We’re going to be in Toronto for a week in the middle of June and we’re looking for some tips.
We won’t have a car so it looks like the PRESTO card is the best way to get around, is that right? If we get them at the airport can they be used on the UP Express?
We’re looking for apartment-style accommodation, any recommendations for any that are centrally located?
We plan to take a tour out to Niagra Falls, do the CN Tower, the zoo, and possible a baseball game. Any other ‘must do’ things?
We generally like wandering around taking in the sights, going to markets, and finding good pubs/bars. Is there a specific area where lots of craft beer pubs/bars can be found?
The Royal Ontario Museum is excellent though it’ll take a day or two to really enjoy it. Castle Loma is also a cool place to visit and with June weather the gardens will b excellent.
I second Casa Loma. If you like old mansions and beautiful gardens it is amazing.
I also enjoyed Ripley’s aquarium right at the base of the CN tower.
Toronto is full of great restaurants, great brew houses, great parks. It is a wonderful walking city.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a historic town near Niagara falls. It is a bit touristy but a wonderful place to walk. Fort George is there and it is an amazing reproduction of the original fort from the 1700’s. It you are into history, it is a must see.
Enjoy your stay.
If you can rent a car for a day, African Lion Safari in Cambridge is thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a drive through safari park that is very well done. I enjoy it anyway.
It has typical large city things. The Art Gallery of Ontario is a decent enough museum. They’re not the Met or National Gallery of Art, but they have more than a few pieces worth the price of admission. Probably Rubens’s ‘Massacre of the Innocents’ is the most famous piece, but there are others that you’ll recognize even if you’re just a dabbler (They have one of Waterhouse’s Ladies of Shalott that anyone interested in the Pre-Raphaelites is sure to know.)
I’ll second the Hockey Hall of Fame simply because it’s something that you won’t find in any other city (except maybe Eveleth, Minnesota )
I would also encourage you to look at cultural festivals while you’re there. They are obviously date dependent, but Toronto though still whiter than most American cities is very diverse by Canadian standards and serves as a major immigration point into Canada, so there are all sorts of great ethnic places and festivals around. The Caribbean festival in August is worth your time if you’re there then, but there are all sorts of random ethnic festivals throughout the summer that are interesting.
Yes, you can buy a Presto card before getting on the UP and load enough cash for the TTC trips you plan to take. You can reload at most stations. Be forwarned that Presto and the TTC are still having teething pains, ask someone if it does not appear to work.
Marketwise, St. Lawrence Market is your traditional large indoor market. Kensington Market is a group of 5 streets or so with individual stores and restaurants. Gritty, urban, but a great place on a nice spring day. There are also tons of roving markets.
If you like live theater, you may want to check out the Stratford Festival. It’s a lot more than just Shakespeare these days. They also run buses from Toronto about twice a day ($29 per person round trip).
I agree it’s interesting, although I’d probably go on Thursday evening when it’s free/pay-what-you-can instead of paying $14.
I agree that St. Lawrence Market and Kensington Market are the usual suspects for markets. There’s the Distillery District, too. If you can get up to Richmond Hill, you can also check out the Chinese shopping mall Pacific Mall – rated by the Office of the United States Trade Representative as one of the top (bottom?) notorious markets in the world for counterfeit goods.
Also, if you like hipster-y areas (e.g. brunch places, gourmet donut shops, artisanal ice cream, etc.), Queen Street West is the traditional epicentre of that.
Renting bikes and riding along the harbourfront trail would be nice, if the weather is good.
Stratford is absolutely a must do. Easily the best theatre town on the continent. Quality is beyond excellent and it’s a pleasant little town to visit to boot. Honestly, I’d rather go to Stratford than Broadway. The negative is that it’s predominantly classical theatre, so this summer for instance, they have ‘The Music Man’ and ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ as opposed to ‘Straight White Men’ (At the same time though, half of Broadway these days is live action imports of movies, so what can one say?) Anyway, definitely worth the trip.
And if you make it to Stratford, try to find out if there’s a game scheduled in St. Mary’s bowling green. It’s strangely addictive to watch, and they’re very nice folks.
On summer weekends, take the GO Train to Niagara Falls. When there is no train, there are GO buses from Burlington train station. I did that last year when meeting some friends at the casino there. From the Niagara Falls train and bus stations (which are next to each other), you have to take a local bus to the Falls.
The train ride takes around two hours from Union Station.
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