Toronto City Guide

Toronto Sights

The Megacity is spiked with spicy corners to explore.

Toronto is an experiential city that reveals its secrets slowly. Apart from icons like the cloud-brushing CN tower, the best experiences you'll have in Toronto come from wandering through its ethnically flavoured neighbourhoods, checking out Victorian architecture and quirky museums.

Toronto Nightlife

The Megacity keeps the mega-kicks comin'.

Toronto's nightlife keeps everyone busy long after dark, with plenty of entertainment during the daylight hours, too. In summer there are free outdoor festivals going on all the time. Even without any caffeine in their Mountain Dew, Torontonians keep up a heady level of carousing.

Shopping Toronto

You'll be elbowing hardcore shopaholics in Toronto.

In Toronto, the only question is where not to shop. Each ethnic neighbourhood and major thoroughfare has its own grab-bag assortment of shops, satisfying the quirkiest and most conventional of shoppers. The city's high taxes shouldn't discourage you - refunds are often to be found.

Toronto Tours

Water

Narrated harbor cruises depart hourly in April, May, September and October; every 30 minutes between June and August. This is a great way to check out the Toronto Islands if you're not visiting them under your own steam, and they also run various city/harbor tour combos (some including the CN Tower). The departure dock is at the foot of York St. Online booking discounts available.

Old City Hall

Building, Architectural highlight

Across Bay St from City Hall is the Romanesque Old City Hall (1899), the definitive work of Toronto architect EJ Lennox, the same man who built Casa Loma. Lennox was chastised for inscribing his name just below the eaves here, tainting what was then the largest municipal building in North America. Now housing legal courtrooms, the hall has an off-centre bell tower, interesting murals, grimacing gargoyles and an allegorical stained-glass window.

University Of Toronto - St George Campus

Building, Architectural highlight

Campus life rotates around the grassy/muddy expanse of King's College Circle, where students study on blankets, kick soccer balls around and dream of graduation day in domed Convocation Hall. Dating from 1919, sociable Hart House is an all-purpose art gallery, music performance space, theatre, student lounge and café. Soldiers' Tower next door is a memorial to students who lost their lives during WWI and WWII.