A private car to St. Lawrence Market sets you down on Front Street East, just west of Jarvis Street, at the South Market's main doors (address 92–95 Front Street East). The South Market is closed on Mondays; the Saturday farmers' market runs from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. From Pearson the planning fare is $130–160 in a business sedan, all-in plus HST.
St. Lawrence Market car service: why take one
St. Lawrence Market is a working food market in Old Town Toronto, a few blocks east of Yonge Street, where locals buy their meat, fish, cheese and bread and visitors come for peameal bacon sandwiches and the sheer bustle of the hall. It is easy to reach on foot from downtown hotels, and most people walk. A St. Lawrence Market car service makes sense when you are coming from farther out, bringing older relatives, arriving straight from Pearson, or planning to leave with heavy bags of shopping.
The last point is the one people underestimate. A Saturday morning run through the farmers' market can end with a cooler, flats of berries and a wheel of cheese. TorontoAirportTransfer.services quotes a fixed fare in the reservation engine, including gratuity with HST shown separately, and the chauffeur loads the trunk while you walk out the door. Book the hourly chauffeur service if you want the car waiting while you shop.
Where the car drops you off
The South Market fronts onto Front Street East between Jarvis Street and Market Street. The chauffeur pulls into the curb lane on Front, just west of Jarvis, where the main doors are; on a busy Saturday we sometimes use Market Street on the west side of the building or the quieter Esplanade to the south, and text you the exact spot before you finish.
Coming from Pearson we usually take the Gardiner and leave at Jarvis Street, which runs north straight to the Market. From midtown, Jarvis south is the direct run, and from the east the Don Valley Parkway to the Richmond and Adelaide ramps, or Lake Shore then north on Jarvis. The streets around the Market are one-way in places and full of delivery vans in the early morning, which is exactly why a driver who knows them saves you time.
Market hours and the best days to go
The official St. Lawrence Market site lists the South Market hours as Tuesday to Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; it is closed on Mondays. The farmers' market in the north building runs on Saturdays only, from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hours can change around holidays, so check the site before you set a pickup time.
From a dispatcher's point of view, weekday mornings are the calm option: easy curb stops, short lines at the sandwich counters and room to browse. Saturday is the full experience, with farmers, bakers and crowds from dawn, but also the hardest traffic. If you want the farmers' market without the crush, aim to be dropped off by about 8 a.m. We will happily book a 7:30 a.m. hotel pickup.
How long to allow
A lunch stop with a walk through the hall takes about an hour. A proper browse of both levels of the South Market, with tastings and a coffee, is closer to two hours. Add an hour if you are also doing the Saturday farmers' market across the street, and another if you want to walk the Old Town blocks around it.
For hourly bookings we suggest a three-hour block that covers the pickup, around two hours at the Market and the ride back. If you are carrying perishables to a hotel or rental apartment, ask the chauffeur to go straight there before any further sightseeing; the car has air conditioning, but a July afternoon is no time to leave fish in a trunk.
Planning fares to St. Lawrence Market
These are planning figures; the reservation engine quotes the exact address, date and vehicle.
| Starting point | Business sedan (one way) | Executive SUV / luxury van | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson (YYZ), T1 or T3 | $130–160 | about +25–30 % | 25–45 min via 427, Gardiner, Jarvis exit |
| North York | engine quotes | engine quotes | 25–40 min via DVP or the Yonge corridor |
| Mississauga | engine quotes | engine quotes | QEW and Gardiner, 30–45 min |
| Union Station | often a 10–15 min walk | engine quotes | book a car for luggage or mobility needs |
| Hourly chauffeur | $130–150 per hour (3 h min) | $160–190 per hour (SUV) | car waits while you shop |
A first-class sedan runs about 50 % above the sedan figure; a 14-seat Sprinter about 2.2 times it. See the rates page for every band.
From Pearson: breakfast at the Market before check-in
Overnight flights from Europe land at Pearson early, and hotels rarely hand over rooms before mid-afternoon. A good answer is to eat first. Book a Pearson-to-downtown transfer with the Market as a stop: the chauffeur tracks your flight, meets you at the terminal's commercial pickup area, keeps the luggage locked in the trunk while you have breakfast and a look around, then delivers you to the hotel.
That turns a dead morning into the start of the trip. Included waiting after an international landing is 60 minutes, so a slow immigration line does not cost you anything. If you want someone inside the arrivals hall with a name board, add meet and greet at booking. Use the terminal finder to confirm whether you land at Terminal 1 or Terminal 3.
What to eat and buy
The South Market has two floors. The main level is the one most visitors know: butchers, fishmongers, cheese counters, bakeries and the famous peameal bacon on a bun. The lower level has more grocery-style vendors, specialty foods and places to sit. Many stalls take cards, but carrying a little cash is still sensible for smaller vendors.
