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Most populous city in Canada
Photo: Jchmrt, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The heart of downtown Toronto with Yonge St, the Eaton Centre, theatres and City Hall.
The entertainment and financial heart of the city, including some of the city's most prominent tourist attractions: the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Union Station and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Diverse neighbourhoods with lots of little shops, markets and restaurants, and some of the city's best known bars for live music. Includes Queen West and the Fashion District to the south.
The boutiques of Yorkville and the museums and student energy of the Annex and University neighbourhoods.
South of Downtown, this area is popular for its parks and recreational activities. Walk along the water's edge, take a harbour tour by boat, have some family fun at various events at Exhibition Place, or take in a Major League Soccer or Canadian Football League game at BMO Field.
Take the ferry to the Toronto Islands. Stroll through the parkland, enjoy the beaches, see the petting zoo, have fun in the amusement park, see the quaint cottages and front-yard gardens of the permanent island community.
Older neighbourhoods between Church St and the Don Valley. Includes Church & Wellesley (Toronto's gay village), Cabbagetown, the St Lawrence Market, Old Town Toronto, and the Distillery District.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
The Ex, CNE
The Ex is an annual fair offering an amusement park (the Midway), a casino, live entertainment, an international market, agricultural exhibits including livestock and a variety of other exhibits. It is Canada's largest fair and the fifth largest in North America, with an average annual attendance of 1.3 million.
This event, held the last weekend of May, offers residents and visitors an opportunity to take a peek behind the doors of more than 100 architecturally, historically, culturally and socially significant buildings across the city. Many of these buildings are normally not open to the public. A number of the city's museums offer free admission on the Doors Open weekend.
Canada's answer to the San Diego and New York Comic-Cons, Fan Expo Canada draws over 150,000 attendees each year to celebrate superheroes, science fiction, fantasy, and other popular franchises. It's the largest such event in Canada and one of the biggest in the world, now taking up both the north and south buildings of the Convention Centre. It usually takes place over four days at the end of August.
Pride Toronto is the annual LGBT festival which includes the very popular Pride Parade which draws crowds of straight people to discover how LGBT people have fun. See also LGBT Toronto.
TBFF
TBFF showcases the noteworthy black films and provides a forum to debate major cultural, social and socio-economic issues.
TIFF
This publicly attended festival of international film takes place in various theatres and draws many celebrities and celebrity spotters.
180 Canadian ind international films and videos over ten days, produced by and about LGBT people.
One of the largest literary festivals in the world. The annual festival attracts many well-known and up-and-coming authors, with a focus on Canadian and Indigenous authors. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 festival was held online. Events included author readings and discussions, writing workshops, book club meetings, events for children and families, and audio walking tours of Toronto neighbourhoods that inspired stories about the city. The festival's Instagram page @festofauthors sometimes hosts live online events and announces updates throughout the year.
This cafe chain has locations throughout the city. Aroma might be the best of the large coffee chains for espresso coffees and rivals the quality at many independent coffee shops. The coffee is served in a cup and saucer with a metal spoon (you might not get the spoon at some other places), and you get a piece of chocolate (a nice touch).
Balzac's is a small chain of cafes in interesting neighbourhoods. It serves only organic, Fair Trade coffee, cocoa and sugar, and its milk is locally sourced and organic.
Linking 1,200 stores and 50 buildings, The PATH is an underground shopping mall has been created for all the commuters to get from Union Station to their offices and back without ever going outside. In a city of Toronto's summer heat and winter cold, this is essential.
A shopping centre in the north of the city, accessible from Yorkdale subway station. This is a full-service, upscale mall with hundreds of stores, but which is also rife with packs of roving teenagers who use the facilities as a social scene. Make use of the subway if possible on weekends, as locals pack the parking areas to capacity.
By bus
The main bus terminal is in downtown Toronto adjacent to Union railway station:
By train
The following are the railway services operating out of Union Station:
By car
Controlled-access highways leading into Toronto include the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), the 404, the 401, the 400, and the 427.
By car
Getting around by car is the easiest method to get around outside of the downtown area. Roads are wide, have many lanes, and parking is free and plentiful.
By public transit
The following are the fares effective August 15, 2023:
By taxi
Taxis are plentiful and safe, but not cheap.25, with an average 5 km trip costing $13.
By ride hailing
By bicycle
Toronto is trying very hard to become a bike-friendly city, with dedicated bike lanes being added all the time. There are many casual cyclists out all the time.
By ferry
The trip to the Toronto Islands from the downtown core (Bay St and Queens Quay) is a pleasant 15-minute ferry ride, with frequent summer service and the best views of the Toronto skyline.
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Toronto · International · YYZ
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