Toronto

Understand

Toronto has an estimated population of over 3.2 million people as of 2024, and is the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) which has 7.1 million people. It also anchors the Golden Horseshoe region, which wraps around Lake Ontario from Toronto to Niagara Falls, home to over 11.1 million residents, approximately a quarter of Canada's entire population. Toronto is the fourth largest city and fifth largest urban agglomeration in North America. Distances between cities in the area can be great as it sprawls along, outward and even wraps around the western end of Lake Ontario; public transit is not always effective enough to make it a quick or seamless trip. Many suburban residents rely on private cars to get around. Toronto is also known as "the 416" after its first area code (although now 647 and 437 area codes are also used); or since 2014, "the 6", a term coined by the rapper Drake, which represents the area code). Outlying suburbs are also known as "the 905" after their area code, although this code is also used in the Hamilton and the Niagara Peninsula, stretching from Cobourg and Colborne in the east to the border in Niagara Falls to the southwest. More than half of its residents were born outside of Canada, and as a result the city is fortunate to host many vibrant bustling neighbourhoods with street signs in several languages. A popular urban myth has it that the United Nations rated Toronto as "the most multicultural city in the world". While the UN and its agencies are not in the habit of rating cities, it remains a fact that Canada is a nation of immigrants, and Toronto demonstrates this abundantly. A UN agency lists Toronto as second only to Miami as the city with the most foreign-born residents, as about half the city's residents were born outside of Canada. This has been true since the early 20th century, meaning that new waves of immigrants from diverse places have arrived. Toronto's residents represent far more cultural and language groups than Miami, which may be a better measure of multi-culturalism. Most immigrants either pass through Toronto on their way to other parts of the country or stay in Toronto permanently. Many people born abroad consider themselves Canadian as much as native-born Canadians and will be offended if treated otherwise. Within Toronto, most ethnic groups have worked their way into the fabric of Canadian society but retain their distinct ways such as language, dress (if only for special occasions), customs, and food. Toronto is home to many ethnic festivals throughout the year, several radio stations that broadcast

Getting there

By plane

Toronto Pearson

1 Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ IATA). (updated May 2022), in Mississauga, is 30-50 minutes by car (depending on traffic) or 25 minutes by train from downtown Toronto and is served by most major international carriers. There are two terminals: Terminal 1 hosts all Air Canada flights and a few other international (mostly Star Alliance) carriers while Terminal 3 hosts all other airlines. When travelling from Toronto International (and other major Canadian airports) to the United States, travellers will go through United States immigration and customs pre-clearance before boarding, and should leave some extra time to account for this. The airport has free WiFi internet access. The main article describes ground transportation to and from Toronto Pearson.

Billy Bishop Airport

2 Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ IATA), ☏ +1 416-203-6942. This airport serves short-haul flights only and is close to downtown. It is named for a World War I fighter ace, but some locals may call it “Toronto island airport” or simply “Billy Bishop” (updated Jun 2022)

Airlines at Billy Bishop Airport Porter Airlines, toll-free: +1-888-619-8622. This airline uses Billy Bishop as their hub. They are a short-haul carrier that operates Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop planes to many cities in eastern Canada (Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, St. John's and others) and parts of the United States (Boston, Chicago, New York/Newark, Washington Dulles and Myrtle Beach). Porter is aggressively fighting for market share and you can take advantage of it by getting low fares, especially if booked 2 weeks or more in advance, combined with complimentary drinks onboard and a waiting lounge with amenities. (updated Apr 2022) Air Canada, ☏ +1-514-393-3333, toll-free: +1-888-247-2262. Canada's largest airline. Operates flights to Billy Bishop Airport from Montreal and Ottawa, on Bombardier Q400 turboprop planes. Toronto Pearson International Airport is a hub for this airline with far more flight options including from international destinations. (updated Apr 2022) Propair. Service from North Bay and Rouyn-Noranda. (updated Apr 2025)

