About Toronto
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located on a harbour at the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The city is the fourth-most populous city in North America, behind Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles, with a census population of 2,794,356 as of 2021. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is constituted of Toronto proper and four surrounding regions, Peel, York, Durham, and Halton, and has a population of 6,712,341, while the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), with a somewhat different definition, has a population of 7,106,379. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, sports, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. Source: "Toronto" by Wikipedia contributors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Edit history on the linked Wikipedia page.
Overview
Toronto, Canada is served by 2 airports tracked in this guide: Lester B. Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Billy Bishop Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ). Together they handle inbound and outbound flying for the metropolitan area, and each one links through to a full guide on this site with terminal, lounge, layover and ground-transport pages.
Choosing the right airport
Choosing between the airports in Toronto usually comes down to three things: which airline you are flying, which route you need, and how you plan to reach the airport from town. The primary international gateway carries most long-haul flights and partner-alliance connections. The secondary fields are usually friendlier for short domestic hops and low-cost carrier routes. Always confirm which airport your specific flight uses before you book a transfer. A wrong-airport pickup can cost an hour or more in cross-town traffic, and a few low-cost carriers in Canada are notorious for using the secondary field even on routes you would expect at the main airport.
Ground transport
Ground transport between central Toronto and its airports normally includes licensed taxis with published rank fares, ride-hail apps with dedicated pickup points, public transport (bus, metro or rail) into the city centre, and rental car desks landside. For an early morning departure, a pre-booked airport transfer or an airport-hotel stay the night before is usually the most reliable option. Cash-only taxis still operate in parts of Canada, so carrying a small amount of local currency is a sensible backup even if you plan to pay by card.
Layover tips
If you are visiting Toronto, it often makes sense to combine the airport visit with a short stay nearby. Look at hotel clusters within a 15-minute drive of arrivals if you have an overnight layover, and check luggage storage options at the airport if you want to head into the city centre between flights. Most major airports now have a left-luggage office airside or landside, although prices and hours vary widely.
When to fly through Toronto
When you fly through Toronto matters more than you might think. The morning bank between roughly 6am and 9am is the busiest at most airports, with a second peak in the late afternoon as long-haul flights time their arrivals into evening connection banks elsewhere. If your dates are flexible, a midday departure usually means shorter security lines and a calmer terminal. The shoulder seasons either side of the local holidays tend to be the cheapest and the least crowded.