Billy Bishop Is on the Waterfront.
It Just Doesn’t Take Jets.
Toronto has two airports worth knowing. Billy Bishop sits on the Toronto Islands, a short walk through a tunnel from the waterfront, but jets are banned there and a curfew closes it from 11 p.m. to 6:45 a.m. Pearson takes every aircraft in the fleet, about 20 minutes from downtown outside rush hour. Which one you use comes down to the aircraft, and we decide that first.
What to Do in Toronto and Beyond
Start where the city is densest. The Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum are a short drive apart, and St. Lawrence Market on Front Street has fed the city since 1803. The Toronto Islands are a short ferry ride from the foot of Bay Street, and the view back at the skyline is the one on the postcards.
The calendar does the rest. The Maple Leafs and Raptors share Scotiabank Arena from October into spring, and the Blue Jays play downtown at the Rogers Centre through September. TIFF takes over King Street every September. The RBC Canadian Open comes to TPC Toronto in Caledon on 9–13 June 2027, about an hour north-west of downtown.
Toronto is also a starting point. Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Niagara Peninsula wineries are about 90 minutes by road. Muskoka’s lakes are two to three hours north, or you can fly straight into Muskoka Airport and skip the drive. Blue Mountain, Ontario’s largest ski area, is roughly two hours away.
When Toronto Fills Up
A few stretches of the year decide whether you get the hotel you wanted. Book the room first, then the aircraft.
Art Toronto
October 29 – November 1, 2026
Canada’s art fair runs four days at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, with Thursday’s opening night in aid of the McMichael. Downtown rooms tighten across that weekend, and the galleries book their own travel early. Fly into Pearson — about twenty minutes to the convention centre outside rush hour.
RBC Canadian Open
June 9–13, 2027
The PGA TOUR stop returns to TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, about an hour north-west of downtown. Rooms in the city and on the course side both go early, and the Sunday departure peak is the one to plan around. Fly into Pearson and drive up.
Leafs & Raptors
October into spring
Both share Scotiabank Arena, a block from Union Station, from October into spring. A playoff run tightens hotels with very little warning, and the good seats and the good rooms move together. Fly into Pearson, or into Billy Bishop downtown in a turboprop.
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Where to Stay in Toronto
Four Toronto hotels hold Forbes Travel Guide five stars for 2026: the Four Seasons and the Hazelton in Yorkville, the Shangri-La on University Avenue and the St. Regis in the financial district. The Four Seasons spa is the only five-star spa in the city.
The Park Hyatt and the Ritz-Carlton hold four stars, and 1 Hotel on King West is the sustainable option. The Fairmont Royal York has faced Union Station since 1929, which matters if the plan involves a train.
The honest constraint is TIFF. For the festival’s run in September, downtown fills and Yorkville goes first. Book the room before the aircraft. For cottage country, Muskoka Airport is an airport of entry with CBSA on call-out and a 15-passenger limit, so a lake weekend can clear customs there directly.
Where to Eat in Toronto
The 2026 MICHELIN Guide Toronto & Region came out on 23 September with no new stars and fifteen in total. Restaurant Pearl Morissette, in Lincoln on the Niagara Peninsula, is the only two-star room in the province. It is about 75 minutes from downtown and worth building a day around.
In the city, fourteen restaurants hold one star. Alo, Edulis, Enigma Yorkville, Don Alfonso 1890 and Osteria Giulia are the ones clients ask for by name. Sushi Masaki Saito, Shoushin, Kappo Sato and Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto cover the Japanese counters. Book the table before you book the jet.
The other half of Toronto costs less. The peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel Bakery in St. Lawrence Market is the city’s own breakfast. Rol San on Spadina has served dim sum in Chinatown for more than thirty years. The Lunch Lady of Saigon on Ossington earned a new Bib Gourmand this year for pho built on wagyu, oxtail and beef cheek.
We will happily time wheels-down around a reservation.
Flying into Toronto
Toronto Pearson has five runways, the longest 11,120 feet, at 569 feet of elevation. Nothing in the fleet is limited by the pavement. The paperwork is the constraint: every general aviation arrival and departure needs a reservation through the airport’s Online Coordination System. We file it. You should just know it exists.
Pearson also runs a night budget. Movements between 12:30 a.m. and 6:29 a.m. come out of an annual allocation set by Transport Canada, so a late arrival is possible but not guaranteed. Skyservice, with two FBOs on the field, and Signature both run 24 hours, and Signature offers heated hangar space in winter.
