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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Lindsay
Give Lindsay one night, two at most: a small Kawartha Lakes town of about 20,000 with a theatre, a jail museum and river trails. Skip it as a base without a car.
Lindsay is the business and culture centre of the City of Kawartha Lakes, 43 km west of Peterborough and about 130 km from Toronto by Highway 401 and Highway 35. It is a compact downtown of locally owned shops, a restored 1892 theatre and an 1863 jail museum, sitting on the Scugog River where the Trent-Severn Waterway's Lock 33 lets boats moor downtown. Most travellers see it as a half-day stop between Peterborough and Fenelon Falls, or a single night while touring the Kawarthas by car.
- Country
- Canada
- Best months
- Jun–Sep, plus the third weekend of September for the Lindsay Exhibition
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, snow), late summer for blue-green algae warnings on local lakes
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CAD
- Money
- Currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD, $). Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere.
- Daily spend
- Budget C$90–140 excl. bed · Mid C$140–220 excl. bed · High C$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Rogers, Bell and Telus plus cheaper brands (Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile); prepaid SIMs in malls and stores. Canadian data is expensive — an eSIM is often cheaper.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Lindsay Transit +1 705 324-9411 · Kawartha Lakes Taxi +1 705 880 8800
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Same as the US.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: CAD 1–2 per drink.; Taxi: 10–15%.; Housekeeping: CAD 3–5 a night.; Guide: 10–20% of the tour price.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable; treat water from lakes and streams (giardia).
- Toilets
- Free in malls, Tim Hortons, stations and park visitor centres.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | C$2–4 |
| Breakfast plate at a diner | C$12–18 |
| Fish and chips | C$16–24 |
| Draught beer in a brew pub | C$7–9 |
| Olde Gaol Museum adult admission | C$5 |
| Ken Reid Conservation Area parking | C$4 per day |
| Lindsay Exhibition adult day pass | C$15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YYZ · Toronto Pearson
- About 1 h 45 min–2 h by car via Highway 401 and Highway 35; no direct rail link to Lindsay
- YPQ · Peterborough Airport
- Small regional field about 40 min away; limited scheduled service, check
- YTZ · Billy Bishop Toronto City
- About 2 h by car; check
Typical fares
- Lindsay Transit single ride
- check locally; routes run 7:00–22:00 dailycheck locally; routes run 7:00 AM–10:00 PM daily
- Taxi across town
- about C$10–15 (check)
- Ken Reid Conservation Area parking
- C$4 per day
Get around
Lindsay Transit runs four routes inside the former town, daily 7:00–22:00 (check fares). Downtown is walkable in 15 minutes end to end. Outside town there is almost no public transport, so a car is close to a necessity for the lakes, conservation areas and neighbouring towns.Lindsay Transit runs four routes inside the former town, daily 7:00 AM–10:00 PM (check fares). Downtown is walkable in 15 minutes end to end. Outside town there is almost no public transport, so a car is close to a necessity for the lakes, conservation areas and neighbouring towns.
See and do
Known for
- Olde Gaol Museum
- Academy Theatre
- Trent-Severn Waterway Lock 33
- Kawartha Art Gallery
- Lindsay Exhibition fair
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fenelon Falls | Highway 35 north by car, about 30 min | About 30 min |
| Bobcaygeon | Highway 36 north-east by car, about 35 min | About 35 min |
| Peterborough, Ontario | Highway 7 east by car, about 45 min | About 45 min |
| Buckhorn, Lakefield and Stoney Lake | Highway 28 north-east by car, about 45 min | About 45 min |
| Toronto | Highway 35 south to Highway 401, then west by car | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Downtown Kent Street
- Walk to the gallery, theatre, restaurants and the river; the Kent Inn is here.
- Angeline Street South
- Highway-side motels and the Days Inn near Fleming College; you need a car for everything.
- Lindsay Street South
- Budget motels near the golf course, about 2 km from downtown.Budget motels near the golf course, about 1.2 mi from downtown.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Sorry / Excuse me | Sorry |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Bonjour' first in Québec; avoid: Assuming everyone speaks English
- Queues: Line up and wait your turn; avoid: Pushing in
- Apologising: 'Sorry' is politeness, not admission of fault; avoid: Loud confrontation
- Canada vs US: Treat Canada as its own country; avoid: Calling Canadians American
- Indigenous culture: Buy from Indigenous-owned businesses and ask before photos at ceremonies; avoid: Wearing headdresses as costume
Scams and watch-outs
- Blue-green algae can bloom on Kawartha lakes in late summer and early fall: do not swim, drink or let pets into water with a bloom.
- Poison ivy grows throughout Ken Reid Conservation Area and other wooded trails: stay on the path.
- Most shops and the Olde Gaol Museum close by late afternoon; plan the museum before 16:00.
- Outside Lindsay there is little public transport: without a car you are limited to town.
Lindsay is a low-crime small town; the real risks are winter driving, deer on Highway 35 after dark, blue-green algae on the lakes in late summer and poison ivy on trails.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Lindsay yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Olde Gaol Museum
- Academy Theatre
- Trent-Severn Waterway Lock 33
- Kawartha Art Gallery
- Lindsay Exhibition fair
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Kawartha Lakes — Lindsay: www.kawarthalakes.ca/en/living-here/lindsay-transit.aspx
- Explore Kawartha Lakes — plan your trip: www.explorekawarthalakes.com/
- Parks Canada — Trent-Severn Waterway, Lock 33: www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern
- Olde Gaol Museum: www.oldegaolmuseum.ca/
- Kawartha Art Gallery: www.kawarthagallery.com/
- Ken Reid Conservation Area: www.kawarthaconservation.com/en/conservation-areas/ken-reid.aspx
- Wikivoyage: Lindsay, revision 5293864 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5293864
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Lindsay
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Lindsay Transit+1 705 324-9411
- Kawartha Lakes Taxi+1 705 880 8800
No embassies in Lindsay; the US consulate general is in Toronto, and most other countries keep embassies in Ottawa.
English is the working language; a few French speakers in the region.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/lindsay). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.