Mississauga sits just west of Toronto, sprawling along the shore of Lake Ontario. With over 700,000 people, it is Canada's seventh-largest city -- though most visitors know it primarily as the home of Toronto Pearson International Airport. That is a shame, because there is more here than airport hotels and office parks.
The City Centre clusters around the modern Civic Centre, the vast Square One mall, and the unmistakable curving Absolute World towers — locally known as the Marilyn Monroe towers and the city's only piece of genuinely interesting architecture.
The city is one of the most ethnically diverse places in Canada. Nearly half its residents were born outside the country, and that shows most clearly in its food. Hurontario Street alone offers a crash course in South Asian cuisine, from Tamil thali joints to Pakistani grills. Port Credit, a former fishing village on the lakefront, has become a pleasant neighbourhood for waterfront walks and casual dining. Further north, Streetsville is Mississauga's old village, with a single low-rise main street.
Mississauga lacks the obvious tourist landmarks of its neighbour, but it is a comfortable, well-connected base for exploring the western Greater Toronto Area. The lakefront trails are good for cycling, Port Credit has genuine charm, and if you are flying into Pearson, a night here before heading onward is no hardship.