I wasn't really sure what I was expecting from my first trip to Toronto, Debs has been so many times she’s lost count. But for some reason, in my mind, I had created an image of what I anticipated it would be like: a smallish city on a lakefront with a fairly built up skyline. I mean, I had seen photos and videos of the city and realised that it wasn't SMALL, but I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be as big as it actually was. A real concrete jungle, a way that I'd never heard Toronto being described as before.
Whilst the city is large and fairly built up, Toronto has a beautiful energy that is entwined with nature. There is plenty of greenery throughout the city and of course, Lake Ontario is a huge pull for tourists and I can see why. This humungous lake is one of the worlds great five, and honestly at certain points of view it looks like you could very well be staring at the horizon of an ocean.
Yes, Toronto is a pretty magnificent city, and whilst there are a lot of sights to take in, I'd also say it's not somewhere I feel like I'd need to spend more than a night or two. Here's what we got up to during our 36 hours in the city, plus some experiences we didn't get to do that we'd like to try out next time...
Whilst Toronto is big, I would personally say that it isn't FULL of sights or attractions. We were in the city for just two days and a night, during that time we managed to see and go up the CN tower, take a boat tour on the lake, try out a brewery and do a little shopping at the Eaton Center. If you really wanted to, I think you could likely hit all the tourist spots in two or three days (max).
As we were with / visiting family, we saw the sights at a much slower pace as we were preoccupied with catching up more than anything else, but we knew that if we were heading to Toronto we absolutely HAD to book the CN Tower.
The CN Tower is almost 554m tall, and is by far the biggest structure in the Toronto skyline, although this isn't always easy to tell, unless you get a good full view of the cityscape (and the best way to do that is 100% by boat). To go up the tower, we'd recommend getting a ticket online in advance to avoid queuing, although having said that we went in the middle of the day midweek and there was absolutely NO line whatsoever to get tickets, so if you're looking to visit at a quieter time we'd definitely reccomend:
Going midweek
Going in the middle of the day
Go during school term times / when there are no large events on
We personally get tickets in advance, if we know what the plan is as they're normally cheaper and we wouldn't want to get caught in a queue if there was one.
Once you're inside the building, you'll make your way through to the elevators, which by the way SPOILER ALERT have glass doors and glass floors meaning you can see both down the elevator shaft and the views as you asend and decend the tower. It's so high up that yes, our ears actually 'popped’
The top / central part of the tower has these beautiful 360 floor to ceiling windows, meaning wherever you look you're taking in spectacular views of the city below. It's honestly quite magical up there and even if you go on a cloudy day, it's still a unique experience.
Whilst we were in the tower we seemed to have all the weather. We had sunshine which allowed us to see for miles and then after about 20 minutes of observation, the weather had changed and we were suddenly inside the clouds, like literally inside them. It was pretty spectacular and I'd recommend going if you aren't afraid of heights (ahem, Aunty Roz!).
The CN tower also has other experiences and the one we'd most like to try is the 'Skywalk',
The Skywalk allows participents to suit up and HANG over the very edge of the tower. You can spot these folk from down below and honestly from the ground, seeing how small those people look dangling over the edge of the ledge really gives you a perspective of how high up it really is.
We didn't opt to do this this time around but I've added it to my bucket list as I know this won't be our last time in Toronto.
The second thing we managed to do whilst in the city was a lazy skyline boat tour on the lake. The tour we chose was an hour long and basically took us from one end of the city to the other, whilst also showing us parts of the infamous 'islands'. The views you get from the water are unmatched, and it really allows you to fully appreciate the size of the CN and the way it sits so elegantly amongst the other skyscrapers. We'd highly recommend doing this if you get the chance.
Something we really wanted to do, but didn't get a chance to was visit the islands, also known as Toronto Island Park. Located within the lake, sits 15 unique islands that you can get to via ferry in just 13 minutes. All of the islands are connected by either bridges or pathways and you can walk from one end of the island to the other without having to hop on another boat.
The Island is another place to get spectacular views of Toronto's skyline and is supposedly home to a number of pretty beaches. You can swim, sunbathe, take a picnic, grab something to eat at one of the restaurants or spend the afternoon at the island amusement park. We're definitely going to visit on our next trip.
Back on the main land, another great spot we're heard about but not tried yet, is Saint Lawrence market. Here you can grab anything and everything from fresh fish to local condiments and artisinal bread. Definitely one to add to the list if you're a foodie like me.
In addition to great food, Toronto is home to many breweries and distilleries. It's so popular that there's even a Distillery District which boasts more than 40 boutique shops, restaurants and of course Debs’ fave - the bars. A very quirky area of the city that comes highly recommended.
Last but certainly not least is Casa Loma, Toronto's stunning, Gothic style revival castle-style mansion set within midtown Toronto. This beautiful building was constructed 1911 to 1914, and due to its architecture character, has become a popular filming destination.
There are many other things that you COULD see or do whilst you're in Toronto, but for us this is the end of the list. If you've gotten this far and are currently thinking "they haven't said anytihng about the blue jays or the hockey hall of fame" - then you probably don't know us all that well and are yet to find out that neither myself or Debs care for any kind of sports. YES we did watch a small ice hockey game whilst we were in Canada and YES I probably would go and see a big game in the city but ice hockey is where we draw the line. Sports is a huge part of the Canadian culture so if it's something you're into then we'd definitely suggest doing a little reasearch about what games are on and where during your own trip.
If you're heading to Toronto or the Toronto area soon and would like some advice, recommendations or help planning your trip, drop me an email on hello@prideescapes.com or pop me a DM on instagram.
I LOVE talking about travel and would be thrilled to talk about your upcoming trip.
Happy Travelling,
Becca x
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