Toronto, OntarioBy ArrivLast checked
Plan a trip to Toronto
One of the most diverse cities anywhere, and the food is where you notice that first. Don't rush it. The neighborhoods string along a few subway lines, so the trip works best when you take two a day and eat your way through both.
- Food trips
- Weekend getaways
- Families
- First-timers
Free to run, and you keep editing after. Add who's coming or a pace like “slow mornings” to shape the result.
Toronto at a glance
Timing first, because Toronto is a different trip in February than it is in July, and the notes below say which months to book and which to leave alone. Then the stops, CN Tower among them, and the three neighborhoods worth a look before you pick a hotel. 3 to 4 days covers it.
- How long
- 3–4 days
- When to go
- May to October is the window. September brings warm days and the film festival, when downtown rooms go early. Winters are cold and grey and perfectly manageable, since the PATH tunnels link most of the core underground and you can cross it without a coat.
- Getting around
- The TTC subway and streetcars cover the core, and the UP Express reaches the airport in 25 minutes. Walking works inside a neighborhood, so the car you were thinking about renting is a liability downtown.
What to build the plan around
- 1
CN Tower
A glass floor and a 1,100-foot view, and if you go at dusk you get the day and the night version on one ticket.
- 2
St. Lawrence Market
Two buildings of vendors trading since 1803, so it is the standard first lunch here, and it should be.
- 3
Kensington Market
Low-rise blocks of food and vintage next to Chinatown, scruffy and loud, and the best hour in the city once you give up on planning it.
- 4
Toronto Islands
A short ferry out to beaches, bike paths, and the skyline seen from the water, so go early before a hot weekend fills the boats.
Where to stay in Toronto
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- West Queen West
- Galleries, bars, and independent shops, with streetcars that run into downtown when you are done with them. Browse stays in West Queen West
- Downtown / Entertainment District
- Closest to the tower, the stadiums, and Union Station, and the base to pick if you are here for a game. Browse stays in Downtown / Entertainment District
- Little Italy / Ossington
- Dinner-and-drinks density at better rates than downtown, though you trade a streetcar ride for the saving. Browse stays in Little Italy / Ossington
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Itineraries close to Toronto
Toronto has no itinerary of its own yet. These are the nearest ones, and every stop is already mapped.
Toronto planning questions
- How many days do you need in Toronto?
- 3 to 4 days is the usual answer, and the low end works only if you skip one of the four stops. Three days covers downtown, two neighborhoods, and the islands, and the islands are the one to keep. A fourth day gets you to Niagara Falls, about ninety minutes out. That is a long way to go for twenty minutes of waterfall, though it is worth doing once.
- What is the best time to visit Toronto?
- May to October is the window. September brings warm days and the film festival, when downtown rooms go early. Winters are cold and grey and perfectly manageable, since the PATH tunnels link most of the core underground and you can cross it without a coat.
- Where should I stay in Toronto?
- Book West Queen West if you are undecided, because it is the most convenient of the three and the choice you are least likely to regret. Galleries, bars, and independent shops, with streetcars that run into downtown when you are done with them. Two others are worth comparing before you commit, and the difference is mostly rate against how far you walk. Downtown / Entertainment District: Closest to the tower, the stadiums, and Union Station, and the base to pick if you are here for a game. Little Italy / Ossington: Dinner-and-drinks density at better rates than downtown, though you trade a streetcar ride for the saving.
- How do you get around Toronto?
- The TTC subway and streetcars cover the core, and the UP Express reaches the airport in 25 minutes. Walking works inside a neighborhood, so the car you were thinking about renting is a liability downtown.
- What should I see first in Toronto?
- Go to CN Tower early in the trip, before the days start filling up with things you booked later. A glass floor and a 1,100-foot view, and if you go at dusk you get the day and the night version on one ticket. The other three stops can go in whatever order the map makes easy, since none of them depends on the others.
- Can I build a Toronto itinerary automatically?
- Yes. Tell Arriv the length, the pace, and who is coming, and it builds a Toronto itinerary from real mapped venues you can reorder or replace. Running it is free, and you sign in only once you want to save the trip or share it.