The best things to do in Toronto, selected with a local point of view. Find attractions, parks, tours, markets and neighbourhood finds.
Showing 337–360 of 494 experiences.
Run through the city's greatest streets — Toronto's running event calendar includes the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (October, one of the world's most scenic marathons), the Sporting Life 10K down Yonge Street, and the Toronto Race Weekend. Run a route that passes the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, and waterfront in one morning.
Time needed: Allow 2–4 hours depending on your event and pace.
Toronto's shipping container market — 120 repurposed shipping containers arranged on a 2.5-acre site near Bathurst and Front Street, housing local small businesses, food vendors, bars, and event spaces. The most creative use of temporary retail space in the city: constantly evolving, endlessly photographable, and genuinely fun.
Time needed: 1.5–3 hours, more if there’s a major event or you linger at the brewery.
Toronto's most energetic public square (formerly Sankofa Square, officially renamed Sankofa Square in 2023) — a 24-hour outdoor event space hosting free concerts, film screenings, festivals, and markets throughout the year. The LED screens, fountains, and non-stop activity make it the city's liveliest urban intersection. Always something happening, always free to attend.
Time needed: 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on whether you catch an event.
Towering white clay cliffs rising 90m from Lake Ontario — some of the most dramatic natural scenery in urban North America. The turquoise water at the base and the dramatic clay-and-sand bluffs create a scene that looks more like Croatia than Canada. The beach below is surprisingly good in summer.
Time needed: 2–4 hours, especially if hiking or spending time at the beach.
Guild Park is one of Toronto's strangest and most wonderful outdoor spaces — a sculpture garden filled with architectural salvage from demolished Toronto buildings: Greek columns, stone facades, carved stonework, bank cornices. Over 100 pieces of saved architecture in a peaceful ravine park. The Scarborough Museum (circa 1858) is on the same site.
Time needed: 1–2 hours to stroll the grounds, more if reading every plaque or visiting the museum.
Scarborough's own answer to the Markham Night Market — a summer outdoor food and culture event celebrating Scarborough's extraordinary diversity through street food. Dim sum buns, jerk chicken, samosas, sushi burritos, and roti sit side by side as a portrait of Canada's most multicultural suburb.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds
Go behind the scenes of Canada's most famous arena — dressing rooms, media areas, the ice surface, penalty boxes, and the championship gallery. For sports fans, it's the equivalent of the Hockey Hall of Fame with actual game context.
Time needed: 1–1.5 hours
The legendary comedy institution that launched John Candy, Mike Myers, Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and dozens more. The mainstage show and bar menu are both excellent — and the improv sets after the show are free.
Time needed: 2–3 hours, including the free improv set after the main show.
Second City's Training Centre performances are scheduled at its current Toronto venue at 110 Harbour St. Student-show formats, dates and prices vary, so check the current listings before planning a visit.
Time needed: 1.5–2 hours
See the waterfront on a Segway — guided 90-minute tours cover Queens Quay, harbourfront parks, Coronation Park, and the CN Tower base. Faster and more fun than walking, with guaranteed looks from pedestrians. The training segment takes 10 minutes; the route is pure city spectacle.
Time needed: Around 1.5–2 hours including the training segment.
Toronto's most immersive bar experience — the Shameful Tiki Room is blacked-out windows, heavy velvet curtains, Polynesian kitsch, and seriously potent rum punch bowls served to the sound of gong strikes and fog machine mist. You forget you're in Parkdale within 30 seconds. Order the sharing bowl. Share it with friends. Regret nothing.
Time needed: 2–3 hours, longer if you’re with a group.
Toronto's top-rated walking tour by a wide margin — a 3-hour small group experience through the city's most compelling streets, stories, and hidden corners with a local expert guide. Rated 4.9/5 across 630+ reviews, this is consistently voted the best way to truly understand Toronto beyond the postcard version.
Time needed: 3 hours (the full tour duration, plus time for photos and follow-up questions)
Four days, four of Eastern Canada's greatest cities — Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City — in a small group format from CA$1,085. An expertly organized multi-city journey covering French and English Canada with the intimacy of a small-group experience rather than a large coach tour.
Time needed: 4 full days, with early mornings and late evenings.
Toronto's most loved board game café empire — Snakes & Lattes has 3,000+ games, knowledgeable 'game gurus' who recommend and teach games on demand, coffee, food, and a table-fee model that makes it genuinely affordable for a full evening. The original Bloor Street location launched an entire North American board game café trend.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds and game selection.
The most Toronto bar in Toronto — Sneaky Dee's has been serving students, musicians, and night owls since 1987. Downstairs is a Tex-Mex cantina famous for its enormous nachos and cheap pitchers. Upstairs is one of the city's best live music rooms. Friday late-night nachos at Sneaky Dee's is a rite of passage.
Time needed: 2–4 hours if you’re catching a show and hanging for food; 1 hour for a quick nacho run.
Monday evening farmers market in Roncesvalles — a unique weeknight community ritual that combines local produce shopping with the park's distinctive evening energy. Tables of Ontario cheese, fresh-baked bread, and seasonal vegetables alongside the park's regular dog-walkers and families.
Time needed: 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending if you stick around for now-or-never baked goods and social chats.
Toronto's sound healing scene — crystal singing bowl meditations and sound bath experiences are available at wellness studios across the city. Practitioners create resonant vibrations from crystal bowls, gongs, and Tibetan instruments while participants lie in total relaxation. An increasingly popular alternative wellness experience in the city.
Time needed: 60–90 minutes
A beautifully preserved 1866 Victorian estate in the heart of the city — this is what Toronto's wealthy families lived like through four generations. The restored rooms, gardens, and summer garden parties are an accessible slice of Toronto history.
Time needed: 1–2 hours
Toronto's most intact Victorian estate — Spadina House was home to the Baldwin and Austin families from 1866 to 1982 and contains original furnishings, family possessions, and garden plants accumulated over 116 years. The restored Victorian gardens are among the city's finest, and the house tour reveals how Toronto's wealthy lived across a century.
Time needed: 1–2 hours, including a guided house tour and a stroll through the gardens.
A working farm with some of the best seasonal events in Ontario — Easter barn, summer berry picking, fall harvest and corn maze, and a Christmas market that sells out weeks in advance. The farm bakery is exceptional.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on the season and crowds.
Ontario's second-largest mall and the heartbeat of Mississauga's downtown core. Over 360 stores, excellent food court, and an Apple Store that's always three deep. The Absolute World towers next door are equally iconic.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds
Toronto's oldest and most beautiful church — St. James Cathedral (1853) has Canada's tallest spire and one of the finest interiors in the country: vaulted ceiling, stained glass, original pipe organ. The surrounding park hosts free summer concerts and the historic neighbourhood gives context for the city's 19th-century origins.
Time needed: 45 minutes–1.5 hours
St. Lawrence Market brings together food vendors and prepared-food counters in Toronto's Old Town. Check the official market site for current hours, vendor details, and Farmers' Market schedules before you go.
Time needed: 1.5–3 hours depending on crowds and how many stalls you want to sample.
Every Sunday, the St. Lawrence Market North Hall transforms into one of Ontario's best antique fairs — 80+ dealers filling the hall with vintage furniture, art, jewellery, ceramics, vinyl records, and collectibles. It's a treasure hunt with no entry fee.
Time needed: 1–2 hours, longer if you love digging.
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.