cameron and Sturgeon Lakes, Fenelon Falls is a popular destination for summer cottagers in the northern part of the Kawarthas.
 * Lindsay — The business and service hub for the Kawarthas, on the south end of Sturgeon Lake.