Toronto Island ferry schedule and ferry information
You must take a ferry to get to the Island. It is possible to take a private water taxi or a tender but the vast majority of people will use the ferry service operated by the City of Toronto.
Ferry tickets can be purchased on the city side at the terminal or bought online. Ferries can accommodate wheelchairs as well as bicycles and strollers and provide year round service to the three main group of islands called Ward's Island, Centre Island and Hanlan's Point. The islands are all connected, so you can walk from one to another. The main attractions and majority of childrens' activities are on Centre Island.
The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, commonly called the ferry docks or simply the ferry terminal is located at the base of Bay Street and Queens Quay. Access to the terminal is easy on foot and by public transit. Nearby parking is very limited and costly.
The terminal is serviced by the 509 and 510 streetcars that connect to Union Station, which in turn connects into the subway system. If you're arriving by a GO train or Via train you can easily walk from Union Station to the ferry terminal in 15 minutes at most - just walk south on Bay Street all the way to the lake.
All schedules are Monday to Sunday and holidays.
Centre Island ferry schedule as of September 16, 2024
| Departs City | Departs Centre Island |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. | 8:15 a.m. |
| 8:30 a.m. | 8:45 a.m. |
| 9:00 a.m. | 9:15 a.m. |
| 9:30 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. |
| 10:20 a.m. | 10:40 a.m. |
| 11:00 a.m. | 11:20 a.m. |
| 12:10 p.m. | 12:30 p.m. |
| 12:50 p.m. | 1:10 p.m. |
| 1:30 p.m. | 1:50 p.m. |
| 2:25 p.m. | 2:45 p.m. |
| 3:05 p.m. | 3:25 p.m. |
| 4:00 p.m. | 4:20 p.m. |
| 4:40 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| 5:35 p.m. | 5:55 p.m. |
| 6:15 p.m. | 6:35 p.m. |
| 6:55 p.m. | 7:15 p.m. |
| 7:35 p.m. | 7:55 p.m. |
| 8:45 p.m. | 9:05 p.m. |
| 9:25 p.m. | 9:45 p.m. |
| 10:05 p.m. | 10:25 p.m. |
| 10:55 p.m. | 11:15 p.m. |
Hanlan's Point ferry schedule as of September 16, 2024
| Departs City | Departs Hanlan’s Point |
|---|---|
| 6:45 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. |
| 7:15 a.m. | 7:30 a.m. |
| 7:45 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. |
| 8:30 a.m. | 8:45 a.m. |
| 9:15 a.m. | 9:30 a.m. |
| 9:45 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. |
| 10:15 a.m. | 10:30 a.m. |
| 11:15 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| 11:45 a.m. | Noon |
| 12:15 p.m. | 12:30 p.m. |
| 12:45 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. |
| 1:15 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. |
| 2:00 p.m. | 2:15 p.m. |
| 2:30 p.m. | 2:45 p.m. |
| 3:00 p.m. | 3:15 p.m. |
| 3:30 p.m. | 3:35 p.m. |
| 4:15 p.m. | 4:30 p.m. |
| 4:45 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| 5:15 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. |
| 5:45 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| 6:15 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. |
| 6:45 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. |
| 7:45 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. |
| 8:15 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. |
| 8:45 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
| 9:30 p.m. | 9:45 p.m. |
Ward's Island ferry schedule as of September 16, 2024
| Departs City | Departs Ward’s Island |
|---|---|
| 6:30 a.m. | 6:45 a.m. |
| 7:00 a.m. | 7:15 a.m. |
| 7:30 a.m. | 7:45 a.m. |
| 8:15 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. |
| 9:00 a.m. | 9:15 a.m. |
| 9:30 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. |
| 10:30 a.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| 11:30 a.m. | 11:45 a.m. |
| Noon | 12:15 p.m. |
| 12:30 p.m. | 12:45 p.m. |
| 1:30 p.m. | 1:45 p.m. |
| 2:00 p.m. | 2:15 p.m. |
| 2:30 p.m. | 2:45 p.m. |
| 3:30 p.m. | 3:45 p.m. |
| 4:00 p.m. | 4:15 p.m. |
| 4:30 p.m. | 4:45 p.m. |
| 5:30 p.m. | 5:45 p.m. |
| 6:00 p.m. | 6:15 p.m. |
| 6:30 p.m. | 6:45 p.m. |
| 7:30 p.m. | 7:45 p.m. |
| 8:30 p.m. | 8:45 p.m. |
| 9:30 p.m. | 9:45 p.m. |
| 10:30 p.m. | 10:45 p.m. |
| 11:00 p.m. | 11:15 p.m. |
| 11:30 p.m. | 11:45 p.m. |
For the ferry schedule during fall and winter visit this page.
