After moving to Northeast Ohio and realizing my new home was only a four drive from Toronto, Canada, can you guess what I did? Planned a weekend in Toronto, grabbed my passport and jumped in the car. Obviously.
As one of the biggest cities in Canada, Toronto is a great location for a short getaway. The metro area is very walkable, and most major sites are only a short cab ride from downtown. The art and food scenes are vibrant and eclectic, driven by the growing population of college students and young professionals who call Toronto home.
Even with all the great things to do, there are a few special ones you just can’t miss. My weekend in Toronto itinerary highlights the best!
First things first, the CN Tower. I’m sure you saw it the minute you got into the city, the CN tower is THE iconic Toronto landmark. It’s actually a communication tower with a 360-degree observation deck overlooking the city and Lake Ontario. A bird’s eye view of the skyline is a perfect way to start a Toronto weekend. Before heading to the top, there are a few things you need to know.
There are 2 types of adult tickets: General Admission ($38) and General Admission + Skypod. ($53). General Admission gets you into the basic lookout area and access to the glass floor. The Skypod is an additional 33 stories higher and gives you an even better view…up to 100 miles away on a clear day. If you choose just the General Admission, I highly recommend paying extra for timed entry. When I was there the line was 2 hrs long. We paid less than $10.00 more for a timed admission and only had to wait about 15 minutes.
Want to really get crazy? Go for the Edge Walk. Groups of 6 six are taken 116 stories up to a ledge outside the towers main pod, harnessed to a safety rail, and then allowed to walk handsfree around the tower. You can even lean over the side suspended above the city. The walk lasts 30 minutes, but with safety training, the whole process takes about 1.5 hrs. If you want to do something really unique and extreme this is the thing. I didn’t try it, but never say never!
Ripley’s Aquarium is right next to the CN Tower so it’s a great next stop! There are over 13,000 species of marine and freshwater animals to view including a crowd favorite, the Giant Pacific Octopus. Other highlights include a moving sidewalk through an underwater tunnel, jellyfish exhibit, and rainbow reef. Plan to spend 1-2 hours checking everything out, especially on the weekends when it can get crowded.
Tickets are a little pricey, $35.00 for adults, but it is possible to get a discount! If you opted for the general admission tickets at the CN Tower, you can purchase your aquarium ticket at the same time and save some money!
Count this as both lunch AND a tourist attraction. I fell in love with St. Lawrence market the second I stepped inside. This huge market has around 120 vendors selling everything you can imagine. Do a slow lap of both floors before deciding what to eat because each booth will look better than the last. My friend didn’t make it past the crepe station, and I couldn’t resist trying a famous peameal bacon sandwich from Carousel Bakery. If you have never heard of peameal bacon before, it’s actually cured pork loin with a cornmeal crust. It’s chewier rather than crispy and perfect on a bun. No condiments needed. As soon as I finished it I wanted another one. Impress the Canadians with your knowledge of peameal, and read this article before you go.
After lunch, walk around the market a little more. Have dessert. Buy intriguing specialty foods. I left with a bag of macaroons from Eva’s Temptations, truffles from Caviar Direct and some locally grown sour cherries. I could have stayed all day!
Toronto is a city full of museums. Unfortunately, there won’t be enough time to visit them all. Instead, pick one that interests you the most, and spend a few hours soaking it all in. Save your second favorite for tomorrow. Here are a few of the most popular:
Click on the map for detailed location info.
Time to get outside and explore Queen St West, voted one of the coolest neighborhoods by Vogue magazine. This is where you will find the trendiest shops and cafes. Chain stores are mixed in with vintage and local specialty boutiques, coffee shops, and art galleries. Spend the rest of the afternoon strolling up and down the street, popping into anything that catches your eye.
You have been in Toronto a full day and I haven’t told you to eat poutine yet! What was I thinking?? For those of us not from Canada, poutine is a dish made up of french fries topped with gravy, cheese curds and a variety of other toppings. Sound weird? Maybe, but it’s delicious. After eating it, I have no idea why this isn’t served everywhere. There are tons of places to get it in Toronto, but one of the most popular is Poutini’s House of Poutine.
At Poutini’s you can have a traditional order with just gravy and cheese, or spice things up with pulled pork, roasted mushrooms and onions, and more specialty toppings. They even serve a vegan gravy. Don’t try to tell me that you can’t have french fries for dinner. Trust me, these are full meals.
