Oshawa
Introduction
Oshawa sits on the Lake Ontario shoreline in Southern Ontario, roughly 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly regarded as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe, and it is the largest municipality in the Regional Municipality of Durham.
The city's name comes from the Ojibwa term aazhawe, meaning "the crossing place" or simply "a cross" — a fitting note for a community that has long served as a gateway between the Toronto area and the regions to the east.
Before you go
Oshawa takes its name from the Ojibwa term aazhaway, meaning "the crossing place." Long defined by motorcar manufacturing — Col. Sam McLaughlin founded the McLaughlin Motor Car Company here in 1907, and the Oshawa factory became General Motors Canada in 1918 — the city is now an education and health sciences hub, home to three post-secondary institutions and major health facilities. It also sits at the eastern edge of Toronto's sprawling urban area, so expect the feel of a city merging into a larger metropolis.
Before you go, it helps to know what draws you here: the automotive heritage that inspired mottos like "The City that Motovates Canada," or the campuses and medical institutions that define present-day Oshawa. For local information, the City of Oshawa website is your starting point.
Getting there
By car, Oshawa sits on Highway 401, with exits 415 through 418; all interchanges lead to Bloor Street in the city's south end. Highway 2, known as King Street, is the main street of downtown Oshawa. By train, Oshawa GO station on Bloor Street West is the city's intercity and commuter hub, with a ticket counter, public washrooms and a waiting room. VIA Rail Canada runs intercity trains to Oshawa on its Montreal–Toronto route, with stops including Dorval, Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville and Cobourg, and on its Ottawa–Toronto route, with stops including Smiths Falls, Brockville, Gananoque, Kingston, Napanee, Belleville, Trenton, Cobourg and Port Hope. GO Transit provides all-day half-hourly train service from Toronto, plus long-distance bus routes; fares vary by distance and are discounted for Presto card users. By bus, Maple Bus offers shuttle service from Toronto, Pearson Airport, Ottawa, Kingston, Napanee, Belleville, Brockville, Trenton, Cobourg and Port Hope, while intercity express buses in the Montreal–Toronto corridor stop in the Oshawa suburb of Whitby at the Whitby GO commuter rail station, and GO Transit also runs express buses from the Greater Toronto Area. Oshawa Executive Airport primarily serves charter flights.Getting around
Downtown Oshawa is compact and oriented around King Street and Simcoe Street, so walking is a practical way to move between its restaurants, galleries, museums and event venues; the historic Four Corners intersection remains the natural reference point for a stroll through the core. For anything beyond downtown, Durham Region Transit (DRT) is the local bus network covering the whole municipality, with routes serving major attractions, educational institutions and shopping centres; fares can be paid by cash or Presto card, and a real-time tracking app is available for journey planning. DRT also runs Specialized Services, providing door-to-door transit for people with disabilities.
Oshawa GO Station on Bloor Street West is the anchor for regional travel, handling both GO Transit commuter trains on the all-day, half-hourly Lakeshore East line and VIA Rail intercity trains on the Montreal–Toronto and Ottawa–Toronto corridors, and it has a ticket counter, washrooms and a waiting room. GO Transit also runs regular buses linking Oshawa with other GTA and nearby municipalities. Taxis are readily available through Blue Line Taxi, City Wide Taxi and GTA Cab, and ride-hailing is offered by Uber and Lyft. Bird Canada rents electric scooters by smartphone app, a handy way to cover the gap between downtown and the waterfront or a nearby neighbourhood. If you are driving, Highway 401 crosses the city's south end with interchanges to Bloor Street, and other exits at Stevenson Road, Ritson Road and Simcoe Street serve different parts of the city; Highway 407 also provides access to the area. Parking includes on-street spaces, municipal lots and private garages, with payment available through the HONK app. Note that the Oshawa GO Station lot is at capacity, so a Park and Ride south of downtown at First Avenue and Front Street lets you park and transfer to a GO bus to the station.
