Is London, Ontario Worth Visiting? A Relaxed Side Trip from Toronto

Is London, Ontario Worth Visiting? Quick Answer

London, Ontario gets overlooked when people plan side trips from Toronto. I think they are missing something.

Is London, Ontario worth visiting? Yes. London works especially well if you want a slower city break with good food, local sport, family attractions, Canadian history and enough to fill a day or two without feeling rushed.

I personally love London because it feels like a city people live in, rather than a place arranged around tourists. You can have coffee at Covent Garden Market, wander downtown, catch a university game, spend time along the Thames or take the grandchildren somewhere fun without building a military-grade itinerary.

If you want…	London works
Same-day Toronto side trip	Yes
One or two-night getaway	Even better
Train travel	Excellent
Budget bus travel	Good option
Sports	Excellent
Family activities	Excellent
Good food without a complicated plan	Strong
One famous bucket-list landmark	Not really

If London is part of a larger Ontario trip, my Spring and Summer Getaways from Toronto guide gives you more easy side-trip options to compare.

Getting from Toronto to London Without Making It Complicated

VIA Rail

For a same-day visit or a one or two-night break, VIA Rail is my preferred option. VIA lists Toronto–London and London–Toronto among its Ontario routes, and London is only a couple of hours from Toronto by train.

The useful part is what happens when you arrive. The station sits close to downtown. If you stay at the Delta Hotels London Armouries, the hotel is within a short walk of the station. Museum London also lists its downtown location as an 11-minute walk from VIA Rail.

Train schedules change, so check the current timetable before building your day around a specific departure. When the early Toronto and evening London services line up well, you can fit a surprising amount into a same-day visit.

If you are staying in Toronto before or after London, my guide to hotels close to Union Station helps keep the rail portion of the trip simple.

FlixBus

If budget matters more than shaving time off the trip, FlixBus deserves a look. At the time of this update, FlixBus lists Toronto–London trips from $28.98, a minimum trip time of about 2 hours 20 minutes and multiple daily departures. Prices and schedules move, so treat those numbers as a planning reference, not a promise.

Driving

Driving gives you more freedom if Storybook Gardens, Fanshawe Pioneer Village or several places outside central London are on your list. For a downtown-focused visit, I would still take the train and leave Highway 401 to someone else.

What I Would Do With One Day in London

Keep the day simple.

Start at Covent Garden Market. The market has been part of downtown London since 1845 and remains packed with food merchants and local vendors. Grab coffee, breakfast or lunch and give yourself time to look around.

From there, choose what interests you instead of trying to collect attractions. Museum London is downtown, overlooks the Thames and currently offers free admission. History fans can make Banting House National Historic Site the main stop. If the weather is good, spend some time around the river or head toward Wortley Village for a slower neighbourhood wander.

One day is enough to have a great day in London. It is not enough to see everything, and that is fine.

London Is a Great Sports City

This is one of the reasons I enjoy London.

Western University gives you an unusual opportunity to turn one Saturday into several sporting events. I have gone to days where men’s and women’s soccer sat alongside men’s and women’s rugby, or where football was followed by a hockey exhibition game.

The 2026 schedules show how this can happen. On October 10, for example, Western lists women’s soccer at 1:00 p.m., men’s rugby at 1:00 p.m., men’s hockey at 3:00 p.m. and men’s soccer at 3:15 p.m. You clearly cannot be in four places at once, but you can build a cheap, entertaining sports day around what fits.

Check the Western Mustangs schedules before getting your heart set on one sport. Seasons overlap, schedules move and the best day might be the one where two or three events line up.

Outside Western, London also has the London Knights for hockey and the London Majors for baseball. VIA Rail itself highlights both teams when promoting London as an Ontario destination.

If sports often shape your trips, you might also enjoy my Tennis Tournament Travel Guide for Seniors, which uses the same idea: build the trip around the event, then leave room to enjoy the city.

London Works Well for Families

London gives grandparents and multigenerational families enough choice without turning the trip into one giant theme-park marathon.

Storybook Gardens, inside Springbank Park, is the classic choice for younger children. The City of London lists summer play structures, rides, a splash pad and family programming, plus seasonal winter skating when conditions cooperate.

For something more active and weather-proof, head to 100 Kellogg Lane. The complex brings The Factory, food, entertainment and the Hard Rock Hotel together in one place. Hard Rock promotes direct indoor access to The Factory’s trampolines, ropes course and arcade, which makes this an easy base when the grandchildren have more energy than the adults.

Fanshawe Pioneer Village gives you a slower, history-focused family option when it is open for the season.

The Food Scene Makes the Day Easy

London’s food scene does not need to become another research project.

