Vaughan travel guide
Theme-park thrills, Italian Woodbridge and Kleinburg's village
Toronto's northern neighbour, home to Canada's Wonderland, the Vaughan Mills mall and the Italian restaurants of Woodbridge. Come in summer, when the park and its water park are fully open; a day or two is enough. Visa-exempt visitors flying into Canada need an eTA first.
Vaughan is the band of suburbs just north of Toronto, stitched together from older communities such as Woodbridge, Maple, Concord, Thornhill and Kleinburg. Most visitors come for one thing: Canada's Wonderland, the big theme park beside Highway 400, open from May into early January with roller coasters and a summer water park.
A few minutes south of the park, Vaughan Mills is one of the region's largest malls. Woodbridge, home to a large Italian community, is the place for a proper Italian dinner. In Kleinburg village, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection keeps Group of Seven and Indigenous art in a woodland setting, but it is closed for renovation until 2029; the Kortright Centre and Boyd Conservation Area nearby are good for forest walks.
Line 1 of the Toronto subway now reaches Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, the city's new high-rise downtown. Beyond the stations, though, a car is the practical way to get around.
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Top things to do in Vaughan
A major theme park, a huge mall, Italian food in Woodbridge and woodland trails.
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Best time to visit Vaughan
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 24 to 27C, so the water park earns its place; theme park queues peak on long weekends and in July and August.
Highs drop from 21C to 14C; Wonderland switches to weekend opening with its Halloween Haunt, and the Humber valley woods turn colour.
Go to Canada's Wonderland on a weekday outside school holidays to keep ride queues short.
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Getting there
Line 1 to VMC, GO 40 from Pearson Terminal 1
Toronto Pearson (YYZ) sits just south-west of Vaughan; drive Highway 409 and the 401 east, then the 400 north to Vaughan Mills and Wonderland. Without a car, take GO bus 40 from Pearson Terminal 1, or ride TTC Line 1 to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) from downtown Toronto. By car from Pearson, the quickest route to the Highway 400 corridor, Vaughan Mills and Wonderland is Highway 409 east, then the 401 east and the 400 north; for Woodbridge and Kleinburg on the west side, take Highway 427 north instead. On public transport, GO Bus 40, which runs between Hamilton and Richmond Hill Centre, picks up at Terminal 1 and stops at Highway 407 station, where you can switch to the subway or local buses. From downtown Toronto, subway Line 1 runs straight up to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, the terminus, which connects with Viva rapid buses and YRT routes. GO trains on the Barrie line are faster but run mainly at commuter times, stopping at Maple and Rutherford stations.
- Subway Line 1
- Highway 407 and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stations, direct from Union and downtown Toronto
- GO Bus 40
- Pearson Terminal 1 to Highway 407 station
- GO Barrie line
- Maple and Rutherford stations; buses replace trains when they are not running
- Billy Bishop (YTZ)
- Toronto Island airport for a few short-haul flights; subway Line 1 north from Union
- Highway 407 ETR crosses Vaughan as an electronic toll road; rental cars are billed later, so ask the hire company about charges.
Where to stay
Bass Pro Mills Drive, Woodbridge or VMC
Stay in Vaughan for Canada's Wonderland, Vaughan Mills or a family visit, and pick the area nearest your plans. The hotels on Bass Pro Mills Drive are closest to the park and the mall, Woodbridge suits Italian dinners, and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) has the subway into Toronto.
- Vaughan Mills and Bass Pro Mills Drive
- Novotel and Aloft beside the mall and Highway 400, minutes from Wonderland; suits families with a car, little else around
- Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
- New high-rise district at the subway terminus; best for car-free visitors heading into Toronto, but still under construction in places
- Concord and Highway 7
- Budget motels such as the Pinecrest on the Viva rapidway; cheap, but surrounded by industrial estates
- Woodbridge
- Few hotels, but the best restaurants; a good base if you have relatives or rent a house
Getting around
YRT, Viva and the Highway 400 corridor
Drive in Vaughan if you want to see more than one sight a day, because the city is spread out at low density. Highway 400 runs north to south past Wonderland and Vaughan Mills, while YRT local buses and Viva rapid buses cover the main roads. Highway 400 runs north-south through the middle, with Wonderland and Vaughan Mills just off it; Highway 7 and Major Mackenzie Drive are the main east-west roads. York Region Transit (YRT) runs local buses and the Viva rapid transit lines, which use dedicated lanes along Highway 7 and connect with Line 1 at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. You can pay with a PRESTO card, a contactless credit or debit card, or a phone wallet, and transfers within YRT are included. Some Brampton Transit Züm routes also cross into the west of the city.
- Viva rapid buses
- Highway 7 rapidway, linked to the subway at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
- YRT local buses
- Main roads including routes to Wonderland and Vaughan Mills; slower and less frequent at weekends
- Car
- Needed for Kleinburg, the Kortright Centre, Boyd Conservation Area and Woodbridge restaurants
- Bicycle
- Possible on quiet streets, but watch right-turning vehicles at the big intersections
- Stay away from creek banks and underpasses after heavy rain or snowmelt, when the ground floods and softens quickly.
Know before you go
What makes Vaughan worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Canada's Wonderland, with more than a dozen roller coasters and a water park.
- Kleinburg village, a small historic main street above the Humber valley.
- Italian food in Woodbridge, home to one of the area's largest Italian communities.
Good to know
- The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is closed for renovation until 2029, so check before planning a Kleinburg trip.
