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London (Ontario) - city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada

London is a medium-sized city in Southwestern Ontario with a population of 378,000. It is west of Toronto, between Lake Huron and Lake Erie at the fork of the Thames River, which was named after the River Thames in London, England.

Snow in Victoria Park

Understand

Thames River near the fork of the Thames, Blackfriars Street Bridge in the distance

London, is a major manufacturing centre for southwestern Ontario, founded in 1793. Nicknamed the "Forest City," London has an abundance of urban parks and woodlands. Early in its history it was considered as a potential site for the capital city of Upper Canada, but that title eventually went to York (later Toronto). The city is roughly rectangular in shape, approximately 16 km (10 miles) from east to west, and 13 km (8 miles) from north to south.

Many cities, towns, counties, and rivers in this area of Southwestern Ontario take their names from their counterparts in England, and London is no exception. London features landmarks such as Picadilly Street, the Covent Garden Market and the Thames.

In the 1920s, London-born Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians hit the U.S. music scene and went on to achieve legendary fame. London's Wonderland Gardens later became a big-band hot-spot in 1935 - being situated on the Thames river where Guy Lombardo developed his love for speedboat racing by racing his father's small motorized boat on the Thames River behind the Labatt Brewing Company.

With two major hospitals, London is a regional medical centre, treating patients from up to 200 km away. London also has the region's only university (University of Western Ontario) which has all the typical professional schools (business, law, medicine, engineering, education) as well as sciences and the arts. Since the city is also home to Fanshawe College, students comprise a significant percentage of London's population during the school year.

Visitor information centers are located at:

  • Dundas Street (Downtown) Information Centre, 267 Dundas Street (Dundas and Wellington, entrance on Wellington), 42.9847100°, -81.2454562°. M-F 8:30AM-4:30PM. 2018-10-18
  • London Tourist Information Centre, 696 Wellington Road South, 42.94765°, -81.22680°. 8:30AM-8PM. 2018-10-18

Get in

By plane

Airport

Airlines

Canadian airlines operating to London:

  • Air Canada, +1-514-393-3333. Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. 2022-04-25
  • Swoop, +1-587-441-1001. WestJet's low-cost airline with flights to less-busy airports. Swoop charges a fee for new reservations or changes to reservations made over the phone. 2022-04-25
  • Westjet. Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in Calgary and Toronto. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. 2022-04-25

Several low-cost airlines also operate seasonal flights between London and southern vacation destinations (including Orlando, FL, and Las Vegas, NV).

Ground transportation

City bus route 36 (Airport Industrial) connects to the airport.

By train

London station, 205 York St, 42.9819°, -81.2464°. Ticket open counter M-F 5:30AM-9:45PM, Sa-Su 6:30AM-9:45PM; station opens with the ticket counter and remains open until 10:45PM. 2021-05-29

  • VIA Rail Canada. Operates many intercity trains across Canada. 2022-04-22 The following routes operate daily to London:
  • GO Transit, +1-416-869-3200. GO Transit offers train service Monday to Friday between Toronto and London. A morning trip leaves London to Toronto and an afternoon trip leaves Toronto to London. Passsengers using this service west of Kitchener must have a smartphone and purchase e-tickets as the stations in Stratford, St. Marys and London do not have Presto readers, GO ticket vending machines or a ticket counter. As of October 2021, service west of Kitchener is a pilot project that might be discontinued in future. 2022-05-23

By car

London is most readily accessed from Highway 401 which runs along the southern edge of the city and connects London with Toronto (200 km to the north east) and Windsor (200 km to the Southwest). Highway 402 runs due west from its connection to the 401 in south-west London and ends about 100 km to the west at the Ontario-Michigan border in Sarnia. The speed limit on the 401 in most parts is 100 km/h, but expect most people to be travelling at ~120 km/h in good conditions. The easiest exit off the 401 to London is #186, Wellington Road North. This will put you right into a busy shopping district and pointed in the right direction to get to the downtown core.

By bus

Get around

By car

London is fairly easy to navigate, as its streets are based on a grid system. Except for a short section of Highbury Avenue, the city lacks internal freeways. Roads have a speed limit of 50 km/h unless signed otherwise. Traffic can cause delays, especially around Downtown and the University.