If you are taking food home on a flight, check what you can carry. Going home, it is your destination country's customs rules that matter, and cheeses, cured meats and fresh produce are commonly restricted. Your chauffeur can take you to the Market on the morning of a departure; just leave a generous margin before the airport run, and see our note on how early to arrive at Pearson.
Combining the Market with Old Town and the Distillery
The Market sits at the heart of Old Town, and a short walk takes in some of Toronto's oldest streets. The Gooderham Building, the red-brick flatiron at Front and Wellington, is two minutes west; St. James Cathedral and its park are a few minutes north on King Street East.
Fifteen to twenty minutes' walk east brings you to the Distillery District, a pedestrian quarter of Victorian industrial buildings with galleries, cafés and, in late autumn and winter, the Distillery Winter Village. A popular chauffeured half-day is the Market at 10 a.m., a walk to the Distillery, and the car collecting you on the Distillery's Parliament Street side for the ride back. The Hockey Hall of Fame is a ten-minute walk west along Front Street.
A half-day food-and-sights itinerary
- 9:30 a.m. hotel pickup; drop on Front Street East.
- 9:45–11:30 a.m. South Market, both levels; a peameal sandwich for the road.
- Walk east to the Distillery District for coffee and galleries.
- 12:30 p.m. chauffeur collects you on Parliament Street.
- Short drive to Queens Quay for the Toronto Islands ferry, or back to the hotel with the shopping.
That fits inside a three- or four-hour hourly booking. Our Toronto city tours page has longer routes that include the Market as one stop among many.
Families, older visitors and accessibility
The Market is busy and the aisles are tight at peak times, which is worth knowing if you are pushing a stroller or helping someone who walks slowly. Weekday mornings are much easier. The chauffeur drops you right at the Front Street doors, so there is no long walk from a parking garage, and collects you at the same doors with the trunk already open.
For a passenger who uses a wheelchair and stays in it, book one of our wheelchair-accessible transfers and ask the Market about the easiest entrance for your plans. Child seats (infant, convertible or booster) are added at booking and fitted before pickup. If you are buying for a family dinner, an SUV's cargo space takes coolers and bags comfortably.
Parking versus a chauffeur
The Market lists several parking options, including the Market Lot and garages near Front and Jarvis, Front and Church, and Jarvis and Wellington. On a Saturday morning those fill up, and circling Old Town's one-way streets looking for a space is how many visitors spend their first half hour. With a chauffeur, the parking problem is ours: the car waits nearby and comes back to the door when you message.
Seasons at the Market
The Market is at its most colourful from late spring through autumn, when Ontario farmers bring strawberries in June, corn and peaches in late summer, and apples and squash in the fall. December is the busiest stretch for the South Market as locals stock up for holiday meals; expect lines at the butchers and plan your pickup time with a cushion. In winter the Market is a warm, welcoming stop, and the drop at the door keeps you out of the slush on Front Street.
Choosing the right vehicle
- Business sedan, 3 passengers and 3 bags: couples and a modest shop.
- Executive SUV, 6 and 6: families, coolers and big Saturday hauls.
- Luxury van, 6 and 6: easy entry for older relatives.
- Sprinter, up to 14: food-tour groups and corporate teams.
Compare classes on our fleet page.
The honest alternatives: walking, streetcar and transit
If you are staying downtown with nothing to carry, walk. From Union Station the Market is about 10 to 15 minutes east along Front Street, and from most Financial District hotels it is closer still. The TTC King streetcar stops at King and Jarvis, a couple of minutes north of the Market's doors, and is the easy transit option from the west or east ends.
Where a private car wins is at the edges: an early Saturday start from North York or Mississauga before transit ramps up, a trip with small children or an older parent, a morning straight off a flight, or a return journey with a trunk full of groceries. For wider trip planning, Destination Toronto lists what is on around Old Town in any given week.
Returning to the airport after a Market morning
Plenty of travellers spend their last morning at the Market before an afternoon flight home. It works well if you keep the timing honest: leave the Market by about three and a half hours before an international departure, since the Gardiner to the 427 can take 25 minutes at a quiet hour and double that on a Friday afternoon. The chauffeur loads your suitcases at the hotel first, holds them in the trunk while you shop, then drives straight to Terminal 1 or Terminal 3. Keep anything you bought that must stay cold in a small insulated bag you can carry on, and check your airline's liquids rules for jams, maple syrup and honey before you pack them in your cabin bag.
How to book your St. Lawrence Market car service
Enter your pickup in the reservation engine (with a flight number if it is an airport pickup), set 92 Front Street East as the destination, and choose one-way, return or hourly. The fixed fare appears before you confirm. Note any stops, child seats or a meet and greet. Cancelling more than 72 hours ahead costs nothing; the sliding scale after that is on your confirmation.