- Watch for turning cars at big intersections; right-turning drivers are the main hazard for pedestrians.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Vaughan, month by month
Wonderland's season runs through the warm months; winters here are cold and snowy.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Vaughan (Environment and Climate Change Canada, via Wikipedia).
Canada's Wonderland, then supper in Woodbridge
Canada's Wonderland takes most of a Vaughan day, and Woodbridge feeds you afterwards. Arrive at the park, off Highway 400 at Major Mackenzie Drive, for opening time and ride the biggest of its 18 roller coasters before the midday queues; buy a fast-pass only on a summer Saturday. Eat Italian on Woodbridge Avenue at night.
With 18 roller coasters spread around the park, the trick is to ride the biggest ones first, before the queues build towards midday, and to buy a fast-pass only if you are visiting on a summer Saturday.
Afternoon: cool off in Splash Works, the 20-acre water park inside the gates, during the hottest hours, then return to the dry rides as families start to leave in the late afternoon. If rides are not your thing, spend the day differently: walk the trails at the Kortright Centre for Conservation on Pine Valley Drive, or the Humber valley paths in Boyd Conservation Area, then visit Reptilia Zoo on Rutherford Road, where some 250 reptiles and amphibians live in a large indoor centre near the park.
Evening: drive south-west to old Woodbridge, on Woodbridge Avenue between Islington and Kipling, for an Italian dinner. On another day, Kleinburg's small main street on Islington Avenue makes a quiet walk above the Humber valley, though the McMichael gallery there stays shut until 2029.
Veal sandwiches in Woodbridge and piri piri chicken in Maple
Eat Italian in Woodbridge, home to one of the largest Italian communities in the Toronto area. The plazas around Highway 7, Weston Road and Rutherford have family-run bakeries, espresso bars and pizzerias, and the local order is a breaded veal sandwich. In Maple, look for grilled piri piri chicken.
Woodbridge has one of the largest Italian communities in the Toronto area, and its food is the best reason to stay in Vaughan for dinner. The plazas around Highway 7, Weston Road and Rutherford are lined with family-run bakeries, espresso bars and pizzerias, alongside smarter dining rooms. Look for veal sandwiches, breaded cutlets in tomato sauce on a crusty bun, a Toronto-Italian classic; panzerotti; and cannoli and sfogliatelle from the pastry counters. For a sit-down meal, Romano's on Rowntree Dairy Road is an upscale Italian address with lunch on weekdays and dinner Tuesday to Saturday.
The city's other communities add variety. In Maple, Churrasqueira Red Rooster on Major Mackenzie Drive cooks Portuguese-style grilled and rotisserie chicken with homemade piri piri sauce, rice and parisienne potatoes, a cheap and filling stop on the way back from Wonderland. Siamese Thai Cuisine on Whitmore Road in Woodbridge does reliable Thai cooking with good lunch specials.
Vaughan Mills has the usual mall food court plus chain restaurants around its edges, handy with children in tow. Nightlife is thin: Luxy on Interchange Way in Concord is one of the very few nightclubs, and most people go into Toronto on the subway for a night out.
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How we research our Vaughan travel guide
Wonderland's season, the McMichael gallery's reopening and YRT routes are the facts most likely to change in Vaughan; we check them against the City of Vaughan, Destination Canada and the operators.
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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 Vaughan.
Getting there
Ride subway Line 1 north to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, then connect to a York Region Transit bus to the park at Major Mackenzie Drive and Highway 400.
Only with difficulty. Buses serve the main roads, but Kleinburg, the Kortright Centre and Boyd Conservation Area are far easier by car.
The Novotel and the Aloft beside Vaughan Mills are a few minutes' drive from the park and right by Highway 400.
Take GO Bus 40 towards Richmond Hill Centre to Highway 407 station, then the subway or a local bus. By car, Highway 427 north is quickest for the west side.
Timing & weather
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is closed for renovation until 2029; check its website for any temporary programmes elsewhere.
From May to early January: daily through the summer, then on select dates, with the Halloween Haunt on October weekend evenings and holiday events into early January.
The best time to visit Vaughan is Jun to Aug. Canada's Wonderland and its water park fully open.
- Summer: June - August (Highs of 24 to 27C, so the water park earns its place; theme park queues peak on long weekends and in July and August)
- Autumn: September - October (Highs drop from 21C to 14C; Wonderland switches to weekend opening with its Halloween Haunt, and the Humber valley woods turn colour)
July is the warmest month in Vaughan, with average highs of 27°C, and January the coolest, with lows of -11°C. September is the wettest month, at about 85 mm of rain; February is the driest. Wonderland's season runs through the warm months; winters here are cold and snowy.
Families & accessibility
Reptilia Zoo on Rutherford Road, trails at the Kortright Centre and Boyd Conservation Area, and Kleinburg's village main street.
General
Maple and Rutherford; trains run mainly at commuter times, and GO buses replace them at other hours.
The old town centre runs along Woodbridge Avenue between Islington and Kipling avenues, a small historic strip at the heart of Vaughan's Italian community.
Drive in Vaughan if you want to see more than one sight a day, because the city is spread out at low density. Highway 400 runs north to south past Wonderland and Vaughan Mills, while YRT local buses and Viva rapid buses cover the main roads. Highway 400 runs north-south through the middle, with Wonderland and Vaughan Mills just off it; Highway 7 and Major Mackenzie Drive are the main east-west roads.
Prices & payment
Tap a PRESTO card, a contactless credit or debit card, or a phone wallet; cash is also accepted on board.
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.
