By Public Transportation
All public transit within the Region of Waterloo is provided by Grand River Transit (http://www.grt.ca).
Kitchener as a whole has a poor though improving public transit system, although most centrally located sights can be reached without much difficulty. The route 7 bus is the city's main line and comes every 7 - 10 minutes. The 7 can be taken from almost anywhere on King St. south of the intersection of King and University Ave. in Waterloo. Something that can be confusing is that there are three different 7 routes, the 7c, 7d, 7e; they all run the same route until the intersection of King and University, the 7c runs to Conestoga Mall at the north end of Waterloo, the 7d travels to the University of Waterloo through the most direct route, along University and the 7e runs to the University of Waterloo along Columbia, on the north end of the campus. To the south, all 7s run to Fairview Park Mall, no matter the letter.
There is also a limited-stop Express service between Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge known as the 200 iXpress. It runs a similar route to that of the 7, beginning at Conestoga Mall and stopping at the University of Waterloo, Uptown Waterloo, Downtown Kitchener, Fairview Park Mall, Cambridge Centre Mall and Downtown Galt among other places.
The bus fare is $2.50 and allows for travel for up to 90 minutes. If you intend to connect to another route, ask the driver for a transfer when you pay your fare. A detailed map of all routes in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge can be purchased at a variety of locations for $2 or downloaded for free from Grand River Transit (http://www.grt.ca). Students of University of Waterloo and/or Wilfrid Laurier University do not need to pay cash fare if they flash their University-issued Student ID WatCard for University of Waterloo; OneCard for Wilfrid Laurier, as long as the expiry date on the card has not elapsed. These students have already paid for bus services through non-refundable fees on their fees statement.
By car
By car, with a local map: where other cities are laid out more or less on a grid Kitchener streets are not, rather follow their own complex patterns with frequent twists and turns, many continuing into adjoining Waterloo.
Likewise, street directions are designated E, W, N, and S, but only one major cross street, Lancaster Street East/West, is true to the compass running, oddly enough, straight north/south. King, Weber and Westmount are the principal EW streets in Kitchener at Union Street, they become King, Weber and Westmount in Waterloo, where they are designated N/S. Queen, Frederick, Ottawa and Victoria, are the principal NS cross-streets.
There is a an express route, known locally as the Conestoga Parkway, but not signed as such, which loops traffic on Highways 7&8 traffic through Kitchener South and Highway 85 traffic through Waterloo North.
Addresses number EW from Queen, NS from King.
The centre of the city, known as downtown, is divided into four neighborhoods:
Warehouse District at the north end of downtown, full of disused factories, many of which are now being converted into loft condominiums or offices.
Downtown Core, the centre of downtown, contains city hall and a large number of other sights, as well as many office buildings, shops and restaurants.
Civic Centre, contains many public buildings, including the public library, the police station and the Centre in the Square concert hall.
East End, contains many small shops and inexpensive restaurants as well as the Kitchener Market.