Where to stay
Oshawa's accommodation is concentrated around two main options, both operated under the Wyndham banner. Downtown, on King Street East, you'll find a non-smoking hotel offering suites alongside standard rooms, with free WiFi, free parking, and breakfast included, plus a fitness centre for guests. If you're arriving by car and want quick access to Highway 401, a second property sits just off the highway midway between exits 412 and 415. This option includes an indoor pool, a fitness centre, free WiFi, an on-site parking lot, and a free breakfast buffet, and it welcomes pets — useful if you're travelling with a dog.Food & drink
Downtown Oshawa is where you'll find most of the city's dining, with a cluster of restaurants along King Street. For Italian, head to Avanti Trattoria on King Street East, while Berry Hill Bistro on King Street West serves contemporary fine dining. Teddy's Restaurant & Deli, at King Street West and Park Road, is a casual option for deli fare. The White Apron Restaurant, west of Simcoe Street, focuses on breakfast and lunch.
Away from the downtown core, The Shawarma Spot on Simcoe Street North serves Mediterranean food. Rainbow Restaurant on Simcoe Street North, a family-owned old-style diner in business since 1958, is known for its peameal back bacon, half-pound burgers, and all-day breakfast menu. For drinks, Riley's Olde Towne Pub on King Street East offers a pub, fireplace lounge and pool hall with live music on weekends, and Chronicle Brewing Taphouse on Celina Street serves pub food and drink downtown.
What to see and do
Oshawa's museum scene rewards a closer look. The Canadian Automotive Museum occupies a former car dealership and spreads across two floors of vintage vehicles, among them a century-old fire truck, a Ford Model T, a boat/car hybrid, a steam-powered car, an early Rolls-Royce and a 1983 DeLorean. At the Ontario Regiment (RCAC) Museum, on the grounds of the Oshawa Municipal Airport, you can see tanks, historic vehicles and regimental artefacts. The Oshawa Museum, set in Lakeview Park, is made up of three houses dating to the mid-19th century and offers guided or self-guided tours, while The Robert McLaughlin Gallery on Queen Street shows art in a downtown setting. For grand surroundings, head to Parkwood Estate Gardens, the National Historic Site built in 1917 for automobile businessman Col. Sam McLaughlin. The mansion and its grounds take in several gardens, Art Deco garden pavilions, secret rooms, ornate ceilings and a bowling alley, and the estate has appeared as a film set. Outdoors, Darlington Provincial Park sits on Lake Ontario and McLaughlin Bay, with swimming from a large sandy beach, canoeing on the sheltered bay, and a campground suited to tents through to RVs — a gentle introduction to provincial park camping, with city shops and services a short drive away. In winter the park opens for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. If you're after local produce, Linton's Farm Market sells a wide variety of vegetables and fruit along with homegrown frozen meat, cheese, honey, jams and preserves.When to go
Oshawa has a humid continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters, and one of Ontario's lowest yearly snowfall totals. Summer brings the year's warmest conditions and is generally the most comfortable time for outdoor sightseeing and events, though the heat is not extreme by regional standards.
Winters are cold but not extreme by Canadian standards. Because snowfall is among the lowest yearly totals in Ontario, snow cover tends to be lighter than in much of the province.
Three days in Oshawa
Day one: Start by getting your bearings in Oshawa itself, a city on the shore of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, within the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. Its position in Durham, in the Regional Municipality, makes it an easy first stop before you range further along the lakeshore. Trace the city's story through the names attached to it, from the Ojibwa to Col. Sam McLaughlin, whose McLaughlin Motor Car Company grew into General Motors Canada, and take in the streets at the centre of town, including Bloor Street and King Street.
Day two: Use Oshawa GO and the connections at Bloor Street West to head into Toronto, or follow the rail corridor further out. VIA Rail Canada links this stretch of Southern Ontario to places such as Montreal, Dorval, Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville, Cobourg, Ottawa, Smiths Falls, Gananoque, Napanee and Trenton, so you can shape the day around a longer ride or a shorter hop. If you stay closer to base, spend the time along the Lake Ontario waterfront and the streets you did not cover on day one.
Day three: Give the day to the wider region. Highway and rail make it simple to move between the communities of the Golden Horseshoe and the Regional Municipality, and to revisit anything in Oshawa you want a second look at, whether that is the Motovates Canada connection or the city's motor heritage. Keep the pace loose, and let the lakeshore and the rail towns of Southern Ontario set the shape of your last day.