Oxford Street, Dundas Street and Commissioners Road are major east-west arteries. Fanshawe Park Road runs east-west across the northern part of the city while Southdale and Exeter Roads go east-west through the southern portions.

The main north-south arterial roads are, going east to west: Wonderland Road, Wharncliffe Road, Richmond Street, Wellington Road, Adelaide Street, Highbury Avenue, Clarke Road, and Veterans Memorial Parkway.

Parking is usually easy to find and free or reasonably priced, however be aware that a city bylaw doesn't let you park on any public streets overnight in the fall and winter.

By public transit

The London Transit Commission (LTC), +1 519-451-1347. 2022-09-26 Operates within the city at a $3.00 cash fare (2020) for 90 minutes of travel. Ticket strips are available at a reduced price at most convenience stores. If you are staying longer and anticipate using transit often, a contactless smart card offers reduced fares and passes. Children 12 years and under ride for free. Buses vary from every 5 minutes downtown, to every 15 to 60 minutes in various other areas. The LTC doesn't operate past midnight on major routes, so expect to travel by taxi after that time.

By taxi

By ride hailing

By bike or on foot

The city has an extensive bicycle path network, and many (but not ubiquitous) bike lanes on the roads. A biking and walking map can be found at the city's website.

See

Museum London

  • Museum London, 421 Ridout Street North, 42.9826127°, -81.2573343°, +1 519-661-0333. Tu-Su noon-5PM, Th until 9PM. It purports to have one of Canada's most important art collections, and one of the most significant historical artifact collections in Ontario. More than 5,000 regional and Canadian works of art and 45,000 artifacts reflecting the history of the City of London. By donation 2020-08-10
  • Eldon House, 481 Ridout Street North (a 4-minute walk north of Museum London), 42.9818042°, -81.2562883°, +1 519-661-0333. London's oldest surviving residence, containing heirlooms and furniture reflecting life in early 19th-century London.
  • Banting House National Historic Site, 442 Adelaide St. North (at the corner of Queens Avenue and Adelaide Street), 42.9900079°, -81.234084°, +1 519-673-1752. Tu-Sa noon-4PM. Chronicles the life and achievements of Canadian Sir Frederick Grant Banting, the discoverer of insulin. Adults $5, students and seniors $4, children under 5 free.
  • Blackfriars Street Bridge, 42.9889786°, -81.2594147°. A rare example of a bowstring truss bridge. Built in 1875 and spanning 65.8 m, it is the longest working span of its kind in North America.
  • Wortley Village, 42.97212°, -81.25309°. Wortley Road between Askin St and Tecumseh Ave, was voted one of Canada's coolest neighbourhoods in 2002 by enRoute magazine. Filled with eclectic, locally-owned merchants and cafes.
  • The Arts Project, 203 Dundas St, 42.9840708°, -81.2502448°, +1 519-642-2767. Tu-Sa noon-5PM, later for theatre show nights.. A downtown art gallery devoted to rising artists with an adjoined blackbox theatre devoted primarily to alternative fare.
  • Jet Aircraft Museum, 2465 Aviation Lane, unit 2 (at the airport), 43.03101°, -81.15570°, +1 519-453-7000. Th-Sa 10AM-4PM. 2018-10-20

Parks

There are lots of parks in downtown London. They include:

  • Springbank Park, 42.95729°, -81.30893°. A charming destination west of downtown complete with green space, picnic areas & facilities, formal gardens, wading pool, playgrounds, small family train track, merry-go-round and Storybook Gardens. Its paved trails are part of a 30-km system for walkers, cyclists, runners and roller-bladers. 2018-10-18
  • Victoria Park, 42.988934°, -81.250768°. According to the City's website this park is one of the most important designed landscapes of the 19th century and has been a hub of social and recreational activities since 1874. Many festivals and events take place here throughout the year. Bring nuts to feed the squirrels.

