How to Get to Scotiabank Arena, Which Gate, and Where to Stay

By Declan Moss · 25 August 2026

From Union Station, Scotiabank Arena is a covered indoor walk. Follow the Scotiabank Arena and Union Station Bus Terminal signs through Bay Concourse to the Galleria and Gate 1.

The useful trick is to separate arrival from departure. Gate 1 is the direct indoor arrival, but the west side of the arena gives a York guest the cleaner walk home after the crowd turns north for Union.

A real StayToronto York one-bedroom suite in South Core. This photo shows the actual suite type, not a promise that this exact unit is open for your event date.

What is the covered route from Union Station?

Scotiabank Arena is at 40 Bay Street, directly south of Union Station. The arena says its Bay West Teamway and Blue Route connect Union to the Galleria, the climate-controlled public walkway at the arena's north end.

Use this route:

1. Inside Union Station, follow signs for Bay Concourse.
2. Continue toward Scotiabank Arena or the Union Station Bus Terminal.
3. Enter the Galleria and stay inside to Gate 1.

The arena's own description of the connection is more useful than a generic instruction to "take the PATH." The direct Union connection is covered and arena-specific. A longer cross-core PATH route still passes through privately controlled buildings, which is why our honest Toronto PATH guide treats evenings and weekends differently.

Do not put "Scotiabank" into a map and accept the first result. This guide is for Scotiabank Arena at 40 Bay Street in South Core, not Rogers Centre and not Rogers Stadium.

The same route works for Toronto Maple Leafs home games, Toronto Raptors home games and concerts.

Which train or streetcar should you take?

Every useful transit option lands at Union Station. There is no separate arena stop to hunt for.

• TTC Line 1: exit at Union and follow the arena signs. It leaves you inside Union, beside the covered connection.
• GO train: use Bay Concourse and the Scotiabank Arena exit. It leaves you at the south end of the station route.
• UP Express from Pearson: follow the ramp into Union, then Bay Concourse and Union Station Bus Terminal signs. It leaves you inside the arena connection.
• 509 Harbourfront: stay on to Union Station Streetcar Platform, stop 10935, under Union Station.
• 510 Spadina: board the 510A to Union Station, not a branch ending at King or Queens Quay. It uses the same Union streetcar platform.

The TTC's current arena directions send Line 1 riders to Union and tell them to follow arena signs. The current 509 Harbourfront and 510 Spadina pages both show Union Station Streetcar Platform 10935.

That gives waterfront riders a simple rule: stay aboard to Union. Getting off at Queens Quay and walking back north adds an outdoor leg and gives up the indoor arrival.

GO passengers have a direct cue. GO Transit's Union access page names a Scotiabank Arena entrance at the south end of Bay Concourse. UP Express riders come from the SkyWalk side of Union, then follow Bay Concourse and bus-terminal signs on the official UP indoor route.

What does the TTC fare cost on 25 August 2026?

The adult TTC fare is $3.30 with PRESTO, a contactless debit or credit card, or a mobile wallet. Cash is $3.35 exact fare.

Tap the same card or device on every transfer. The TTC fare page applies a two-hour transfer to tapped payments. Cash gets a paper transfer for one continuous trip, not the two-hour window.

A dated change is already announced. Starting 1 September 2026, the TTC will stop charging after 47 paid trips in one calendar month when the rider uses the same eligible card or device. Adult, Youth, Senior and Fair Pass monthly passes, plus Youth and Senior 12-Month passes, end on 31 August 2026. Adult 12-Month Passes and Post-Secondary Student Monthly Passes remain.

For one arena trip, the practical answer stays the same: tap the card already in your wallet. You do not need to buy a PRESTO card for this ride.

Which Scotiabank Arena gate should you use?

Use Gate 1 when you want the covered Union arrival, the accessible entrance lane, the Ticket Office or Fan Services. It sits in the Galleria. The arena says nearly 60 per cent of guests enter there.

That number is the warning. Gate 1 is simple to find, but its queue is not automatically the shorter one. The arena FAQ recommends Gates 3, 4 or 5B for shorter lines.

Use this decision:

• Gate 1: indoor arrival, accessibility, ticket help or first visit.
• Gate 3, 4 or 5B: shorter-line choice for a standard ticket.
• Premium Entrance on Bay Street: required for a general-admission floor ticket.

The ticket still controls admission. The useful move is to arrive inside at the Galleria, read the gate on the live ticket, then decide whether to stay at Gate 1 or walk around the arena before joining a queue.

How do you leave without following the Union crowd?

If you are staying at York, do not undo the whole route after the show. Leave toward the west-side Gate 5/6 area by the Bremner Boulevard traffic loop, continue toward Maple Leaf Square and York Street, then go south to 12 or 14 York Street.

This is the detail many arena guides miss. Arrival and departure should use different sides of the building. Nearly 60 per cent of guests enter at Gate 1 in the north Galleria, so the post-show pull back toward Union is predictable. A York guest needs the west side, not another trip through the station.

Skip the Bay Street rideshare pickup for this stay. The York suites at 12 and 14 York Street are on the other side of the arena's west approach, so a car turns a short final walk into a pickup problem.

Where should you stay for an arena-first trip?

York is StayToronto's pick when Scotiabank Arena is the main event. It puts the stay in South Core and the Financial District, with Union, the arena and the CN Tower side of downtown on one compact street map.

It does not suit someone whose real priority is a King Street West bar crawl after the show. For that trip, read the separate Entertainment District stay guide near Scotiabank Arena. That article owns the where-to-stay comparison. This one owns the Union route, gate and walk home.

For the South Core side of the evening, our Financial District street-level guide maps the places that remain useful after the office rush fades.

Before you go

• Open the event detail and live mobile ticket before leaving the suite. General-admission floor tickets use the Bay Street Premium Entrance.
• Review the arena's current restricted bag policy. The official page does not carry a 2026-stamped size figure, so this guide does not repeat the older dimensions.
• Check TTC live alerts and GO construction updates on the day. Union's exact corridor moves during construction.
• Follow the current Scotiabank Arena and Union Station Bus Terminal signs inside Bay Concourse.

Official sources

• Scotiabank Arena address, Galleria, PATH connection and Gate 1 usage
• Scotiabank Arena gates, accessibility and entry guidance
• TTC Scotiabank Arena directions
• TTC fares, transfers and the September 2026 fare change
• GO Transit Union Station access
• UP Express indoor route from its Union platform

StayToronto is not affiliated with Scotiabank Arena, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, the TTC, GO Transit or UP Express. Names are used as local reference points only. Event admission is separate from accommodation.

About this guide

Written by Declan Moss. Every fact here was checked against an official source on 25 August 2026, and the links are in the text.

Make the walk home part of the booking decision

Start with York for the arena-first route, or compare StayToronto's current downtown furnished stays if the rest of the trip points elsewhere.