Waterloo travel guide
Uptown King Street, two universities and Oktoberfest beer halls
Kitchener's twin city, home to two universities, a compact Uptown on King Street and the Perimeter Institute's free physics lectures. Come from May to October, timing it for Oktoberfest if you like crowds and beer halls. One or two days covers Uptown, Waterloo Park and a trip to St. Jacobs market. Costs are very high; visa-exempt air arrivals need an eTA.
Waterloo lies about 94 km west-southwest of Toronto, joined so closely to Kitchener that most people simply say K-W. It is a university town first. The University of Waterloo, with the world's largest co-op enrolment, and Wilfrid Laurier University both sit on University Avenue, and BlackBerry was born here.
Uptown (the King and Erb area) is where to eat and drink. Small sights cluster nearby on Caroline Street: the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, which takes about an hour, and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, whose public lectures are free. The 1912 Old Post Office, with its tower, stands around the corner on King Street. Waterloo Park lies just west, with a lake beside a replica grist mill.
October brings Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, the largest outside Munich, with Waterloo's own festhalle, Uber Haus, at Maxwell's on University Avenue East and a parade on Thanksgiving Monday. North of the city, St. Jacobs has a big farmers' market, and Mennonite horse-drawn buggies share the country roads.
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An Uptown of restaurants and small galleries, a lakeside park and a Bavarian-style festival each October.
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Best time to visit Waterloo
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 19C to 27C bring the Uptown patios out, and the season closes with Oktoberfest around Thanksgiving in mid-October.
Around 7C to 12C by day; quieter streets, and fine for the galleries on Caroline Street.
January averages -2C by day and -10C at night; during term, students keep Uptown's bars and cafes busy.
Hotels fill quickly for Oktoberfest in October, so book well ahead; the parade runs on Thanksgiving Monday.
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Getting there
Highway 401 exit 278 and the Conestoga Parkway
Most visitors fly into Toronto Pearson and drive west on the 401, about an hour; leave at exit 278 or 278A, take Highway 8 north and the Conestoga Parkway, with Bridgeport Road for Uptown and University Avenue for the campuses. Without a car, GO buses and FlixBus coaches reach University of Waterloo station.
- GO buses
- Route 25 from Mississauga Square One, route 30 from Bramalea GO and route 17 from Hamilton and Guelph, ending at University of Waterloo station, an ION stop
- FlixBus
- Coaches from Toronto; its stop at the University of Waterloo has been listed under Kitchener on the booking site
- PC Connect
- Regional buses from Stratford, St. Marys, London, St. Jacobs and Elmira
- Region of Waterloo International (YKF)
- A handful of flights, WestJet to Calgary among them; Air Canada sells YKF tickets with a coach link from Pearson
- Buffalo Niagara (BUF) is about two hours away and sometimes cheaper, but it means a border crossing, so carry your passport.
- Region of Waterloo International (YKF) has a handful of flights.
Where to stay
King Street North between the campuses and Conestoga Mall
Waterloo's hotels line King Street North, not Uptown, so expect a short ION ride or a walk to dinner. Chains near Conestoga Mall suit drivers off Highway 85, Hotel Laurier lets student rooms when classes are out, and the Comfort Inn on Weber Street North works with a car.
- King Street North by Conestoga Mall
- Best Western Plus at 547 and the Inn of Waterloo at 475, handy for drivers coming off Highway 85, though it is mall-and-car territory
- Wilfrid Laurier campus
- Hotel Laurier at 200 King Street North lets student residence rooms when students are away, cheap and plain
- Weber Street North
- The Comfort Inn at 190 suits drivers; check the ION or bus route before booking
Getting around
The ION along King Street and K-W's crooked roads
One Grand River Transit fare covers the ION light rail and the buses. The ION runs from Conestoga Mall through the University of Waterloo and Uptown to downtown Kitchener along King Street. Driving is easy with light traffic, but roads bend where the township's farmers needed them. Uptown's sights are walkable.
- ION light rail
- Fast link between the campuses, Uptown and Kitchener, with transfers to GRT buses
- Grand River Transit buses
- Routes across Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, plus connections at University of Waterloo station
- On foot
- Uptown, the Clay and Glass Gallery, the Old Post Office and Waterloo Park are all within easy walking distance
- King and Weber run side by side for much of their length yet cross three times, so check which side of town an address is on.
Know before you go
What makes Waterloo worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- A public lecture from the Perimeter Institute, free and open to anyone curious about physics.
- Oktoberfest at Uber Haus, Waterloo's community festhalle at Maxwell's, before heading to the club halls in Kitchener.
- A morning at St. Jacobs, for the farmers' market and the Mennonite farm country just north of town.
Good to know
- Streets do not follow a grid, a legacy of how the township was settled, so trust the map over your sense of direction.
- Toronto Pearson is the practical airport; the local Region of Waterloo airport has only a handful of routes.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Waterloo, month by month
Measured at Region of Waterloo airport, July highs reach about 27°C and January nights fall near −10°C. July is also the wettest month, about 96 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Region of Waterloo International Airport (Environment Canada, via Wikipedia).
