Richmond Hill travel guide

Richmond Hill, Canada

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Richmond Hill

Introduction

Richmond Hill is a city in Ontario, in the south-central Regional Municipality of York, Canada. It forms part of the Greater Toronto Area, sitting between the cities of Markham and Vaughan, north of Thornhill and south of Aurora.

Before you go

Richmond Hill sits in York Region, north of Toronto, and has grown from a village into a large suburban municipality. Its population expanded steadily from the 1990s onward, and the character of the place reflects waves of settlement: the east end is home to a significant Chinese community, while the north has a significant Persian community.

The old part of Richmond Hill runs along Yonge Street between Major Mackenzie Drive and Crosby Avenue — a useful anchor for orienting yourself before you arrive, since much of the rest of the city took shape as suburban development from the 1970s and 80s onward. Knowing this split between the historic strip and the newer suburban spread will help you decide where to base yourself.

Getting there

Getting to Richmond Hill by public transit is straightforward from Toronto. From Finch Subway Station on TTC Line 1, take the Viva Blue express bus or YRT Route 98/99 north along Yonge Street; both run through the centre of Richmond Hill and stop at Richmond Hill Centre Bus Terminal, with Viva Blue making fewer stops and covering the trip in about half an hour. Alternatively, ride Line 1 toward Vaughan Metro Centre and connect to Viva Orange at Vaughan Metro Centre or to YRT at Pioneer Village station. FlixBus also serves Richmond Hill from Toronto Pearson Airport, Vaughan, Markham, Kingston, and Ottawa. GO Transit links Richmond Hill to nearby towns and cities, with Routes 40, 41, 52, 54, and 56 all stopping at Richmond Hill Centre. Route 40 is an express connecting Hamilton and Mississauga (including Square One and Toronto Pearson International Airport) with Richmond Hill, running hourly seven days a week and more frequently during weekday rush hours; the other routes connect toward Scarborough Town Centre, Oshawa, Markham, and Oakville, and all also stop at Highway 407 station on TTC Line 1. If you are coming from the west or south, you can change buses at Square One Terminal in Mississauga or at Highway 407 station in Vaughan. GO trains also serve Langstaff, Richmond Hill, Gormley, and Bloomington GO stations on weekdays, but the schedule is geared to commuters, with trains running inbound to Toronto in the morning rush and outbound in the afternoon; there is no GO train or bus service between Toronto and Richmond Hill on weekends and holidays. Toronto Pearson International Airport is the nearest major airport, with GO Route 40 – Airport Express running hourly between Terminal 1 and Richmond Hill Centre Terminal. By car, Highway 404 runs north from Toronto through the area, and Highway 407, a toll road, passes just south of Richmond Hill.

Getting around

With attractions spread out and free parking available at practically everywhere, a car is the most common and easiest way to get around Richmond Hill. Driving is straightforward: Highway 404 runs north from Toronto and forms the boundary between Richmond Hill and Markham, while Highway 407, a toll road, passes just to the south. If you're arriving without a car, the bus network is your mainstay, with taxis as a fallback for trips the buses don't serve conveniently.

York Region Transit (YRT) runs the municipal buses, including the Viva express services. Service is adequate overall, but check timetables so you don't waste time waiting for half an hour. Along Yonge Street and Highway 7, where most of the interesting destinations are, service is excellent, and even if you miss your bus, the next one generally comes soon. Most routes stop at Richmond Hill Centre, making connections between routes easy. Viva stops have electronic timeboards showing the arrival times of the next three buses, estimated via GPS and generally accurate. A ride within Richmond Hill counts as one zone; tickets are time-stamped and valid for two hours, and you can pay by cash, Presto card, or the Presto mobile app, with multiple tickets available at a discount. Validate your ticket before riding — in the machines by the bus stops for Viva, or onboard for YRT buses. From Toronto, take the Viva Blue bus or YRT Route 98/99 from Finch Subway Station; both run along Yonge Street through the centre of Richmond Hill, and Viva Blue makes fewer stops so it's generally faster. GO Transit regional rail links the town with Toronto via Langstaff, Richmond Hill, Gormley and Bloomington GO Stations, but trains run on weekdays only, inbound in the morning rush and outbound in the afternoon rush, with no weekend or holiday service. GO buses connect nearby towns and cities, all stopping at Richmond Hill Centre, and Highway 407 station on TTC subway Line 1 is a practical anchor for connections to Toronto's subway.

