Which side of the plane to sit on: Vancouver to Toronto?
Flying from Vancouver to Toronto? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.
The best window changes along the way.
Confidence: lowTakeoff views
9:05 AMClimbing out of Vancouver toward the east, the left window looks out over the North Shore Mountains, the Bowen Island National Park Reserve and the Fraser Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cheam Range on the right.
- rightView of Cheam Range (mountain range)
- leftView of North Shore Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Bowen Island National Park Reserve (national park)
- leftView of Fraser Canyon (deep canyon)
Flight path features
11:14 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Lizard Range and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Hozameen Range and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park on the right.
- leftView of Lizard Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Hozameen Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Landing views
4:26 PMDescending into Toronto from the northwest, the right window looks out over the Point Clark, the McCormick Point and the Niagara Falls (rugged cliffs and headlands), with the Eugenia Falls on the left.
- rightView of Point Clark (peninsula coastline)
- rightView of McCormick Point (peninsula coastline)
- rightView of Niagara Falls (the thundering falls on the US-Canada border)
- leftView of Eugenia Falls (waterfall)
Good to know
- Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
- "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
- Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Vancouver to Toronto?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Lizard Range and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Hozameen Range and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Vancouver?
Climbing out of Vancouver toward the east, the left window looks out over the North Shore Mountains, the Bowen Island National Park Reserve and the Fraser Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cheam Range on the right.
What about on the descent into Toronto?
Descending into Toronto from the northwest, the right window looks out over the Point Clark, the McCormick Point and the Niagara Falls (rugged cliffs and headlands), with the Eugenia Falls on the left.