Markham
Introduction
Markham sits in York Region, Ontario, roughly 30 km northeast of Downtown Toronto, which makes it an easy extension of a Toronto trip rather than a separate journey. As part of the Greater Toronto Area, it shares the region's wider transport and accommodation network while keeping its own identity as a distinct municipality within York Region.
Before you go
Markham is a city built on technology, with a multicultural community and a mix of modern high-tech living and old town nostalgia. Its two Main Streets are easy to confuse: Main Street Markham (also called Markham Road or Main Street North) runs through the old town centre of Markham Village, while Main Street Unionville lies over 4 km to the west. Both cross Highway 7 near their south ends, and maps may label them inconsistently, so check which one you want before setting out.
- Main Street Unionville is the quaintest of the three heritage districts, residential at its southern end and commercial, mainly eateries, at its northern end.
- Main Street Markham retains the pleasant small town centre, with heritage buildings intermixed with modern structures and more shopping than Unionville.
- Thornhill has a cluster of heritage buildings along Colborne Street, a quaint residential street, but few eateries and hardly any shopping; it is mainly a brief stopover and the easiest district to reach from Finch Station.
If you need medical care, Markham Stouffville Hospital is on the east end of the city, on Ninth Line just north of Highway 7.
Getting there
If you're flying in, Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in Mississauga is the nearest major airport. FlixBus also serves Markham, with connections from Toronto Pearson Airport, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Kingston, and Ottawa. By transit, the usual approach from Toronto begins at Finch Station on TTC subway Line 1 Yonge-University, where you transfer to York Region Transit, whose buses and Viva express services cover Markham and other York Region communities such as Newmarket and East Gwillimbury. For Pacific Mall, take TTC route #53 (Steeles East) from Finch Station; from the east end, TTC route #43 (Kennedy) north from Kennedy Station on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth and Line 3 Scarborough may suit you better. For Main Street Unionville, ride the Viva Blue bus from Finch Station to Richmond Hill Centre Terminal, then take either the Viva Purple bus signed to Markville/Stouffville Hospital or YRT route 1, crossing to the north side to enter the heritage district. For Main Street Markham (Markham Village), take Viva Blue to Richmond Hill Centre Terminal and transfer to Viva Purple signed to Markville/Stouffville Hospital, getting off at Vivastation Hwy 7 / Main Markham. GO Transit trains and buses also run from Toronto, stopping at the Milliken, Unionville, Centennial, Markham and Mount Joy GO stations; Stouffville Line trains reach Mount Joy seven days per week from morning to mid evening, with routes 70/71 buses as an alternative when trains aren't running. Note that Unionville GO Station is 1.33 km from the south end of the Main Street Unionville heritage district, while Markham GO station is about 400 metres north of Markham Village; the major stop for GO buses is Unionville GO Station, served by route 45B from Mississauga, route 54 from Highway 407 bus terminal, and route 56 from Oakville and Oshawa. By road, as is typical for a suburb, most travel is done by private automobile, with numerous highways and arterials leading in and out. Highway 404 runs north-south from Green Lane in East Gwillimbury to Toronto, where it becomes the Don Valley Parkway. East-west, the privately held toll Highway 407 begins at Brock Road and runs west to Burlington; it is the most overpriced toll road in North America per kilometre, and problematic for rental car drivers since the inflated bill goes to the vehicle's owner. Alternatives are old Highway 7, a very busy local east-west surface street, or heading south on the 404 to Toronto to pick up Ontario Highway 401. For Main Street Unionville, the heritage district lies north of Highway 7, which intersects Main Street Unionville at a traffic light, with signs marking the entrance on the north side of the intersection; parking is available off Carlton Road on the south side, east of Main Street.Getting around
Markham is laid out in a grid, and most travel here happens by car along the arterial roads. The main east–west avenues, from north to south, are Stouffville Road, Elgin Mills Road East, Major Mackenzie Drive East, Highway 7, 14th Avenue and Steeles Avenue East, which forms the border with Toronto. From west to east, the major north–south roads are Yonge Street (the border with Vaughan), Bayview Avenue, Leslie Street, Woodbine Avenue, Warden Avenue, Kennedy Road, McCowan Road, Markham Road (old Highway 48) and Ninth Line. Highway 404 runs north–south through the city toward the Don Valley Parkway, while Highway 407 crosses east–west as a toll road; Highway 7 is the free surface alternative. Most businesses cluster on Highway 7 and Steeles Avenue East, and the small downtown along Markham Road is largely absorbed by suburban sprawl.
Three transit agencies serve the city: YRT/Viva, GO Transit and the TTC. Viva Blue runs north–south along the western boundary from Finch Station on subway Line 1, Viva Purple runs east–west through Markham, and the two connect at Richmond Hill Centre Terminal; Viva Pink follows Blue to that terminal, then Purple's route to Unionville GO Station, roughly 1.3 km from the Main Street Unionville heritage district. TTC route 53 Steeles East runs along the southern boundary with overnight service, and TTC route 102D Markham Rd connects Warden Station on Line 2 to Markham Village via Main Street Markham. GO's Stouffville Line stops at Milliken, Unionville, Centennial, Markham and Mount Joy, with buses filling in when trains don't run; Markham GO Station sits about 400 m north of Markham Village. Cycling is an option on the city's signed network of bike lanes, shared lanes and multi-use trails, marked by diamond, green or "Share the road" signs.
