From Wikitravel

Waterloo[1], Ontario, is one of three neighbouring cities, together with Kitchener, and Cambridge, forming a tightly-integrated metro area within the larger Region of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario. Waterloo is known internationally for its two Universities: Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.

[edit] Understand

Waterloo is part of Canada's Technology Triangle, and many companies such as MKS, Research In Motion (RIM), Maplesoft, Open Text, Google and Sybase are located here. Technology companies thrive due to the convenience of the University of Waterloo, which boasts the largest math and computer science undergraduate program in the world. The university is also very famous for its psychology program. Waterloo pioneered university co-op such that today it has the largest co-op undergraduate enrollment in the world.

Waterloo was once known as the "Hartford of Canada" due to the large number of insurance companies that once had their headquarters here. Insurance is still a major industry in Waterloo due to the presence of Manulife Financial and Sun Life Financial.

Farmland is quite close outside the city limits, and many Mennonites live close by. St. Jacobs is a small town only a short ride away, with markets and stores that have come to be very popular.

The city of Kitchener is located immediately to the south of Waterloo. These two cities, often referred together as "Kitchener-Waterloo" (abbreviated to "K-W"), are separate cities that have grown until they met each other. Waterloo's central business district is referred to as "Uptown", in contrast to Kitchener's, which is referred to as "Downtown". If visiting Waterloo, take Kitchener's attractions into consideration as well.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) [2] is serviced by a limited number of airlines. Recently WestJet has begun regular domestic service to Calgary, AB, and Northwest has regular flights to its Detroit hub. For travelers coming from afar, Airways Transit offers shuttle bus service between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Kitchener/Waterloo. Pearson Airport provides flights to and from a large number of destinations, and is located approximately 1 hour away from Waterloo by car in good traffic conditions. Buffalo/Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, New York is an alternative to Toronto. It is about 90-100 minutes away and requires a border crossing, but is often much cheaper to fly out of, particularly if your destination is in the US or Caribbean.

[edit] By train

VIA Rail[3] provides regular service to Kitchener. Regular rush hour service is available on weekdays between Kitchener and Toronto, with reduced service on weekends. As the station is closed from 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm (between train arrivals), guests may not always find the ticket counter open and should consider booking online.

[edit] By car

From Highway 401, take exit 278 (if coming from the west) or 278A (if coming from the east). Take Highway 8 North to Highway 85 North (the Conestoga Parkway). For Uptown Waterloo, exit Bridgeport Rd to King St.; for universities, exit University Ave. West.

[edit] By bus

Greyhound[4] has express buses connecting the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University with Toronto, and also provides rush hour services to the Sun Life building, a five minute walk south of Uptown.

The Charles St. Terminal in downtown Kitchener is better served by inter-city bus, with Greyhound, Coach Canada[5] and Cherrey Bus Lines stopping there regularly, so many people coming to Waterloo by bus take the bus to Kitchener, and then catch a Grand River Transit[6] bus to Waterloo.

Grand River Transit is the transit authority in the Region of Waterloo. If coming to Waterloo from Cambridge or Kitchener, the iXpress, a limited-stop express bus connecting the three cities, is fast and direct. Other routes that connect Kitchener to Waterloo are routes 7 (runs along King Street), 8 (runs in a loop along Westmount Road, University Avenue, and Weber Street) and 12 (runs along Fischer-Hallman Road, Keats Way, and University Avenue, then through suburbs in eastern Waterloo). All four routes serve the two universities and (except for the route 8) Conestoga Mall, and Uptown is served by the iXpress and route 7.

[edit] Get around

Unlike a metropolis such as Toronto, it is relatively quick and easy to get from one point to another by car because the distances aren't far, and the traffic isn't too busy. Looking at a map of Kitchener-Waterloo, one of the first things visitors from other parts of Ontario will notice is that, far from forming a grid pattern, the streets are not straight, curving and wiggling in surprising patterns. For example, there are two streets, King and Weber, which are parallel for most of their length, but cross each other 3 times in K-W. The irregular road pattern dates to the earliest settlement in K-W; unlike most Ontario townships, whose roads were laid out in a grid pattern, Waterloo Township was laid out without road allowances, allowing settlers to build roads where they were needed.

King Street is the main street that travels roughly North-South through the downtown of Kitchener and Waterloo. In Waterloo, it is labelled King St. North and South, with the transition at Erb Street (in Kitchener, it is labelled King St. East and West).