Do

Forest City Velodrome

  • The Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond St, 42.98592°, -81.25091°. Live plays and performances. The mainstage season runs from September to May. There is also a secondary venue downstairs called The McManus Studio which is primarily used for the theatre's UnderGrand alternative theatre series, running roughly from November to March and local theatre group rentals for shows of their own.
  • Budweiser Gardens, 99 Dundas St (across the street from the Covent Garden Market), 42.98248°, -81.25235°. Check out what attractions are coming to town. You can catch the London Knights - the local OHL hockey team - in action from late August to March. The London Lightning is a professional basketball team in the NBLC playing Nov-Apr.
  • Labatt Memorial Park, 25 Wilson Ave, 42.98379°, -81.25814°. The Guinness-recognized oldest baseball park in the world, having been continuously used since 1877. The semi-pro London Majors play from April through August.
  • Delaware Speedway, 1640 Gideon Drive, Delaware (Just west of London), 42.9304912°, -81.4176346°, +1 519-652-5068. Check the schedule for details.. Delaware Speedway is Canada's oldest paved automobile racetrack, open since 1952. It is one of only two tracks in Canada running NASCAR late models. Racing runs on the 1/2-mile egg-shaped oval every Friday night from April through September, weather permitting, with occasional bigger races on weekends.
  • Centennial Hall, 550 Wellington Street, 42.98921°, -81.24662°, +1 519-672-1967. Concerts and events - check the event schedule to see what's on.
  • Palace Theatre, 710 Dundas Street East, 42.9900558°, -81.2280002°, +1 519-432-1029. A theatre devoted to primarily classic mainstream revival fare by the amateur London Community Players and musical theatre productions companies with a theatrical season running from October to June. There is also an adjoining smaller secondary venue, The Procunier Hall, for primarily alternative theatre in a more intimate setting. Parking available behind the facility.
  • The Spriet Family Theatre, 130 King Street (Upper floor of the Covent Garden Market), 42.9824587°, -81.2502236°. 90-seat theatre primarily used by the Original Kids Theatre Company, a youth theatrical educational institution, with occasional independent theatre company rental runs. 2018-10-14
  • Western Fair, 42.9903066°, -81.2178153°. The fair takes place the first two weeks of September. The site is also home to the Western Raceway, for harness racing and 750 slot machines.
  • Sunfest, 42.98888°, -81.24874°. Takes place in July and features top professional world music & dance and jazz ensembles from Canada and abroad. Free admission.
  • Donnelly Museum (The Lucan Area Heritage & Donnelly Museum), 171 Main Street, Lucan (in Lucan 25 km north of London), 43.1879900°, -81.4038751°, +1 519-227-0756. May-Oct: Tu-Su 11AM-4PM, also open Mondays on public holidays. Museum about the Black Donnellys and local history. $5 2017-07-24

Learn

  • .

Buy

According to London Tourism, London has "more shopping per capita than anywhere else in North America."

  • Covent Garden Market, 353 Clarence St, 42.98258°, -81.25016°, +1 519-439-3921. London's downtown food and crafts market centre. Retail items include fresh produce, baked goods, bulk foods and small crafts along with eating establishments. There is an upper walkway that includes space for special events, retail outlets and services and arts facilities, including the Spriet Family Original Kids Theatre.
  • Grooves Records, 236 Dundas Street, 42.9846477°, -81.2468389°, +1 519 640 6714. London's last downtown independent record store, specializes in new and used vinyl and hard-to-find CDs.
  • Heroes Cards and Comics, 186 Dundas St, 42.9840408°, -81.2488922°, +1 519-439-4955. A large downtown collectable store devoted to pop culture genre print media and collectables. There is a wide variety of comics and books to suit any age and taste, toys like action figures, trading sports cards and T-shirts with a knowledgeable sales staff to help with any questions. Easily accessible a few doors east of London Transit's primary downtown bus transfer point at Dundas and Richmond.
  • Masonville Shopping Centre, Fanshawe Park Road & Richmond St, 43.02595°, -81.27840°. one of London's two major malls and anchors the major retail development in the north end. Try also the Hyde Park big-box development, two miles west on Fanshawe Park Road. 2018-10-14
  • PT Campbell BookDealer, 388 Richmond St (between King and Dundas on the east side), 43.02571°, -81.27851°, +1 519-640-5333. M-Th 10AM-6:30PM; F 10AM-8PM; Sa 10AM-6PM. London's family friendly used book store with over 35,000 titles to choose from. Specializing in out-of-print and antique books.
  • Speed City Records, 294 Springbank Drive, 42.9710804°, -81.2767125°, +1 519-858-2680. Specializes in punk and metal, with a gigantic, unorganized dollar vinyl section. Surly clerks are right out of Central Casting.

