The best things to do in Toronto, selected with a local point of view. Find attractions, parks, tours, markets and neighbourhood finds.
Showing 97–120 of 494 experiences.
Jen Agg's effortlessly cool Dundas West cocktail bar does exactly what the name promises — with precision, style, and zero pretension. The drinks are refined but not fussy. The room is warm and inviting. And if you hop across the street to Black Hoof and Rhum Corner after, you've done the best bar crawl in the city.
Time needed: 1–2 hours
Toronto's destination for serious late-night electronic music — Coda books consistently excellent DJs in an intimate but powerful room. The sound system is one of the city's best, the crowd is there for the music, and the hours run later than almost anywhere else in Toronto. A proper club in the European sense.
Time needed: 2–4 hours, depending on your stamina and energy.
Ontario's skiing and mountain town — Blue Mountain Resort outside Collingwood is Ontario's largest ski area with 42 runs, a village, spa, and year-round activities including mountain coasters, hiking, mountain biking, and the outdoor adventure park. The 90-minute drive from Toronto makes it a full-day or weekend option in any season.
Time needed: Full day (leave Toronto by 8am for max slope time); weekend if you want to explore the village and spa.
A large waterfront park in south Etobicoke with a skating rink, sailing club, bird sanctuary, and some of the best naturalized shoreline habitat on Lake Ontario. The park is a major migration stopover — birders come from across the GTA in spring. The skating rink (outdoor in winter) is one of Toronto's best kept secrets.
Time needed: 1–3 hours depending on your plans (skating, birding, or a waterfront walk).
Toronto's most prolific comedy venue — Comedy Bar runs 150+ shows a month across two stages, covering stand-up, improv, sketch, and experimental comedy. The welcoming vibe emphasizes local talent and inclusive programming, and post-show drinks with the performers are a regular occurrence. This is where Toronto comedy grows.
Time needed: 2–3 hours
Toronto's comedy scene extends across the GTA — venues in Brampton, Mississauga, and Markham host touring headliners and local showcases. The suburban comedy rooms often bring in headliners you'd pay twice as much to see in downtown Toronto.
Time needed: 2–2.5 hours (typical show with opener, feature, and headliner)
Canada's oldest and most legendary music venue occasionally pivots to comedy — and the Horseshoe's comedy nights carry the same energy as its music shows. The room has hosted everyone from the Rolling Stones to local stand-ups.
Time needed: 1.5–3 hours, depending on lineup and post-show hangs.
The Annex neighbourhood's intimate live performance space hosts regular comedy nights featuring the best local Toronto stand-up comedians. Small rooms make for exceptional comedy — every joke lands when the comedian is eight feet away.
Time needed: 1.5–2 hours
Queen West's legendary arts venue has hosted comedy, music, and culture for four decades. The Rivoli's comedy nights are intimate, eclectic, and quintessentially Queen West — small room, cheap drinks, and consistently surprising lineups of Toronto's working comedians.
Time needed: 2 hours, or longer if you hang for drinks afterwards.
A beautifully designed urban park connecting downtown to the West Don Lands. The marsh boardwalk, splash pad, pavilion, and fireplace make it a genuine four-season destination — and the restored wetland attracts 100+ bird species right in the heart of the city.
Time needed: 1–2 hours (longer with kids at the splash pad or playground).
St. Clair West through Corso Italia is Toronto's authentic Italian strip — espresso bars, salumerias, gelaterias, and an Azzurri-flag atmosphere that intensifies around World Cup season. Old-world Italian culture in a very Toronto package.
Time needed: 1–2 hours for a stroll and snack, longer if you linger for coffee or gelato.
A living heritage farm museum set on 30 acres in Milton. Draft horses, heritage breeds, working blacksmith, antique farm equipment demonstrations, and seasonal events that bring 19th-century Ontario farming to life.
Time needed: 2–3 hours, longer if visiting during a special event.
