Oakville is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, approximately 30 kilometers west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Get in

By car

The Queen Elizabeth Way runs around the west end of Lake Ontario from Niagara Falls through Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga and becomes the Gardiner Expressway into downtown Toronto. Through Oakville this merges with Highway 403. Exit at Trafalgar Road for a quick route south into the downtown area. Highways 401 and 407 (a toll route) also pass further north of the town.

Driver beware: Oakville and the surrounding area is home to many daily commuters into Toronto for work, sports games etc. During rush hour, most highways in the Greater Toronto Area are stop-and-go. In Oakville, try to avoid the westbound Queen Elizabeth Way west of Ford Drive between 4 pm and 6:30 pm; many cars, the merging Highway 403 and lane reductions due to a QEW widening initiative combine to bring traffic to a standstill. Exiting at Ford Drive and going south to Lakeshore or Cornwall Drive or north to Upper Middle Road (all major, parallel routes) is often a better idea.

By transit

Transit services into Oakville centre on the Oakville train station, which serves both GO Transit and VIA Rail. The station's address is 214 Cross Avenue and it is just off Trafalgar Road. It is about 1.5 km north of downtown Oakville; to get downtown, walk south on Trafalgar Road or take bus 14 south.

Oakville lies on GO Transit's [1] Lakeshore West commuter train line. The Lakeshore West line runs from Union Station in downtown Toronto to Aldershot (north of Hamilton), with rush hour trains continuing to downtown Hamilton. This is GO's most frequent service with peak hour trains running up to every 15 minutes, outside of rush hour trains run between every hour and every half-hour; on weekends and holidays, trains run every hour all day. The first train leaves for Toronto at 5:30am on weekdays and 7:30am on weekends and holidays and the last train arrives from Toronto at 1:19am on weekdays and weekends. The trip from Toronto takes between 25 and 40 minutes and costs $6.00 one-way.

GO Transit also operates two bus services from Oakville train station. The 407 West bus has services from Oakville to Square One in Mississauga, Bramalea in Brampton and York University at the northern edge of Toronto, within Oakville, this bus also stops at Sheridan College; the 407 West bus runs every half-hour all day. The 403 bus runs from Oakville to Square One, Yorkdale subway station on the University-Spadina subway line and Finch subway station on the Yonge subway line in Toronto. The 403 bus runs into Toronto during morning rush hour and to Oakville during afternoon rush hour.

Oakville station lies on Via Rail's [2] Quebec City-Windsor corridor. Two train lines serve Oakville: the Toronto-Windsor line, with 5 round trips everyday, serving Aldershot, Brantford and London (one of these round trips stops/begins at London); and the Toronto-Niagara Falls line, with 3 trips a day to Toronto and 2 trips a day to Niagara Falls, serving Aldershot and St. Catharines, one train a day in each direction begins/ends in New York City, also serving Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany.

Coach Canada [3] operates one round-trip coach service per day from Oakville to Niagara Falls. Coaches stop at the Holiday Inn at 590 Argus Road, just off the QEW.

Get around

Walking is convenient around the downtown core and Bronte areas, and parking is easily available. Elsewhere driving or public transit is easier.

See

• Glen Abbey Golf Course, 1333 Dorval Dr, ☏ +1 905 844-1800. The perennial host of the Canadian Open through the 1980s and 90s, having hosted the golf tournament 22 times since 1981. Most recently it hosted the 2004 tournament when Vijay Singh won and it can expected to have the event again in the near future. Regardless, the Jack Nicklaus designed course is an attraction itself with many dramatic holes that take advantage of the canyon-like valley of Sixteen-Mile Creek for abrupt elevation changes, natural hazards, and scenic beauty. If golfing is not your thing, the club house boasts great dining, there are hiking trails throughout the Sixteen Mile Creek Valley, and a walk or drive over the Upper-Middle bridge will give a view of the valley holes and forest which is especially appealing in fall when the colours change. Glen Abbey also houses the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. 