Travelling by public transit is more challenging than travelling by car. Grand River Transit is the transit authority for the Region of Waterloo. Bus schedules are available at [7]; alternatively, you can acquire them piecemeal on buses, or all at once at the Kitchener terminal (55 Charles St W) or at either of the universities. Travelers should keep in mind that GRT buses have reduced schedules on weekends, and some bus routes have no service on Sundays.

There are three taxi companies that serve Waterloo and the surrounding area:

• Waterloo Taxi (519-886-1200)
• United Taxi (519-888-9999)
• City Cabs (519-747-7777)

Waterloo is reasonably bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly, so travelling by bicycle or on foot is reasonable for shorter trips. Uptown Waterloo and the two universities are within walking distance of each other.

[edit][add listing] See

• Waterloo Park, Young St. West. Waterloo Park has something for everyone. Contains the Eby Farm (a display of farm animals), a Victorian Gardens, a beautiful lake adjacent to a replica grist mill, several sports fields, picnic areas, trails, and more. Special events are often held in the park. edit

• Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, [8]. Started by a $100 million donation by local entrepreneur, Mike Lazaridis, founder and co-CEO of Research in Motion (RIM).
• Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, 25 Caroline Street North, 746-1882, [9]. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1PM-5PM. Located in Uptown Waterloo. The collection is small enough to be seen in an hour. Donations requested.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, [10]. Together with Kitchener, Waterloo hosts this Bavarian festival, held annually in October. It is the largest in the world outside of Munich, Germany.
• Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival, [11]. Held every year in July, Waterloo funds a free jazz concert showing various styles and talent throughout jazz.
• Waterloo Buskers' Carnival, [12]. Held annually in August. Celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2008.
• Waterloo Central Railway, 10 Father David Bauer Drive, [13]. A tourist railway that runs a train consisting of historic passenger cars and a historic diesel between Waterloo and St. Jacobs on market days. A steam locomotive is also run on special occasions, such as during Oktoberfest. $12 (students and seniors $10, children $8).  edit

• Waterloo Entertainment Centre, [14]. A ~240-seat stage theatre remodelled from a cinema with live professional theatre and concerts. It also houses the group 'Theatre Athena' with Artistic Director Allison Grant. 2007 ticket prices $5-$37.50/show.
• Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, [15]. The one and only film festival for animated feature films from around the world.

[edit][add listing] Buy

• St. Jacobs Farmers' Market. This market attracts locals and tourists, with fresh produce, baked goods, ethnic foods, clothing, refurbished phones, etc. The market is just north of town; it runs Thursdays and Saturdays 7AM-3:30PM, with Tuesdays 8AM-3PM being added in the summer (June until Labor Day).
• Uptown Waterloo, Waterloo's city centre. Contains a large number of unique shops as well as two malls, Waterloo Town Square, the larger of the two, which has recently been renovated and consists primarily of upscale stores, and The Atrium, a small but quaint house-like building just across from Waterloo Town Square, with various restaurants and stores to enjoy.
• Conestoga Mall, Waterloo's largest shopping mall.

[edit] Learn

• University of Waterloo. Established in the 1950's, UW is one of Canada's youngest universities. It is well known for its co-operative education program and for fostering innovation. Several spinoff companies are well-known, such as Research in Motion and Open Text. It was also the starting point of Engineers Without Borders. Visitors might be interested in the Games Museum in the BMH building, the Earth Sciences Museum in the CEIT building, and the Optometry Museum in the Optometry building. http://www.uwaterloo.ca/
• Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave W (corner of King and University). WLU is best known for its School of Business and Economics, one of the best (though one of the smallest) in Canada; its Music, Geography, Political Science and Kinesiology programs are also well-known. The School of Music hosts at least one concert per week, admission to which is often free. http://www.wlu.ca/

[edit][add listing] Eat

Waterloo is a university town, which means restaurants full of cheap, horrible food. Going Uptown (the King/Erb area) will provide expensive, acceptable food. Waterloo Region was one of the first municipalities in Canada to ban smoking in all restaurants and bars.