Start at Covent Garden Market if you want something casual. If you are staying downtown, Richmond and Dundas streets give you plenty of places to stop without trekking across the city. If you are based at 100 Kellogg Lane, the complex has multiple food and drink options on site.

My approach is simple: pick the area you are already exploring, then eat there. The best lunch loses some charm when you spend forty minutes getting to it.

Where I Would Stay in London

I would keep the hotel decision to two choices.

Delta Hotels London Armouries

The Delta Hotels London Armouries is my first choice for a downtown visit. The hotel sits at 325 Dundas Street inside the historic armoury, close to Covent Garden Market, Canada Life Place and other central attractions. Tourism London also notes that the hotel is within blocks of the VIA Rail station.

Best for: train travellers, couples, solo travellers, sports weekends and short downtown stays.

Hard Rock Hotel London, Ontario

The Hard Rock Hotel London, Ontario makes more sense if 100 Kellogg Lane is a major part of the trip. Canada’s first Hard Rock Hotel opened there in 2025, and the property promotes direct access to the entertainment, dining and family attractions in the complex.

Best for: families, multigenerational trips, The Factory and travellers who want several activities under one roof.

The choice is easy: Delta for downtown. Hard Rock for 100 Kellogg Lane.

If you are comparing hotel styles more broadly, my questions to ask before booking a hotel will help you check noise, room setup, accessibility and the details easy to miss on a booking screen.

Who Will Enjoy London Most?

London suits mature travellers, solo visitors, couples and families who prefer a manageable city break over a frantic attraction checklist.

Markets, museums, sporting events, cafés and downtown walks all work well alone. Families have several age-friendly choices. Couples can spend more time eating and wandering than standing in lines.

If this is your first Ontario trip and you have only one spare day, Niagara Falls will have stronger bucket-list appeal. If theatre is the whole point, Stratford has a clearer focus. London wins when you want a real city, a slower pace and the freedom to decide what sort of day you feel like having.

For more Toronto planning before your side trip, see my first-time Toronto guide and Toronto fall and winter getaway guide.

One Day or Two?

One day works. Take the train, start downtown, eat well and choose one main activity.

One night is better. You gain dinner, a game or theatre without watching the clock for the return trip.

Two nights make sense if you want to add 100 Kellogg Lane, Storybook Gardens, Fanshawe Pioneer Village or more neighbourhood exploring.

I would not stretch London into a week unless it forms part of a wider Southwestern Ontario trip. This city is at its best when the visit feels easy.

FAQs About Visiting London, Ontario

So, Is London, Ontario Worth Visiting?

Yes, London, Ontario is worth visiting if you want an easy side trip from Toronto without replacing one busy city with another exhausting itinerary.

Take the train. Walk downtown. Eat at the market. Catch a game. Bring the grandchildren to Storybook Gardens or The Factory. Stay at the Delta for downtown convenience or the Hard Rock if your trip revolves around 100 Kellogg Lane.

London does not need a world-famous landmark to give you a good day.

And some days, a good day is exactly what you came looking for.

Internal Links Used

• https://almurrayenterprises.net/destinations-posts/spring-and-summer-getaways-from-toronto-for-seniors/
• https://almurrayenterprises.net/destinations-posts/what-hotels-are-close-to-union-station-in-toronto/
• https://almurrayenterprises.net/sportstravel/tennis-tournament-travel-guide-for-seniors/
• https://almurrayenterprises.net/destinations-posts/questions-to-ask-when-booking-a-hotel/
• https://almurrayenterprises.net/destinations-posts/visiting-toronto-for-the-first-time/
• https://almurrayenterprises.net/destinations-posts/toronto-fall-and-winter-getaways-easy-seasonal-trips-for-mature-travellers/

External References

• https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/provinces/ontario
• https://www.flixbus.ca/bus-routes/toronto-on-london-on
• https://coventmarket.com/
• https://museumlondon.ca/visit/
• https://nationaltrustcanada.ca/destinations/banting-house
• https://westernmustangs.ca/
• https://london.ca/storybookgardens
• https://www.fanshawepioneervillage.ca/
• https://100kellogglane.com/
• https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/yxudl-delta-hotels-london-armouries/overview/
• https://hotel.hardrock.com/london-ontario/
• https://www.londontransit.ca/fares-and-passes/fares/

Please note: the opinions expressed in this post should never be construed as advice. The thoughts are based on my experiences and those of my friends and family. Whether traveling, exercising or other activity it is always a matter of personal preference.  Find what you like and enjoy and share if you want with us all!
Also: If considering a change in diet, exercise, nutrition and or supplements, you must consult your medical practitioner to make sure that what you are about to embark upon doesn’t interfere with your current treatments.