Toronto explores by combining walking, metro and tram. Typical 4-day itinerary:
Day 1 — Downtown and CN Tower: CN Tower (morning, LookOut CAD 43 with vertiginous glass floor, SkyPod +CAD 5, EdgeWalk CAD 225 for thrills — mandatory booking), Ripley's Aquarium (under CN Tower, CAD 41, ideal families), Rogers Centre (view from CN Tower, possibility of Blue Jays game in season April-September), Harbourfront Centre (Lake Ontario waterfront promenade, ferry to Toronto Islands in the afternoon), Toronto Islands (15 min ferry, CAD 9 return, Centre Island for iconic skyline photo, 12 km cycling, beach). Dinner St. Lawrence Market or Distillery District.
Day 2 — Distillery District and Kensington: Distillery District (morning, former 1832 Victorian industrial complex restored, art galleries, cafés, Mill Street Brewery, gourmet restaurants El Catrin, Cluny). St. Lawrence Market (lunch, 92-95 Front Street East, named world's best food market by National Geographic in 2012, peameal bacon sandwich essential at Carousel Bakery CAD 8). Kensington Market (afternoon, the most bohemian, multicultural, hippie-vintage neighbourhood of Toronto, to explore on foot, restaurants Pancho's Bakery, Seven Lives tacos). Chinatown (next to Kensington, Spadina Avenue, dim sum at Lai Wah Heen, CAD 25-50/person). Evening: Maple Leafs NHL game at Scotiabank Arena (October-April, CAD 100-400/seat depending on places) or Raptors NBA (October-June) — electric atmosphere.
Day 3 — Yorkville, ROM and Casa Loma: Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) (morning, 100 Queen's Park, Daniel Libeskind 2007 architecture with its protruding crystal, one of North America's best natural history museums, dinosaurs, mummies, Indigenous cultures, CAD 26). Yorkville (lunch, elegant neighbourhood, Mink Mile on Bloor Street for Hermès, Chanel, Tiffany luxury boutiques, starred restaurants Sofia or Aloette). Casa Loma (afternoon, 1 Austin Terrace, 1914 neo-Gothic castle commissioned by Sir Henry Pellatt, 98 rooms, gardens, panoramic Toronto view, CAD 40). Evening Queen Street West (between Bathurst and Dovercourt): cocktails at Drake Hotel, trendy dinner at Bar Raval (modernist Spanish) or Le Select (French bistro).
Day 4 — Niagara Falls excursion: full day at Niagara Falls (1h30 by GO Transit train Union Station → Niagara Falls CAD 18 return, or Megabus bus CAD 15-25, or car QEW highway). Horseshoe Falls Canadian side (iconic Table Rock Welcome Centre viewpoint), Maid of the Mist (boat to foot of falls, mid-April to November, CAD 32), Journey Behind the Falls (tunnels behind water curtain, CAD 24), Skylon Tower (236 m, panoramic view CAD 23), night illuminations (free, year-round). Optional detour to Niagara-on-the-Lake (historic village 20 min from Niagara Falls, Niagara Peninsula wine route, Inniskillin tastings for world-renowned Canadian icewine).
Optional excursions: Aga Khan Museum (40 min northeast, Islamic art, Persian garden, CAD 20), Toronto Zoo (1h by car, CAD 35), Stratford (1h30 west, Shakespeare theatre festival from April to November), Algonquin Park (3h north, 2-3 days, canoeing, wildlife, spectacular Indian summer late September — trip in itself).
Read also
- Ontario (region) — The full region: Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa the federal capital.
- Niagara Falls — 1h30 south: Canadian-side Horseshoe Falls, Maid of the Mist, Skylon Tower.
- Canada — Complete country guide: eTA visa, currency, regions, best time to visit.
- Montreal — 5h by VIA Rail train: francophone metropolis, cultural alternative to combine.