Travel & Accommodations
Accommodations
You’ll need someplace to crash after a busy day at the True North conference and a night of merry-making at the True North Festival. Please visit Waterloo Region Tourism for info on True North hotels in Waterloo Region.
How to Get Here
There are plenty of options for getting to the hottest startup community in Canada for the nation’s coolest tech conference. Easy to get to, hard to leave!
By Plane
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
Located just an hour’s drive away, hundreds of international flights land at YYZ every day. You can rent a car or pre-arrange transportation to and from Waterloo.
Distance: 87km / 54mi
Waterloo International Airport (YKF)
YKF offers daily service to and from Calgary, Alberta. It’s a short drive via rental car (reserve in advance), limo, taxi or car-sharing service from YKF to partner hotels or the conference venue.
Distance: 13km / 8mi
FlyGTA also offers air-taxi service from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport directly to the Waterloo International Airport (YKF) – it’s a short, 18-minute flight.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)
BUF is the closest U.S. airport to Waterloo Region. From Buffalo, you will need to rent a car and cross the border into Canada. The drive to Waterloo is approximately two hours.
Distance: 185km / 115mi
Other Options
There are daily flights into Hamilton International Airport (YHM @ 68km / 42mi) and London International Airport (YXU @ 105km / 65mi). You will then need to rent a car or arrange transportation to Waterloo. (Tip: That’s London, Ontario – not London, England.)
By Train or Bus
Via Rail and GO Transit offer daily service to Waterloo Region. When you’re booking tickets, your stop is “Kitchener.” From the central train station, it’s a short car ride (via taxi, limo or car-sharing service) to your hotel.
A number of bus lines stop in Waterloo Region at the Kitchener Transit Terminal, including Greyhound Canada, Coach Canada and GO Transit.
By Automobile
Road trip, anyone? Waterloo Region is located off Hwy 401 – Canada’s largest highway connecting through Toronto and directly to our borders with the U.S. Approximate drive times from key metro areas are listed below.
Toronto, ON – 1 hour, 15 mins
London, ON – 1 hour, 15 mins
Niagara Falls – 1 hour, 40 mins
Buffalo, NY – 2 hours
Detroit, MI – 3 hours, 30 mins
Chicago, IL – 7 hours, 30 mins
New York, NY – 8 hours, 40 mins
It all happens @LOT42
LOT42 is a revitalized industrial campus with more than 17 acres of flexible space for limitless cultural, professional and community applications. The former steel production facility is the primary location for True North conference and workshop activity. And the perfect place to talk about transformation.
If you’re driving to LOT42, you can get directions here. Regular shuttles will also bring True North participants from select hotels to LOT42. Shuttle schedules and parking information will be available on the True North website prior to the event.