Getting to Kingston

VISA Requirements

Depending on the country of issuance of your passport, you may require an entry visa. To determine if you need a visa, please visit the following site: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp .  If you do, please contact Anne as soon as possible to prepare a letter of invitation for you as described here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/letter.asp .

Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

The Canadian government has recently implemented an eTA for travelers flying into or through Canadian airports.  If you are not carrying a Canadian Passport, Canadian VISA or US Passport, you will require an eTA.  Campers coming from Europe and Japan will certainly require one.  Luckily, the application is the fast, online and relatively low cost ($7 CAD). Apply for one online here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta-start.asp

Travel Modes

Kingston is located almost equidistant from three major transportation hubs: Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa.  Kingston is unfortunately not a major transportation hub!  The City of Kingston Tourism website has lots of great information, including how to get to Kingston: https://www.visitkingston.ca/plan/getting-to-kingston/  Our travel recommendations are below:

Option 1. Direct to Kingston by Plane:

A flight to Kingston (YGK) can only be secured from Toronto (YYZ) through Air Canada – which services Kingston by smaller-than-one-would-expect Beechrafts (18 seats) and Dash 8s (32 seats)!  Planes are almost always full so BOOK EARLY if you want to fly all the way to Kingston.

On arrival, taxis (e.g.Kingston-Amherst Taxi) are available at the front entrance of the airport and typically cost $25 for a ride into downtown. All taxis are fitted with a credit card terminal; you may just need to remind the driver to warm up the pay terminal ;).

Option 2. Plane to a hub with alternative transportation to Kingston

If coming from Europe, we recommend flying to Montreal (YUL) and then taking the VIA train to Kingston.  The train is boarded at the Dorval Station.  There is a short shuttle bus between the airport and train station (see link below).  If flying from anywhere in North America, you will be able to get to Toronto.  However, don’t forget to check Ottawa as it’s a much more relaxing airport experience.  If flying to Toronto, there are plenty of ground transportation options (see below).

If coming from the United States:

• Alternative 1: cheapest option is to fly to Syracuse (SYR) and rent a car. However, it is a long, 2.5 h drive and you will likely need to wait 30 min to cross the border.
• Alternative 2: Next most expensive will be to fly to Toronto (YYZ) and take the Coach Canada airport bus all the way to Queen’s Campus. It’s a long trip (3.75h) but affordably designed for Queen’s students (see http://ca.megabus.com/?gclid=CKT97tut5MQCFYNDaQod3W0AQw )
• Alternative 3: Fly to Toronto and take the new airport train UP Express (https://www.upexpress.com/Home/index ) to Union Station (leaves every 10 min; travel time 25 minutes; $12;), then take a VIA train to Kingston as discussed below.

If coming from Asia, there are many direct flight options to Toronto from Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing or Hong Kong.  Catch a connector to YGK or take the ground transportation options listed above.

Option 3. By Train

Kingston is well serviced by VIA trains given the traffic volume of the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal corridors. For more information on the station, location, schedules, and bag limits see the VIA Rail Website at http://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/trains/ontario-and-quebec/toronto-kingston/description . Taxis to downtown will cost $12-15 and can be hired at the front of the station (Kingston-Amherst Taxi). All taxis are fitted with a credit card terminal, but it will not necessarily be functional!

Option 4. By Car

Kingston is a 2.5 h drive east of Toronto, 2h south from Ottawa and 3 h west from Montreal.  If arriving from the west via Highway 401 Eastbound, take the Sir John A Macdonald Blvd. exit (#615) and travel south for approximately 6 km (4 miles). Turn left onto King St. and follow the shore of Lake Ontario onto Campus. If traveling to Queen’s residence, the university is on the north side of King approximately 2 km to the east of Sir John A.

If traveling to the Residence Inn, at the intersection of King St. and West St., turn right and follow West St. to the left/east, as it becomes Ontario St. The Residence Inn is on the right.

