Burlington travel guide
Lakefront park, the Royal Botanical Gardens and footlong hot dogs
A lakeside city between Hamilton and Toronto with a waterfront park, Canada's largest botanical garden and escarpment trails behind it. May to September is best, when festivals fill the lakefront. Allow a day, or two with the gardens. Visa-exempt air travellers need an eTA before flying to Canada.
Burlington curves around the western tip of Lake Ontario, between Hamilton and Oakville. Its downtown backs onto Spencer Smith Park, a long waterfront where free festivals run through the summer. Behind the city rises the Niagara Escarpment, with the Bruce Trail along its edge.
The Royal Botanical Gardens, the largest in Canada, spread over four parks and some 900 hectares on the Hamilton side of town. One ticket covers every garden area open that day, though the sites are spread out enough that most visitors drive between them. Nearby on Spring Gardens Road, Easterbrook's has sold hot dogs since 1930; a regular one here is a footlong.
Smaller sights cluster near the lake. The Art Gallery of Burlington on Lakeshore Road shows Canadian contemporary art and ceramics and has a greenhouse garden inside. At the Joseph Brant Museum, named for the Mohawk leader who sided with the British in the American Revolution, most of the displays are about local history.
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Top things to do in Burlington
A waterfront park, huge botanical gardens and a couple of small museums by the lake.
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Best time to visit Burlington
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs climb from 19C in May to 28C in July; the lilacs and irises at the botanical gardens peak in late spring, and summer weekends bring free festivals to Spencer Smith Park.
Lows of -8C in January and a raw wind off the lake; garden hours shorten, so the art gallery and the museums become the indoor picks.
The Rock Garden keeps full daily hours only from May to October; from November it opens Thursday to Sunday, so plan a late-season garden day around that.
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Getting there
Lakeshore West to Aldershot or Appleby, and the YHM runway on the Mount
GO trains on the Lakeshore West line from Toronto Union stop at Appleby, Burlington and Aldershot, under an hour, and VIA corridor trains and the Maple Leaf call at Aldershot. Hamilton airport (YHM) is about 30 minutes by car; Toronto Pearson has more flights, 45 minutes or more by road. Drivers use the QEW, 403 or toll 407.
- GO trains
- Lakeshore West line from Union to Appleby, Burlington and Aldershot
- VIA and Amtrak
- Corridor trains and the Maple Leaf call at Aldershot
- Hamilton airport (YHM)
- About 30 minutes by car
- Toronto Pearson (YYZ)
- 45 minutes or more by road, or UP Express plus GO via Union
- The QEW over the Burlington Skyway is a known bottleneck; leave extra time at rush hour or on summer Friday afternoons.
- Some US visitors fly into Buffalo, about an hour away across the border.
Where to stay
Brant Street by the pier, Plains Road in Aldershot or the QEW hotels
Downtown around Brant Street suits an unhurried weekend by the pier and Spencer Smith Park, though rooms are few, so book ahead in festival weeks. Aldershot, on Plains Road, is close to the Royal Botanical Gardens and the GO station. Chain hotels on the QEW South Service Road suit drivers heading to Niagara.
- Downtown and Brant Street
- Walk to Spencer Smith Park, the pier and the art gallery; limited hotel choice, so book ahead in festival weeks
- Aldershot and Plains Road
- Close to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Easterbrook's and the GO and VIA station; suburban and spread out
- QEW and South Service Road
- Comfort Inn, Hilton Garden Inn and similar chains with parking; nothing to walk to
- Queensway Drive
- Hotels beside the junction of the QEW and Highway 403, fast onward access towards Hamilton and Niagara
Getting around
Burlington Transit's 1X to the gardens and the Waterfront Trail by bike
Burlington Transit buses mostly come every 30 minutes; pay with Presto or exact cash. Routes 1 and 1X run from Burlington GO past the Royal Botanical Gardens to downtown Hamilton, though the 1X has no evening or weekend service. Cycle the Waterfront Trail towards Beachway Park, and drive to Mount Nemo.
- Routes 1 and 1X
- Burlington GO to the Royal Botanical Gardens and downtown Hamilton
- Between RBG sites
- Hendrie Park and the Rock Garden are about 2 km apart; drive, cycle or ride route 1
- Waterfront Trail
- Flat lakeside riding from downtown towards Beachway Park
- Car
- Needed for Mount Nemo and other escarpment trailheads
Know before you go
What makes Burlington worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Discovery Landing in Spencer Smith Park, a lakefront building made for watching storms roll in.
- Easterbrook's, footlong hot dogs and milkshakes at a stand open since 1930.
- The four parks of the Royal Botanical Gardens, 900 hectares of gardens and nature trails.
Good to know
- The botanical garden parks are spread over more than 3 km, so pick two or three.
