The best things to do in Toronto, selected with a local point of view. Find attractions, parks, tours, markets and neighbourhood finds.
Showing 217–240 of 494 experiences.
Toronto's biggest and best free outdoor water park — Kidstown sits at Birchmount and McNicoll in north Scarborough and delivers exactly what overheated kids (and overheated parents) need. Giant tipping water buckets, multiple splash pads, wading pools, spray features, and a fully fenced environment with plenty of shaded seating. Zero admission, zero pretension, just a genuinely great city water park.
Time needed: 2–4 hours (half day with lunch)
The GTA's finest Korean jjimjilbang (bathhouse and sauna complex) — King Spa has gender-separated wet areas with hot and cold pools, multiple dry sauna rooms (charcoal, clay, salt, and infrared), and a co-ed relaxation floor where families lounge on heated floors, watch TV, and sleep on wooden pillows. A completely immersive Korean wellness culture experience.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds and how many sauna rooms and pools you want to cycle through.
Toronto's club and upscale bar corridor — King Street West from Bathurst to Spadina is where celebrity sightings happen, where the city's best rooftop bars are, and where a Friday night can turn into Saturday morning without noticing. Dress code applies everywhere.
Time needed: 3–5 hours, especially if you plan to club-hop or line up for guest list entry.
Canada's first capital and most beautifully preserved heritage city — Kingston's limestone architecture, Fort Henry National Historic Site, the 1000 Islands waterway, the Rideau Canal UNESCO site, and Queen's University campus make it one of Ontario's richest day trips or weekends. The waterfront is genuinely beautiful.
Time needed: 7–12 hours for a thorough day trip (or overnight to properly see everything and relax).
Toronto's Koreatown on Bloor Street West is anchored by Korean grocery stores — PAT Central Market, Galleria Supermarket, and H-Mart — where enormous Korean supermarkets carry every ingredient for Korean cooking: gochujang, doenjang, fresh kimchi, Korean snacks, and prepared banchan. The fresh produce and seafood sections are superb.
Time needed: 1–2 hours, depending on your curiosity and shopping list.
Toronto's best environmental education destination — the Kortright Centre occupies 325 acres of protected forest and wetland with educational programs, nature trails, sustainable energy demonstrations, a bee yard, and seasonal events including maple syrup tapping (February), spring bird migration, and holiday winter walks.
Time needed: 2–4 hours, or longer if attending a special event.
Toronto's most elevated cocktail bar — perched on the 31st floor of the St. Regis Toronto, Louix Louis combines sweeping city views with a playful, world-class cocktail list. From classic Sazeracs to avant-garde house creations, this is where you take someone you're genuinely trying to impress.
Time needed: 1.5–2.5 hours, especially if you want to linger over drinks and dessert.
Toronto's most complete urban spa — Lagom (Swedish for 'just right') offers a full spa menu including couples treatments, Scandinavian-inspired hydrotherapy, steam rooms, and a relaxation lounge with Nordic aesthetic. The location in the heart of King West makes it accessible, and the post-treatment lounge time is part of the experience.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on your treatment and time spent in the lounge.
Toronto's most glamorous rooftop destination — Lavelle combines a full restaurant, infinity pool terrace, and rooftop club into a single King West address. On summer Saturday nights, the pool deck becomes one of the most photographed nightlife destinations in Canada. Dress code strictly enforced, and the wait list is long.
Time needed: 2–4 hours, especially if you’re aiming for a swim and dinner or planning to stay through the club hours.
Toronto's most storied indie rock venue — Lee's Palace is where Radiohead, Blur, Oasis, Broken Social Scene, and every major Canadian indie act played before they outgrew it. The 500-cap room has a low ceiling, a proper stage, and the best sightlines of any Toronto venue its size. The iconic hand-painted mural exterior is a Bloor Street landmark.
Time needed: 3–4 hours, depending on set times and openers.
Queen Street East through Leslieville is lined with vintage and antique shops, indie boutiques, and the city's best concentration of Queen East restaurants. The neighbourhood has that golden moment when it's still the east end but not yet too discovered.
Time needed: 2–3 hours if you want to browse multiple shops and grab a snack.
East Toronto's neighbourhood farmers market in the heart of Leslieville — Sunday mornings bring 40+ vendors with Ontario produce, artisan goods, fresh flowers, and prepared food to Greenwood Park. The surrounding brunch spots make it an easy full morning.
Time needed: 1–2 hours
Sensory deprivation and total rest — float tanks filled with body-temperature, skin-density saltwater let you float effortlessly in complete silence and darkness. 60–90 minutes of full sensory isolation. Some people meditate, some sleep, everyone emerges profoundly rested. One of the most effective stress resets available in the city.
Time needed: 1.5–2 hours (including check-in, shower, and at least a 60–90 minute float).
Gerrard Street East between Coxwell and Greenwood is Toronto's Little India — a dense strip of Indian grocery stores, sweet shops, sari boutiques, spice merchants, and restaurants. The produce markets here carry mangoes, fresh turmeric, bitter melon, and South Asian vegetables unavailable elsewhere in the city.
Time needed: 1–2 hours, or longer if you’re shopping for groceries or stopping for a meal.
Dundas Street West through Little Portugal is one of Toronto's most rewarding neighbourhood walks. Pastelarias, tiled buildings, neighbourhood cafés, independent furniture shops, and a community energy that makes the Annex feel sanitized by comparison.
