01

Day 01

The Financial District, Waterfront & Skyline

Downtown squares, a historic market, a harbour cruise, and the CN Tower.

1. Morning

   Nathan Phillips Square & City Hall

   Start at Nathan Phillips Square beneath the Toronto sign and the curved towers of New City Hall while the plaza is quiet. It's the ideal orientation point for a first full day downtown.

2. Late Morning

   St. Lawrence Market

   Devote an hour to St. Lawrence Market's food stalls and the historic South Market hall, repeatedly ranked among the world's great markets, a short walk east through the core.

3. Lunch

   Harbourfront Centre

   Lunch along the Harbourfront with Lake Ontario and the boat traffic beside you, a scenic pause before the afternoon cruise departs from the nearby quays.

4. Afternoon

   Toronto Harbour cruise

   Take a harbour cruise for the definitive skyline primer, gliding past the Toronto Islands and the downtown waterfront towers.

5. Late Afternoon

   CN Tower

   Ascend the CN Tower to the LookOut and Glass Floor, and brave the higher SkyPod if you dare. Late-day light and clear skies reward you with sweeping views over the lake.

6. Evening

   Iconic local eats

   Close the day with a taste of Toronto's signature dishes, from a peameal bacon sandwich to Chinatown dumplings, at a lively spot in the Entertainment District.

02

Day 02

The Museum District & Queen's Park

The ROM, Bata Shoe, and Gardiner museums plus the Legislature and Yorkville.

1. Morning

   Royal Ontario Museum

   Begin at the ROM with its dinosaur halls, Egyptian galleries, and the crystalline Michael Lee-Chin addition. Arriving at opening helps you outpace the day's school groups.

2. Late Morning

   Bata Shoe Museum

   Move a block west to the Bata Shoe Museum, whose collection spans 4,500 years of footwear from around the world, a compact and surprisingly absorbing stop.

3. Lunch

   Yorkville & Philosopher's Walk

   Enjoy lunch in Yorkville or on the leafy Philosopher's Walk, framed by the University of Toronto campus on one side and Bloor Street on the other.

4. Afternoon

   Gardiner Museum

   Walk to the Gardiner Museum, directly across from the ROM, for its refined collections of ceramics and contemporary clay, a calm counterpoint to the morning.

5. Late Afternoon

   Queen's Park

   Stroll south to Queen's Park and the pink sandstone Ontario Legislative Building, whose grounds and Romanesque facade anchor the university district.

6. Evening

   Yorkville dinner

   Dine in Yorkville, whose restaurants along Bloor, Yorkville, and Cumberland cover everything from sushi to modern Canadian cuisine.

03

Day 03

Kensington Market, Chinatown & the West End

A rail trail, vintage shops, tacos, the AGO, and celebrated independent dining.

1. Morning

   West Toronto Railpath

   Walk or bike the West Toronto Railpath, a green rail-to-trail corridor of gardens and public art threading the Junction Triangle and Dundas West.

2. Late Morning

   Kensington Market

   Explore the vintage shops, record stores, and global grocers of Kensington Market, plus the murals and patios tucked along Augusta and Kensington Avenues.

3. Lunch

   Seven Lives tacos

   Line up at Seven Lives for Baja fish and shrimp tacos, or choose from Kensington's many acclaimed casual eateries.

4. Afternoon

   Art Gallery of Ontario

   Head to the Frank Gehry redesigned AGO on nearby Dundas Street for the Group of Seven, Henry Moore, and a sweeping spiral staircase, an easy pairing with the market.

5. Late Afternoon

   Queen Street West

   Wander west on Queen Street West past design shops, galleries, and Trinity Bellwoods Park, a stylish, unhurried afternoon of browsing.

6. Evening

   Ossington dinner

   Head to Ossington Avenue for dinner along one of the city's most lauded strips of independent restaurants.

7. Evening

   Cocktail bar nightcap

   Finish with a drink at one of Ossington or Dundas West's inventive cocktail bars, soaking up the west end's easygoing creative vibe.

04

Day 04

The Distillery District & Toronto Islands

Victorian industrial architecture, a ferry to the islands, and eastern skyline views.

1. Morning

   Distillery Historic District

   Spend the morning in the pedestrian-only Distillery District, wandering its restored Victorian industrial buildings, galleries, and boutiques set along cobblestone lanes.

2. Lunch

   Distillery District eateries

   Grab lunch in the Distillery, where cafés, a chocolate maker, and restaurants such as El Catrin fill the old whisky warehouses.

3. Afternoon

   Toronto Islands ferry

   Catch the ferry from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to the Toronto Islands, a car-free chain of parkland, lagoons, and beaches just offshore.

4. Late Afternoon

   Ward's Island boardwalk

   Walk the boardwalk between Ward's Island and Centre Island past cottages and gardens, then out to the beaches on the lake side.

5. Evening

   Islands skyline view

   Pause on the island shore for the single best skyline vantage in the city, the downtown towers rising across the harbour, before catching the ferry back.

6. Evening

   Leslieville dinner

   Have dinner in Leslieville or Riverside, whose Queen Street East restaurants range from brunch favourites to modern bistros.

05

Day 05

The Ballpark & the West Lakefront

Ballpark energy, a free zoo, lakefront beaches, and downtown shopping to close the trip.

1. Morning

   Rogers Centre

   Visit Rogers Centre, home of the Blue Jays since 1989. Take a stadium tour, or catch a day game if the schedule aligns with your trip.

2. Lunch

   King Street West eats

   Lunch in the lively blocks of King Street West near the stadium, from sports bars to the pizza and sandwich spots that fill the strip on game days.

3. Afternoon

   High Park & High Park Zoo

   Head west to sprawling High Park and its free zoo, an easy, budget-friendly pairing of gardens, wooded trails, and Grenadier Pond.

4. Late Afternoon

   Sunnyside Beach

   Relax at Sunnyside Beach and stroll the Martin Goodman Trail for classic skyline-over-the-water photos across the harbour.

5. Evening

   Yonge Street & Eaton Centre

   Finish shopping along Yonge Street and the CF Toronto Eaton Centre, passing Old City Hall and Yonge-Dundas Square near the core.

6. Evening

   Entertainment District farewell dinner

   End your trip with dinner in the Entertainment District's dense restaurant row; reserve ahead for the city's steakhouses and standout tables.