Richmond Hill (Ontario)

Richmond Hill is the third most populous municipality in York Region and the 28th most populous municipality in Canada. Richmond Hill has had a large population growth in relatively recent years, and was considered one of the fastest growing communities in the 1990s. The federal government tallied the population at 195,022 people in 2016.

By bus

York Region Transit (YRT) operates bus service in York Region (including Viva express buses). From Toronto, take either the Viva Blue bus or YRT Route 98/99 from Finch Subway Station on TTC subway Line 1 Yonge-University. These bus routes will take you along Yonge Street through the centre of Richmond Hill with a major stop at . Viva Blue will make fewer stops than YRT 98/99 so it will generally be faster. The ride will take about half an hour. Alternatively, you can always board TTC subway Line 1 towards Vaughan Metro Centre and connect to Viva Orange service at Vaughan Metro Centre or YRT at Pioneer Village station.
GO Transit operates several routes that connects nearby towns and cities to Richmond Hill. GO Bus Routes 40, 51, 52 and 54 all stop at Richmond Hill Centre. GO Bus Route 40 connects Hamilton and Mississauga (Square One and Toronto Pearson International Airport) with Richmond Hill on hourly basis (every 30 mins during rush hour on weekdays) seven days a week. This GO bus routes also stop at Highway 407 station on TTC subway Line 1 on its way to and from Richmond Hill Centre. GO Bus Route 51 operates on Monday to Friday between Highway 407 station and Pickering via Richmond Hill Centre and Scarborough Town Centre at 30-min intervals. GO Bus Route 52 operates seven days a week between Highway 407 station and Oshawa via Richmond Hill Centre. GO Bus Route 54 operates on Monday to Friday between Highway 407 station and Markham via Richmond Hill Centre. Visitors coming from west or south of Richmond Hill can change bus at Square One Terminal in Mississauga or Highway 407 station in Vaughan to reach Richmond Hill.

By train

GO Transit provides train and bus service between Toronto and Richmond Hill with stops at the , and on weekdays. However, this service is more useful for commuters rather than visitors with trains running either inbound to Toronto in the morning rush hours or outbound in the afternoon rush. GO bus route 61 stops at the three GO Train stations mentioned above but lacks late afternoon and evening service from Richmond Hill to Union Station. There is no GO train or bus service between Toronto and Richmond Hill on weekends and holidays.

By plane

GO Transit operates Route 40 – Airport Express GO Bus hourly, seven days a week between Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga and Richmond Hill Centre Terminal via Highway 407. The one-way fare is $7.35 (as of 2018) and the trip takes 20 minutes.
Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport (YKZ) is just east of Richmond Hill's city boundary at highway 404 on 16th Avenue, in the city of Markham.

By car

Richmond Hill is easily accessed by major highways. Highway 404 connects from Toronto northwards to Newmarket. This highway serves as the political boundary between Richmond Hill on the west and Markham on the east from Highway 7 north to 19th Avenue and Whitchurch-Stouffville on the east from 19th Avenue north to Bloomington Road. Richmond Hill is also just north of Highway 407 toll road.

With attractions spread out and free parking available at practically everywhere, car is the most common and easiest way to get around.

By bus

York Region Transit operates the municipal buses in Richmond Hill. Bus service is adequate, although you should check the timetables to make sure you don't waste your time waiting for half an hour. Service along Yonge street and Highway 7, where most of the interesting destinations are, are excellent, and even if you miss your bus, the next one generally comes soon. Stops offering VIVA bus service have electronic timeboards that will give you the arrival times of the next three buses. Since these times are estimated through a GPS connection to each bus, the times are generally accurate. Most bus routes do stop at Richmond Hill Centre for easy connection to other routes.
A ride within Richmond Hill counts as one zone and will cost $4.00. The tickets are time-stamped and valid for two hours. You can pay by cash, Presto card or use its mobile app for payment. You can also purchase multiple tickets at a discount. Remember to validate your ticket before a ride in the machines by the bus stops. There will be a slot for you to insert the ticket to be timestamped.

• Mill Pond

  address: 321 Mill St
  This picturesque park has a pond with a fountain, ducks and greenery along the shores. The pond used to power a sawmill, long since gone.

• Richmond Hill Heritage Centre

  phone: +1 905-780-3802
  address: 9 Church St N
  The heritage centre is in a restored 1840s Regency style cottage originally home of Amos Wright, the first Reeve of Markham Township. The cottage is in Amos Wright Park with gardens having herbs, heritage plants and roses.

• Wilcox LakeA kettle lake in the Oak Ridges moraine and a provincially significant wetland.

• Concerts in the Park

  address: 321 Mill St
  There are Thursday evening concerts at the gazebo in the Mill Pond park in July and August. Attendees are advised to bring their own chairs for seating.

• David Dunlap Observatory

  phone: +1 905-883-0174
  address: 123 Hillsview Dr
  This is a working observatory operated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Visits generally require a purchase of a ticket for a specific, scheduled event.

• Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts

  phone: +1 905-787-8811
  address: 10268 Yonge St
  631-seat performance space for professional musicians, actors, dancers & comics.

• Museum of the Streets

  address: 19 Church St N
  The Museum of the Streets is a self-guided walking tour of sites in Richmond Hill, with an explanatory sign posted at each site. The website has a PDF map.

• Hillcrest Mall

  phone: +1 905-883-1400
  address: 9350 Yonge St
  Large indoor shopping centre with department stores and food court.

• Times Square

  address: 550 Highway 7 East
  A small-size mall with Chinese restaurants and stores

• BB Cafe & Pastry Boutique

  phone: +1 905-237-6565
  address: 10067 Yonge St
  In addition to lots of sweets, this cafe serves some nice sandwiches and espresso-based coffees.

• Covernotes

  address: 10268 Yonge St
  A coffee shop located in a heritage building, which was formerly the Richmond Hill High School built in 1897 and used as a school until 1924. The interior is as quaint as the building's exterior.

• Jubilee Square

  address: 280 West Beaver Creek Rd
  This mall has a cluster of Asian-cuisine restaurants (Chinese, Japanese, etc.).

• Akasaka Japanese Restaurant

  address: Jubilee Square
  Sushi and Tepanyaki.

Rifca's Mediterranean Kitchen

address: 8950 Yonge St

Delicious homemade food for a decent price. Shawarma, Falafel, and other hearty selections. The owners are really friendly there too.

John's Chinese BBQ Restaurant

phone: +1 (905) 881-3333

address: 328 Hwy 7

Authentic Chinese restaurant. Renowned for its BBQ pork (cha siu).

• Falcon And Firkin

  phone: +1 905-883-4253
  address: 10300 Yonge St
  English-style tavern with outdoor seating area & pub food.

Budget

• Emerald Isle Motel

  phone: +1 905 889-5411
  address: 8700 Yonge St, L4C 6Z5

• Travelodge Richmond Hill

  phone: +1 905-884-1007
  address: 10711 Yonge Street

Mid-range

• Best Western Parkway Hotel Toronto North

  phone: +1 905 881-2600
  address: 600 Hwy 7, L4B 1B2

• Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Suites

  phone: +1 905 881-2121
  address: 9005 Leslie St

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Toronto - Markham

  phone: +1 905 695-5990
  address: 10 East Pearce St, L4B 0A8
  Despite the name, the hotel is located in Richmond Hill and not in Markham

Richmond Hill Centre bus terminal provides free WiFi.

Richmond Hill has a hospital: Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital. It is located on Major Mackenzie Drive just west of Yonge Street.