Things to do — Ontario

Ontario explores by combining urban and nature. Typical 7-day itinerary:

Toronto (3-4 nights) — CN Tower (553 m, panoramic 360° view, vertiginous glass floor, EdgeWalk at CAD 225 for thrills), Distillery District (restored Victorian industrial complex, galleries, restaurants, craft markets), Royal Ontario Museum (one of North America's best natural history museums), Art Gallery of Ontario (Frank Gehry architecture, Canadian and European collection), St. Lawrence Market (named world's best food market by National Geographic in 2012). Neighbourhoods to explore: Kensington Market (bohemian, multicultural), Chinatown (Spadina Avenue, Canada's largest Chinatown), Little Italy (College Street), Greektown (Danforth Avenue), Queen Street West (fashion, art, trendy cafés), Yorkville (luxury boutiques). Harbourfront (Lake Ontario waterfront, ferry to the Toronto Islands with spectacular skyline views, CAD 9 return). Sports: Toronto Maple Leafs game at Scotiabank Arena (NHL hockey, October-April, CAD 100-400), Toronto Raptors NBA (October-June), Toronto Blue Jays MLB at Rogers Centre (April-September, CAD 25-150, view of CN Tower from stands).

Niagara Falls (1-2 nights) — Horseshoe Falls (iconic viewpoint from Canadian side, Table Rock Welcome Centre), Maid of the Mist (mid-April to November, boat to foot of falls, CAD 32), Journey Behind the Falls (tunnels behind water curtain, CAD 24), Skylon Tower (236 m, panoramic view over falls, CAD 23), WildPlay's MistRider Zipline (zipline to falls, CAD 70), night illuminations (year-round, free), Winter Festival of Lights (November-February, 3 million lights). Niagara-on-the-Lake (20 min away, preserved historic village, Niagara Peninsula wine route, tastings CAD 20-40 at Inniskillin, Peller Estates, Konzelmann for world-renowned Canadian icewine).

Ottawa (2 nights) — Parliament Hill (neo-Gothic architecture 1859, daily changing of the guard in summer 10am, free guided tours), Rideau Canal (UNESCO 2007, 202 km, in winter 7.8 km skating rink in central Ottawa, world's longest), Canadian Museum of History (in Gatineau on Quebec side, Douglas Cardinal architecture, Grand Hall with Indigenous totems), National Gallery of Canada (Louise Bourgeois's Maman spider in front, Tom Thomson and Group of Seven collection), Canadian War Museum, ByWard Market (historic market 1826, restaurants, bars, student atmosphere), Winterlude (winter festival, first fortnight of February).

Optional excursions: Algonquin Park (300 km north of Toronto, 3-4 days, canoeing, hiking, wildlife watching, spectacular Indian summer late September), Thousand Islands National Park (between Kingston and Brockville, cruises, kayaking), Point Pelee National Park (extreme south, spring bird migrations and autumn monarch butterflies), Stratford (Shakespeare theatre festival, 1h30 west of Toronto, April-November), Manitoulin Island (world's largest lake island, Lake Huron, Indigenous culture).