[edit] Budget

• Benny's Family Restaurant & Lounge 183 Weber Street North. This is one of the best places in the region for breakfast, served until 2pm. A good breakfast with three eggs, a side, hash browns, and pancakes for under $10. A short drive away from the universities.
• Ethel's Lounge, 114 King Street North (just south of WLU), 725-2361. "No live entertainment; one TV." Ethel's serves up Mexican and roadhouse fare in a cool retro-chrome-diner atmosphere. Don't be intimidated by the surly-sounding menu; the staff and patrons here tend to be a personable, if outlandish, bunch. Entrees $5-10.
• Noodle Hut, 230 King Street North. A little hidden, but well worth the find. A wonderful family run place that is super cheap and filling. A great variety of food, including great vegetarian selection. $5-7, max, which includes a soup and a HUGE entre.
• Maharaja Place The best place to get authentic food. There is a super cheap all you can eat lunch buffet, for under $10. The owners are also nice, and can cater to any food allergies. The non buffet menu is also a great bargain, especially the Royal Feast, which is big enough to feed two. mmmmmm
• Lotus Tea house 79 Regina street North. A lovely calm buddhist vegan restaurant, with home made teas that will leave you wanting more. Great student prices. A huge lunch is $5 for students and $6 for non-students. Its an amazing deal. A great place to relax and let the stress melt away. A bit hidden, but well worth the find.
• Just N Pita 150 University Ave W. Egyptian pitas. They may have a silly name, but the food is tasty, and it's good for lunch or a smallish dinner. A pita will cost you $5-8. Not great when in a rush though -- service is friendly but not always quick.
• Kismet Restaurant 150 University Ave W. Indian food. The naan is very good there, they prepare it on the side of their clay oven. The butter chicken is amazing. The decor is bland, but the food is good. Around $10 dollars for the curry dishes, and it comes with either naan or basmati rice.

[edit] Mid-range

• Mongolian Grill, University Shops Plaza (on University Ave, just across the tracks from UW), 747-4400, [16]. Grab a bowl and fill it with your choice of meats, veggies, sauces and spices. Then, give it to the grillers, who will chop, fry, and thrash your meal into shape right before your eyes on a huge round grill (3m/9' across, temp 300C/600F). $17 for all you can eat, including rice and tortillas to go with your stir-fry. Be forewarned: there's often a wait in the evenings, especially on weekends.
• Jane Bond 5 Princess St. [17]. A wonderful vegetarian restaurant with great atmosphere. They make wonderful martinis and have a great selection of wines and beer as well. They also have live entertainment some nights. Right across the street from Princess Cinema.
• Symposium Cafe 4 King Street North [18]. A restaurant with a bit of a modern-art touch. Great food and a groovy, relaxed atmosphere.
• Ennio's Pasta House, 384 King St N, 893-0543, [19]. At Ennio's you will find authentic Italian cooking at its best. The love of fine cuisine!

[edit] Splurge

• Solé, 83 Erb Street West (in Uptown Waterloo) [20]. Offers updated versions of classic Italian and Canadian cuisine.

• King Street Trio, 65 University Ave. E. [21]. Upscale dining with live jazz every Wednesday through Saturday night.

• Hannah's Bella Bistro, 4 King St North (Uptown Waterloo, at the corner of King and Erb). [22]. Specializing in international fusion.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Starlight Night Club. A great venue for a plethora of bands. Past performances include: The Sadies, Hawksley Workman, Cowboy Junkies, and Snow Patrol. DJ Charless is a must see. Affordable and great atmosphere. http://www.janebond.ca for upcoming shows
• Huether Hotel, [23]. Uptown restaurant rebuilt from from an old hotel. The restaurant boasts great food and serves locally brewed beer from the Lion's Brewery.
• Morty's Pub, Boasts best wings in Waterloo since 1982.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Hotel Laurier, 519-884-0710 ext. 2771 (email: hotel@wlu.ca), [24]. Wilfrid Laurier University rents out empty residence rooms in the summer under the pseudonym "Hotel Laurier". Single rooms come in as low as $40 per night; there are reduced rates for weekly or monthly stays, and further discounts for seniors, groups, and WLU staff and students.

[edit] Mid-Range

• Waterloo Hotel, 1-877-885-1890 or 1-519-884-0220 (email: waterloohotel@aol.com). An 1890 hotel with modern amenities, this hotel is located in the centre of Uptown Waterloo, on the corner of King and Erb Sts.

[edit] Get out

Waterloo is within easy driving distance of many southern Ontario locations, such as London, Guelph, Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Stratford. Towns on the shore of Lake Huron, such as Kincardine or Goderich, are great places to enjoy the beach in the summer.

Waterloo is the gateway to Mennonite country, being located just to the south of St. Jacobs.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!