Billy Bishop is the other answer. Its runway is 3,988 feet, jets are banned under the 1983 Tripartite Agreement, and in July 2026 Ottawa declined to support the plan to allow them. For a turboprop that meets its noise rules it puts you on the waterfront. For anything with jet engines it is not an option.
The Airports Peak Uses
YYZ: Toronto Pearson · 05/23 11,120 ft, 15L/33R 11,050 ft and three more runways over 9,000 ft · elevation 569 ft · GA arrivals and departures by reservation through the Online Coordination System · night budget 00:30–06:29 · about 20 minutes to downtown · FBOs Skyservice South, Skyservice Midfield and Signature, all 24/7
YTZ: Billy Bishop Toronto City · 08/26 3,988 ft · no jets under the Tripartite Agreement · curfew 23:00–06:45 · on the Toronto Islands, reached by pedestrian tunnel or ferry · turboprops only
YHM: Hamilton John C. Munro · 12/30 10,006 ft, 06/24 6,010 ft · 64 km south-west of Toronto · a jet-capable field on the Niagara side of the lake
YKF: Region of Waterloo · 08/26 7,003 ft · Kitchener-Waterloo, west of the city · FBO Chartright
YQA: Muskoka · 18/36 6,000 ft · airport of entry, CBSA on call-out, 15 passengers maximum · for cottage country, not the city
Not usable, and worth saying plainly. Buttonville closed in November 2023 and Downsview followed in 2024. Neither is coming back.
Peak quotes across more than 5,000 airports nationwide and worldwide. If a field is not on this list and you want to use it, ask, and we will tell you honestly whether it works.
Flight Times to Toronto
Most of the US Northeast is about an hour out — Teterboro and Dulles in under one, Boston a little over. Times below are wheels-up to wheels-down into Pearson.
Montreal YUL0 h 50
Teterboro TEB0 h 55
Washington Dulles IAD0 h 55
Boston Bedford BED1 h 05
Chicago Midway MDW1 h 05
Nashville BNA1 h 30
Atlanta Peachtree PDK1 h 40
Palm Beach PBI2 h 35
Dallas Love DAL2 h 35
Aspen ASE3 h 05
Bozeman BZN3 h 20
Calgary YYC3 h 35
Van Nuys VNY4 h 35
Times vary with aircraft, winds and routing.
Choosing the Aircraft for Toronto
Toronto is a short-leg city. Most of the US cities that do business with it are under 90 minutes away, which changes the math on aircraft.
Ask about customs before you ask about seats. The passenger count decides which fields can clear you.
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Empty Legs to and from Toronto
Toronto is a two-way border. Aircraft run between Pearson and the US Northeast all week, and they do not always fly both legs full.
Empty legs post with little notice, price well below a full charter, and suit a flexible date. The current list is on the empty legs page.
Toronto Charter Questions
Can a private jet land at Billy Bishop airport?
No. The 1983 Tripartite Agreement bans jet aircraft at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, and in July 2026 the federal government declined to support a plan to allow them. Turboprops that meet the airport’s noise rules can use it between 6:45 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Which airport do private jets use in Toronto?
Toronto Pearson. It takes every jet size on five runways up to 11,120 feet, and Skyservice and Signature run private terminals there around the clock. Hamilton and Region of Waterloo are jet-capable alternates south-west and west of the city.
How does customs work flying private into Toronto from the United States?
The pilot reports to the Canada Border Services Agency Telephone Reporting Centre two to 48 hours before arrival, and passengers clear at the FBO rather than the main terminal. Muskoka Airport also takes private arrivals, with CBSA on call-out and a 15-passenger limit.
Does Pearson restrict private flights at night?
Yes. Movements between 12:30 a.m. and 6:29 a.m. come out of a night budget set by Transport Canada, so late slots are limited. Every general aviation arrival and departure also needs a reservation through the airport’s Online Coordination System, which we file.
When does Toronto book out?
TIFF in September is the tightest stretch downtown, and Yorkville hotels go first. The RBC Canadian Open runs 9 to 13 June 2027 at TPC Toronto in Caledon. A playoff run for the Leafs, Raptors or Blue Jays tightens hotels with very little warning.
Does Peak charge membership fees?
No. Peak Aviation Solutions is a pilot-founded charter broker in Bozeman, Montana. No membership fees, no annual dues, all-inclusive pricing. Every operator is ARGUS TripCheq and Wyvern vetted, across more than 5,000 airports nationwide and worldwide.
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