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A great way to explore Toronto is to walk through its various neighbourhoods and districts. You can find almost anything especially in the downtown area. Little Italy, China Town, Korea Town, Greek Town, Little India, Kensington Market, the Fashion District, the Distillery District, the Beaches, the financial district, Harbourfront, High Park and Toronto Island are wonderful places to explore on foot. You will notice that most streets in Toronto follow an easy grid system (streets run either north / south or east / west), so it is important to know your directions when getting oriented. Buildings with even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6, 8…) are found on one side of the street and buildings with odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7…) are on the opposite side. Often a street will have a west name (Dundas Street West) as well as an east name (Dundas Street East). The line between east and west is located along Yonge Street, which divides the city into two halves. To find a specific location, visit MapQuest and type in the address. You will immediately view a detailed map of the location. Try one of the many walking tours in the city to know more about its history and orientation; visit Muddy York Tours.
Public Transportation
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) provides the most inexpensive and environmentally friendly way to get around the city. The TTC is open every day. Subways run Monday to Saturday from 6:00 am to 1:30 am, and Sunday from 9:00 am to 1:30 am. Buses and streetcars are usually available from 5:00 am to 1:30 am and on many major streets, there are 24-hour routes. Passengers pay for one-way trips (regardless of distance) and can transfer freely between subway lines, buses and streetcars. Sometimes a paper "transfer" is required for this and these are located in subway stations and in buses and streetcars. Day passes, weekly passes and monthly Metropasses are also available for those who take multiple trips on the TTC. Tickets, tokens and passes are available at all subway stations and some convenience stores. Seniors and high school students can get discounted prices. Please note that the Metropass can only be used from the first day of the month to the last day.
TTC fares are as follows:
One-way cash = $2.75
5 tickets / tokens = $10.50
10 tickets / tokens = $21.00
Day Pass = $8.50 Weekly Pass = $30.00 Monthly Metropass = $99.75
More information about the TTC can be found at the TTC web site.
Taxis are a more expensive option in Toronto. They usually start with a charge of $2.50 and are metered by the minute. Each taxi operating in the city has a registration number and each driver must display official identification.
For traveling out of town, Greyhound is the major bus line used to travel from city to city. There are bus terminals located at the corner of Bay St. and Dundas St., at York Mills Station and at Yorkdale Station. For more details, go to www.greyhound.ca. Trains within and outside the Greater Toronto Area are operated by Go Transit. Via Rail trains travel across the country. Both terminals are found at Union Station.
International Drivers Document
IDD is based on the United Nations standards on Road Traffic.
On September 19, 1949, the first Road Traffic Agreement was created and the United Nations established an International Document to facilitate the travel of motorists in foreign countries where language barriers create difficulties for both, motorists and local officers. This document establishes the right for a person to drive in another country when accompanied by an original and valid driver’s license, translating your driving permit in 9 languages.
How the translation works.
Your current domestic or national driving permit, plus the additional application form data provides us the necessary information to translate your driver’s license with the IDD booklet and the non-government ID card. Your name, residence, kind of vehicles allowed to drive and more information is easily translated in the IDD booklet in 9 languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, German, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese. The complementary card, translates this information in English in the front and the PDF417 standard barcode in the back, for officer scanners in all over the world.
How to properly use the document.
- Driving as a tourist in any place of the world, you can present your current valid driver license, plus the International Driver Document (IDD Booklet plus the card) to facilitate the understanding of your permit to any local authority in the world.
- This translation is valid for up to three years, but it can’t be used for more than a year in the same country, or once the driver establishes a residence there. If the driver lives or stays in this country, the motorist must apply for a local driving permit.
- Remember, the IDD is only a translation of a driver’s license and not a regular driver’s license. The IDD, without a currently valid driving permit is not a useful or valid document to present to any authority.
Details of benefits.
As explained above, The International Driver Document is intended to overcome the difficulties you might have while driving a vehicle in another country that may a have different language than your own. As additional feature, this document is fully useful in many car rentals and local driving authorities for identification, motor vehicle registration or insurance proposes.
Application process.
The application process is fast and simple. Your only need to fill out the IDD application form and attach a copy of currently valid driver license, and color photo. This process can be easily entered online, with scanned images of photo, driver license and signature (the fastest way), by regular post mail, or applying in person at the Miami headquarters offices. To fully understand the application process.
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| Shipping prices / DHL delivery options USA Ground Shipping 3-5 business days**: USD 5 USA Express Shipping 1-2 business days**: USD 15 INTERNATIONAL Express Shipping 2-5 business days**: USD 40 |
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