Richmond Hill (Ontario)

Richmond Hill is a city in Southern Ontario in the central portion of York Region. It's part of the Greater Toronto Area, about 20 km north of the downtown core of Toronto.

Understand
Richmond Hill is the third most populous municipality in York Region and the 28th most populous municipality in Canada. Richmond Hill's population has grown from 102,000 in 1996 to over 195,000 in 2016. Richmond Hill used to be a village and had an interurban running to it from Toronto. As the suburban boom in Toronto started after WWII, Richmond Hill eventually grew to become another suburb in the 1970s and 80s. Today, Richmond Hill hosts a significant Chinese population on its east end and a significant Persian population in the north.

The old part of Richmond Hill runs on Yonge Street from Major Mackenzie Drive to Crosby Avenue.

By bus
York Region Transit (YRT) operates bus service in York Region (including Viva express buses). From Toronto, take either the Viva Blue bus or YRT Route 98/99 from Finch Subway Station on TTC subway Line 1 Yonge-University. These bus routes will take you along Yonge Street through the centre of Richmond Hill with a major stop at. Viva Blue will make fewer stops than YRT 98/99 so it will generally be faster. The ride will take about half an hour. Or you can board TTC subway Line 1 towards Vaughan Metro Centre and connect to Viva Orange service at Vaughan Metro Centre or YRT at Pioneer Village station.

GO Transit operates several routes that connects nearby towns and cities to Richmond Hill. GO Bus Routes 40, 41 45B, 52, 54 and 56 all stop at Richmond Hill Centre. GO Bus Route 40 is an express service connecting Hamilton and Mississauga (Square One and Toronto Pearson International Airport) with Richmond Hill on hourly basis (every 30 min during rush hour on weekdays) seven days a week. Route 41 operates on Monday to Friday between Hamilton and Pickering via Richmond Hill Centre and Scarborough Town Centre at 30-min intervals. Route 45B operates on Monday to Friday between Markham and Streetsville (in western Mississauga) via Richmond Hill Centre on hourly basis. Route 52 is a weekend and holidays service between Highway 407 station and Oshawa every 2 hours. Route 54 operates on Monday to Friday between Highway 407 station and Markham via Richmond Hill Centre every hour. Route 56 operates at 30-minute intervals on Monday to Friday between Highway 407 station and Oakville via Richmond Hill Centre. All of the GO bus routes also stop at Highway 407 station on TTC subway Line 1 on its way to and from Richmond Hill Centre. Visitors coming from west or south of Richmond Hill can change bus at Square One Terminal in Mississauga or Highway 407 station in Vaughan to reach Richmond Hill.

By train
GO Transit provides train and bus service between Toronto and Richmond Hill with stops at the, , and  on weekdays. However, this service is more useful for commuters rather than visitors with trains running either inbound to Toronto in the morning rush hours or outbound in the afternoon rush. GO bus route 61 stops at these GO Train stations mentioned above but lacks late afternoon and evening service from Richmond Hill to Union Station. There is no GO train or bus service between Toronto and Richmond Hill on weekends and holidays.

By plane
Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga is the nearest major airport. GO Transit operates Route 40 – Airport Express hourly, seven days a week between Terminal 1 and Richmond Hill Centre Terminal. The one-way fare is $8.05(as of June 2023) and the trip takes 20 minutes. Taxis from the airport to Richmond Hill will cost between $66-84.

By car
Richmond Hill is easily accessed by major highways. Highway 404 connects from Toronto northwards to Newmarket. This highway serves as the political boundary between Richmond Hill on the west and Markham on the east from Highway 7 north to 19th Avenue and Whitchurch-Stouffville on the east from 19th Avenue north to Bloomington Road. Richmond Hill is also just north of Highway 407 toll road.

Get around
With attractions spread out and free parking available at practically everywhere, car is the most common and easiest way to get around.

By bus
York Region Transit operates the municipal buses in Richmond Hill. Bus service is adequate, although you should check the timetables to make sure you don't waste your time waiting for half an hour. Service along Yonge street and Highway 7, where most of the interesting destinations are, are excellent, and even if you miss your bus, the next one generally comes soon. Stops offering VIVA bus service have electronic timeboards that will give you the arrival times of the next three buses. Since these times are estimated through a GPS connection to each bus, the times are generally accurate. Most bus routes do stop at Richmond Hill Centre for easy connection to other routes.

A ride within Richmond Hill counts as one zone and will cost $4.00. The tickets are time-stamped and valid for two hours. You can pay by cash, Presto card or use its mobile app for payment. You can also purchase multiple tickets at a discount. Remember to validate your ticket before a ride in the machines by the bus stops. There will be a slot for you to insert the ticket to be timestamped.

Drink
Almost all bars are located along Yonge St or Highway 7.

Connect
Richmond Hill Centre bus terminal and Richmond Hill Public Library locations provide free WiFi.

Stay healthy
is on Major Mackenzie Drive just west of Yonge Street.