Caroline Street galleries to the Waterloo Park grist mill
A Waterloo day starts on Caroline Street at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, open from 11am Tuesday to Friday, and the Perimeter Institute next door, which holds public lectures. Round the corner on King Street stands the 1912 Old Post Office. Lunch in Uptown around King and Erb, then walk to the grist mill in Waterloo Park.
Begin mid-morning on Caroline Street. The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery at number 25 opens at 11am from Tuesday to Friday and at 10am on Saturday (afternoons only on Sunday, closed Monday), and its collection takes about an hour. Next door at number 31 is the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, founded on a gift from BlackBerry's Mike Lazaridis; check its listings for a public lecture, usually given at Waterloo Collegiate on Hazel Street.
Walk round the corner to King Street for the 1912 Old Post Office, a Romanesque landmark with sandstone on the ground floor and red brick above. Lunch in Uptown around King and Erb, then cross west into Waterloo Park. Follow the path past the Victorian garden to the lake and the replica grist mill, and keep going if you like trails.
Late afternoon, ride the ION north to the University of Waterloo for a look at the campus that runs the world's largest co-op programme. Dinner can be back in Uptown or on University Avenue West, depending on your budget. If you have a second day, spend the morning at the St. Jacobs farmers' market north of the city.
Butter chicken on University Avenue and martinis on Princess Street
Waterloo splits into two eating zones. University Avenue West, between the campuses, is quick and cheap: Kismet at number 160 is the pick for clay-oven naan and butter chicken. Uptown, around King and Erb, suits a proper evening, with Jane Bond on Princess Street pouring strong martinis beside vegetarian food.
Uptown, around King and Erb, is where you go for a proper evening. Jane Bond on Princess Street is a vegetarian restaurant with a strong cocktail list, martinis in particular, a good choice of wine and beer, and live music on some nights. Ethel's Lounge, on King Street North just south of Laurier, does Mexican and roadhouse food in a retro chrome-diner room; the gruff menu is a joke, and the regulars are friendly.
In October the eating moves into the festhallen. In Waterloo that means Uber Haus at Maxwell's, 35 University Avenue East; the German club halls such as the Concordia Club and the Alpine Club are a short drive south in Kitchener, with sausages and schnitzel served at long tables.
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How we research our Waterloo travel guide
ION, GRT fares and gallery hours in Waterloo were checked with the city website and Destination Canada.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Waterloo.
General
Bridgeport Road. University Avenue East is the exit for the two campuses, and King Street North serves the hotels near Conestoga Mall.
They are separate cities that run into each other, so people treat them as one, K-W. Waterloo has the universities and Uptown; Kitchener is the larger city to the south.
Only if your route exists: it has a few flights, such as WestJet from Calgary. Most travellers fly to Pearson, which has far more choice and sits about an hour east by road.
Waterloo's festhalle is Uber Haus at Maxwell's, 35 University Avenue East. Most of the club festhallen, including the Concordia Club and the Alpine Club, are in Kitchener, and the Thanksgiving Day Parade runs on Thanksgiving Monday.
Yes. It links Uptown with the University of Waterloo and downtown Kitchener, and Grand River Transit buses connect with it.
The old core around King and Erb streets, with most of the restaurants, bars and small sights.
Yes. It runs free public lectures, usually at Waterloo Collegiate Institute on Hazel Street, and occasional concerts; check its website for dates and ticket release.
A lake beside a replica grist mill, a Victorian garden, picnic areas and trails, a short walk from Uptown.
One Grand River Transit fare covers the ION light rail and the buses. The ION runs from Conestoga Mall through the University of Waterloo and Uptown to downtown Kitchener along King Street. Driving is easy with light traffic, but roads bend where the township's farmers needed them.
Timing & weather
Yes, just north of the city, with a large farmers' market and Mennonite farm country around it. PC Connect buses also run there.
The best time to visit Waterloo is May to Oct. Mild weather for Uptown patios and Waterloo Park, ending with Oktoberfest in October.
- Best overall: May - October (Highs of 19C to 27C bring the Uptown patios out, and the season closes with Oktoberfest around Thanksgiving in mid-October)
- Shoulder: April, November (Around 7C to 12C by day; quieter streets, and fine for the galleries on Caroline Street)
- Winter: December - March (January averages -2C by day and -10C at night; during term, students keep Uptown's bars and cafes busy)
Getting there
Route 25 from Mississauga Square One, route 30 from Bramalea and route 17 from Hamilton and Guelph. FlixBus coaches come in from Toronto too.
Most visitors fly into Toronto Pearson and drive west on the 401, about an hour; leave at exit 278 or 278A, take Highway 8 north and the Conestoga Parkway, with Bridgeport Road for Uptown and University Avenue for the campuses. Without a car, GO buses and FlixBus coaches reach University of Waterloo station.
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.
