London travel guide
Forest City parks, Thames trails and Banting's insulin house
A university city on the Thames between Toronto and Detroit, with riverside museums, Banting House and big parks. Late spring to early autumn is the time to come; one or two days is plenty. Visa-exempt air travellers need an eTA for Canada.
London sits where the two branches of the Thames meet in Southwestern Ontario, about 200 km from both Toronto and Detroit. It borrowed its name and its river from England. So did its Covent Garden Market and Piccadilly Street. The city itself is a university and hospital town. The nickname Forest City comes from its many parks and woodlands.
The best of it lies by the river on the west side of downtown. Museum London holds a large collection of regional art and history, Eldon House a short walk north is the city's oldest surviving home, and the 1875 Blackfriars Bridge is a rare bowstring truss still in use. Banting House on Adelaide Street, where Frederick Banting came up with the idea that led to insulin, is a short walk east.
South of the centre, Wortley Village is the nicest neighbourhood for coffee and independent shops, while Springbank Park along the Thames has long trails and the Storybook Gardens family park. Downtown has struggled since the pandemic, and the stretch of Dundas Street east of Adelaide is best avoided after dark.
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Top things to do in London
Riverside museums, Banting House, pioneer history and long park trails along the Thames.
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Best time to visit London
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 24 to 27C from June to August; river trails, Storybook Gardens, Fanshawe Pioneer Village and the Victoria Park festivals are all in full swing.
Highs hover around -2C in January; overnight street parking is banned and outdoor sights are limited.
Fanshawe Pioneer Village opens daily visits only from mid-May to Thanksgiving, and only Thursday to Sunday outside July and August, so plan around that window.
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Getting there
VIA via Brantford or Stratford, and the 401
Take VIA Rail from Toronto to London station on York Street, a short walk from downtown; trains run either via Brantford and Woodstock, taking about 2 hours 15 minutes, or via Stratford. Drivers use Highway 401, and London International Airport (YXU) also has scheduled flights. VIA Rail runs two daily corridors through London station on York Street, a short walk from the downtown core. The faster route goes via Oakville, Burlington, Brantford and Woodstock, taking about 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes from Toronto Union; the slower line through Kitchener, Stratford and St. Marys takes about 3.5 hours but suits anyone stopping off for the Stratford theatre. Trains also arrive from Windsor in about 1 hour 45 minutes and from Sarnia in a similar time. Drivers use Highway 401, which runs along the southern edge of the city and links it with Toronto, about two hours east, and Windsor and Detroit to the west; Highway 402 heads off towards Sarnia and the Port Huron border crossing.
- VIA Rail
- London station, 205 York Street; Toronto in about 2 hours 15 minutes via Brantford or about 3.5 hours via Kitchener
- London International (YXU)
- North-east edge of the city; WestJet and Air Canada links, plus seasonal sun flights on Air Transat and, from November 2026, Porter to places like Orlando and Cancun; city bus or taxi to downtown
- Highway 401
- Main road from Toronto and Windsor; exits at Wellington Road and Highbury Avenue lead into the centre
- Highway 402
- West to Sarnia and the Blue Water Bridge into Michigan
- The station ticket counter opens from early morning to late evening; buy ahead online for Friday and Sunday trains, which fill with Western University students.
Where to stay
Wortley Village, Richmond Row and Masonville
Base yourself near downtown or in Wortley Village if you arrive without a car, since London is spread out. Richmond Row puts you among the bars and restaurants north of downtown, and drivers have more choice, including the hotels around Masonville in the north end.
