To get to Billy Bishop airport, go to the mainland terminal at 2 Eireann Quay, at the foot of Bathurst Street, then cross by the pedestrian tunnel (under six minutes) or the 90-second ferry. From Union Station, the free shuttle takes about 15 minutes; a car takes 10–15 minutes off-peak. From Pearson, a Billy Bishop transfer takes 30–40 minutes.
How do I get to Billy Bishop airport? Start with the clock
Most people who ask how do I get to Billy Bishop airport already know the basic geography: the airport is on the Toronto Island, and everything arrives at Eireann Quay on the mainland. What they really want to know is how long it will take from where they are standing. Our step-by-step guide to getting to Billy Bishop airport explains the ferry, the tunnel and the curb rules. This post does something different: it puts a number of minutes on every route from every common starting point, then adds the part everyone forgets, the time between the curb and the gate. Use it to decide when to leave, not just how.
The two clocks: door to curb, curb to gate
Every trip to YTZ has two stages, and they need separate estimates.
- Door to curb is the journey from your hotel, office, home or Pearson to the mainland pavilion on Eireann Quay. It depends on distance, mode and traffic.
- Curb to gate is the walk into the pavilion, the crossing to the island, check-in or bag drop, security and, for US flights, preclearance. It depends on queues, the ferry timetable and your airline.
Travellers who plan only the first clock are the ones running through the tunnel. The tables below give you both.
Door to curb: timed from common starting points
Off-peak means roughly 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and after 7 p.m. on weekdays, without an event on. Add the peak allowance in the right-hand column for 7:30–9:30 a.m. and 4–6:30 p.m. on weekdays.
| Starting point | Best way | Off-peak minutes | Add at peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Station | Free shuttle from 44 York St | 15 ride + up to 15 wait | 10–15 |
| Union Station | Booked car or taxi | 10–15 | 10–15 |
| Union Station | 509 streetcar | Under 15 ride + walk | 5–10 |
| King West or Liberty Village hotel | Car | 5–10 | 10 |
| Financial District office | Car | 10–15 | 10–20 |
| Yorkville or the Annex | Car | 15–25 | 15–20 |
| North York or Mississauga | Car | 25–40 | 20–30 |
| Toronto Pearson (YYZ) | Car via 427 and Gardiner | 30–40 | 20–30 |
Times are our dispatch planning estimates; the shuttle and streetcar figures are the airport's published ride times plus waiting.
Curb to gate: the minutes after the car door closes
Once you step out on Eireann Quay, allow for these steps:
- Into the pavilion: one to two minutes from the curb.
- Across the channel: under six minutes through the tunnel, or up to 15 minutes' wait plus a 90-second crossing if you choose the ferry and have just missed one.
- Check-in or bag drop: a few minutes with no bags and online check-in, longer with checked luggage at a busy bank of departures.
- Security: usually short at a small airport, but not predictable at the first wave of morning flights.
- US preclearance: an extra step for flights to the United States, done on the island before you board.
Realistically, 25–45 minutes from curb to gate for a domestic flight, more for a US one. Your airline's own cut-off times override any rule of thumb.
Worked example: an 8 a.m. Porter flight to Ottawa
You are staying at a hotel on Front Street and flying at 8 a.m. on a weekday. Work backwards. Aim to be at the Eireann Quay curb about 60 minutes before departure, at 7 a.m. The drive at that hour is around 10 minutes, but the morning rush builds from 7:30 a.m. and Bathurst can be slow, so a 6:40 a.m. pickup gives a sensible margin. The free shuttle would also work, but its early service runs about every 25 minutes rather than 15, which makes timing less precise. A booked car at a fixed fare removes the guesswork, which is why dispatch sees so many 6:30–6:45 a.m. YTZ pickups on weekdays.
Worked example: a 5:30 p.m. flight to Newark from Yorkville
A US departure at rush hour from Yorkville needs the most slack of any YTZ trip. Preclearance adds time on the island, and the evening peak adds 15–20 minutes to a 15–25 minute drive. Aim for the curb around 90 minutes before departure, at 4 p.m., which means leaving Yorkville at roughly 3:15–3:25 p.m. On a Blue Jays home game night or during a waterfront festival, go earlier still. The airport's preclearance page explains that the US inspection is similar to any international customs process and can take time. Our post on Billy Bishop to New York covers that route in detail.