Ground transit from Billy Bishop Airport One of the main benefits of flying into Billy Bishop is its proximity to the downtown core. Upon landing, you can be downtown within ten minutes. A pedestrian tunnel under the channel takes you to the city. A free ferry service also makes the short crossing: it is just 121 metres, the world's shortest regularly-scheduled ferry route. It operates between TCCA and t

Getting around

Toronto is huge, and most roads run for very long distances. Streetcar rail, subway rail, and intercity rail services are clean and efficient, and it's entirely possible to get around Toronto without a car, especially downtown. You may find it quicker and easier to drive, but the highways regularly back up during rush hour (7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm). Toronto has plentiful parking garages downtown, but they are very expensive. Many in Toronto travel by bicycle (especially in the warmer months) and this mode is very convenient for getting around the downtown district. Not all motorists will give way to cyclists, and not all cyclists comply with the rules of the road; caution is recommended.

By car Getting around by car is the easiest method to get around outside of the downtown area. Roads are wide, have many lanes, and parking is free and plentiful. Arterial roads are generally laid out 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) apart, although they are closer in the west and east ends of the city. Most Ontario drivers are cautious and polite, similar to the drivers of the nicer parts of the American Midwest region. Unfortunately, due to Toronto's rapid population growth and large numbers of visiting tourists, there are many poorly trained drivers on Toronto streets and highways who bring their bad driving habits with them from all over the world. Large-scale multi-car pileups frequently block traffic for several hours. Always check traffic conditions before you depart. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation provides an official traffic information website, https://511on.ca/, which has a page with details about current incidents, including images from traffic cameras if available. On the freeways, overhead electronic signs provide estimated driving times and warn drivers of accidents ahead. There are several freeways within and around Toronto:

Highway 401 (locally, the four-oh-one) is the primary east-west route along the northern edge of the city and is extremely busy. Highway 401 has a collector-express lane system. The inner or "express" lanes of the highway have direct ramps to and from only a handful of exits, while the outer or "collector" lanes generally have ramps to and from all the exits. After every three or four exits, there is an interchange between the collector and express lanes, so motorists who need to exit can move over to the collector lanes, and those who plan to drive for a long distance can move over to the express lanes. It is often possible for the collector lanes to be jammed, but not the express lanes, and vice versa. When studying tr

See

Individual listings can be found in Toronto's district articles

Museums

Art Gallery of Ontario. The largest art gallery in Canada. It has a great Canadian paintings exhibit and the world's largest collection of Henry Moore sculptures. The European paintings exhibit has a few excellent pieces including Ruben's The Massacre of the Innocents. Bata Shoe Museum. This offbeat museum is devoted to shoes and footwear from cultures all over the world. Black Creek Pioneer Village is a recreation of life in 19th-century Ontario and consists of over 40 historic buildings, decorated in the style of the 1860s with period furnishings and actors portraying villagers. Casa Loma is a step back in time to a period of European elegance and splendour. The museum has decorated suites, secret passages, a 250-m-long tunnel, towers, stables and beautiful 5-acre estate gardens. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. Dedicated to ceramics in an exquisite contemporary building. Hockey Hall of Fame is both a museum and a hall of fame dedicated to the history of ice hockey. Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of art, world culture and natural history. It is one of the largest museums in North America, and the largest in Canada. Spadina House Museum is in a historic mansion dating from the 1860s. The grounds contain a beautiful garden. Textile Museum of Canada. Shows drawn from a 13,000-piece collection of textiles from around the world and from other collections.

Landmarks CN Tower. At 533 metres tall, the CN Tower is the third tallest free-standing structure in the world, and the tallest in North America. Rogers Centre is a large multi-purpose stadium with a retractable roof. It is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Toronto City Hall. Two buildings forming a semi-circle overlooking Nathan Phillips Square. Architecturally stunning, and next door to Old City Hall (now a court house) which has a more classical architecture.

Parks Toronto Zoo is Canada's premier zoo showcasing over 3,000 animals and over 300 species.