- Downtown
- Walk to the station, Covent Garden Market and the riverside museums; patchy and quiet after dark, especially east of Adelaide
- Richmond Row
- Bars and restaurants on Richmond Street north of downtown; handy for nightlife, noisy on weekends with the student crowd
- Wortley Village
- Leafy streets, cafes and independent shops south of the centre; few hotels, mostly B&Bs and rentals
- Masonville and the north end
- Near Western University and Fanshawe Park Road; suits visiting families, but you will drive or bus downtown
- Exeter Road and Wellington Road South
- Chain hotels near Highway 401; easy parking, little within walking distance
Getting around
LTC buses on Richmond, Dundas and Oxford
Drive or ride LTC buses around London, a grid city with no internal freeways apart from a short stretch of Highbury Avenue; traffic is slow at rush hour around downtown and the university. The main LTC routes run along Richmond, Dundas and Oxford streets, and downtown is easy to walk. Oxford Street, Dundas Street and Commissioners Road are the main east-west arteries; Wonderland, Wharncliffe, Richmond, Wellington, Adelaide and Highbury run north-south. Parking is generally easy to find, but a city bylaw bans parking on public streets between 3am and 5am from November to April. The London Transit Commission (LTC) runs the city buses; fares buy 90 minutes of travel, so a short stop and onward ride usually costs one fare. Taxis and ride-hail apps work across the city. The Thames Valley Parkway, a long paved path along both branches of the river, is the pleasant way to cycle or walk between downtown, Springbank Park and the north end.
- London Transit (LTC)
- City buses with 90-minute transfers; an airport route serves YXU
- Car
- Easiest for Fanshawe Pioneer Village and the edges of the city; no overnight street parking in fall and winter
- Thames Valley Parkway
- Riverside walking and cycling path linking downtown, Springbank Park and the north
- Taxi and ride-hail
- Useful late at night from Richmond Row
- Fanshawe Conservation Area is reachable by bus only on some summer weekends; otherwise take a car or taxi.
Know before you go
What makes London worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Covent Garden Market, downtown's food market and the best place for lunch.
- Springbank Park, with trails along the Thames and Storybook Gardens for children.
- Fanshawe Pioneer Village, an open-air museum of rural Ontario life from 1820 to 1920.
Good to know
- Overnight street parking is banned in fall and winter, even outside your hotel.
- Take care downtown at night, especially on Dundas Street east of Adelaide.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in London, month by month
Warm summers, snowy winters: monthly averages for London, Ontario.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for London (Environment and Climate Change Canada, via Wikipedia).
Ridout Street, Blackfriars Bridge and Banting House on foot
Central London, Ontario is compact enough for a single day. Breakfast at Billy's Deli on Dundas Street, walk to the forks of the Thames for Museum London on Ridout Street North, cross the historic Blackfriars Bridge, and visit Banting House, where Frederick Banting had the idea that led to insulin. Covent Garden Market makes the lunch stop.
Morning: start with breakfast at Billy's Deli on Dundas Street, just west of Richmond, then walk to the forks of the Thames. Museum London on Ridout Street North holds thousands of regional and Canadian artworks and a big collection of local history, and its riverside setting is worth a look on its own. Four minutes' walk north, Eldon House is the city's oldest surviving home, still furnished with the heirlooms of the family who lived there through the 19th century.
Midday: cross the Thames on the 1875 Blackfriars Bridge, the longest working bowstring truss span in North America, then double back for lunch among the stalls of Covent Garden Market.
Afternoon: walk east to Banting House at Adelaide and Queens Avenue, the house where Frederick Banting woke in 1920 with the idea that led to insulin; it is closed on Mondays and opens from midday on weekdays. In summer, families can trade the museums for Springbank Park and Storybook Gardens, or drive out to Fanshawe Pioneer Village to see rural Ontario from 1820 to 1920. Evening: head south to Wortley Village for dinner, or north to Richmond Row if you want a lively bar afterwards.
Covent Garden Market, Labatt lager and Richmond Row nights
Covent Garden Market, in the block behind Dundas Street, is the centre of London's food life, with butchers, bakers, cheese counters and lunch places inside and a farmers' market outside from spring to autumn. Labatt has brewed in London since the 1800s, and Richmond Row is the street for bars at night.
