Ajax travel guide
Lakeshore trail, a wartime shell-factory past and GO trains to Toronto
A suburban town on Lake Ontario built around a Second World War shell factory, with a 6 km waterfront park on the Waterfront Trail. June to September is the time for the lakeshore. A few hours is plenty, or stay longer as a quiet base for Toronto by GO train. Prices are very high, and visa-exempt visitors flying in need an eTA.
Ajax lies on Lake Ontario in Durham Region, just east of Toronto, and most of what a visitor wants is on its 6 km of waterfront. A multi-use trail runs the length of the shore as part of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, linking Pickering on one side with Whitby on the other.
The town only dates from 1941, when a munitions plant was built here and up to 9,000 workers filled some 40 million shells for the war. It took its name from HMS Ajax, one of three cruisers that fought the German pocket battleship Graf Spee off the River Plate in 1939. At the foot of Harwood Avenue, named for the squadron's commodore, Veterans' Point Gardens remembers both the cruiser and the factory, with street lamps shaped like ship's masts.
Away from the lake there is little beyond suburbs. Greenwood Conservation Area on Duffins Creek has picnic spots and trails, and Ajax Downs runs quarter horse racing from May to October, with the slots of Casino Ajax alongside. For a proper night out, Toronto is a short GO train ride west.
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Top things to do in Ajax
A long lakeside park and trail, a wartime memorial garden and a racetrack.
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Best time to visit Ajax
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Lake breezes, long evenings and the full waterfront trail for walking and cycling.
Cooler days on the shore, fewer cyclists, and the Greenwood trails along Duffins Creek at their quietest.
Cold wind off the lake; Ajax is then mainly a quiet place to sleep within reach of Toronto.
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Getting there
Lakeshore East trains to Ajax GO and the Harwood Avenue exit
Toronto Pearson, the nearest major airport, is in Mississauga on the far side of Toronto, and Highway 401 traffic decides how long the drive to Ajax takes. Without a car, take the UP Express to Union Station and a GO Lakeshore East train to Ajax GO; drivers leave the 401 at the Harwood Avenue exit. Without a car, take the UP Express from Pearson to Union Station and change to the GO Lakeshore East line, whose trains stop at Ajax GO on their way to Whitby and Oshawa. GO buses cover the same corridor when trains are thin. VIA Rail does not stop here: long-distance passengers get off at Oshawa or Toronto Union and switch to GO. Some long-distance coaches from Kingston and Montreal call in Durham Region, but stops change often, so check with the operator before booking. Drivers leave the 401 at Westney Road or Harwood Avenue.
- UP Express plus GO train
- Pearson to Union, then Lakeshore East to Ajax GO
- VIA Rail
- Change at Oshawa or Toronto Union to GO for Ajax
- Coaches
- Some Kingston and Montreal services call in Durham; check current stops
- Highway 401
- Exits at Westney Road and Harwood Avenue
- Load a Presto card at Pearson; it covers the UP Express, GO trains and Durham buses.
- Ajax GO sits right beside the 401, so it is a walk or short bus ride south to the lake.
Where to stay
Beck Crescent hotels by Salem Road or Pickering Village
Stay a short drive inland, because Ajax has no lakefront hotels. The Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites on Beck Crescent, near Salem Road and the 401 in south Ajax, are the main options for drivers and business travellers, with Pickering Village a short drive west. Pickering Village, the older settlement on Kingston Road in north Ajax, has more character and the Pulse buses along Highway 2, though there are few places to sleep there. For anything livelier, stay in Toronto and come out by train for the day.
- Beck Crescent near Salem Road
- Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites; car-oriented
- Pickering Village
- Older main street on Kingston Road, few rooms
- Toronto
- Better choice of hotels, with GO trains to Ajax
Getting around
Durham Pulse on Kingston Road and the lakeshore path
Ride Durham Region Transit (DRT) buses across Ajax and on to Pickering, Whitby and Oshawa, with routes meeting trains at Ajax GO. The Pulse rapid buses along Kingston Road, the old Highway 2, are the most frequent service, and the lakeshore path suits walkers and cyclists. The Pulse rapid buses along Kingston Road, the old Highway 2, are the most frequent service and the easiest way to cross town north of the 401. Tap a Presto card or pay cash. Local taxis include Durham Rapid Taxi and Blue Line Taxi. The best way to see Ajax, though, is by bike or on foot along the lake: the waterfront park holds about 7 km of multi-use path, joined at the south-west by the Trans Canada Trail, which then turns north through town. From the lake to the hotels on Beck Crescent is a short ride.
- DRT buses
- Local routes to Ajax GO; Pulse along Kingston Road
- Taxis
- Durham Rapid Taxi, Blue Line Taxi
- Waterfront Trail
- About 7 km of shared path along the lake, Pickering to Whitby
Know before you go
What makes Ajax worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Cycling the waterfront trail from Pickering to Whitby with the lake beside you the whole way.
- Veterans' Point Gardens, where mast-shaped lamps recall HMS Ajax and the munitions workers.
- A summer evening at Ajax Downs, watching the horse racing.
Good to know
- There is no real town centre; Ajax is mostly postwar suburbs, so plan your time around the waterfront.
- Via Rail does not stop here; ride Via to Oshawa or Toronto and switch to GO.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Ajax, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Ajax are being researched.
