To Metro Detroiters, Windsor is only really known for Caesar’s and a stop on the way to Toronto. But if you have your passport handy, Windsor is a shockingly great place to visit! The best part, there’s no need to worry if you don’t have a car!
Me and my partner spent a short weekend south of the border. Neither of us have a car, so we relied on the amazing service Transit Windsor provides to get around!
Getting To and Around Windsor
I live in Ann Arbor and my partner lives up in Holly, so we met in Detroit (after using the D2A2 and Woodward FAST, of course!). The Tunnel Bus runs every hour, and has numerous stops in Detroit and Windsor. Since neither of us have taken it before, we met at Mariners Church. The stop is in an odd spot right behind the church, next to the tunnel entrance. But once we were there, the bus showed up only a few minutes late, and we were able to pay our fare. It costs $10, and that can be paid in either Canadian or American. If you have it handy, it can be much cheaper to pay with Canadian!
Once you’re across the border, you can either go through customs and get back on the bus, or leave after customs. The bus needs to wait for everyone to go through customs, but this was very fast for us! You can exchange your money right next to the tunnel exit, or ride the bus to the Transit Center and pick up a Transit Windsor Smartcard. It’s a preloaded card you just need to tap to pay on the bus.
In Windsor, the bus costs $3.75 CAD for adults. While Windsor is much smaller than Detroit, the buses are very impressive there. We mainly took the 2 Crosstown, which comes every 15-20 minutes most of the time. The longest we had to wait was 15 minutes for the bus, after barely missing one. Most of the time, we waited only a few minutes! While this is the primary route in their network, Transit Windsor is currently in a plan to increase frequency across their system. Even outside this route, we were able to get to and around Sandwich, Walkerville, and Riverside with ease!
What to do in Windsor?
I’ve been singing the praise of Transit Windsor, but what is there to do in the city? I had that question in the week before, but there’s so many amazing things!
I highly recommend Art Windsor Essex and the Chimczuk Museum of Windsor History. They share a building, and you can buy one ticket! Art Windsor Essex is no DIA, but it had many amazing contemporary exhibits. The Chimczuk Museum highlights some Windsor history you don’t often hear on this side of the border. It had a fascinating exhibit on the First Nations of the Detroit-Windsor, which showed not just their past, but the present of First Nations in Southwest Ontario as well!
The Riverwalk was beautiful, it was so cool seeing Detroit from the other side, and Windsor’s Riverwalk is covered in sculptures! To see them all, start the Riverwalk near the Ambassador Bridge.
Windsor is easily a city for book lovers. I’m sure book lovers have been to John King or Dawn Treader in Ann Arbor, but Juniper Books is a hidden gem! The bookstore is built into a old house, and it had an amazing selection of books of all kinds. The mix of American and Canadian authors was greatly appreciated! Biblioasis Bookshop is a wonderful contemporary bookstore that has a great used section in the back. A perfect mix of old and new!
Without a doubt, food was the highlight of Windsor. Not only is our dollar worth more over there, but the food was some of the best I’ve had in years! I cannot recommend enough all of these restaurants:
- Antonio’s Pizza (Riverside): Windsor has their own style of pizza, and it was so good! Whether a slice or a pie, Windsor pizza makes a worthy rival to Detroit Style.
- Taloola Cafe: A beautiful cafe near Windsor Train Station, featuring amazing breakfast and brunch options for vegans and everyone. Try their spiced house syrup in coffee!
- Cafe Armor & Art: When I think of Canada, I don’t think of amazing Mexican cafes. But Cafe Armor was some of the best coffee I’ve had, and had a beautiful atmosphere.
- Maison Istanbul: Doner kebab can be very hard to find in Metro Detroit, but this Turkish restaurant did not disappoint.
- Steak N Shawarma: This was some of the best Shawarma I’ve EVER had. The owners were so nice, and they make a variety of in house sauces. Steak N Shawarma is affordable, near the tunnel, and is absolutely perfect.
To round off a visit to Windsor, take the bus down to Malden Park. This park is home to the highest point in Windsor, and offers one of the best views of Detroit I’ve ever seen. It was a jaw-dropping hike that I recommend to anyone from Metro Detroit!a
After visiting, getting back across the border was easy. Our Tunnel Bus was a bit delayed due to the amount of fans for a Tigers Game. It was so packed, some people had to stand! The return trip was easy, and we were able to ride the bus close to Grand Circus where me and my partner could say goodbye.
Honestly, Windsor impressed me greatly! I always thought of it as a place to gamble and for 19 year olds to grab a beer, but it has so many beautiful parks, great cafes, and a transit system much better than most cities its size. If you want to take the bus to Windsor, feel free to ask me a question at [email protected]. I suggest you make this your next trip!
– Petra, TRU Design Specialist