- The Sunshine Doughnut Co. on Brock Avenue closes when the doughnuts run out; go in the morning.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Burlington, month by month
Burlington reaches about 28°C in July, and January nights fall to around −8°C. November brings the most rain, roughly 85 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Burlington (Environment and Climate Change Canada, via Wikipedia).
Lilac Dell in the morning, the Brant Street pier by sunset
Burlington's best day starts at the Royal Botanical Gardens at opening. One ticket covers all four parks, but they sprawl over 3 km, so pick: the Arboretum's Lilac Dell in May, Laking Garden's irises and peonies in June, or Hendrie Park's roses with the Rock Garden. Lunch at Easterbrook's, then watch sunset from the Brant Street pier.
Eat lunch at Easterbrook's on Spring Gardens Road, a stand that has been selling hot dogs since 1930. A regular is a footlong, so think twice before ordering two, and leave room for a milkshake.
Spend the afternoon by the lake. Park downtown and walk Spencer Smith Park to Discovery Landing, then step into the Art Gallery of Burlington on Lakeshore Road for its ceramics collection and indoor greenhouse. The Joseph Brant Museum sits a short way west on North Shore Boulevard if local history appeals. Finish on the Brant Street Pier, which juts out into Lake Ontario, as the sun drops behind the Skyway bridge and the Hamilton steelworks. With an extra hour of light, drive up to Mount Nemo instead for the cliff-top view back over the city.
Footlong hot dogs, Village Square pizza and Ribfest smoke
Burlington's best-loved food is unfussy. Footlong hot dogs at Easterbrook's, close to the botanical gardens, come with a retro setting and a long queue on sunny weekends, along with ice cream and thick milkshakes. The stand stays open into the evening in summer and closes earlier in winter.
Downtown, Brant Street and the lanes around it hold most of the sit-down restaurants and pubs, and patios fill on warm evenings with views down to the lake. Village Square, the small courtyard of shops off Pine Street, is where Son of a Peach bakes wood-fired pizza. For something sweet, The Sunshine Doughnut Co. on Brock Avenue makes small batches of doughnuts in rotating flavours from Tuesday to Sunday and simply shuts when they sell out, so go before noon. Out in Aldershot, West Plains Bistro on Plains Road is a handy dinner after a garden day.
The big food event comes on Labour Day weekend, when Ribfest takes over Spencer Smith Park and teams of barbecue cooks smoke ribs and pulled pork along the waterfront. In June, the Sound of Music Festival brings food stalls to the same lawns alongside its free concerts.
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How we research our Burlington travel guide
GO stations, Burlington Transit routes and Royal Botanical Gardens details were checked with the city website and Destination Canada.
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Checked against trusted sources:
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Burlington.
General
Aldershot is closer to the Royal Botanical Gardens and is the one VIA trains use. Burlington GO is where bus routes 1 and 1X start for the gardens and downtown Hamilton.
Hendrie Park, beside the RBG Centre, and the nearby Rock Garden make the easiest pair. In May add the Arboretum's Lilac Dell, in June Laking Garden for irises and peonies.
A footlong. The Spring Gardens Road stand has served them since 1930, along with ice cream and milkshakes.
Cliff-top lookouts face south over Burlington to Lake Ontario, with the Bruce Trail running along the edge. You need a car to get there.
It is Burlington's sandy strip on the bar between the lake and Hamilton Harbour, good for walking and cycling the Waterfront Trail. Check the water quality notice before swimming.
Yes, the waterfront building in Spencer Smith Park was designed with views straight out over the lake, and its café stays open year-round.
Getting there
Hamilton (YHM) is about 30 minutes by car but has few routes. Pearson has far more flights and is 45 minutes or more away, longer in rush hour.
About 2 km. Garden admission covers both on the same day, and RBG suggests driving, cycling or taking transit between them.
GO trains on the Lakeshore West line from Toronto Union stop at Appleby, Burlington and Aldershot, under an hour, and VIA corridor trains and the Maple Leaf call at Aldershot. Hamilton airport (YHM) is about 30 minutes by car; Toronto Pearson has more flights, 45 minutes or more by road. Drivers use the QEW, 403 or toll 407.
Timing & weather
The Sound of Music Festival runs in June, and Ribfest takes over the waterfront on Labour Day weekend. Both bring big crowds to downtown.
Often by early afternoon, especially on weekends. It opens Tuesday to Sunday and closes once the day's batch is gone.
The best time to visit Burlington is May to Sep. Gardens in bloom with longer opening hours, and free festivals in Spencer Smith Park.
- Best overall: May - September (Highs climb from 19C in May to 28C in July; the lilacs and irises at the botanical gardens peak in late spring, and summer weekends bring free festivals to Spencer Smith Park)
- Winter: December - March (Lows of -8C in January and a raw wind off the lake; garden hours shorten, so the art gallery and the museums become the indoor picks)
Booking
Allow a day, or two with the gardens.
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.