Do

Individual listings can be found in Toronto's district articles

Outdoors Toronto is "the city within a park", with miles and miles of parkland following the streams and rivers that flow through the city. Edwards Gardens and the Toronto Botanical Gardens in the neighbourhood of North York might just be the place to start exploring this natural environment. The City of Toronto has designated various Discovery Walks which highlight the natural and human history of the region. These can be found with brown circular signs along the route and highlight other regions such as the Belt Line, Garrison Creek and the Humber River as well as the downtown core. Beaches. Toronto has three main sections of beach along Lake Ontario. The most popular of these is in the aptly-named Beaches neighbourhood. A less popular alternative is the beaches in the western end of the city in the Parkdale neighbourhood; this was once Toronto's Coney Island, with an amusement park and numerous beach-style attractions; however in the 1950s the city built the Gardiner Expressway along the lakeshore, effectively separating the beaches from the city and causing the demolition of the amusement park; over the years attempts have been made to re-energize this area, but the Gardiner remains a major barrier, as well as a source of noise and pollution to keep away would-be beach-goers. On the plus side, the beaches are largely empty most of the time, providing solitude for those who seek it. The third major beach area in the city runs along the south shore of the Toronto Islands. This area is pleasantly secluded, with most of the islands covered with parkland and a small amusement park. Hanlan's Point Beach on the western shore of the islands is the City of Toronto's only officially recognized clothing optional beach, and a popular gay hangout. Despite these options, many Torontonians prefer to leave the city for beach trips; the most popular beaches are those in the Georgian Bay area north of Toronto, Wasaga Beach in particular is very popular during the summer.

Arts & entertainment Comedy. World-renowned Second City comedy/improv theatre has a location in Toronto. See great improv and situation comedy performed live with audience participation over dinner and drinks in the heart of the club district of downtown Toronto. Theatre. Toronto has a great theatre scene for every taste and budget. Check out the big theatres on Yonge Street for the big splashy shows. Small theatres in the Annex and elsewhere offer smaller productions that range from original Canadian works, avant-garde, experiment

Buy

Toronto has ample opportunities for shopping, and nearly any section of the city has unique places to shop:

Toronto Eaton Centre – At Yonge-Dundas Square. Over 285 shops and services, including most of North America's most popular brands, and two food courts catering for every taste. The 'PATH' System. Linking 1,200 stores and 50 buildings, The PATH is an underground shopping mall has been created for all the commuters to get from Union Station to their offices and back without ever going outside. In a city of Toronto's summer heat and winter cold, this is essential. Mink Mile. If you head west from the corner of Yonge and Bloor, you are in the most upscale of Toronto's shopping districts, easily accessible from the Bloor-Yonge or Bay subway station. Bloor Street between Yonge and Avenue is regarded as Toronto's version of Fifth Avenue, with upscale names such as Hermes and Louis Vuitton, and the flagship Holt Renfrew department store. Yorkville. This high-end shopping district just north of Bloor Street and west of Bay Street is home to many designer boutiques. It also has many galleries selling art. Kensington Market provides a bohemian shopping experience especially along the southern end of Kensington Avenue. The houses lining both sides of the street have been turned into shops with racks of clothes displayed in the front yard. There are many local, neighbourhood shopping districts in the inner city. These are mostly along major thoroughfares lined on one or both sides with shops in low-rise buildings. A few examples are Queen Street West (especially east of Spadina Avenue and extending westward into the West End), Uptown Yonge north of Eglinton Avenue on Yonge Street, and Roncesvalles Village. There are many more areas with store-lined streets within the inner city but few in suburban districts such as Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough which tend to prefer malls. Consult the district articles. Yorkdale Shopping Centre. A shopping centre in the north of the city, accessible from Yorkdale subway station. This is a full-service, upscale mall with hundreds of stores, but which is also rife with packs of roving teenagers who use the facilities as a social scene. Make use of the subway if possible on weekends, as locals pack the parking areas to capacity.

