The Toronto weekend getaway you have to take

Pelee Island is five hours from Toronto if you include the ferry ride.

And, unless you’re one hell of a swimmer, you have to include the ferry ride.

See also

• 11 gorgeous beaches you can day trip to from Toronto
• The one road trip everyone from Toronto needs to take this summer
• This amazing waterfall is only an hour from Toronto

That’s because the 42 sq. km island is located in Lake Erie, about 3o km off the southern shore of western Ontario and is itself, in fact, the southern most point in the entire country. So south is Pelee Island that it’s closer to the equator than both Detroit, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois.

Which means two things. One, that it’s the perfect distance from Toronto (far enough that you feel far gone, not too far that you can’t do it for a weekend) and two, that it has traditionally enjoyed one of the mildest climates in all of Canada.

Not a bad place to take a late summer road trip too, in other words.

So whether it’s this weekend, the long weekend, a September road trip, or you have to wait until next summer to hit Pelee Island, we promise it’s worth going to. It – quite literally – has something for everyone.

World class wine? Yup.
Multiple beaches? You know it.
Fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, kayaking? All of ’em.

Add in a cute place to stay (can we interest you in a B&B or waterfront cottage?), wine tours, acclaimed restaurants, a freakin’ lighthouse, and an island-wide trail system for biking around and we can’t believe we don’t already live there.

But don’t just take our word for it, trust the ‘gram.

See you in the south soon.

When you feel as though you were in the Caribbean for a few days but you were actually just a few hours’ drive & one ferry ride away from home. Incredible. #peleeisland #ontariothebeautiful #swimbikewine #familygetaway2016 #islandmedicine

A photo posted by Vicki Rivard (@mahinamedicine) on Aug 22, 2016 at 4:58am PDT

#peleeisland#lighthouse

A photo posted by Leah (@solomonlkh) on Aug 21, 2016 at 5:49pm PDT

Always so much fun with her….love her!!! #summer #bestfriends #peleeisland #biking #memories

A photo posted by Kara Lepine (@klehh3) on Aug 16, 2016 at 1:33pm PDT

That stretch of beach goes a long, long way further and it was peppered with geese and gulls. Most southern point in Canada! #peleeisland #exploreCanada #discoverontario

A photo posted by m o r g a n 🌾 (@morgan_isobel) on Aug 8, 2016 at 4:19pm PDT

On the #jiimaanferry home from #islandunpluggedfestival #longweekend #year3 #peleeisland

A photo posted by Amie Burke (@amielouburke) on Aug 1, 2016 at 2:23pm PDT

The straight and narrow path… #relax #vacation #roadtrip #peleeisland

A photo posted by Dave & Janine Buckles (@buckles_roadtrips) on Jul 19, 2016 at 9:25am PDT

Spent a beautiful day biking around Pelee Island. Always wanted to visit. #peleeisland #lakeerie #discoverontario #cycling

A photo posted by Brian Cox (@cox2go) on Jul 19, 2016 at 6:19am PDT

Get drunk on you with no alcohol #throwitback #wineallyouwant

A photo posted by Gabriela (@gricciadams) on Aug 25, 2016 at 1:10pm PDT

✻ whoever says lake erie isn’t beautiful clearly hasn’t been to pelee island ✻ #lakeerie #peleeisland #summer16

A photo posted by Rebecca Maxwell (@rebecca.maxwell) on Jul 27, 2016 at 8:39am PDT

Idk what these are, but I want jump from one to the other #peleeisland #pelee

A photo posted by @michellevisagesbff on Aug 4, 2016 at 3:52pm PDT

What an absolutely action packed weekend! From exploring Pelee Island and Pelee National Park to celebrating my niece’s 5th birthday party (with some very energetic kids running around for hours and hours…). Compared to that I think my 20km bike ride around the island could be considered leisurely. #WHPpostcard #explorecanada #imagesofcanada #peleeisland #margooseontheloose

A photo posted by Margi (@bprmargi) on Jul 10, 2016 at 8:56pm PDT

fun and games on lorain lane

A photo posted by Maria Janasko (@janasko9816) on Jul 4, 2016 at 1:10pm PDT