Driving Directions
ABOUT PORT HOPE: Located one hour east of Toronto, Port Hope is a heritage community situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario. An urban and rural paradise with the perfect mix of heritage charm, modern vibrancy and cultural allure, the town boasts miles of waterfront trails, sandy beaches, a heritage conservation district downtown, quaint surrounding villages and scenic country driving routes. The friendly people of Port Hope welcome you to visit for the day, stay awhile or perhaps join us and stay for the rest of your life.
For more information about Port Hope please visit our tourism centre, conveniently located next to the Capitol Theatre Box Office, the Port Hope Tourism website: www.visitporthope.ca, or call 1.888.767.8467.
The Capitol Theatre is located at 20 Queen Street in the heart of downtown Port Hope.
When driving to the theatre it is important to note that there are two 401 highway exits that will lead you into Port Hope (Toronto Road and Ontario Street) and either will lead to you to downtown and take about the same amount of time (approximately 3-4 minutes).
Below are suggestions for travellers driving in from East, West and North of Port Hope:
From the West:
(Toronto/GTA/Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo etc.)
Take the 401 Eastbound to Toronto Road.
Exit at Toronto Road into Port Hope.
Go South on Highway 2 (Toronto Road/Ridout Street/Walton Street).
Turn Right onto Queen Street.
From the East:
(Kingston/Ottawa/Belleville/Trenton/Montreal etc.)
Take the 401 Westbound to Ontario Street.
Exit at Ontario Street into Port Hope.
Go South on Ontario Street to Highway 2 (Walton Street).
Turn Right onto Walton Street.
Turn Left onto Queen Street.
From the North:
(Peterborough/Barrie/Orillia/Collingwood etc.)
Go South to the 401 via your closest highway (400, 35/115, 412 toll highway from the 407, hwy. 12)
Once you get to the 401 follow the eastbound or westbound directions noted above.
Parking at the Capitol
Due to our central location in historic Port Hope, The Capitol Theatre does not have a designated parking lot for patrons to park in.
Parking in Port Hope is a combination of free lots and paid spots.
Free parking is available for vehicles with a handicapped parking permit. As long as your permit is clearly displayed, you will not be ticketed if you park in a metered spot and do not pay the meter.
Underneath our marquee sign there is a passenger drop off spot. Please use this space to drop off passengers who cannot walk long distances to the theatre. Please do not park in this zone for long as many patrons use the drop off zone during the hour preceding showtime.
We are often asked about parking passes for out of town visitors that were once provided by the municipality of Port Hope – please note that these passes were discontinued and are no longer available.
Port Hope has plenty of parking available on downtown streets. Please see below for meter fees, please note that our meters do not accept credit cards so you will need coins to pay.
6 minutes parking is $0.10
15 minutes parking is $0.25
30 minutes parking is $0.50
60 minutes parking is $1.00
Performances average 3 hours run time so your anticipated cost to park will be $3.00 – $4.00.
Free parking lots can be found on the streets that surround the theatre — immediately behind the theatre there is a metered lot and to the south of it, a free lot. Further south, behind our town hall there is another free lot. Parking spaces are limited in these lots so it is recommended that patrons arrive early to find a space.