The Ultimate Guide for What to do in Toronto
Toronto is a big city with tons of fun, diverse neighborhoods, but for a large city, it’s also much cleaner than any US city I’ve ever been to. It’s also right on Lake Ontario, meaning the coastline is spotted with beaches and islands nearby that make you feel like you’re escaping the big city!
Keep reading for my recommendations on the top things to do in Toronto!
Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!
Explore the Distillery District
The Distillery District is this cool, walking-only area of the city that used to be a large whiskey distillery. The old brick buildings have been converted into restaurants, bars and shops and the brick roads are decorated with various artworks. It’s an awesome area to explore & grab some lunch. I was hoping to make it back there at night to check out the bar scene, but didn’t get the chance to make it back!
See the CN Tower & Rogers Centre
It would be impossible to go to Toronto and not see the CN tower, just given it’s sheer size, so you don’t need to go to the top to get a view of it! But if you want you can take the elevator to the top, where there are several options. You can make reservations at the 360 Restaurant, which includes free elevator admission. Reservations are required and the restaurant has a minimum per person spend of $75.
If you don’t want to visit the restaurant there are ticket options for just going to the observation deck, plus an additional ticket option that gets you access to the second observation deck, called the Skypod. This observation deck is 33 stories higher than the main one. We did the restaurant option when I visited with my family as a kid, and everyone enjoyed the views & the experience.
If you’re more interested in just viewing the CN Tower then heading up to the top there are a few cool restaurants and breweries with outdoor patios looking up at the tower in Roundhouse Park, where the Toronto Railway museum is also located.
Right near the bottom of the CN Tower you’ll find Rogers Centre, where the Toronto Blue Jays play if you’re looking to catch a game or take a stadium tour. I didn’t have time to do either on my short trip!
Rooftop Drinks
I love finding a good rooftop bar with the best city views everywhere I travel. The rooftop at 1 Hotel Toronto has the best skyline views, It’s a little outside the downtown area, but that made the views even better since you could see the whole skyline. Usually you need a reservation, but I was able to snag a bar seat for a few drinks with a view before the concert.
Dondas Square & City Hall
Make sure to head over to City Hall (where the giant Toronto sign is) and explore that area a bit! Dondas Square, which is Toronto’s version of Times Square, is right around the corner from there. It’s a cool area to walk through and do some shopping (they have the best H&M ever – I almost needed to check a bag coming home I bought so much) there’s also a lot of cool rooftop bars you can check out in this area!
Graffiti Alley
Graffiti Alley is literally exactly what it sounds like (haha) an alley with tons of Grafitti art. It’s a good place to walk through and maybe snap some cool pics! But you definitely don’t need too much time there and if you’re on a short schedule I would suggest skipping it!
Hockey Hall of Fame
full disclosure, I’m not a huge hockey fan, so I skipped this one, but I’m sure it’s worth a visit if you’re a big hockey fan. It’s located right downtown, so it’s super accessible!
Take the Ferry to Ward’s Island
There are three islands in Lake Ontario off the coast of Toronto that can be accessed by ferry. The ferries leave from the Jack Layton ferry terminal, right near downtown Toronto, and generally run several times an hour and it takes less than 20 minutes to get there. I recommend heading to Ward’s Island; it’s a car-free island, with an amazing Toronto skyline view, a few cute bars & restaurants, a beach, a marina & tons of cute houses of people that live there that you can walk around and view on sidewalk-like streets.
Concert at Budweiser Stage
This was such a cool concert venue! It’s just about a ten minute drive from downtown Toronto, and it has a lawn section for General Admission that is right on the lake! It also has awesome skyline views. I highly recommend catching a show there if you can!
Let me know in the comments if you check out any of these recommendations for Toronto! Also, check out my full Toronto travel guide here
