How to get around to/from Rogers Centre

If you want to catch a game at the Rogers Centre, it will certainly benefit you to have an understanding of how to get around Toronto. Whether it’s walking, taking public transit, driving, or using taxis or rideshare services, here’s everything you need to know to get to the Rogers Centre on gameday.

Where the Rogers Centre is located

As a reminder, the Rogers Centre is located in the Entertainment District at the heart of downtown. There are dozens of hotels in the immediate area, as well as another cluster of hotels nearby in the Financial District, which is also within walking distance of the ballpark. The main public transit hub of the city, Union Station, is only a short 15-minute walk from the Rogers Centre.

The easiest transit method: Walking

If you are staying at pretty much any downtown hotel south of Queen’s Park, your walk to the Rogers Centre is likely going to be less than 30 minutes. If you’re in the Entertainment District or the southern portion of the Financial District, it’s less than 15 minutes. This is certainly the easiest and cheapest transit method if you’re the walking type.

Toronto is a relatively safe city, especially for its size. Sure, there are random instances of crime and areas that are a little less savoury than others, but if you stay near the downtown core, everything is pretty well-lit at night and there is always a police presence around the stadium on game days to ensure fan safety. Thus, safety isn’t really a major concern for walkers in the city, even late at night. 

That isn’t to say you shouldn’t use your head – for example, don’t go walking through dim back alleys at 3:00am. But other than that, if you stay on the major streets, you should be fine, regardless of the time of day or night.

If you are able to walk from your hotel to the stadium, then this is the method of transit we recommend.

Getting to the Rogers Centre by Public Transit

After walking, the best method to get around Toronto is utilizing the public transit system, particularly the subway system. The subway, buses, and streetcars (which are light rail cars on the road surface as opposed to the below-ground subway) are all operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (the “TTC”). The simplest method for getting around the city is the subway system, which has stations along a few major lines going through downtown.

Navigating the Subway

The most important line for you to know is Line 1 (the yellow one on the map). Line 1 is primarily a north/south line, and is shaped like a “U,” running underneath two major streets of Toronto, with both branches converging at Union Station at the bottom of the “U.” The east branch of Line 1 is the Yonge Street line, and the west branch is the University Avenue line. As a rule of thumb, regardless of which branch you get on, if you are boarding a southbound subway car, you are heading towards Union Station, which is where you want to exit the subway to get to the Rogers Centre.

If you are staying somewhere along Line 1, which is anywhere within walking distance of Yonge Street or University Avenue, you will have no trouble finding a subway station. There are stations all along both of them, every five blocks or so, which are marked with a red and white “TTC” sign above the stairs leading underground.

The other major subway line is Line 2, which runs east/west along Bloor Street, and is the green line on the subway map. Bloor Street is quite a way north of the Rogers Centre, so if you’re staying somewhere on Line 2, you’ll have to take the Green Line to the Yellow line to get to the ballpark. It’s doable, but your life will be much easier if you just stay along Line 1.

Arriving at Union Station

When you get to Union Station, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the size and bustle of the station itself. Take your time to read the signs directing you to the different exits, and try to exit on the west side, toward York Street, which will give you the shortest walk to the Rogers Centre. If you exit on the north, east, or south side, that’s okay, you’ll just have to back track a bit around the station as you head west to the Rogers Centre.

Paying your fare

The single ride fare for the subway is $3.35 CAD for an adult, $2.40 for youths 13-19, and $2.30 for seniors aged 65+. Children under 12 ride for free. You can pay by cash, credit card, or debit card. If you are paying by credit or debit card, just tap your card on any available PRESTO machine nearby. 

TSI TIP: Be sure to take your card out of your wallet when you tap – pressing your whole wallet against the machine can lead to charges on multiple cards. 

The subway is almost always faster than driving, as you won’t have to worry about traffic. The subway is also relatively safe, as it will mostly be filled with business commuters and other people trying to get to the Jays game. You should still be vigilant however, especially if you are riding the subway late at night. But we have no problem recommending the subway to you as an appropriate method of travel.

Taking the Streetcar to the Rogers Centre

If you’re staying downtown in a place that is too far to walk to the Rogers Centre and also is not within walking distance of a subway station, you may have to take a TTC streetcar to get to and from the stadium. These streetcars run all over the city, so your route will depend on where you are coming from. We can tell you that the 504 and 510 streetcar lines both get you pretty close to the Rogers Centre. Here’s a quick guide below. 