Where to stay

Richmond Hill's accommodation splits between budget motels along Yonge Street and mid-range chain hotels clustered near the junction of Highway 7 and Leslie Street. For a straightforward, inexpensive stay, look to the Travelodge on Yonge Street just south of Elgin Mills Road, or Canada's Best Value Inn further north on Yonge Street, which offers a 3PM check-in and 11AM check-out.

If you prefer more amenities, the mid-range options sit at the northeast corner of Highway 7 and Leslie Street: the Best Western Parkway Hotel Toronto North on Highway 7 and the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Suites on Leslie Street. A third mid-range choice, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Toronto - Markham on East Pearce Street, is worth noting because despite the "Markham" in its name it actually stands in Richmond Hill; reach it by taking Highway 404 to Highway 7 westbound, then turning north on Leslie Street, where the hotel is on the east side.

Food & drink

Yonge Street is the spine of the city's eating and drinking, and you can plan a whole day around it. Start with something sweet at a pastry boutique and cafe on Yonge south of Lorne Avenue, which also turns out good sandwiches and espresso drinks. Further along Yonge, a coffee shop occupies a heritage building that once served as the local high school; the interior is as charming as the exterior. When you want a full meal, head to Jubilee Square at West Beaver Creek Road and Highway 7, where a cluster of Asian restaurants covers Chinese, Japanese and more. For Cantonese cooking that is affordable, authentic and plentiful, try the congee specialist on Spadina Road, or go for dim sum at a Bayview Avenue spot — arrive early on weekends or expect a line. A udon bar on Highway 7 rounds out the options.

Drinking is concentrated along Yonge Street and Highway 7. You can settle into a traditional pub on Yonge, or choose a British pub a little further north on the same street. Another Yonge Street pub holds the distinction of being the first in the city. For something more upscale, there is a restaurant and bar on York Boulevard.

What to see and do

At Mill Pond, a picturesque park about a kilometre east of Yonge Street, you can stroll past a fountain, ducks and greenery along the shores; the pond once powered a sawmill that is long gone. In July and August, Thursday evening concerts are held at the park's gazebo, and attendees are advised to bring their own chairs. For a self-guided look at local history, follow the Museum of the Streets, a free walking tour of sites around Richmond Hill with an explanatory sign posted at each stop and a PDF map available online; the tour starts at the Richmond Hill Heritage Centre, housed in a restored 1840s Regency-style cottage that was the home of Amos Wright, the first Reeve of Markham Township. The cottage sits in Amos Wright Park, whose gardens hold herbs, heritage plants and roses. Nature lovers can head to Wilcox Lake, a kettle lake in the Oak Ridges moraine and a provincially significant wetland. In the evening, the David Dunlap Observatory operates as a working observatory run by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, though visits generally require purchasing a ticket for a specific, scheduled event. For a night out, the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts offers a performance space for professional musicians, actors, dancers and comics.

Three days in Richmond Hill

Day one: Start by getting your bearings in Richmond Hill, a city in Ontario within the Regional Municipality of York, part of the Greater Toronto Area and neighbouring Markham, Vaughan, Thornhill and Aurora. Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive are useful anchors for finding your way around, and Crosby Avenue is another local reference point. Knowing how to arrive helps: from Finch Subway Station you can take TTC Line, Viva Blue or a YRT Route, while Richmond Hill Centre Bus Terminal is a hub for onward travel. Alternatively, Line from Vaughan Metro Centre, Viva Orange, YRT, Pioneer Village, FlixBus, Toronto Pearson Airport, Kingston, Ottawa and GO Transit Routes all connect the city to the wider region.

Day two: Spend the day exploring the city's character, which reflects both Chinese and Persian communities alongside the broader Canadian mix. Use Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive to orient yourself, and let the neighbourhoods along these corridors set the tone for your wandering. If you are relying on transit, Richmond Hill Centre Bus Terminal remains the practical base, with Viva Blue, YRT Route and GO Transit Routes linking you to Toronto and the rest of York Region.

Day three: Use your final day to move between Richmond Hill and its neighbours, whether Markham, Vaughan, Thornhill or Aurora, or to head into Toronto via Finch Subway Station or Vaughan Metro Centre. Viva Blue, Viva Orange, YRT and GO Transit Routes make these connections straightforward, and FlixBus and Toronto Pearson Airport are options if you are continuing further afield to Kingston or Ottawa. Keep Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive in mind as your reference points as you wrap up your time in the city.

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