Places to Visit & Things to Do in Toronto
Among Toronto’s tall sea of condominiums are vibrant, hip neighbourhoods with cool eateries, art galleries, theatres, and music venues. Add to the mix a host of farmers’ markets, luxury stores, museums and a picturesque lake-front location, and you have a haven for the curious traveller.
Sights & Attractions in Toronto
Canada’s National Tower (the CN Tower) defines the Toronto skyline at over 550 metres tall. Head up there for staggering views. The bravest should try the extreme EdgeWalk – a full circle hands-free walk on a 1.5-metre-wide ledge around its main pod. Over in the Distillery Historic District is one of the largest and best-preserved collections of Victorian industrial architecture in North America and the backdrop to over 1,700 films. The site consists of dozens of 19th century buildings linked by brick-paved streets home to popular restaurants, a microbrewery, a sake producer, and a swathe of other unique shops and venues. Toronto has its very own castle, Casa Loma, where you can listen to a symphony orchestra at twilight, enjoy a traditional High Tea and dine on scrumptious beef and seafood at the BlueBlood Steakhouse.
Art and Culture in Toronto
Art lovers have a plethora of museums, galleries, and performance spaces to choose from. From the stunning Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts – home to the world-class Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada – to the graceful Art Gallery of Ontario. Along the Bloor Street Culture Corridor are the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), the Royal Conservatory of Music, and two of the world’s great speciality museums: The Gardiner Museum of ceramic art and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Known locally as Broadway North, the Toronto Theatre District is the third largest English-speaking theatre centre in the world. And the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September is a huge international draw.
Shopping in Toronto
The Bloor-Yorkville area is the home of high-end retail, with all the big international designer names plus Canadian retail icons Harry Rosen, Holt Renfrew and William Ashley China. Yorkville Village shopping mall on Avenue Road is the destination for chic, exclusive brands.
If modern design is your thing, you might want to walk the first stretch along King Street East from Jarvis to Parliament Street. Here, you’ll find the city’s best modern design showrooms and pass innovative Canadian furniture and design shops such as Klaus (Nienkämper) and EQ3. For the obligatory jar of maple syrup or a box of maple cookies, check out St Lawrence Market which also hosts antique sellers on weekends.
Food and Drink in Toronto
Toronto’s restaurant scene is sizzling as talented celebrity chefs open an ever-expanding repertory of eateries. In and around the lively entertainment district of King Street West, spots such as Rodney’s Oyster House, Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse, Byblos (Middle Eastern), Momofuku, and Nota PLANTA Queen pack people in nightly for good food and fun. Buca Osteria & Enoteca does the same in the fashion district. In Yorkville, Kasa Moto serves contemporary Japanese food in a sophisticated setting. Hazelton Hotel’s One serves up the finest of fine dining; Buca Yorkville has high-end Italian seafood and Café Boulud in the Four Seasons Hotel is a classic French bistro. In the west end, try Union for historical Canadian recipes, Beohmer for Acadian-inspired dishes and Mamakas Taverna for authentic Aegean.
Tourists and locals alike flock to St Lawrence Market to browse the fresh produce from around the world and sample snacks and small plates that reflect city’s multicultural identity. The picnic tables allow you to saviour your food outside while admiring the market’s handsome red-brick home.
Unique to Toronto
Toronto’s walkable ravine network winds its way through the heart of the city and is easily missed if you don’t know it’s there. The pathways meander through woodlands, flanked by flowing streams and wild flora, creating a haven for wildlife and a hiker’s dream. Pick up a brochure on self-guided Discovery Walks and explore the Central Ravines, Belt Line and Gardens. It’s a marvellous 11km hike that starts at the Eglinton West subway station and goes through the Mount Pleasant Cemetery and the Don Valley or Evergreen Brick Works – a former quarry and brick plant converted into a year-round environmental centre for the community.
With a focus on sustainability, recreation, and education, Evergreen Brickworks also includes an organic farmers market, an excellent on-site restaurant and a lovely green space with boardwalks, ponds and wildflower meadows.
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