Places to Visit in Toronto, Canada
Toronto is a big city. If you’re the kind of traveler who loves cities, you should visit Toronto. It sits on the tip of Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes of North America. While the city is large, the sights you’ll probably want to see are centered reasonably close around the Harbourfront.
It’s a lively, multicultural city. About half of its citizens were born outside of Canada. Waves of immigration from Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean have created an exciting patchwork of ethnic neighborhoods to explore.
16 Places to Visit in Toronto, Canada
CN Tower
Start with the CN Tower. It was at one time the world’s tallest building. It still offers spectacular views over the city from the Lookout Level or the Sky Pod. They even say that on a clear day you can see to Niagara Falls! If you have nerves of steel, you might want to see the view from the Glass Floor which is a mere 1,122 feet (342 meters) above the ground – that’s 148 floors if you look down! There are a cafe and a restaurant in the tower. The tower is in the heart of the Toronto Entertainment District.
Enjoy award-winning Canadian cuisine and breathtaking revolving views at 360 Restaurant. It is the perfect place for entertainment and celebration. Plus, visual displays and exhibits on the history of the CN Tower, KidZone play area and unique Canadian artisan and souvenir shopping in the Gift Shop. Don’t miss the architectural illumination of the Tower each night from dusk to dawn.
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year, making the ROM the most-visited museum in Canada.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is a public aquarium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The aquarium is one of three aquariums owned and operated by Ripley Entertainment. It is located in downtown Toronto, just southeast of the CN Tower.
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre, originally named SkyDome, is a multi-purpose stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated just southwest of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball.
Hockey Hall of Fame
Canadians are hockey fans, so you should visit the Hockey Hall of Fame. It’s more than a museum. It does house hockey’s most precious artifacts and provides a home for the Stanley Cup, but it has interactive exhibits, a replica of a dressing room and rink, and state of the art games.
Go to a game, any game. The Maple Leafs are the National Hockey League team. They also have the Marlies which are an American Hockey League team.
Like other sports? See a Blue Jays baseball game. That gets you out of the museum circuit. Inquire about the sport of your choice or check local city magazines.
Niagara Falls
If you get tired of the city, you can take a day trip to Niagara Falls, or you can use Toronto as a start-off point for a more extended visit to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Here you can experience a natural wonder of the world, explore acres of pristine hiking trails and scenic terrain, plunge yourself in outdoor adventure and taste the pure goodness of orchards and award-winning wineries.
Entertainment District
The lively Entertainment District lives up to its name with everything from buzzy clubs to sports at Air Canada Centre and Rogers Centre. Families head to underwater tunnels at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and the iconic CN Tower, with its citywide views at the top. The area also hosts musicals at Princess of Wales Theatre, concerts at Roy Thomson Hall and the Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Encompassing 287 hectares, the Toronto Zoo is the largest zoo in Canada. Divided into seven zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, Americas, Tundra Trek, Australasia, Eurasia, and the Canadian Domain.
Casa Loma
It is a castle-like mansion on a hill in the middle of the city. Built in the early 1900s for a Canadian tycoon, but today it is owned by the city. Its gardens are open to visitors, and you can take self-guided tours with audio guides in several languages.
St. Lawrence Market
The St. Lawrence Market South building is a major public market building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its location is on the southwest corner of Front and Lower Jarvis Streets. Along with the St. Lawrence Market North and St Lawrence Hall, it comprises the St Lawrence Market complex.
City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square
The Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall, is the seat of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong, and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened in 1965. Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, it forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall, at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named for Nathan Phillips, mayor of Toronto from 1955 to 1962.
Eaton Center
If shopping is your thing, visit the Eaton Center. It’s one of the city’s top tourist draws. This mall has impressive architecture as well as hundreds of stores.
Distillery District
The Distillery Historic District is a pedestrian-only neighborhood full of heritage architecture. There are art galleries and boutiques here and plenty of places to eat. St. Lawrence Market is close by with lots of specialty merchants. Chinatown is the second-largest in North America. All are within a few blocks of each other and the Harbourfront.
High Park
High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It spans 161 hectares, and is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds, and a zoo. One-third of the park remains in a natural state, with a rare oak savannah ecology.
Toronto Islands
The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, south of mainland Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the city’s downtown and provide shelter for Toronto Harbour. You will find here the oldest existing lighthouse on the Great Lakes— the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse.
Graffiti Alley
Graffiti Alley in The Fashion District runs south of Queen Street West from Spadina Avenue to Portland Street beginning at one rush lane, Toronto, Ontario Canada.
There are more places you can visit in Toronto, Canada. The summer days are long and warm. Spring and Fall are excellent seasons to visit. Whether you want to shop or see sports or just explore the city, Toronto makes for a great getaway.