Money Changing money at a recognized bank or financial institution is best; there are a few specialized bureaux de change in Toronto's financial district and in Mississauga in the airport terminals. Some hotels, souvenir shops and tourist offices exchange money, but their rates won't put a s

Eat

Toronto is generally considered to be one of North America's top food cities. It has the same variety as New York or San Francisco and the compact and safe downtown keeps them closer together. As one of the most (if not the most) multicultural cities in the world, Toronto has authentic ethnic cuisine like no other city in North America. It is easy to eat out in Toronto and have a superb meal for cheap. A few of these cheap (i.e., can be easily procured for less than $20 or, in many instances, $10), iconic dishes are must-try meals for any visitor to Toronto—and represent the diversity that makes this city so special.

Peameal bacon sandwich The closest thing to a classic local dish that Toronto has, this is a simple dish comprising slices of cured, unsmoked pork loin in a Kaiser roll, typically adorned with some mustard. The classic location to try this dish is in St Lawrence Market, with Carousel Bakery and Paddington's Pump its most famous purveyors.

Roti Roti (never plural, and make the effort to pronounce the "T", like "row-tee") is probably the city's most iconic dish. Originating in Trinidad and Guyana, roti is essentially a curry wrapped in a roti shell, i.e., a thin paratha or dhalpuri flatbread. Typical curries found in roti include goat, chicken, lamb, beef, shrimp and a range of veggie options (channa, spinach, pumpkin, cabbage, potato). Occasionally you can find duck and oxtail options, if you're lucky. While the best roti is found in the outer suburbs of Scarborough and Brampton, a handful of shops persist in the city proper, including:

Pam's (Bloorcourt) Ali's West Indian Roti Shop (Parkdale) Island Foods (West Queen West) Paul's Roti Shop (Cabbagetown) Randy's Roti and Doubles (Bloor/Yonge) A second variety of roti is a true Toronto original, despite the constituent ingredients being from India. Enterprising Indian cooks in the city saw the popularity of the Caribbean/West Indian-style wrap and adapted it to their own curries; the East Indian variety is now much more easily found than the West Indian original, but it must be said the quality ranges from divine to barely tolerable. Classic choices include butter chicken, matar paneer, channa and lamb korma. Your best bets for consistently excellent Indian roti:

Roti Mahal (Queen West) Matha Roti (Harbord Village) Mother India Roti (Parkdale)

Jerk chicken Toronto's home to one of the largest Jamaican populations outside of Jamaica, and with that comes a dazzling array of incredible jerk chicken options in nearly every corner of the city. This spicy-sweet-savoury chicken is usually

Drink & nightlife

Historically, the majority of nightlife in Toronto has been centred on the appropriately named Clubland and in the Fashion District on Queen Street West. Nearly everywhere is packed to the brim with pubs and bars, but none so much as Adelaide and Queen Street in those districts. Clubs tend to operate on Richmond and Adelaide streets (both run east-west, 1 block apart); names change frequently, but the district keeps on going. John Street between Adelaide and Richmond is always a hub of activity, especially after Blue Jays games, and is a convenient spot for those staying downtown. Two other clubs of note outside this district: the (long-lasting) Phoenix (on Sherbourne) and Rebel (literally operating on part of Toronto's commercial port, but this place has an outstanding view of the city on warm summer nights, and boasts an extensive entertainment complex). Some of Toronto's newest and hottest nightclubs have opened up in the King Street West/Liberty Village area. This area tends to attract a more mature (25 years and older) crowd; however this comes at a cost as drinks and admission into the venues are typically a bit more expensive here than in Clubland. Hip art and music oriented crowds tend to gravitate towards Parkdale (Queen West past Bellwoods Park). The hipsters hangout in the wide array of bars, galleries and clubs that dot the area, including the Rhino, Happy Wine Bar, Tammy's, Motel, Pharmacy Bar, Danu, Food & Liquor, the Grand Trunk and the Drake and its poor cousin Gladstone Hotels. The same folks also frequent the Annex, Dundas West and Kensington Market areas of the city at night for club nights, casual drinks and art and music events. One of the main "corsos" of the city is Little Italy: College Street, between Bathurst and Ossington flows over with music, sidewalk cafes and excellent food and a crowd that enjoys the summer heat and the offerings. College Street, east of Bathurst, is home to many student hangouts, including Sneaky Dee's which is famous among locals for its nachos. The legal minimum drinking age is 19. Dundas West has emerged as the preferred stretch of bars and restaurants catering to the taste-making proclivities of West Enders. From Bathurst until Dundas hits Roncesvalles, you will come across all kinds of bars at all kinds of price points: high-end cocktail bars (the aptly named Cocktail Bar, Rhum Bar, Northern Belle, Bluebird), dive-ish bars (Wasted Youth, Lucky Shrike, Hank's Liquor, Swan Dive), wine bars (Tommy's, Milou, Grapewitches, Midfield), cozy date spots (Communist's Daughter, Bathurst Local, Black Dice, Archi