A lakeshore ride through Ajax from Harwood Avenue to Duffins Creek
See Ajax by bike as an easy lakeside break from Toronto. Take the GO train east to Ajax GO, ride south on Harwood Avenue, named for the commodore whose squadron included HMS Ajax at the River Plate in 1939, then follow the waterfront trail along Lake Ontario to the marshes at Duffins Creek.
The road name is your first history lesson: Commodore Henry Harwood led the squadron in which HMS Ajax fought at the River Plate in 1939, and many of the town's streets are named after men who served aboard the cruiser.
At the foot of the avenue, Veterans' Point Gardens tells the story of Defence Industries Limited, the munitions plant that founded the town in 1941, and of the thousands of workers who moved here to fill shells. The lamp posts are shaped like ship's masts. Take time over the panels before setting off along the shore.
From here the waterfront park runs for about 6 km, 150 acres of lawns, picnic spots and lake views. Ride west towards Duffins Creek, where the Trans Canada Trail joins from Pickering, or east into Whitby. In the afternoon, head inland to Greenwood Conservation Area for a shaded walk along Duffins Creek, or end the day with dinner on Kingston Road. Racing fans can time the trip for a meeting at Ajax Downs, then catch a late GO train back to the city.
Falcon Brewing on Barr Road and Kingston Road suppers
Ajax eats like the commuter town it is, with family restaurants, takeaways and pubs. Barr Road, in the industrial south near the lake, hides two of the best stops: Angelique's Family Restaurant for big breakfasts and lunches, and the Falcon Brewing taproom. Kingston Road has the family places for dinner.
The trick is knowing where the good local places cluster.
Angelique's Family Restaurant does big breakfasts and lunches from early morning, closing mid-afternoon and all day on Mondays, which makes it a natural start before a ride along the shore. Across the road, Falcon Brewing Company brews on site, a good finish after a day on the trail.
Kingston Road East is the main restaurant strip. Il Fornello serves Italian trattoria dishes and pizza, part of a small Toronto-area group, and Blossom Garden, a few doors along, has cooked Chinese food for locals for years, open every day. House of China on Harwood Avenue South is the long-running family takeaway, and Pizza Pino on Westney Road stays open late on Fridays and Saturdays.
For a pint, Bayly Street West has the pubs: Magwyer's and the Portly Piper, both with full menus, while Coyote Jack's on Harwood Avenue is the local bar and grill.
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How we research our Ajax travel guide
Ajax facts come from the Town of Ajax, Metrolinx and Destination Canada, with entry rules from the eTA page.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Ajax.
General
Yes, but the station sits beside the 401, so it is a long walk; a bike or a DRT bus south on Harwood is quicker. Trains from Union get you there in under an hour.
It is named after HMS Ajax, a Royal Navy cruiser that fought the Graf Spee at the Battle of the River Plate in 1939.
It was founded in 1941 as a munitions centre where up to 9,000 people filled about 40 million shells. After the war the University of Toronto briefly used the site to train engineers.
Walk or cycle the waterfront parkland, visit Veterans' Point Gardens, picnic at Greenwood Conservation Area or spend an evening at Ajax Downs.
Yes. The Ajax waterfront has about 7 km of multi-use trail on Lake Ontario, part of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail.
No. Via trains stop in Oshawa and Toronto, and GO trains connect both with Ajax.
Many streets honour crew of HMS Ajax, and Harwood Avenue is named for Commodore Henry Harwood, who commanded the squadron at the River Plate.
Ride Durham Region Transit (DRT) buses across Ajax and on to Pickering, Whitby and Oshawa, with routes meeting trains at Ajax GO. The Pulse rapid buses along Kingston Road, the old Highway 2, are the most frequent service, and the lakeshore path suits walkers and cyclists. The Pulse rapid buses along Kingston Road, the old Highway 2, are the most frequent service and the easiest way to cross town north of the 401.
Getting there
Only on a private or chartered small aircraft. Scheduled flights all use Toronto Pearson, on the far side of Toronto in Mississauga.
The DRT Pulse rapid route, the most frequent in town. Other DRT routes feed Ajax GO, and Durham Rapid Taxi or Blue Line Taxi fill the gaps.
Toronto Pearson, the nearest major airport, is in Mississauga on the far side of Toronto, and Highway 401 traffic decides how long the drive to Ajax takes. Without a car, take the UP Express to Union Station and a GO Lakeshore East train to Ajax GO; drivers leave the 401 at the Harwood Avenue exit. Without a car, take the UP Express from Pearson to Union Station and change to the GO Lakeshore East line, whose trains stop at Ajax GO on their way to Whitby and Oshawa.
Stay & facilities
Most are close to Highway 401 in south Ajax, on Beck Crescent near Salem Road, away from the lake.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Ajax is Jun to Sep. Warm days for cycling the lakeshore trail and picnics on the waterfront parkland.
- Best overall: June - September (Lake breezes, long evenings and the full waterfront trail for walking and cycling)
- Shoulder: May and October (Cooler days on the shore, fewer cyclists, and the Greenwood trails along Duffins Creek at their quietest)
- Winter: December - March (Cold wind off the lake; Ajax is then mainly a quiet place to sleep within reach of Toronto)
Visa & documents
Visa-exempt travelers, including citizens of the UK, the EU and Australia, need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or through Canada. US citizens need only a passport. Other nationalities need a visitor visa.
Health & safety
Canada's main risks are natural: wildlife, summer wildfires and extreme winter cold. Store food properly in bear country, check wildfire and road conditions before summer drives, and carry winter gear when driving in snow. Call 911 for police, fire or ambulance anywhere in the country.