Inside are butchers, bakers and cheese counters alongside small lunch places, and outside, from spring to autumn, a farmers' market sells produce from the surrounding Southwestern Ontario farmland. It is the obvious lunch stop on a museum day.
A few doors away, Billy's Deli does generous breakfasts with a Mennonite-country flavour; its seasonal pies and desserts, especially in strawberry season, sell out early. For something lighter, Ben Thanh on York Street at Ridout has been a popular Vietnamese and Thai address for years, with plenty of vegetarian choice and a second branch in the south end at Wellington Road and Southdale. Wortley Village, south of downtown, is the better pick for an unhurried dinner on a patio.
Beer runs deep here. John Labatt's brewery was founded in London in the 1840s, and the big Simcoe Street brewery still dominates its corner of downtown. Nightlife centres on Richmond Row, the stretch of Richmond Street north of Dundas, where student bars such as Barney's fill from about 10 or 11 at night; last call is at 2am. In July, Victoria Park hosts Sunfest, a free world-music and food festival, followed by the Home County folk festival, and the Western Fair takes over the fairgrounds every September.
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How we research our London travel guide
London's city website, Destination Canada and the eTA rules are our references. VIA Rail times and the winter overnight parking ban are the details readers ask about most, so we keep them current.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting London.
Getting there
The Brantford and Woodstock route takes about 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes; the line via Kitchener and Stratford takes about 3.5 hours but suits a theatre stopover.
WestJet and Air Canada operate scheduled links, while Air Transat and, from November 2026, Porter add seasonal flights to sun destinations such as Orlando, Cancun and Montego Bay.
Take VIA Rail from Toronto to London station on York Street, a short walk from downtown; trains run either via Brantford and Woodstock, taking about 2 hours 15 minutes, or via Stratford. Drivers use Highway 401, and London International Airport (YXU) also has scheduled flights. VIA Rail runs two daily corridors through London station on York Street, a short walk from the downtown core.
General
Museum London, with its regional art and history collections, and Eldon House, the city's oldest surviving home, are four minutes' walk apart by the river.
Dundas Street east of Adelaide and the surrounding blocks have had more property crime and visible drug use since the pandemic; keep to busier streets at night.
Yes. Banting House opens from Tuesday to Sunday, from midday on weekdays, so see it after a morning at the river museums, then take a bus or car west to Springbank Park.
Wortley Village is quieter and leafier, with cafes and B&Bs; Richmond Row puts you among the bars and restaurants but gets loud on weekend nights.
Sunfest, a free world-music and food festival, and the Home County folk festival both fill the downtown park in July.
A city bylaw bans overnight parking on public streets through fall and winter to clear snow; use a hotel or paid lot instead.
Built in 1875 and spanning about 66 m, it is the longest working bowstring truss bridge in North America, linking Ridout Street with Blackfriars Street.
Drive or ride LTC buses around London, a grid city with no internal freeways apart from a short stretch of Highbury Avenue; traffic is slow at rush hour around downtown and the university. The main LTC routes run along Richmond, Dundas and Oxford streets, and downtown is easy to walk. Oxford Street, Dundas Street and Commissioners Road are the main east-west arteries; Wonderland, Wharncliffe, Richmond, Wellington, Adelaide and Highbury run north-south.
Timing & weather
From mid-May to Thanksgiving in October: Tuesday to Sunday in July and August, Thursday to Sunday in spring and autumn. Enter Fanshawe Conservation Area at 1424 Clarke Road, which also has a campground.
The best time to visit London is May to Sep. Warm weather for river trails, Springbank Park and the pioneer village.
- Summer: May - September (Highs of 24 to 27C from June to August; river trails, Storybook Gardens, Fanshawe Pioneer Village and the Victoria Park festivals are all in full swing)
- Winter: December - March (Highs hover around -2C in January; overnight street parking is banned and outdoor sights are limited)
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.
