Toronto is a HUGE city. It is basically the Canadian equivalent of London or NYC. There are tons of different neighborhoods to explore throughout the city (and even underground!), each with their own vibe.

With all the different neighborhoods and things to do in Toronto, it can be overwhelming to visit Toronto for the first time. So that’s why I’ve put together this city guide of all the best attractions and areas to visit, along with some helpful tips for planning your trip to Canada’s most exciting city.

Year visited: 2024 & 2025

Time of year: April & August

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What’s in this Article:

• About Toronto
• Where to Stay in Toronto
• How to Get Around Toronto
• Toronto Neighborhoods
• Best Time of Year to Visit
• Things to Do in Toronto
• What to Eat in Toronto
• What to Watch Before Visiting

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About Toronto

Though (currently) significantly smaller than NYC or London, Toronto is the fastest growing city in the world, and the second most international city (behind London)! There are over 3 million people living in the city based on the latest census information.

Toronto has not one, but TWO Chinatowns! They have a Little Italy, a neighborhood full of international restaurants, a plethora of film crews based around the city (and therefore “City of Boston” ambulances driving around…), a fountain devoted entirely to dogs, and Canada’s only NBA team (not to mention their baseball and hockey teams).

It is also very close to Niagara Falls, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the US & Canada!

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Where to Stay in Toronto

There are SO many options for where to stay in Toronto, because it’s such a big city! The most convenient places to stay are right downtown, for easy access to all the things to do in Toronto. However, downtown hotels are so expensive (plus parking!), and you have to deal with city traffic (if you’re driving).

• Good to Know: Hotel prices anywhere in Toronto are extremely expensive, but especially in the downtown area. So just be aware that you will probably have to pay more than you usually want to for a room in the city.

My personal preference is to stay somewhere close to the metro line, but outside of the main city centre, to avoid traffic, since I drove myself. If I was flying in, I would probably stay closer to the city centre and take an airport shuttle.

Hotel Recommendations

Here are some good options of places to stay when you visit Toronto, based on my own trips and advice from other friends who have also visited the city:

• Hotel X Toronto-Hotel X in downtown Toronto is definitely expensive! But it is such a beautiful hotel, with a great location right on the water. It’s worth a bit of a splurge for a memorable trip. This hotel was recommended by my friend, and has long been on my own list of the best places to stay in Toronto!
• Town Inn Suites-Probably the best overall place to stay in Toronto, this was also recommended by my friend. It’s conveniently located in the heart of the city, and has an ample parking garage if you are driving yourself (but be aware, you do have to pay for parking).
• Marriott City Centre Hotel-This hotel is connected to the Rogers Centre baseball stadium. It’s as close to the CN Tower as you can get, and you might even end up with a room overlooking the baseball stadium! I had some friends do this, and they highly recommended staying here.
• Queen Loft in Nature-I stayed at this little apartment (basically an Airbnb) in a beautiful, quiet neighborhood right next to High Park. I picked it to avoid the city traffic, and because it was a short walk to the High Park metro station. It was still more expensive than I expected, but it was a perfect little base for me while I explored the city.
• Vaughan-We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Vaughan on our first visit to the city, which apparently has closed down… However, if you are looking for somewhere cheaper to stay (and/or to avoid traffic), there are plenty of other hotels in Vaughan, right near the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. The downside is, it takes a looong time to get into the city proper from here. But like I said, no crazy traffic, and it’s much more affordable!

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How to Get Around Toronto

Toronto is a big city to navigate. It’s the fastest growing city in the world, and yet they only have two main metro lines, one from north to south, and one from east to west. There are street cars and buses, to provide transportation to the rest of the city, but these are not as reliable as the metro lines.

Fortunately, they are building more underground lines, so there will be new stations opened soon.

The Metro Line

The easiest and most reliable way to get around is the metro line (map above). You can buy tickets at the station kiosks for one ride, or for a whole day, which you can use on any Toronto transportation for the duration of that day. Our first trip to Toronto, we bought a day pass and used it on the metros, the street cars and the buses.

Or you can also just tap your credit card and walk through the gates, which is what I did on my second visit to Toronto.

Street Cars and Buses

To get to the places in between the few metro stops (and there are a lot of places not currently close to a metro line!), you can take a street car or a city bus. I tried to avoid buses if possible, since we’ve spent entirely too much time in both Toronto and Ottawa waiting for buses that didn’t come on schedule…

The street cars are more fun to use, and more reliable. You can also find a map of their routes on the TTC website.

Bikes

A popular way to get around Toronto is to rent a bike. You will find these stations all over the city. You can just pay at the kiosk or on the app, and pick up a bike to rent, then return it to another station (or the same one).

This is an especially popular way to get around the Toronto islands.

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Toronto Neighborhoods

Every area of Toronto has sort of its own feel and vibe. Officially, there are over 150 Toronto neighborhoods, but we don’t have to know all of them. The most important neighborhoods are the ones within the main downtown core of the city. You can also take walking tours of some of the different areas.