Where to stay
Markham's accommodation is concentrated in the mid-range bracket, with most options clustered along the Highway 7 corridor and the surrounding business districts. Several well-known chain hotels sit just south of Highway 7, including a Hilton Garden Inn on Commerce Valley Drive East and a Hilton Suites property with a conference centre and spa on Warden Avenue. A Delta Hotels property occupies East Valhalla Drive, and a Park Inn by Radisson sits near the junction of Highway 7 and Highway 404. Away from that cluster, you'll find two Monte Carlo Inns locations: one on Woodbine Avenue north of Highway 7, and a suites property on Warden Avenue at Denison Street. Note that the latter calls itself "Downtown Markham Suites" despite not actually being in downtown Markham, so don't choose it expecting to be in the heart of the action.Food & drink
Markham's dining scene reflects its demographics, with Chinese food especially well represented. On Steeles Avenue, Congee Queen is named for the Chinese breakfast dish and also serves stir-fried dishes, rice plates and soup noodles; the Seafood & Chicken with Wintermelon Super Bowl Congee is made for sharing. Nearby, Backyard Garden Restaurant is a small Chinese spot turning out Sichuan and Hebei-style cooking with several spicy options, while Heisei Mart hides a Japanese restaurant inside a supermarket in J-Town, serving udon, ramen, soba, curry and bento boxes.
Elsewhere, Main Street Unionville concentrates several options in a historic setting: Italian pasta and pizza at Il Postino, Austrian schnitzel at the Old Country Inn, and sweet and savoury crepes at Papa Pixel's, plus an ice cream parlour and a confectionary for chocolate lovers. On Main Street Markham, a tea shop occupies a heritage building, and on Yonge Street in Thornhill the York Farmers Market gathers small vendors selling mostly food, much of it ready to eat. Indian cooking appears further out, with a lunch buffet and dinner à la carte at one banquet-style restaurant and a casual grill house with TVs at the bar.
What to see and do
Markham's most striking landmark is the Cathedral of the Transfiguration, a Byzantine Revival cathedral with the world's largest three-bell carillon. It looks impressive from a distance, such as from Highway 404 to the east. For a broader view of the area's past, head to the Markham Museum, a 25-acre open-air site with nearly 30 buildings from Markham's history, including houses, barns, a train station, a school, a general store, a church, a blacksmith, a harness shop, a saw mill and a cider mill.
Several historic districts reward a wander. Main Street Unionville, a heritage conservation district, preserves the quaint period buildings of a village that developed in the 1840s; many now house pubs, eateries and small businesses. Elegant old houses line the street south of the railway crossing, while the commercial stretch to the north includes the former Unionville railway station and Stiver Mill on Station Lane, the Unionville Planing Mill with its old water wheel, the Queen's Hotel, and the McKay Art Centre in a house once occupied by Group of Seven artist F.H. Varley. The Varley Art Gallery of Markham displays a small collection including works by Varley, and Toogood Pond offers open space for jogging and areas where fishing is allowed. Main Street Markham, also called Markham Village, mixes 19th-century buildings with modern ones along a retail and residential strip; look for the David Barkey Row Houses, the fanciful "Wedding Cake House," the Old Town Hall, and the former Toronto and Nipissing Railway station that still serves GO Transit. In Thornhill, a small heritage district centres on Colburne Street, a picturesque residential street where most heritage houses have white picket fences, with the Thornhill Village Library in an 1851 clapboard building featuring an outdoor garden.
Three days in Markham
Day one: Base yourself in Markham and get your bearings along its historic main streets. Start in Markham Village, where Main Street Markham and Main Street North run through the old core, then head to Unionville to wander Main Street Unionville and the surrounding streets. In Thornhill, Colborne Street offers another stretch of the same small-town character. Both Markham Village and Unionville reward a slow afternoon of walking rather than a checklist.
Day two: Use Markham as your launch point for Toronto. From Finch Station you can pick up the TTC and ride Line 1 down through Yonge and University to reach Downtown Toronto. If you would rather stay closer to base, York Region Transit and Viva cover the communities across York Region, connecting Markham with Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Newmarket. Markham Stouffville Hospital sits along Ninth Line if you need a landmark on the eastern side of town.
Day three: Look outward from the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto Pearson International Airport, also known as YYZ, sits over in Mississauga and is the main gateway for flights, with FlixBus among the options for getting around. If you are continuing on by road or rail, Kingston and Ottawa lie to the east along the corridor out of Ontario, while Highway 407 and the other 400-series routes tie Markham into the wider region.