• There are many parks bordering Lake Ontario along the waterfront. Some of the best ambience is found south of the downtown area between Navy Street and Reynolds Rd. Many century-old homes are also located in this area.

• If you continue down Navy Street to the Lake, there is a lighthouse and pier guarding Oakville harbour which can be walked on; on clear days Toronto's skyline can be viewed due to the curvature of Lake Ontario.

• Erchless Estate. At the bottom of Navy Road by Lake Ontario. A museum chronicles 19th century life and the Erchless family, founders of the town of Oakville. 

• If you like to dream or enjoy interesting architecture, driving along Lakeshore Road east of the downtown area showcases many grand homes and mansions.

• Animation fans should visit Sheridan College, one of the best animation colleges in the world.

Do

Visit Oakville's Downtown [4] section along Lakeshore Road for a quaint small-town feel. Lots of specialty stores as well as high-end boutiques and eateries.

Bronte Creek Provincial Park, [5], the closest Ontario provincial park to Toronto, is located on Burloak Road north of the Queen Elizabeth Way at the western edge of the town. It boasts a large pool perfect for kids, trails, a barn converted to playstructure, historic farm and home and a campground area.

Try walking along the pedestrian pathways bordering Lake Ontario. The Trans Canada Trail [6], winding from coast to coast, runs through the town. Oakville also has many parks for kids and a great atmosphere all year round.

Buy

Downtown Oakville, [7] is the place to be, where Lakeshore Road is lined with an unbeatable variety of fashionable stores and galleries in historic buildings.

Hopedale Mall, [8] located at Third Line and Rebecca Street. Over 50 stores and services including Dominion Foods, Zellers, Blacks Photography, Shoppers Drug Mart, Hopedale Hardware, etc.

Oakville Place, [9] located at the Queen Elizabeth Way and Trafalgar Road, boasts many shops including The Bay, Sears, H&M, Mexx, Roots, Purdy's Chocolates, The Body Shop etc.

• Bronte Village, Lakeshore Rd. W. at Bronte Rd.. Mostly modern buildings, but a small-town atmosphere. Street-front shops line parts of Bronte and Lakeshore Rds., and there is also the Bronte Village Mall, at the corner of Lakeshore and Jones. 

Eat

• 1 Celadon House, 630 Ford Drive (Celadon House), ☏ +1 905-257-5725. Sharing their passion "live to eat...", Authentic Asian comfort food in a spacious and relaxing atmosphere. Mains $10-20. 

Drink

Oakville has little nightlife to speak of for a city of its size. (150 000+)

• The King's Arms - 323 Church Street

One of the busier bars in Oakville, located right downtown. Open until last call (2am) even on Sunday or Monday. Some nights features live music and acoustic sets. Also features a great outdoor patio.

• The Fire Hall - 2441 Lakeshore Road

Great food and service, excellent patio as well. Located in the heart of Oakville's Bronte area, by the lake.

• 1 Brü, 138 Lakeshore Road East, ☏ +1 905 844-4400. 7 days a week, lunch and dinner. Excellent selection of craft beer, many of them local. Ca six beers on tap and 30 in bottles. Also have good snacks and pub food. Free Parking After 6PM. 

Sleep

• Oakville Inn Hotel Downtown Comfort, 162 Lakeshore Rd East (QEW to Trafalgar to Lakeshore), ☏ +1 905-844-3671, reservations@oakvilleinn.ca. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Rooms and suites equipped with kitchenette, individual heat/air conditioning, free wi-fi, complimentary breakfast and beverage, snacks and fresh fruit available all day. $125+. 

Stay safe

Oakville is a very safe town. Unless you get reckless, visiting Oakville shouldn't pose any danger to you.

Go next

Routes through Oakville

London ← Burlington ←	W  E	→ Toronto → END
Niagara Falls ← Burlington ←	W  E	→ Toronto → END
Hamilton ← Burlington ←	W  E	→ Mississauga → Toronto
Hamilton ← Burlington ←	W  E	→ Mississauga → Brampton via
Hamilton ← Burlington ←	W  E	→ Mississauga → Toronto