Sleep

Individual listings can be found in Toronto's district articles Most Toronto hotels and hostels are situated next to or just outside of the downtown core. Prices for rooms generally range from $150 for a standard hotel, $60–80 for a motel, and $20–40 for a bed in a hostel. Apart from downtown, most other Toronto neighborhoods have few lodging options, so one must then look at outlying suburbs beyond the city limits.

Hotels Toronto has a wide variety of hotels that can suit every budget. Many are located in the Entertainment and Financial Districts and Yonge-Dundas areas.

Hostels Toronto has several youth hostels, including ones in the downtown area, such as HI-Toronto Hostel at the foot of Church Street.

Bed & Breakfast Another popular alternative for overnight visitors are bed & breakfasts, of which Toronto has hundreds, many of them in the downtown core. Prices range from $60 to several hundred dollars depending on the house and amenities offered.

Go next

Toronto is a great starting point for exploring southern Ontario. There are many golden sand beaches along the clean fresh waters of the Great Lakes that are ideal for hot summer days. Popular beach destinations within 1½-2½ hours of Toronto include Wasaga, Sauble Beach, Sandbanks, Grand Bend, Long Point, and Turkey Point.

Golden Horseshoe Niagara Region — A lush region known primarily for its orchards and vineyards as well as the thundering waterfalls at Niagara Falls and the beautiful town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. On the American side of the Falls are several outlet malls. 1-1½ hours south along the QEW; a few tour buses make the same-day return trip. It is one of the principal Wine Regions of Ontario, and several companies do wine-tasting tours by bus from Toronto, starting at $125 (tax included), such as Niagara Airbus. Main Street Unionville, in the suburban city of Markham north of Toronto, is a historic village developed in the 1840s. As typical of a small village, it has many quaint period buildings in an idyllic surrounding. Waterloo Region — This area 1-1½ hours west of Toronto has large university campuses, rolling farm hills and Mennonite culture. The Niagara Escarpment — A world biosphere, protected by UN mandate running from the Niagara Falls west to Hamilton then northward to Georgian Bay. It is covered by forest with high cliff views along the Bruce Trail bordering the western edge of the Greater Toronto Area, at its closest point it is about a ½-hour drive from the western end of Toronto. Newmarket has its attractive Main Street Heritage Conservation District and many heritage buildings within a walkable area. Canada's Wonderland is a popular, seasonal theme park operated by Cedar Fair in Vaughan. It is a 20-minute drive away without traffic, and there are buses from downtown in the summer.

Ontario Muskoka, Georgian Triangle and The Kawarthas — All 1½–2 hours north are cottage country areas with more rocky and hilly terrain speckled with hundreds of lakes and waterways. Muskoka and the Kawarthas are known for their country inns, cottages, spas/resorts, provincial parks, and a wealth of outdoor activities including camping, fishing/hunting, snowmobiling, nature viewing, and hiking set among natural beauty. The Georgian Bay area is where the hilly terrain and cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment meet its shores, the area has renowned ski facilities frequently blasted with high snowfall amounts but beaches Wasaga Beach, wineries and golfing are the choices in summer. Stratford — This cute town 2 hours west of Toronto is host to the world-r