Travel question of the day: Simon Calder on the best way to cross from Ontario to Michigan

Have a travel question that needs answering? Ask our expert Simon Calder

The US border by road is often a welcome alternative to the airport arrivals experience (Getty)

Q On your recommendation I am taking advantage of the fares war to Toronto to reach family the Midwest US. Everything is booked apart from the border crossing at Windsor (Canada) to Detroit (US). Looks like I need to catch a bus to go through the tunnel. Do you know anything about that? And do I need an Esta?

Jenny Smith, Southampton

A It’s a smart plan to use Toronto as a gateway to the Midwest this summer. For peak dates in August, the lowest fare to Detroit I can find is £1,000 return from Heathrow via Paris on Air France. In contrast, non-stops on Air Canada Rouge from Gatwick to Toronto are widely available at £700 return.

From Toronto airport you can travel easily into Union Station in the centre and onwards by train in about four hours to Windsor.

Detroit in Michigan and Windsor in Ontario face each other across the Detroit River. Counter-intuitively, you go north to reach the US because of a wrinkle in the frontier. There are frequent Tunnel Buses run by the City of Windsor beneath the river. The closest the bus stops to the Via Rail station on the Windsor side is the corner of Wyandotte and Goyeau Streets – about a mile away.

The one-way fare is $5 (either US or Canada – the latter is better value), and the journey takes about 15 minutes – plus whatever time you spend getting through immigration. The process is swift and polite, and a welcome alternative to the airport arrivals experience. No Esta (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation permit) in advance is required – you are turning up by road, so you just fill in a form at the border.

Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder