30 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN TORONTO (BEYOND THE TORONTONTERO TOWER)

No. It is not the capital of Canada (it is Ottawa, of course), but it is Ontario. We talk about Toronto, one of the best known and most visited cities in the country. After the visit to Niagara Falls, it was the second stop of our trip through Canada, and we were not disappointed at all: people speak quite well, so expectations were high and we can say that, after spending three days here, We joined the small group of fans (although I think we would not visit it in winter hehe). Next we will tell you 30 things to see and do in Toronto:

1. The Toronto skyline It is emblematic and peculiar, thanks especially to the CN Tower, a symbol of the city (Canadian National CN). From the top of the viewpoint, about 447 meters, you can enjoy one of the best views of the city and its surroundings (although, as we will tell you in the next point, they are NOT the best hehe).

Curiosity: It was the tallest tower in the world with its 553 meters from 1975 to 2007, and is currently in fifth position. There are several experiences, from simply the viewpoint ($ 38), to the Edgewalk or a meal in its 360 restaurant. More information.

2. The city is located on the shores of Lake Ontario, a natural border with the United States, which more than a lake looks like an inland sea, with its small islands and everything. For us, the best panoramic Toronto is what you get from these Toronto Islands, easily accessible from the city. If the weather is good, take advantage and stay a good time: improvise a picnic, relax in the colorful chairs, take a walk or bike ride and enjoy the sights. The ferry costs about 8CAD i / v and does not take more than 15 minutes. For us it is the best what to see and do in Toronto!

3. The best way to get around the city is by tram, and specifically in the tram 504 passing through neighborhoods as interesting as the financial district and the Distillery District, or the tram 501, which crosses the city from east to west for almost 25 km (1.5 hours). Toronto streetcars map. The history of trams in Toronto is laaaarga (here they are called the streetcars) and is undoubtedly one of the unmistakable stamps of the city, being the most beloved means of transport by locals and tourists. In fact, it is the second most used light rail system in America (after Guadalajara, Mexico).

The price of a ticket is 3.25CAD and the daily pass costs 13CAD, and hopefully, you will ride one of the historic Red Rockets! More info.

4. If New York has Times Square, Toronto has Yonge Dundas Square... same same, but different. Obviously we stay with Times Square, but it's something original to see in Toronto! It usually has atmosphere all day, although it is best to spend the night to freak out with all the giant screens and neons.

5. Attend a some sports match Canadians' favorites: hockey, baseball or basketball:

♣ It is clear that the national sport is the ice Hockey, so if your visit matches a match of the home team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Do not miss it! They play in the Scotiabank Arena (Air Canada Center). You can also go see the second team in the city, the Toronto Marlies, with cheaper tickets. It is what we went to and we loved it (we paid 26CAD per person in a cup match).

If yours is already vice, then complete the visit with the Hockey Hall of Fame, where you can learn more about this sport so important for the country.

♣ If you prefer the basketball (Let's go Raptors!) Go to Scotiabank Arena (Air Canada Center) and enjoy a NBA match. Of course, buy your tickets in advance.

♣ However, if what you want is a game of baseball (that is that you are weird), you can go see one of the Blue jays, in the huge stadium Rogers center.

Doing the monger in the Toronto Islands

6. If you could fly over the area south of the Rogers Center and the CN Tower you would see a very characteristic semicircular building. Is heJohn Street Roundhouse which houses the Railway Museum. It is the place where, since 1929, the locomotives of the national rail network were repaired and maintained. Inside the museum ($ 5) as in the outdoor park (free) you will see some historic trains and other elements like a huge original water tower

7. You know that we are all fans of the food markets, because in Toronto is the St Lawrence Market, unavoidable appointment for foodies since for many it is one of the most beautiful markets in the world. And yes, we confirm: it is a true past. On the first floor there are the stalls of fresh produce and some of ready-made food, and on the ground floor is the place to try specialties from around the world at reduced prices. If you agree on a Saturday, you know that in the north of the St Lawrence Market they make the “Saturday farmers market”, with biological products, of km 0.

8. For tourists interested in art (or if you are looking for an alternative plan on a day of cold and rain), a very important museum in the city is the Art Gallery of Ontario, where you can walk among artists like Picasso, Van Gogh or Henry Moore.

9. There is another museum nearby: the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), the most impressive natural history museum in all of Canada. There are rooms full of dinosaurs, meteorites, fossils, Egyptian archaeological objects (mummies included) and many more surprises, with their 6 million objects. The ticket costs 20CAD and you can buy it in advance here.

10. In the Nathan Philips Square there is a very photogenic corner, thanks to some letters that form the word "Toronto". Impossible not to take a selfie here.

TORONTO poster in Nathan Philips Square

11. Next is the Eaton Center, the best known shopping center in the city and probably the most important in Canada, which has more than 300 stores and an incessant bustle of people. If you feel like shopping, it's your place.

12. The Eaton Center was the origin of the underground city that unfolds as if it were an anthill under the Toronto soils. It is called "The path”, A network of corridors and underground galleries that connect several points of the city. The people of Toronto use them when "on the surface" is too cold (winter temperatures can reach -40!). Curiosity: it is estimated that there are almost 30 km of these corridors, a true "city" underground! More information and map.

13. One of the accesses to The Path is found in the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, which occupies a historic building from 1929. In its eagerness to build a network of luxury hotels throughout the country, the Canadian Pacific Railway set out to build the largest hotel in the British Empire. And so it was, you can imagine how it should have been its inauguration ... and it is that some of its numbers impress: 1048 rooms, 10 elevators, 35 employees only for the telephone switchboard, had even a golf course! Over the years, it has been renovated and even expanded and is the place chosen by Isabel II herself on her trips to Toronto. If you want to imitate it, know that you can book a room at the Royal York (from € 200).

