With a population of 97 475, Waterloo is a must-see destination in Ontario, Canada. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country. We recommend you stay at least 3 days in order to fully appreciate everything Waterloo has to offer.
If you’re looking for affordable options, The Bauer Kitchen (187 King St.) and Loloan Lobby Bar (14 Princess St W) are great picks. For delicious green meals, Wildcraft (425 King Street North) and Sole Restaurant (83 Erb Street West Building Two) are recommended spots to get vegetarian or vegan food in Waterloo.
When flying to Waterloo, you’ll arrive at Toronto Kitchener-Waterloo (YKF), which is located 11 km from the city center. The shortest flight to Waterloo from the United States departs from Nashville and takes around 1h 59m.
VIA Rail Canada is the most popular train carrier serving Waterloo, followed by UP Express. The train journey from Waterloo to Burlington takes 0h 39m and costs around $15 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from London, expect to pay about $33 for a 2h 30m trip.
Another option to get to Waterloo is to pick up a car rental from Toronto, which is about 94 km from Waterloo. You’ll find branches of Economy Rent a Car and Routes Car & Truck Rentals, among others, in Toronto.
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Waterloo, including Bus, Rider Express and OurBus. From London, the bus ride to Waterloo takes 209 km and will cost you around $33. From Kingston, the ticket costs about $18 for a journey of 233 km. Waterloo’s bus station is located 2.7 km from the city center.
Average rates range from around $126 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to $105 and up for a 5-star experience.
Renting a car in Waterloo costs $31 per day, on average, or $93 if you want to rent if for 3 days. Budget, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Thrifty are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to rent a car in Waterloo is the Enterprise Rent-A-Car branch at 379 Weber St. N., which is 2 km from the city center.
It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 6% cheaper than airport locations in Waterloo.
Expect to pay $5.41 per gallon in Waterloo (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $64.96 and $86.61. The most frequently booked car type in Waterloo is Full-size (Ford Expedition or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Economy rental cars (Kia Rio or similar) are, on average, 48% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.