During busy periods - for example on long weekends - the Tornado Island ferry schedule often becomes unmanageable by the ferries. This is because ferries can only transport a certain amount of people, which means some people waiting in line may have to take the next ferry. Be prepared to wait 30-60 minutes.
Pricing - including return ticket, taxes included
Ticket price includes your return trip - you don't need to show tickets on the way back.
$9.11 for adults, $5.86 for students and seniors, $4.29 under 14, free under 2. Monthly passes available. Tickets are available for purchase online. When you get to the docks, look for a special line for people with pre-purchased tickets. You don't need to purchase a return ticket or even show your ticket for the return ferry.
Call 416-392-8193 for more information.
Ferry terminal - city side
There is a bike share (formerly Bixi) rack by the terminal so if you want a ride around the island and the bicycle rental isn't open or you have a bike share pass and don't want to pay extra you can pick up a bike from the rack and return it on your way back. There are washrooms by the waiting area as well as payphones and a ticket vending machine (that doesn't always work). There is also an indoors waiting area with a snack bar (though it's not always open). You can find a map of the island inside the waiting area next to the washrooms.
For your consideration
Not counting mid-summer heat waves, it can be surprisingly cold on the ferry so you may want to stay on the lower deck or bring a sweater.
A few rules to keep in mind: No bikes on the upper deck. Wait for people to unload first. Watch for kids. Don't hold your kids on your shoulders by the railing on the ferry's upper deck. Dogs on leash are OK. Extra wide triple strollers are also allowed but you won't be popular during peak hours. No extra fee for bikes.
The ferry will wait for everyone to board so no need to elbow people out of your way - though the odd time on a busy weekend or special event you might have to wait for the next boat if you're at the end of a very crowded line. You won't get seasick on the ferry - the trip is only 10-15 minutes to any of the three islands. There are washrooms on the lower level. Great photo of city skyline and waterfront on upper deck.
Toronto Island water taxi service
An alternative to the low cost ferry rides is to take a water taxi. They can take you across the water in about 5 minutes but the price is naturally more expensive at $12-$15 per person one-way depending on the company. During busy periods even water taxis have a lineup but it moves considerably faster than the queue for the ferries.
To help plan your trip to the island, here's a list of 2024 holidays in Canada.
Send in your comments about the ferry service to Toronto Islands
Frequency of the ferry service can be improved. No need to make people wait for an hour. Please value people’s time.
Thank you
Can I bring my bike to take the ferry? Any restriction about it?
Beyond disgusted and disturbed that Toronto couldn’t figure out how to control a crowd of people when waiting to get on a Ferry. People were panicked and stressed to protect their children and pets while trying to navigate a very aggressive crowd. This situation could be easily remedied with planned measures in place by whoever is in charge to take care of public safety. It baffles me why something like this can continue to happen.
Why is the ferry so late. I've standing in line for over an hour. I think I should be provided a refund for the terrible service provided plus additional free fares for the future.
Went to the island on a Monday in summer which I expected to be busy. Was totally disgusted with people pushing and shoving to try and get closer to the front instead of waiting in line in a reasonable fashion. We had a couple strollers , a wagon with 4 kids in it and a wheel chair for a handicap child and people just pushed in front cutting you off. We found out later that the wheel chair child could of got brought in thru a gate instead of trying to keep people from trying to push past her and cut her off while waiting for the ferry line, and then when departing the boat, people literally pushed her out of the way because they couldn't wait an extra minute because they are so ignorant. Also when we got to the docks to get back to mainland there was so many people waiting and no boats coming. They know the park is closed, why don't they put more boats on and get everyone back. Had fun at the park but was annoyed with people and the ferry service
So, message to ferry staff, if you see a disabled person at the ticket sales, maybe tell them there is a pre-boarding option! Would have prevented me sitting in my wheelchair for 1 1/2 hours among a herd of people who nudged me, tripped over me, hit me with their bags,while I became overheated and claustrophobic waiting for the ferry! Only to be told at the gate "oh, u should've asked one of us to bring u in from the side!" HOW???when all I could see from where I was were people's backs in a crowd ????
It's like others have said. We don't push and shove in this country and plow through families to get on a ferry. At what point do we talk about this issue?
The people that are new here are the great majority using the ferry apparently. Permanent tourists who push and shove and frankly don't smell nice at all.
So at an average cost of $10/ticket and 800 people on board it's $8000/ride income for the City? Maybe ticket prices should be seasonal. The experience is vastly different during the summer versus any other time of the year, summer being the experience of herring in a can.