Eat

Most of the Canadian and North American chain restaurants are represented in London, including The Keg, Kelsey's, Red Lobster, Tony Roma's, Milestones, Swiss Chalet and East Side Mario's. Tim Hortons, the Canadian coffee and doughnut chain, has about 30 locations within the city.

Prince Albert's Diner in London, Ontario

Downtown

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

South

East

North

Drink

Generally, the locals head to the bars and clubs around 10-11PM and stay until closing time at 2:30AM (last call is at 2AM). Cover charges are minimal ($5-10) or nil, while drink prices are relatively reasonable.

  • Barney's, 671 Richmond St, 42.99252°, -81.25183°, +1 519-432-1425. A very entertaining bar with good crowds, reasonable drink prices, and pleasant staff. The patio is extremely popular in summer, expect long lines.
  • Call the Office, York & Clarence, 42.98202°, -81.24661°, +1 519-432-BAND. Live rock music five nights a week, CTO is the anchor of London's independent music scene. Retro night on Sundays is extremely popular.
  • The Ceeps, 671 Richmond St, 42.99245°, -81.25195°. Officially the CPR Hotel, the Ceeps has been in existence since 1890 and has never stopped being one of the most popular UWO bars. The local joke is "your grandfather drank here, your father drank here, and your son someday will too".
  • Chaucer's Pub, 122 Carling St, 42.9840625°, -81.2516119°, +1 519-679-9940. London's largest selection of beer, specializing in Eastern European lagers and ales. The old-world atmosphere is unique in the city, featuring a gigantic stone fireplace, no TVs, and music provided only by a piano.
  • The Bungalow, 910 Waterloo St, 43.0029113°, -81.2509334°, +1 519-434-8797. 11:30AM-midnight. Build-your-own-burgers, wine and draught beer in the heart of London's historic Old North neighbourhood. $10-15
  • Lavish, 238 Dundas St, 42.9847224°, -81.2467115°. London's only LGBT club. Can be fun but monotonous at times.

Sleep

Camping

Mid-range

Splurge

Stay safe

The downtown area has suffered greatly following the Covid pandemic, which has led to a large number of vacancies and a major increase in property crime, homelessness and drug use. Visitors who are not familiar with the area are advised to exercise caution walking around at night.

There is urban blight on Dundas Street east of Adelaide and in the surrounding neighbourhood.

Connect

  • Central London Public Library, 251 Dundas Street, 42.9843039°, -81.2460590°, +1 519-661-4600. Closed Sunday. All London library branches (there are 16 throughout the city) offer free computer/internet access for 90 minutes a day. WiFi access requires a London Library card. 2018-10-20

Go next

  • Grand Bend and the Pinary 70 km NW of London.
  • The beautiful town of St. Marys is located north of London.
  • Stratford, home of the Shakespeare Festival from May to October, is about 60 km north of London and is a great day trip for theatre-goers.
  • Toronto, the multicultural capital of Ontario, is about 200 km east.
  • Detroit, Michigan, is about 190 km south-west.
  • Niagara Falls, Ontario; Niagara Falls, New York; and Buffalo, New York are about 200 km north-east.

London

london.ca
Postal code:N5V ke N6PDate Time:Please wait...Timezone:America/TorontoPopulation:383,822Coordinates:42.98, -81.25

Ontario

Primary administrative division

Canada

canada.ca
Population:37.1 MDial code:+1Currency:Dollar (CAD)Voltage:120 V, 240 V, 60 Hz
NEMA 14-30NEMA 14-50