The Church Street bar that runs drag karaoke, drag shows, and dance nights in one non-stop party. Crews & Tangos has three floors of joy — a ground floor pub, an upstairs stage for performances, and a rooftop patio for summer. For first-timers to the Village or returning regulars, it delivers every time.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on crowds and if you stay for multiple shows.
Crow's Theatre on Queen East is one of Canada's leading contemporary theatre companies — and their programming regularly includes comedy and comedic theatre. World-class productions in a purpose-built 230-seat venue in the heart of Leslieville.
Time needed: 2–2.5 hours, depending on the show length.
Toronto's best VR arcade — private rooms with current-generation VR headsets and a library of 100+ games covering Beat Saber, Superhot VR, escape room VR, and social multiplayer party games. Groups of 2–8 playing simultaneously. No experience required and the room is yours for the full session.
Time needed: 1–2 hours
A 5.0-rated, 3-hour walking tour that goes where the standard tours don't — tailored to your interests with a knowledgeable local guide who knows Toronto's back streets, secret courtyards, and neighbourhood stories. Rated 5.0/5 with 17 reviews, this is the most personalized walking experience available in the city.
Time needed: 3 hours.
Toronto's cycling event calendar is one of Canada's richest — from the Tour de Waterfront (charity century ride) to the Gran Fondo Niagara-Barrie, from the Giro di Gino charity ride to the weekly Evergreen Brick Works Slow Roll. Road cyclists and casual riders both have a full summer calendar of organized events.
Time needed: Half day to full day per event; some shorter rides are 1–2 hours.
Toronto's most spectacular new nightclub — DPRTMNT is a 14,000-square-foot, two-floor venue at 473 Adelaide St W from INK Entertainment, the team behind REBEL and VELD Music Festival. Over 3.5 kilometres of LED lighting run through the space, and the sound system hits 1,200 guests with the kind of production scale you'd expect from a Miami mega-club, not an Adelaide Street alleyway entrance.
Time needed: 2–4 hours depending on the lineup and your party energy.
Design and hand-stitch your own leather or vegan leather handbag at this intimate DIY workshop on the Danforth. Choose your colours, hardware, and style under step-by-step guidance from a skilled craftsperson. A genuinely creative, hands-on experience that leaves you with a custom-made bag and a new skill — perfect for date ideas, girls' day out, or solo creative time.
Time needed: 2.5–3 hours
Toronto's most beautiful music venue — the Danforth Music Hall opened in 1919 as a movie theatre and retains its ornate plasterwork, balcony, and tremendous acoustics. At 1,400 capacity it bridges the gap between club and arena perfectly. The East End location and heritage building make every show feel like a genuine event.
Time needed: 2–3 hours for a show, including line-up and merch browsing.
Canada's design museum in one of Toronto's most beautiful buildings — the former Toronto Stock Exchange (1937 Art Deco) houses the Design Exchange, with programming covering industrial design, graphic design, architecture, and Canadian design history. The TSX trading floor alone is worth seeing.
Time needed: 1–2 hours, more if you're into design or catching a major exhibit.
Toronto's best free disc golf — Dentonia Park Golf Course's 18-hole disc golf course winds through trees, over water, and across a proper green landscape. Free to play, equipment available cheaply at any disc golf retailer, and the learning curve is dramatically gentler than regular golf. Growing community, welcoming to beginners.
Time needed: 1.5–2.5 hours depending on group size and crowds.
A gamified 90-minute to 2-hour self-guided trivia tour of the Toronto waterfront through your smartphone — discover the harbour's history, architecture, and hidden stories while competing for answers. At CA$11, it's one of the most engaging and affordable ways to explore the waterfront.
Time needed: 1.5–2 hours
Toronto's most sociable cooking class — hands-on group classes where you cook a full 3-course meal from scratch alongside a chef instructor. Cuisines rotate weekly from Italian to Japanese to Lebanese. You eat everything you make, with wine pairings available. The best couples cooking class in the city.
Time needed: 3–3.5 hours per class.
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.