* There are two locations, but if you visit the one on Queen St, it’s cash only.
Yep, ice cream is getting its own category. Toronto has so many awesome spots for ice cream, it’s not even fair. Our first stop was at the Instagram famous iHalo Krunch for their Charcoal and Ube (purple yam) ice cream in a black charcoal cone.
Honestly, I’m usually hesitant about trying places like this. Maybe it looks good in a pic, but does it TASTE good? Because that’s what matters. I’m happy to report that we loved iHalo Krunch! The swirl had a light, fruity coconut taste. It was sweet without being overwhelming with the consistency of a soft serve. They also have matcha and vanilla bean flavors.
*If the line is super long, there is a mini location inside the Lululemon store down the street. They only have the charcoal and ube at this location though!
If you still have energy after a full day of sight-seeing, first, please tell me your secret. Secondly, you’re in luck because Toronto has just as many cool bars as it has craveable ice cream. Check out this list before heading out.
The Distillery District is my favorite neighborhood in Toronto. This 19th-century whiskey distillery turned urban area is filled with unique shops, bars, and restaurants. First stop is Brick Street Bakery for two Toronto specialties, Nanaimo Bars (three layer chocolate coconut treats) and butter tarts. Many locals will tell you that what comes out of the ovens at Brick Street is the best of the best, and I can see why. Although both were a little sweet for my taste buds, the flavors were well balanced and they were baked perfectly. I recommend trying these little Toronto gems, but if sweet is not your thing at all there are plenty of tasty sounding breakfast items on the menu. Grab a seat outside and relax until the shops and galleries open.
When they do, grab a coffee at Balzac’s and spend the morning leisurely checking out the eclectic scene. Don’t miss stopping in SOMA Chocolatemaker, Blackbird Vintage Finds, or Queen’s Trunk. Next stop, the castle.
Did you know Toronto has a castle? Not just any castle either, the only full-size castle in North America. Casa Loma is a 98 room, Edwardian style masterpiece built by Sir Henry Mill Pellatt in 1911.
There is so much to see here, don’t plan on a quick look around. Besides the main building, visitors can take an underground tunnel to the horse stables and a classic car garage. There is a total of 3 floors and a lower level, plus lots of little nooks and crannies to peek into as well. Look out for a bowling alley, an 1800 bottle wine cellar, and indoor swimming pool turned graveyard. My favorite part was the 10,000 book library. Very Beauty and the Beast.
Adult tickets are $30 and parking in the lot is $10.00. It’s pricey, but I recommend it! There is tons of information posted throughout the grounds full of interesting facts about the home itself and different eras of Canadian history.
Time to hit that second museum on your list! We did the Bata Shoe Museum and it was really interesting! The entire museum is from the collection of Sonja Bata, a philanthropist who collected over 13,000 shoes and artifacts on her world travels. Everything from ancient Roman sandals to modern sneakers is represented. The best part for us had to be the Manolo Blahnik exhibition on the 4th floor.
Head over to lunch at Kensington Market, an outdoor neighborhood full of quaint restaurants and food stands. We were starving and ran into Bacon Nation for poutine and peameal bacon sandwiches. I thought the peameal was much better at Carousel Bakery, but the poutine was great and we both enjoyed fresh mimosas. Take your time to walk around and look at all the different restaurants before making a choice! I’ve heard great things about Rasta Pasta (Jamaican-Italian Hybrid), Golden Patty, and The Dirty Bird.
Toronto Island Park is just a 13-minute ferry ride across Lake Ontario. A series of small islands are connected by paths and bridges that are all walkable. The entire island is about 3 miles long and full of plenty to do. There are beaches, watersports, restaurants.. the list goes on! Since you only have the afternoon, take a walk to Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, the cutest lighthouse on the southern tip of the island.
We wanted a view of the harbor with dinner and settled on Against the Grain. Honestly, it wasn’t the greatest. The food and service were both mediocre. I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, try one of these 5 classic Toronto restaurants.