If traveling to the Hochelaga, at the intersection of King St. and West St., turn left and follow West St. north.  Cross Bagot, then turn right at Sydenham St.  The Hochelaga is on the left.   Note, if you are driving and staying at an Airbnb in downtown, you will need to buy a parking permit to park on the street or park in a city parking lot on an extended stay.  Similarly we recommend you do NOT drive to campus for the camp as parking is challenging, even when the undergraduate students are gone.

Map of Camp Event Locations

Please see the attached appendix or google maps link or https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zZsbtHwLeN0g.kSwv1LHKa7zM  for maps, directions to key locations and suggested accommodation:

• Lecture Sessions: Monday to Friday, Room LL021 (lower level), School of Medicine, Queen’s University;
• Workshop Sessions:
  • B2 Abramsky Hall, Queen’s University (Exoskeleton x 2);
  • 119 Abramsky Hall, Queen’s (End-Point);
  • Kinarm, 140 Railway St., (End-Point & Exoskeleton);
  • (overflow as needed) Kingston General Hospital.
  • Transportation to Kinarm will be provided; no cars are required.
• Monday Night Group Dinner at Anne & Steve’s house, 1 Emily St. We will walk directly from Queen’s.
• Wednesday Night Group Dinner at Olivea’s

Accommodation, Food & Fitness

I would strongly recommend you book your accommodation early, as we are a tourist town.  Further, convocations are being held at the same time, so please BOOK EARLY!  We recommended the following options:

• Bed & Breakfast Options
  • Hochelaga Inn  (closest to Camp; must book early; no fitness facilities) http://www.hochelagainn.com/ (~$175/night)
  • If full, we also recommend the Belvedere Hotel http://www.hotelbelvedere.com/
• Queen’s Student Residences
  • “Premium” Residences such as Smith or Leggett are preferred.
  • “Traditional” Residences such as Victoria Hall are cheaper but quite “worn”.
  • See http://eventservices.queensu.ca/accommodations/ (~$109/night) Policies and suggestions of things to remember (g. hair driers) are listed on their website.
• Hotels
  • Book in downtown to really enjoy the city, but it will cost a bit more:
    • Four Points: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ygkfp-four-points-kingston/ ~$170
    • Holiday Inn: http://www.hikingstonwaterfront.com/ ~$170
    • Confederation Place: https://www.confederationplace.com/ ~$140
    • Residence Inn: http://www.marriottresidenceinnkingston.com/; sometimes the pay-in-advance packages are more affordable
  • Airbnb
    • There are many affordable Airbnb postings in downtown, but please check the listing very carefully if you go this route. Past campers have had “mixed” experiences.  Also ensure you have a parking permit if you need to park a car.

Food On Campus

A map of all food outlets on campus is available here: http://dining.queensu.ca/retail-food-outlet3/ For those staying in residence your closest options for breakfast are the Tim Horton’s in the Biosciences Complex just north of the School of Medicine where the sessions are held; or the “Market Street” cafeteria in the basement of Botterell Hall.  Hours for all of Queen’s eateries are noted to the right.  Unfortunately, many outlets close during the summer.

There is a great little grocery store in the Queen’s Centre (Athletics & Recreation Centre) that remains open all summer.  Hours are M-R 9 am – 8 pm; F 9 am – 7:30 pm and S-S 10:30 am – 6 pm.

Food Off-Campus

There are SO many great restaurants in downtown Kingston, that it can be difficult to make a choice!  We have assembled our top picks below:

Fitness Facilities

Queen’s has a fantastic Athletics Centre offering great work-out rooms, a pool, and drop-in classes.  Entrance fees are $10.00/day or $17.00/week; drop-in classes extra. Further information is available at http://rec.gogaelsgo.com/index.aspx

Running Routes

For those runners in the camp, Kingston is filled with great routes that include uncrowded waterfront pathways and beautiful views of the city.  Check out http://www.mapmyrun.com/ca/kingston-ontario/   for suggestions.