With a dramatic skyline reflected back at it from Lake Ontario, Toronto is a city to be treasured. Some buildings touch the sky, others are down to earth – but both are populated with friendly, multi-cultural locals who are proud of their city and the various stunning sights.
Towers and markets, waterfront strips and museums, theatres and districts paved with cobbles – Toronto has a bit of everything. It’s widely believed there are more languages spoken here than in any other city on earth, which is why the city welcomes all visitors with open arms.
Rising to the top
It may have lost its titles as world’s tallest tower and the world’s tallest free-standing structure, but the fact that the CN Tower held those accolades for over three decades explains why it helped put this city on the map.
In many ways, it’s more iconic and elegant than the buildings that have surpassed it - a vast needle puncturing the skyline, topping out at 553 metres. Jump in a glass elevator and ride to the top (well, nearly) – the view is one you’ll never forget.
Up top, there’s a revolving restaurant and, for the very brave, EdgeWalk. This attraction puts you on the main pod’s ledge, which has no railing, tethered to a harness and leaning out over the edge. If heights aren’t for you, don’t worry – you’ll get brilliant views of the tower from all over the city, especially at night, when it becomes one gigantic light show. There’s a world-class aquarium at the tower’s base too.
Dancing on ice
Ice hockey wasn’t just founded by Canadians, it’s like a religion here – played and supported throughout the city.
The national sport is celebrated in style at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Yonge Street. It’s the home of the original Stanley Cup, the pre-eminent trophy in the sport - an accolade Toronto Maple Leafs have lifted on no fewer than 13 occasions.
There are numerous interactive elements to this state-of-the-art attraction, and the hockey memorabilia collection is the world’s largest.
Life by the lake
One of the great North American lakes, the freshwater of Lake Ontario is a big part of life in Toronto. Locals and visitors wander the shore’s leafy parks, to secure a prime spot on the soft, sandy beaches or to dine out with one of the best views in the city.
The waterfront is almost 30 miles longs, with art installations, a summer artisan market, watersports, galleries, a bike park and plenty more to enjoy. You can take to the water – whether it’s to kayak, windsurf, fish or to enjoy a leisurely dinner cruise.
Look out for the Music Garden, which brings to life the work of Bach through plants and flowers. You’ll pass marinas, parks, beaches and even a biodiversity habitat, the Leslie Street Spit.
The Distillery District
Perhaps the most charming neighbourhood in Toronto, the Distillery District is an area of cobblestones and old brick-buildings.
Built around an 1832 distillery, new life has been pumped into the area by cafes and galleries, independent boutiques and pop-up stores in recent years. Take some time to explore, shopping for quirky one-offs, attending live music shows and wandering between market stalls offering up fantastic local fare.
It’s one of the best places to eat in the city, whether you’re looking for French classics at Cluny or award-winning seafood at Pure Spirits.
City of art
With close to 100,000 exhibits and an attention-grabbing redesign by renowned architect Frank Gehry (the man behind Bilbao’s Guggenheim), the Art Gallery of Ontario is a must-see for art lovers.
Embark on an extensive journey through the history of Canadian art, or check out the impressive acquisitions from Africa, Oceania and the Renaissance. There are illuminated manuscripts, a Henry Moore Sculpture Centre and fascinating photography. Highlights from the Baroque period include paintings from van Dyck, Rubens and Rembrandt, while 19th-century gems take in Cezanne and van Gogh, among others.
Have a look behind it and you’ll see another remarkable building. The suspended shoebox that is the OCAD University is balanced on vividly coloured, angled stilts – very fitting for a school of art and design.
The Royal Ontario Museum is also one of the best places to visit in town, a natural history museum known as ROM to the people of Toronto. Gems include dinosaur and extinct mammal skeletons, meteorites, tropical fish and a bat cave. There’s also a particularly well-curated collection of Chinese artefacts, spanning many centuries.
Some love and some loathe a relatively recent addition to the front of the museum, Daniel Libeskind’s The Crystal. Like a shard of glass exploding out of the front of the otherwise sober building, it’s certainly a talking point.
Market forces
St. Lawrence Market is a much-loved local institution that has been open for over 200 years. While you can get antiques on certain days, as well as flowers, it made its reputation as a food market. It’s undoubtedly one of the world’s best, bursting with flavour and luring in visitors with its tantalising scents.
Browse and sample the best of local produce here, whether it be fresh pasta, cheese, patisserie or fish that catches your eye. There are stacks of eateries to indulge, some with a huge reputation. Carousel Bakery has celebrity fans of its famed peameal bacon on a bun speciality, St. Urbain is the best place for bagels, and Churrasco distills the best of Portuguese food – rotisserie chickens and the wobbly custard tarts known as pastel de nata.
You’ll eat some of the best food in the country in Toronto – whether it’s fresh from the market or at the city’s many restaurants. The cuisine here reflects the city’s multi-culturalism – there’s little that you can’t get, while many kitchens are a hotbed of fusion cookery. An example of this is Pukka, which serves high-end Indian mains with desserts straight from the British playbook.
You might have your favourite spot for poutine back home, but there are some serious contenders in Toronto. The magical mix of fries, gravy and cheese curds is served up with aplomb at Nom Nom Nom Poutine and Poutini’s, but some chefs are taking this comfort food staple in new directions. Lookout for Kaiju, which serves it up with a Japanese-style curry, or Rose City Kitchen, which sprinkles halloumi, fries and hummus with sumac powder. It’s a mix of styles that says a lot about this city.
With car rental in Toronto you can eat your way all across town, and explore one of the country’s most vibrant and exciting cities.