The best things to do in Toronto, selected with a local point of view. Find attractions, parks, tours, markets and neighbourhood finds.
Showing 49–72 of 494 experiences.
Step into 1860s Ontario — Black Creek Pioneer Village has over 40 heritage buildings on 36 acres with costumed interpreters demonstrating blacksmithing, weaving, cooking, and farming techniques from 160 years ago. Seasonal events (apple cider pressing, holiday candlelight tours) make it worth returning throughout the year.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds and the season.
Toronto's most original themed bar — Black Dice Cafe blends Japanese aesthetics, American rockabilly nostalgia, and British punk into a single unforgettable hole-in-the-wall on Dundas West. A jukebox, Asian-inspired cocktails, Japanese whisky, sake, and draught beers fill out a room that looks like nothing else in the city.
Time needed: 1–3 hours, depending on the night and your devotion to the jukebox.
The Annex's Saturday morning market at Bloor Street United Church — a compact, high-quality selection of organic produce, artisan preserves, and baked goods that has become a weekly ritual for the bookish Annex neighbourhood.
Time needed: 30–60 minutes
Bloorcourt Village's neighbourhood market celebrating the eclectic stretch of Bloor Street between Lansdowne and Dufferin — Toronto's most underrated neighbourhood strip. Local vendors, independent designers, and food producers take over the streetscape on market days.
Time needed: 1–2 hours depending on how deep you want to dig through the stalls.
Canada's team, Canada's stadium. A summer afternoon in the 100-level with a beer and a hot dog and a day game is one of the most Toronto things you can do. Even better when they're winning.
Time needed: 3–4 hours for a full nine-inning game, plus extra if you're arriving early for BP or staying for post-game fun.
Ontario's premier four-season resort — 2 hours from Toronto. Skiing and snowboarding in winter (43 trails), mountain biking and hiking in summer. The Blue Mountain Village is a year-round destination with shops, restaurants, and the Ridge Runner mountain coaster.
Time needed: Full day (8–10 hours, factoring in travel).
14km of dramatic white clay cliffs rising 90m above Lake Ontario — one of the most striking natural landscapes in Ontario. At the base, Bluffer's Park marina and beach sits in an impossibly turquoise cove that looks more like the Mediterranean than the GTA. The lookouts offer views that feel entirely un-Torontonian.
Time needed: 2–3 hours if you walk, linger at the beach, and explore the lookouts.
Toronto's most acclaimed women-only water therapy spa — Body Blitz is built around a sequence of salt water pools, warm and cool plunge baths, steam rooms, infrared saunas, and relaxation rooms. The circuit alone (no treatment booked) is a multi-hour experience. Adding a massage or scrub makes it a full-day escape.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds and if you add a treatment.
Toronto's boutique fitness ecosystem is extensive — from Totum Life Science (physiotherapy + fitness), to Pilates studios in Rosedale, to the Barry's Bootcamp and indoor cycling at Ride Cycle Club. Most offer introductory class rates for new clients, and the quality of instruction across Toronto's fitness studios is genuinely high.
Time needed: 60–90 minutes (most classes run 45–60 minutes plus time to change).
Brampton's main mall and social hub with 250+ stores. The diverse food court reflects Brampton's incredible cultural mix — Punjabi fast food, Caribbean patties, Vietnamese pho, and Tim Hortons all in one building.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds and how many food court stalls you want to hit.
Toronto's best rooftop bar — the Broadview Hotel's beautifully restored Victorian heritage building offers 360-degree views from its rooftop bar including one of the finest angles on the CN Tower in the city. Sipping white wine while watching a Toronto sunset from here is an experience worth every dollar.
Time needed: 1.5–3 hours, especially if catching sunset.
The best elevated bar view in the city — the Broadview Hotel's 8th-floor rooftop bar provides 360-degree views including one of the finest angles on the CN Tower available from any accessible point in the city. East, West, North, South — the rooftop sees everything, and the heritage building itself is half the experience.
Time needed: 1.5–3 hours, longer if you stay for dinner or sunset drinks.
Toronto's iconic outdoor amphitheatre on the Lake Ontario waterfront — Budweiser Stage holds 16,000 with a combination of pavilion seating and open lawn. Every major summer touring act plays here, and the views of the lake behind the stage create a backdrop that arena shows can't replicate.
Time needed: 3–4 hours including arrival, opening act, and getting out after the encore.
Toronto's most underrated pub — C'est What sits in the basement of a heritage building near St. Lawrence Market with 50 Ontario beers on tap, wood fireplaces, pool tables, and live music on weekends. The bison burger is one of the city's best bar food dishes. Perfect before or after a market visit.
Time needed: 1.5–3 hours, depending if you stay for games or live music.
A historic downtown theatre at 263 Yonge Street, with its main entrance and box office at 244 Victoria Street. The renovated two-tiered auditorium supports both intimate plays and large-scale musicals.
Time needed: 2.5–3.5 hours (for a show, including intermission).
An intimate 700-seat live theatre and concert venue at 651 Yonge Street, just south of Bloor. Its facade is the surviving piece of a site that has hosted a private residence, cinemas, and live theatre.
Time needed: Allow about 2.5–3 hours for a typical performance, including intermission.
Inside the heritage Beardmore Building (1841), CC Lounge combines a serious whisky collection with a late-night dance floor that runs hard Thursday through Saturday. A custom wood whisky tunnel leads to leather booths and a VIP back room with its own bar and DJ booth — old bones, very new energy.
Time needed: 2–4 hours, especially if you’re coming for both a tasting and dancing.
Markham's premier shopping destination with 180+ stores, a great selection of Asian food in the food court, and proximity to Pacific Mall for a full Markham shopping day. The T&T Supermarket inside is a cultural experience in itself.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds and store count.
Etobicoke's premium shopping destination with an excellent mix of luxury and mid-range retail. The recent expansion improved the centre's scale, circulation and retail mix. Great cinema attached for a full-day outing.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds and if you catch a movie.
Toronto's flagship shopping destination in the heart of downtown — and one of the most visited malls in the world. The soaring glass galleria is a 19th-century dream. The Michael Snow Canada Geese installation overhead is an iconic art moment.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds
Toronto's newest elevated public park — a landscaped terrace atop the CIBC Square development at 81 Bay Street with skyline views, native plantings, and integrated seating. A rare green space in the Financial District that hovers above street level, offering a perspective most downtown visitors never discover.
Time needed: 30–60 minutes
Yeah, you've seen it on every postcard. But standing on the glass floor 447m above Toronto will still make your stomach drop. The sunset view from EdgeWalk is a bucket list moment.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds and activities.
Walk the outside of the CN Tower at 356m — the EdgeWalk is the world's highest hands-free walk on a tower's exterior. Harnessed to the roof's edge, you lean out over the city with nothing between you and Toronto 116 floors below. Less vertigo than expected, more exhilarating than anything else you'll do this year.
Time needed: 90 minutes total (45 minutes prep/briefing, 30 minutes on the walk, 15 minutes for photos and gear return).
The Ex — one of North America's oldest and largest annual fairs, running August 21–September 7 in 2026. Rides, air shows (with the Snowbirds), a food building with the most extreme novelty foods imaginable (deep-fried butter, Cronut burgers, bacon-wrapped everything), concerts, agricultural pavilions, and pure Canadiana. A Toronto institution.
Time needed: 4–8 hours for most people; die-hards squeeze in 12.
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.