14. Other similarities with New York is the Gooderham Building , known as the Toronto flatiron version. It is undoubtedly one of the most photographed corners of the city and one of the best things what to see in Toronto. It's at 49 Wellington St.

15. Toronto is the most populous city in Canada (more than 2.5 million inhabitants), financial center and host city for many immigrants from any corner of the world. They say that more than half of their neighbors are of foreign origin. To know one of the most famous communities, take a tour of Chinatown, in the vicinity of the intersection between Dundas St and Spadina Ave. East Toronto is one of the largest chinatowns in the entire continent. The cultural clashes are almost endless and it is the perfect place to eat some dumplings, have a bubble tea and freak out with the neon signs and street art, yes, in Chinese style, of course!

Gooderham Building, the Toronto Flatiron

Tired? Uff ... and that you have 15 other things to see and do in Toronto. Cheer up!

16. A stone's throw from Chinatown is another very interesting neighborhood: it is the one of Kensington Market. It is a small multicultural district of Victorian houses full of vintage shops (don't forget to go through Augusta Street), restaurants and coffee shops. It is a cheerful, informal, half-bohemian and vibrant area, where to have a good time. Here we tell you a few restaurants to eat in Toronto (good and cheap)

17. Complete the walking tour of this area in the Alley graffiti which, as the name indicates, is an alley full of street art. It has nothing to do with the Kobra murals in New York, but we found the yellow chicks super cute.

18. When the ice thaws completely and the sun's rays begin to warm the streets of Toronto, people go out in droves to enjoy the terraces. His favorite area is the street Queen street west, but it is also one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in the city, full of bars, restaurants and small boutique shops.

19. Visit the Casa Loma, a very peculiar mansion that looks like a real Scottish castle ... in the very center of Toronto. Seeing it from outside is free, but if you want to enter it costs $ 32.

20. If you are traveling through Canada by train, you will arrive at the Union Station, in the heart of Toronto. In addition to being the busiest station in Canada (counting the train and subway lines) it is one of the most emblematic buildings in the city. After its impressive facade with 22 columns of 12 meters high, the "Great Hall" opens, which will leave you with your mouth open. Beyond a simple transport station, it is a civic center with cultural events of all kinds.

Street art in Graffiti Alley

21. One of the visits we enjoyed most in Toronto was the Distillery District, a neighborhood that in the nineteenth century was the industrial heart of the city, where an immense whiskey distillery was located and that today has been converted into a leisure area with art galleries, bars and modernist restaurants. A bit like the Meatpacking District of New York, and the similarities with the most important city in the world are not few. That said: for us to come here is one of the best things to do in Toronto.

22. Do you travel to Toronto in summer? A good plan to escape the heat is to spend a day (or even a few hours) in the neighborhood of The Beaches, east of the city, such as in Woodbine beach. Of course, do not even think about coming in winter, because you are going to peel cold.

23. On the other hand, if you visit the city in the middle of winter, there is something you can not miss: rent some skates and slide on the ice rink that put fair in front of the Town Hall. And remember something: wear a good coat!

24. A good place to take a relaxing walk is the Riverdale park, also from here there are beautiful views of the city. And do not think it is just a good place only in summer, in winter, when the city is covered with nine, it is the perfect place to go with a plastic bag (or whatever you want) and throw yourself on its slopes .

25. And if you follow the path to the north, you will run into the Prince Edward Viaduct, popularly known as Bloor viaduct. It is a huge concrete and steel bridge of almost half a km, which connects the Danforth neighborhood (the Greek neighborhood) with downtown Toronto, separated by the Don River. Its construction was completed in 1918 (it is over 100 years old!) And, in addition to facilitating traffic, it has been given a somewhat more sinister use: that of suicides.

It became the second place where there were more suicides in North America (after the Golden Gate of San Francisco). To tackle this problem it was decided to annex the Luminous veil (luminous veil) at its ends, a succession of up to 9,000 metal rods that light up at night and prevent people from jumping.

The Distillery District is our favorite area of ​​Toronto!

26. You may have already realized that Toronto is a multicultural city: beyond Chinatown you can visit neighborhoods such as Little Italy, Little India, Little Portugal, or the one we presented before: Danforth neighborhood (Greektown), one of the most popular Greek neighborhoods in the world. Here one of the most exciting gastronomic festivals takes place and we would love to attend: the Taste of the Danforth, in mid-August. Does it catch you? Lucky one!

27. The Tchotchke House (Crazy Doll House) is a super curious house that is located at 37 Bertmount Ave. Its peculiarity? It is decorated with dolls that its owner, Shirley Sumaiser, collected throughout her life.

28. If you have several days of time in the city, visit the Scarborough Bluffs Park. It is located about 20 km east of downtown and is famous for its steep cliffs above Lake Ontario, and for being the only one of the parks that has a beach (the Bluffer's Park Beach). Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places to go on an excursion and for nature lovers.

29. For those who are not afraid of heights, there is an unforgettable plan: a 30-minute plane ride over the city. And do not think it is very expensive: € 65 seems like a very affordable price to live a day you will never forget! More information and reservation.

30. Finally, you have to approach the Niagara Falls, one of the most famous and mighty waterfalls in the world. Here we tell you our experience visiting this fantastic place. You can arrive by free, by bus, or sign up for a guided tour like this.

Here we leave you a map with the location of all the points of interest that we recommend visiting in Toronto:

Toronto is the most cosmopolitan city in Canada, the most dynamic and possibly the one that offers more fun options to the traveler. We really liked it a lot! Here we have told you 30 things to see and do in Toronto, but surely the city awaits you with more surprises. We hope you enjoy them on your trip to Canada!

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