'''Burlington''' is a city in Ontario, Canada. It lies across Burlington Bay from Hamilton. Being a developing city there are many attractions still being built and the population is booming. It is listed among the best cities to live in Canada. Visitors will see great attractions when they visit this growing city. By the lake, downtown, you will see many homes owned by middle to upper-class families, as well as many expensive homes from millionaires living in Burlington.

Get in

  • The '''Hamilton International Airport''' [http://www.flyhi.ca/index.shtml] is the local airport which is just 30 minutes from Burlington.
  • Burlington is easily accessible by the 403, 407, and QEW expressways.
  • '''GO Transit''' [http://www.gotransit.com]operates hourly train service to Toronto.
  • Get around

    The best way to get around Burlington is by car. Arterial roads are spaced about 2 kilometres (1.25 miles) apart, and generally run on a 45 degree angle to the compass points. Main roads running northeast to southwest are (from southernmost to northernmost) Lakeshore Road (former Highway 2), New Street, Plains Road/Fairview Street, the Queen Elizabeth Way/Highway 403 (a controlled-access highway), Upper Middle Road, and Dundas Street (former Highway 5). Main roads running northwest to southeast are (from easternmost to westernmost) Burloak Drive, Appleby Line, Walkers Line, Guelph Line, Brant Street, King Road, and Waterdown Road.

    Burlington is a pedestrian- and cycling-friendly city, although the distance between Point A and Point B may make walking or cycling impractical. There are several long-distance walking and cycling trails in Burlington, including the Waterfront Trail, a 23-kilometre-long paved trail that offers beautiful views of Burlington's waterfront. In Burlington, you may ride your bicycle on sidewalks, except in the downtown core.

    Burlington Transit is the transit authority for the city of Burlington. Bus service is reasonable for a city of Burlington's size, although not as good as other neighbouring GTA municipalities due to lower population density and higher levels of car ownership. Most buses run on a 30-minute schedule, although some routes run more frequently during rush hour and/or less frequently on weekends or evenings. Cash fares are $2.50. A variety of discount tickets and passes are available.

    See

  • '''Burlington Art Centre''' [http://www.burlingtonartcentre.on.ca/frames.html] is located downtown. Courses for pottery, photography and more are offered there.
  • '''Joseph Brant Museum''' [http://www.museumsofburlington.com/JBMuseum/JBMuseum.html] is a historical museum located downtown. It is a reconstruction of the house originally built by Joseph Brant around 1800.
  • '''Ireland House''' [http://www.museumsofburlington.com/IHMuseum/IHMuseum.html] is another historical museum. It was the home of Joseph Ireland, one of Burlington's first settlers.
  • Parks

    There are 75 parks and 325 ha (800 acres) of parkland within the city.

  • '''Spencer Smith Park''' [http://cms.burlington.ca/Page434.aspx] is the largest in Burlington and is located downtown. '''Discovery Landing''' and '''Spencer's on the Waterfront''' are both located at the park.
  • Do

    The best times to visit Burlington are in the summer, when the festivals are held. The city created the "Waterfront Project" which aims at gaining more tourism to the city, and it has been done very successfully.

  • '''Discovery Landing''' [http://cms.burlington.ca/PageFactory.aspx?PageID=2363] is a 14,200 square foot landmark building that faces out to the lake and offers prime storm and weather watching views. Designed by Baird Sampson Nuert it has given residents and visitors a unique place to discover, celebrate, play, and relax by our lake. Discovery Landing is open all day, everyday and features The Observatory, '''Spencer's on the Waterfront''', the '''Bite Cafe''', and an information area to provide information on the park. Surrounding features include the '''Joseph Brant Museum''', the '''Ireland House''' the '''Burlington Art Centre''', and '''Tourism Burlington'''. Discovery Landing overlooks the Rotary Centennial Pond, a 10,000 square-foot year-round water feature. In the spring, summer and fall it is a reflective pool ideal for model sail boating and in winter it will have free ice-skating on an artificial ice surface.
  • Hike the Bruce Trail. ttp://brucetrail.org/. A portion of the Bruce Trail, the hiking trail that runs along the Niagara Escarpment from

    Drink

    Sleep

    ''Please note that not all hotels are listed.''

  • '''Travelodge, Burlington on the Lake''', 2020 Lakeshore Road., (905) 681-0762, [http://www.travelodge.com/Travelodge/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=11308&brandInfo=TL], right beside the beautiful Spencer Smith Park.
  • '''Hilton Garden Inn''', 985 Syscon Road East., (905) 631-7000, [http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=YYZBUGI].
  • '''Holiday Inn''', 3063 South Service Road., (905) 639-4443, [http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/yurca?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/hi/1/en/hotelsearchresults].
  • '''Best Western''', 2412 Queensway Drive., (905) 639-2700, [http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=66090], convenient location, right beside Hamilton, Niagara, and Toronto highways.
  • Esquire Motel. 110 Plains Rd. W.. 05-529-3915.

    Get out

    Located on the border between Burlington and Hamilton is the '''Royal Botanical Gardens''' [http://www.rbg.ca], Canada's largest botanical garden. It is a large multi-site facility spread out over 900 hectares, comprised of several gardens and natural areas, accessible by foot, car, and the facility's special shuttle bus.

    Being located in the Greater Toronto Area, Burlington is near several cities, including Toronto (approximately 50 kilometres to the east) and Hamilton.