Anonymous wrote:We just flew into Pearson yesterday and it took us 5 minutes to clear customs. They have machines to scan your passport.

When you are departing from Pearson to go to the US, you clear US immigration and customs while still at Pearson. You need to take into account how long this will take.

We just flew into Pearson yesterday and it took us 5 minutes to clear customs. They have machines to scan your passport.

Which airport are you flying into? Pearson or the island?

How long to you have?

You can take the UP train from Pearson to Union station, which puts you right downtown. If you’re flying into the island, you can just take the shuttle bus.

Would need more info to give you anything more. There’s not much near Pearson that’s worth seeing.

I would not leave the airport if less than maybe 10-12 hour layover. Pearson often is understaffed, so often long lines at security and at immigration. One could get lucky, but for me I would not chance it.

It is impossible to give an educated answer to OP's question without knowing the duration of the layover. I am not extremely familiar with Toronto other than having flown into Pearson and Billy Bishop and what I have read on the internet. But I try to avoid flying through Pearson because Canadian customs at Pearson are a pain in the ass to Americans and Pearson is pretty far from downtown. If I were flying into Toronto to do something in Toronto, I'd try my hardest to fly into Billy Bishop, which is the downtown airport. It has amazing views, great convenience and competitive prices on Porter Airlines.

Traffic is only a problem for people who contribute to it. OP can take the train.

Traffic in Toronto is considerably worse than here in my experience. I would not chance it.

Pearson has been notorious for crowds and delays lately. I think I would not count on being able to get into the city and back, but *if* everything runs like clockwork and you end up with a good chunk of the day to kill, or if your first flight is on time and your second flight is delayed, you could make a spontaneous decision to take the express train to Union Station (about half an hour) and explore the immediate area around Front Street—Hockey Hall of Fame, CN Tower, St. Lawrence Market, eat lunch nearby... but be prepared to abandon those plans if the airport is a mess.

It can be an annoying airport IME in terms of long lines and overzealous security. I avoid it if I can. I would check line times carefully if you leave the airport.

How long is the layover? What is your final destination?

Any ideas for fun things to do? Should we stay in airport or is it close enough to city to get to do one quick city thing?