Worked example: landing at Pearson, flying out of Billy Bishop
This is the trip with the most moving parts. Say you land at Pearson Terminal 3 from London at 1 p.m. and hold a separate ticket on a 5:45 p.m. flight from YTZ. Customs and bags might take 45–75 minutes, the drive 30–40 minutes off-peak but longer as the afternoon peak begins, then curb to gate. A four-hour gap is workable; three hours is tight on a busy afternoon. There is no train between the airports. Our Pearson to Billy Bishop route has a planning figure of $145–175 in a business sedan, all-in before HST, with the chauffeur tracking your inbound flight.
Getting there by transit: what to know
Transit to YTZ is good, not complicated. The airport lists two TTC streetcars on its public transit page: the 509 Harbourfront from Union Station, which the airport says connects in under 15 minutes, and the 511 Bathurst from Bathurst subway station. From the Bathurst and Queens Quay West stop, you walk south along Eireann Quay to the pavilion, a few minutes on foot. The free shuttle from 44 York Street is the other transit-style option and needs no fare at all. Check the TTC for service changes, especially on weekends when streetcar diversions are common.
Getting there on foot or by bike
With a carry-on and good weather, walking is a real option from much of the downtown waterfront. Union Station to the pavilion is about two kilometres, roughly 30 minutes; from a Harbourfront or Queens Quay hotel it may be ten. Cycling is quicker along the Martin Goodman Trail, which runs past the foot of Bathurst Street. The practical problem is luggage and weather rather than distance. Our post can you walk from Union Station to Billy Bishop airport sets out the route turn by turn and says honestly when not to try it.
Getting there by taxi, app or booked car
All road vehicles drop at the curb outside the mainland pavilion and ferry terminal. The airport allows only momentary stops for active loading and unloading, with a turning circle limited to five minutes. That suits a quick drop-off. For departures, taxis and app cars are easy to find downtown; the question is only availability at 5:30 a.m. and on storm days. A booked car with a fixed fare comes at a set time, and the chauffeur knows to stop close to the pavilion doors. For the full service, see our Billy Bishop airport transfer page.
Hours: the early and late edges of the day
Billy Bishop is not a 24-hour airport. Its published operating hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the airport's ferry page lists ferry departures every 15 minutes from about 5:15 a.m. to just after midnight. For the first departures of the morning, that means the tunnel is your crossing if you arrive before the first ferry. The free shuttle's early and late runs are about every 25 minutes, so a transit plan for a 7 a.m. flight has less slack than it seems. If your flight is among the first of the day, a booked car at a set time is the lowest-risk option.
Events that change every estimate
The approach roads to Eireann Quay run past some of the city's busiest venues. Blue Jays games at the Rogers Centre, events at BMO Field and the Exhibition grounds, the CNE in late August, and summer festivals along Harbourfront all load Bathurst Street, Lake Shore Boulevard and Queens Quay. Queens Quay also has streetcar tracks and busy cycle lanes, so it rarely moves fast even on a quiet day. Before leaving, check Ontario 511 for closures, and add 15–20 minutes to any car estimate on an event day. Transit riders should allow for crowded streetcars.
Which way should you go?
- Solo, carry-on, near Union, daytime: the free shuttle or the 509.
- Harbourfront hotel, light bag, fine weather: walk.
- First flight of the morning: a booked car, then the tunnel.
- US flight at rush hour: a car, with 90 minutes at the curb before departure.
- Family with children and bags: a booked SUV with seats fitted.
- Arriving from Pearson on a separate ticket: a fixed-fare car and a gap of three and a half to four hours.
Luggage changes the arithmetic
Every figure above assumes you can move at a normal walking pace. Two large suitcases add minutes at every step: loading and unloading, the walk from a streetcar stop, the queue for the elevators down to the tunnel. Sports bags, skis and strollers add more. As a rule, add ten minutes to any transit or walking estimate for each large checked bag beyond the first, and consider whether a car to the curb, with the chauffeur handling the bags, is worth it. For groups of six with luggage, an executive SUV keeps everyone and every bag in one vehicle instead of two taxis.
Coming back: arriving at Billy Bishop
The reverse trip follows the same clocks. After landing you collect bags on the island, cross back to the mainland and exit at the pavilion. Taxis load at the corral to the right of the pavilion, and app cars use the finger lanes next to Little Norway Park, according to the airport's pick-up and drop-off rules. A booked car tracks your flight and pulls up when you message that you are crossing. If you are heading for a train at Union, read Toronto Island airport to Union Station.
