Getting to Waterloo
By plane - from International, from the US, or from Canada
The most convenient airport for reaching Waterloo is Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). It is approximately 1 hour by car from Pearson to Waterloo. Rental cars, airport shuttles, bus, trains, and rideshare services (e.g., Uber, Lyft) are all available to connect Pearson Airport to Waterloo.
Rental cars: this is likely the most convenient option, although depending on your arrival time the drive time from the airport to Waterloo may be significantly longer due to significant traffic on the highway.
Taxi / ride-share: A taxi or ride-share typically costs CAD $100–150 (please note the above re: traffic)
Airport shuttle: Airways Transit operates shared-van shuttles from Pearson airport: https://www.airwaystransit.com/. Please note that the service tends to sell out fast, and we recommend booking your seat at least two weeks in advance.
Air Canada shuttle: If you are flying on Air Canada or a Star Alliance partner, instead of flying into Pearson, you can select the Waterloo International Airport (YKF) as a destination. Air Canada operates their own shuttle bus service between Pearson Airport and the Waterloo Airport (usually at no additional cost compared to just flying into Pearson). The downside is that you will need to take a local bus or taxi / ride-share from the Waterloo airport to your hotel (this is very inexpensive however). Please note that you will need to transfer your own bags at Pearson from your flight to the shuttle bus. More detailed information at Air Canada’s Landline page: https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/book/routes-and-partners/landline.html.
Train: another inexpensive way to travel between Pearson and Waterloo is by train, albeit this is a bit longer. From Pearson take the UP Express train (https://www.upexpress.com/en) from Pearson Terminal 1 to Union Station in downtown Toronto. At Union Station connect to a GO Transit train (https://www.gotransit.com/en) on the Kitchener line which will take you to the Kitchener GO station (which is the main regional train station for Waterloo). You can buy train tickets at the machines in the international arrivals hall (past customs) in Pearson or at the UP Express station, or you can purchase a Presto Card that will give you further discounts. Please note that it is about a 5-8 minute walk from the UP Express platform at Union Station to the GO train platform (Union Station, while newly renovated and fairly accessible, it is a very large and extremely busy transit hub). Also please note that, depending on the time of day, the Kitchener line does not run all the way to Kitchener – you will need to transfer from a GO train to a GO bus at Bramalea station (use the trip planner at https://www.gotransit.com/en or on mapping services such as Google Maps). From Kitchener GO train station you can walk (5 minutes) to local transit (ION light rail) or take a taxi / ride share – the train station is located not far from the campus or from downtown Waterloo. Overall this trip takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.
Bus: Flix Bus (https://www.flixbus.ca/bus/toronto-on) runs several daily trips between Pearson Airport and Kitchener.
Alternative airport: Some international connections may be more convenient if flying into Toronto’s secondary airport – Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) – usually if connecting on a flight in Montreal or Ottawa. Billy Bishop airport offers a complimentary shuttle from the airport to Union Station in Toronto (about a 10 min ride) – from there you can catch a GO Train or GO Train/Bus to Kitchener.
By plane - from the US or from Canada
Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) offers limited direct flights within Canada and the U.S., and is easily accessible by taxi / ride-share from the University of Waterloo campus as well as by public transit.
By train - from the US or from Canada
VIA Rail (https://www.viarail.ca/en) is Canada’s national rail operator, and it offers train service to Kitchener (usually involving a connection at Toronto Union Station). Alternatively, if arriving on a VIA Rail train into Union Station it may be worth considering transferring to a GO Train (or GO Train + Bus) from there as the VIA Rail service to Kitchener has a less frequent schedule.
By car
Waterloo is located at the interchange of several major highways. Consult your favourite mapping application for driving directions, but consider the time of day if opting to drive as traffic can be extremely slow especially at rush hour. Also consider car-pooling, as most major highways have dedicated HOV lanes (High Occupance Vehicles) for cars that have more than one occupant – HOV lanes bypass (some of) the traffic.
Travelling within Waterloo
By public transit
Getting around Waterloo is possible through public transportation operated through Grand River Transit (GRT). GRT operates multiple bus routes, and a light-rail transit line (called the ION) runs through the city and the Region of Waterloo (Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge), making it easy to travel to Uptown Waterloo, and Kitchener. Cash fares are $3.75 or, a transit card can be purchased for $5 at the University of Waterloo Turnkey Desk in the Student Life Centre (SLC - picture below) or at some of the transit stops. Each fare is then $3, and can be re-loaded at any ION stop or station.
University of Waterloo Station is located right outside of Engineering 5 and 7, where most of our workshops and events will be hosted for CUI 2025. For detailed timetable and real-time route suggestions, please visit the GRT website https://www.grt.ca/en/index.aspx.
By car
One of the most efficient ways to explore Waterloo is by car. There are typically parking lots at most tourist attractions, and it is the most time-efficient way to explore Waterloo Region and surrounding areas. Uber and Lyft are affordable options for getting to destinations quickly.
Getting to CUI ‘25 Venues
At the University of Waterloo, most buildings have long names abbreviated by an acronym. Here are some helpful ones you may want to keep in mind while visiting the campus.
Here are some helpful ones you may want to keep in mind while visiting the campus.
E5, E7– Engineering 5 and 7, where most, if not all of our workshops take place.
DC– Davis Centre Library
SLC– Student Life Centre. This is a hub for food and other on-campus services.
About Waterloo - leisure and post/pre-conference suggestions
Waterloo is located in Southern Ontario, with easy access to many touristic attractions. Within the Region of Waterloo the most visited attraction is the St. Jacobs farmer market (stay tuned for an announcement regarding the conference program as we are planning some organized activities at the market!). There are numerous other attractions within the region, from museums to outdoor / nature walks – please check the Explore Waterloo page (https://explorewaterloo.ca) for suggestions from the official tourist guide provided by the Region of Waterloo.
For those looking to spend a few extra days before or after the conference, there are several attractions within a day trip or worth considering for a short stay, including: The Village of St. Jacobs (a few minutes away from Waterloo, an old quaint town https://www.stjacobsvillage.com), Guelph (famous among other things for its very large arboretum), the Royal Botanical Gardens of Canada (in Hamilton, about an hour from Waterloo), Toronto (largest city in Canada, with several famous landmarks such as the CN Tower and a multicultural food and entertainment scene), Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake (picturesque town), or the Niagara wine region. For more suggestions please consult the official website of Tourism Ontario: https://www.destinationontario.com/en-ca