Time needed: 1–2 hours for a casual stroll with stops; longer if you linger in the bakeries or shops.
Dundas Street West through Little Portugal is lined with Portuguese fish shops, pastry houses, and specialty grocers carrying Portuguese wines, salt cod (bacalhau), fresh sardines, and traditional pastéis de nata. A genuine ethnic food destination anchored by the community that built this neighbourhood.
Time needed: 1–2 hours.
Bocce ball meets mini-golf meets excellent bar — Lob's nine-hole astroturf bocce course with varying terrain levels the playing field for novices and regulars. Beer, cocktails, and an inclusive group-activities atmosphere make it the best birthday party destination in the city that doesn't involve a DJ.
Time needed: 1.5–3 hours, depending on group size and how many rounds you play.
Ontario's birding capital — Long Point Provincial Park on Lake Erie is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and the most important stopover on the Mississippi/Atlantic flyway migration route. In spring and fall, thousands of rare warblers, hawks, and waterfowl concentrate here. The sand spit beach is also spectacular for swimming.
Time needed: 4–6 hours plus 2.5-hour drive each way; best as a full-day trip.
Longboat Hall is an event venue inside The Great Hall complex, with its public entrance at 103 Dovercourt Rd, Toronto, ON M6J 3C2. Concerts, DJ nights and other events vary by date; check the official event listing before visiting.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on the event.
Toronto's most provocative contemporary art museum in a repurposed 1919 cold storage warehouse in the Junction. MOCA's rotating exhibitions are the city's most ambitious — challenging, international, and consistently selling out openings. The building itself is part of the art.
Time needed: 1–2 hours
Toronto's most atmospheric historic home — the 1858 townhouse of William Lyon Mackenzie (Toronto's first mayor and rebel leader) is regularly cited as one of Canada's most haunted buildings. Evening ghost tours blend genuine history with spine-tingling supernatural investigation, run by costumed guides with real archival documentation.
Time needed: 1–1.5 hours
Step through what looks like a corner store into one of Toronto's most charming bar secrets — Mahjong Bar takes its cues from the Cantonese tile game, blending East-West cocktails with Sichuan bar snacks. Weekends bring a DJ, a packed dance floor, and the feeling of being in on the city's best-kept secret.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on the crowd and whether you stay for DJ sets.
The westernmost beach in Toronto, sitting at the boundary with Mississauga. Marie Curtis Park has a sandy beach on Lake Ontario, picnic areas, a splash pad for kids, and a footbridge over Etobicoke Creek into Samuel Smith Park. Far less crowded than the Beaches or Woodbine Beach — a true neighbourhood secret.
Time needed: 2–3 hours for the park and beach; add another hour if you’re exploring Samuel Smith Park too.
An outdoor living history museum chronicling Markham's evolution from rural 19th-century Ontario to the multicultural city it is today. 30+ heritage buildings on 25 acres, with special events throughout the year.
Time needed: 2–3 hours, more if you linger at workshops or catch a special event.
First-timers should start with the CN Tower observation deck for city views, then walk the Distillery District and Kensington Market for culture and food. Add Ripley's Aquarium, a Harbourfront walk, and St. Lawrence Market on a Saturday morning. For a full plan, see our 48-hour first-timer itinerary.
Check our Events page for live concerts, sports, and festivals happening this weekend. Regulars include the Distillery District on weekends, Kensington Market, Saturday morning at St. Lawrence Market, and the Toronto Islands by ferry. In summer, look for outdoor festivals along the waterfront.
Toronto is excellent for families. Top picks: Ripley's Aquarium of Canada (the shark tunnel alone is worth it), the Toronto Zoo, Ontario Science Centre, High Park, the ferry to Centre Island, and the CN Tower glass floor. The waterfront and Harbourfront Centre also have excellent free kids programming in summer.
Some of the best free activities include exploring the Toronto Islands (ferry costs $9.38 return), walking the Harbourfront, visiting High Park and the Scarborough Bluffs, browsing the Distillery District and Kensington Market, and checking out the Art Gallery of Ontario on the first Wednesday of the month from 6–9pm. Graffiti Alley is always free.
Toronto is famous for the CN Tower, the Distillery District, world-class food markets like St. Lawrence Market, its multicultural neighbourhoods (Kensington Market, Little Italy, Greektown, Chinatown), and being a major sports city home to the Raptors, Maple Leafs, and Blue Jays.
3–4 days is ideal to see the main highlights including the waterfront, CN Tower, Distillery District, Kensington Market, and a few neighbourhood restaurants. A full week lets you explore more neighbourhoods, do a day trip to Niagara Falls, and enjoy live events or sports.
June to September is peak season with warm weather, patios, festivals like TIFF and Caribbean Carnival, and outdoor events. May and October offer fewer crowds with still-pleasant weather. Winter is great if you love skating, the Christmas Market, and indoor culture.
Downtown Toronto is very walkable — most major attractions, restaurants, and hotels are accessible on foot or via the TTC subway and streetcar. The PATH underground network connects many downtown buildings. The Harbourfront trail is a beautiful flat walk along the lake.
WTF Toronto creates guides using independent editorial research, official sources, local knowledge and firsthand experience where available. Commercial relationships are disclosed where applicable.