I'm just wondering what YYZ is like at night? My flight would be due to arrive at 2245. This would be a Monday evening. What would Immigration/Customs/Security be like?

Additionally, would it be better to just stay the night at one of the airport hotels or would it be better to travel downtown. How long would it take to get downtown at this time? FWIW, I'm only staying in Toronto Monday night and maybe Tuesday night before I move on to a city an hour outside Toronto and as it was a long haul flight, just using the time in Toronto to recover and maybe get a sense of Toronto for other visits.

You should be able to get downtown reasonably quickly by cab at that time of night. I believe that there is an airport express bus to downtown. During the day this would be probably the best combination of price to time. I know that the TTC runs a bus service to the Kipling Subway station. From there you could get access to downtown. Of the three, at that time of night, even assuming no delays, the cab would probably your best choice.

Now, the key question has to be what is your destination and what interests you when you visit a city.
Queen Street West
If you want to see an area of the city that has galleries and is undergoing gentrification, then I would suggest that you stay at either the Gladstone Hotel or the Drake Hotel along Queen Street West. Be warned however, these hotels are not to everyone's taste. They would appeal to younger edgier travellers. There are galleries nearby and the Queen Street Car provides fairly quick access to downtown.

Entertainment District
If you want to be downtown in the entertainment district near Roy Thomson Hall and the various theatres, then the Soho Metropolitan or Hotel Le Germain for boutique hotels would be worthwhile. Also there is a Holiday Inn along King West.

Downtown Core
If your tastes run to the more mainstream hotels in the central core, then there are the usual suspects of Sheraton, Hilton, Intercontinetal, the King Edward and the Fairmont Royal York. If you wish to be by the water, then there are the Westin Harbourcastle and the Radisson Admiral.

Yorkville
For shopping and top end hotels, then this is the place to be. The choices are the Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, Intercontinental, Marriott, and the Windsor Arms. You can usually get the Marriott at Bloor & Yonge on Priceline at a very reasonable rate. It also has good access to the subway system. For shopping the places to visit are Holt Renfrew and William Ashley China along Bloor Street.

Which Terminal are you arriving at? Regardless unless you look suspicious or anything like that, you should be out landside fairly quickly. The poster above has provided descent suggestions for your activities beyond. Enjoy your stay!

Thanks for your help FMH1964 and Rejuvenated.

Terminal One (it is an Air Canada flight from LAX). I don't think I'm suspicious - Aussie citizen with a Irish last name who is Anglo. Would it be possible, assuming, my plane lands on time (2245), that I could be landside by 1130 and even at a hotel in downtown Toronto by midnight?

Thanks for your great descriptions of the different areas of Toronto FMH1964. It will come in handy when I spend more time in Toronto. I'm planning to get a train down to my final destination - would you be able to recommend a place to stay near Union Station for under CAD$140? The cheaper, the preferable.

1. Landside by 2330 is very likely, if without checked-in luggages. Add 20-30 minutes to get your bags back.

2. Taxi to downtown hotels will take 30~40 minutes and ~50CAD in the late evening. However, $140 or under within a walking distance from the Union Station is not likely. You can meta-search with kayak.com or hostelz.com, to balance between cost and convenience.

3. For cheaper options, consider either:
- staying near the airport and take the Airport Shuttle or TTC the next morning. or
- staying in a hostel and take a cab or subway the next morning.

The Strathcona Hotel ought to be in that range.

Hotel Victoria on Yonge Street about 1 1/2 blocks from Union Station, definitely is.

There are also a bunch of hotels that are walking distance from subway stations that would work if you don't have a huge amount of luggage.

Your longest wait after arriving will not be at customs or at the luggage caroussel, but waiting for a taxi. My two late evening arrivals had me in a queue 50 people long. I suspect that the drive into the city would be shorter. If you are cabbing it, see if you can prebook a limo. The fare is set by one of the authorities (airport or taxi), and it shouldn't be too much more than a cab.

Downtown hotels can be expensive. Hotels around the airport you can get for around $90-130/night. If you really want to stay downtown and are on a budget, you might want to try a priceline bid. You should be able to find a decent 4* hotel for much less than 140 per night via this method.

Thank you for your help and advice.

I've realised I don't need to be stubborn and go downtown.

However, to make things easier (and cheaper) for my ground transportation, I was advised to stay in a hotel on the Airport Strip? What would be classed as the Airport Strip?

My guess is something near the airport (e.g., near Dixon, Dixie, or Airport Roads) - basically anything that runs a free shuttle to the airport.

Lots of choice among hotel brands - sheraton, four points, hilton, delta, holiday inn, radisson, marriot, westin, comfort inn, to name just a few.

2nd to #10.

For cheap options, try http://www.hotwire.com/

Airport hotel with free airport shuttle as low as 50s.

The next morning you have the option to:
-come back to the airport to catch TTC bus+sub at $2.75 (exact change only). total 80min.
-come back to the airport to catch Airport Express at $18. total 60-80min.
-take taxi to Kipling stn ~$30 to catch TTC sub $2.75. total 60min.
-take taxi to Union Station ~$50. total 30min-60min.

Has anyone had any experience with Carlingview Airport Inn or Econo Lodge on Airport Road?

I've read TripAdvisor but I was just wondering whether any FTers had any first hand experience/knowledge.

I'm leaning towards Carlingview. I mainly just want the quieter hotel (if that is even possible near an airport!).

Stick to your original thought...

When are you planning on doing this trip? If before mid August, I would consider staying in a room at either Ryerson University or at the Univ of Toronto. You can get a single dorm room for less than $75 a night. http://www.ryerson.ca/conference/acc...ons/index.html

End of August. Thanks anyway
I would try Hotwire but as I found out I need hotels on Airport, Dixon or Carlingview Roads so I can't be sure with Hotwire
I can get them for very similar prices, hence my question