Downtown Neighborhoods

Here is a quick overview of the main downtown neighborhoods for visitors to explore, and the general vibe of each area:

• Habourfront– On the water, lots of tourist spots around, close to the CN Tower.
• Entertainment District– All sorts of theaters, stadiums, flashing lights, and people everywhere!
• Financial District– This part of Toronto just looks like a big city. Tall, shiny office buildings…
• The PATH-The PATH is a series of underground walkways that connects all the main points of interest in downtown. It’s basically a giant (mostly) underground mall.
• St. Lawrence– The St. Lawrence Market District, old historic buildings, and less of a modern vibe
• The Distillery District– My favorite neighborhood! Pedestrian-only cobblestone streets with local shops, restaurants, and musicians.
• Queen Street West– A busy street lined with shops and restaurants. Apparently its cool and hipster, but I personally just found it crowded…
• Chinatown– There are two Chinatowns, but the main one is close to the downtown core, and has so many restaurants to visit, you should probably take a walking tour just to know where to start.
• Kensington Market– Another favorite neighborhood of mine, Kensington Market is laid back and eclectic. It sort of gave me Key West, FL vibes… but maybe that’s just because I got a key lime pie from Wanda’s Pie in the Sky.
• University– The University area of Toronto is full of coffee shops, museums, student buildings, and pretty hidden walkways. Oh, and students.
• Toronto Islands– Toronto Island Park is a short ferry ride across the harbor from downtown. There are several islands to explore, with cafes, restaurants, kayak rentals, parks, beaches and more. A great place to get outside for the day. Unless it rains. Which it inevitably will.

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Best Time of Year to Visit Toronto

How many days do you need in Toronto?

When planning the best time to visit Toronto, you also have to think about how many days to give yourself in the city. I would say 3 days is a good amount of time for Toronto. The city is large, and it takes time to get from place to place. Tours can take up a good amount of time, and then you will still want time to experience some other things like museums and restaurants. With three days, you don’t have to feel rushed, and can take your time enjoying the sites of the city.

If you have more time, you can also add on day trips, like Niagara Falls or Niagara on the Lake.

Weather in Toronto:

The weather in Toronto is… not great. I visited in the spring and summer, and both times it rained every single day I was there!

• Good to Know: My friends also visited in September for a concert… which ended up getting rained out! So yeah, expect rain in Toronto.

I’ve also been to some of the surrounding areas (like Unionville) in the fall, which happened to be unseasonably warm weather, and the only time it hasn’t rained on me! And I’ve spent plenty of time in nearby Niagara Falls, in every season!

Here’s a basic rundown of the seasons in Toronto:

• Fall-Absolutely the best time to visit, I think. I’ve had the best weather in the fall. Beautiful foliage, less wildfires.
• Winter-Cold, somewhat snowy, not ideal for visiting (but there’s ice skating in Nathan Phillips Square!)
• Spring-Cherry blossoms, rain, unpredictable weather, still chilly
• Summer-Early summer tends to get a lot of wildfire smoke. Later summer is better weather (hopefully… it was still rainy when I visited)

Where to Find Cherry Blossoms in Toronto

If you want to see cherry blossoms when you visit Toronto, the end of April is the best time to come. Of course, they bloom at a slightly different time every year, but typically the last week of April or the first week of May is when you’ll see them. We went the last weekend in April, and saw them in full bloom.

• Pro Tip: Try to go early in the morning to see the cherry blossoms. We visited Trinity Bellwoods Park at sunset on a Saturday, and it was sooooooo crowded!

There are quite a few places to see cherry blossoms in Toronto. Here are a few of the best spots:

• High Park (the most popular place to see them)
• Trinity Bellwoods Park (with views of CN Tower)
• Toronto Island Park
• Exhibition Place
• John P. Roberts Research Library

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Things to Do in Toronto

There are so many things to do when you visit Toronto! From museums and art galleries to islands and castles, you will find plenty to keep you entertained. I have a whole article explaining in detail all the best things to do in Toronto, but here is a quick overview to give you an idea of what to expect:

• Royal Ontario Museum
• Art Gallery of Ontario
• Bata Shoe Museum
• Ripley’s Aquarium of Ontario
• CN Tower
• Casa Loma castle
• Toronto Island Park
• Attend a show or sporting event
• Eat ALL the food!

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Things to Eat in Toronto

Again, I have more details about what (and where!) to eat in my things to do in Toronto article. Here are some essentially Canadian foods you should try on a visit to Toronto:

• Poutine (obvi)
• Butter tart
• Peameal bacon sandwich
• Canadian maple syrup
• Beavertail (originally from Ottawa)
• Lots of international foods to try!
• Tim Hortons

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What to Watch Before You Visit Toronto

I always want to watch movies that take place somewhere, or are filmed there before I visit! And there are plenty of movies that are filmed in Toronto.

Here are just a few suggestions of the best movies to watch before you visit Toronto:

• Murdoch Mysteries– A detective TV show that takes place in Toronto. They even have a themed escape room at Casa Loma based on the show!
• X-Men– The original X-Men movie filmed their “school for gifted youngsters” at Casa Loma.
  • Other Casa Loma Movies: While X-Men is probably the most famous, there are lots of movies filmed at Casa Loma:
  • The Vow
  • The Pacifier
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  • Twitches
  • & more!
• Gilmore Girls– The pilot episode of my favorite TV show was shot in Unionville, ON, a small town suburb of Toronto.

These are just a few of the countless movies filmed in Toronto, so there really are so many options for a pre (or post!) trip watch party! Here is a list of some of the best movies filmed in Toronto.

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I hope you find this guide helpful for your first visit to Toronto. It is a big city with lots of different energies, but there is a lot for everyone to see and enjoy in this modern metropolis.

Any more questions?

If you have any questions about planning to visit Toronto, or any other tips and advice to offer, feel free to email me or comment below!

Planning to visit Toronto?

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You might also like:

• The Best Things to Do in Toronto
• How to Visit the Toronto Islands
• Best Toronto Neighborhoods to Visit
• The Complete Guide to Niagara Falls
• How to Visit Niagara Falls in Winter
• 40+ Things to Do in Buffalo, NY

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