Many of the streetcars can take you to a subway station on Line 1, at which point you can just transfer from the streetcar to the subway and head south to Union Station. The streetcars are safe and convenient, but because they operate on the surface roads, they are often fighting with traffic like everybody else. For this reason, they are not nearly as fast or efficient as the subway.

However, the streetcars are conveniently located and much cheaper than taking a taxi or a rideshare. You can pay by cash, credit card, or debit card upon boarding a streetcar, but heads up – the drivers do not carry change. So, if you are paying with cash, make sure you have exact change or you might be paying more than expected. If you are paying by credit or debit card, just tap your card on the PRESTO machine located on the car you have boarded. The fares are the same as the fares for the subway, listed above.

Taking the bus to the Rogers Centre

There is also a bus system operated by the TTC, but you would need to be staying somewhere pretty remote for this to be relevant to you. If you are staying anywhere downtown or even just outside of downtown, you will more than likely be able to get to Rogers Centre by using the subway or streetcar system.

Driving to and parking at the Rogers Centre

If you insist on braving the miserable Toronto traffic and want to drive to the Rogers Centre, then please be aware that finding parking can be difficult. There are quite a few parking lots near the Rogers Centre, but they fill up quickly on game days and none of them are cheap. You can expect to pay anywhere from $20-$50 to park your car in a lot near the stadium. You can use either SpotHero or ParkWhiz to book a spot in advance, though SpotHero does have more options than ParkWhiz.

ParkWhiz

TSI TIP: the Blue Jays do not offer parking on gameday underneath the Rogers Centre for purchase to the general public. It is only for season ticket holders and guests who require disabled parking. We have rarely seen parking beneath the stadium available on resale ticketing websites, so you should focus your parking efforts on parking nearby in the downtown area.

Because of how difficult it is to drive around Toronto, we recommend you book a parking spot in advance if you can. The last thing you want is to fight your way through traffic to get to a lot you found on Google Maps only to learn upon arrival that the lot is full, and you have to venture back out into traffic to find another lot.

Again, if this is your preferred method of transit, please plan on leaving early to get to the stadium. And I mean way earlier than you would expect. Traffic will be a nightmare, and finding parking will take longer than you think. Also, if you stay for the entire game instead of leaving early, you will be stuck in traffic forever as you try to leave the area in your car, especially if it’s a Friday or Saturday night. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. We HATE leaving games early for traffic reasons, but this would be one of those times where it could make sense.

Taking a taxi/rideshare to the Rogers Centre

If you’re staying somewhere too far to walk, and aren’t a fan of taking public transportation, then a taxi or rideshare service might be your best option. There are usually taxis parked all along the major roads near the Rogers Centre after games, but you may have to walk a bit to get to one because some of the roads closest to the stadium will be shut down to allow for foot traffic. If you’re struggling to find a taxi, you can always go to the north side of the stadium and find Front Street. If you walk east on Front Street, you will reach the north entrance of Union Station, which always has a lineup of taxis right out front on the south side of Front Street.

There are no designated pickup zones for ridesharing apps at the Rogers Centre, so your best option is to walk a few blocks into the city to call a rideshare on a less busy street. Your best bet will probably be to head to a nearby hotel like the Fairmont Royal York, the InterContinental, or the Ritz-Carlton. Lyft is available in Toronto, but Uber has a bigger presence, so your wait will likely be shorter with Uber. Whether it’s a taxi, Uber, or Lyft, be prepared to sit in traffic for a little while until you’re out of the downtown core.

Bottom Line

The ideal play here is to stay at a hotel within a comfortable walking distance to the stadium, and just walk to and from the stadium on gameday. There are dozens of hotels nearby that make this possible. If you’re staying outside of walking distance, then the TTC public transit is very easy and efficient, and will help you skip the traffic, though it will be easiest if you can stick to the subway and get out at Union Station. 

Taxis and ridesharing apps are viable but will end up being expensive and will have you sitting in traffic for a while. Driving to the stadium yourself also will have you fighting traffic, but adds the inconvenience and expense of finding parking, so this method is not recommended.

Our best advice: if you focus your lodging choice on the zones that we suggested, you’ll have the easiest options available to you in regards to getting to and from the ballpark.