I’m going to give you two options for Ice Cream, and I won’t judge if you try them both in one night! First up, Milk Bar. Milk Bar, the bakery for Momofuku restaurant in NYC has a small location inside Toronto’s Momofuku Noodle Bar…and it serves ice cream! You don’t have to eat dinner there to get it, simply stop in and ask to be pointed in the direction of the ice cream line! The most popular flavor is cereal milk, a milk and cereal flavored soft serve with crispy cereal pieces on top. There is even a mini Milk Bar retail store upstairs, with Christina Tosi’s famous cookies, cakes, and even single slices of her signature Crack Pie.
Secondly, head over to Bang Bang Ice Cream for a gourmet ice cream sandwich. They scoop around 25 flavors of homemade ice cream to eat plain or stuffed into fresh baked cookies for the ultimate ice cream sandwich. They also serve waffle cones, waffles and profiteroles ready to be filled with ice cream. Some customer favorites are the London Fog, Orange Cardamom, and Cinnamon Toast flavors.
Head back over to the distillery district to experience it in a different light. The shops and galleries are closed, but the bars are opening up for the night!
After seeing everything Toronto has to offer I know I will be back soon! My first stop will be St. Lawrence Market.. or ice cream.
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Thank you for these great suggestions! We visited the Toroni on Queen and everyone had such a great time- beautiful patio, great drinks, yummy food- it was a magical night.
I think this is the most informative post I've encountered for Toronto Itinerary. Thanks for the recommendation on restaurants and food to eat.
Very few people visit Toronto for sightseeing. It is mostly a business and education hub. It's good to know that you explored this city as a traveller. Never knew there are so many interesting museums in Toronto itself. I gotta pack my bags now just as you did.
Toronto has always been on my bucket list but I didn’t know the city has so much to offer. I would love to view the grandeur of the city from CN tower. But I doubt if I dare to go for the Edge Walk. Ripley’s Aquarium sounds interesting with over 13,000 species of marine animals – something definitely not to be missed. Being a history buff, Casa Loma seems to be my kind of place – a great way to learn about Canadian History. The shoes at the Bata Shoe Museum look fascinating, especially the silver embellished ones. I would also like to visit Royal Ontario Museum and Ontario Science Center. Nanaimo Bars, butter tarts and a variety of ice-creams – wow! There’s so much to satiate my sweet tooth.
It sounds like you would love Toronto! It really has such a great mix of things to do. As cool as the Edge Walk sounds, I feel the same as you. It's just a little too scary for me. :)
I must ad it this post brought back some great memories when we managed to visit Toronto few years ago just be chance whilst visiting the Niagara Falls. We were in and out of Toronto in 24 hrs yet managed some of the key sites some which you have mentioned. We did manage to have a quick glance at game at the roger centre as well. Love the views from the tower which gives you a birds eye view. Didn’t get a chance to go to ripleys though and would want to visit it. Thanks for sharing a great informative post.
I'm glad you got a chance to see Toronto even though it was only 24 hours! Sounds like you saw a lot in that time.. and Niagara Falls!
I did not know that Toronto has a castle and it looks magnificent. I see there is plenty to see within. I had heard of all the other things to do here but your list with the castle definitely gives me a different perspective to the city. I must add that to my list and share it with my cousin who stays there but never told me about it :(
I had actually never heard of the castle either until my most recent trip! Tell your cousin to check it out, it's something out of the ordinary to do.
My sister is Canadian and I haven't been in Toronto yet. I have always wanted to visit Ripley’s Aquarium. Lunch al Lawrence Market seems fun too. I really hope I can book some tickets soon. I'm so excited!
I hope you can go visit soon, especially with a local to show you around!
I have always wanted bro gonto Toronto. The post is so informative. Now I needn't depend on anyone for a list of things to do. The Edge Walk looks so exciting. Would love to try the ice-creams.
I love your list of ideas for Toronto! We spent 24 hours there once, totally unplanned because we missed our connecting flight to Paris. Since we weren't planning on exploring there, we didn't get a chance to plan, and we wound up doing some random stuff. We loved it though and would love to go back! I definitely would stop by for some charcoal ice cream!
I’m not going to lie, I would be all over the Edge Walk, would be like being in a movie but with harnesses. I’ve never heard of poutine, it sounds weirdly delicious I must say. I like the sounds of breakfast in Brick Street with all the sweet treats. Can’t believe Casa Lomo has so many underground tunnels and rooms to explore, how much fun! Take me Toronto....