TORONTO
Residence Inn by Marriott Toronto Downtown · Entertainment District
Canada
TRIP OVERVIEW
Day 1 – Art Gallery of Ontario · Toronto Music Garden · Fort York National Historic Site · Allan Gardens Conservatory · Distillery District
Day 2 – Ripley's Aquarium of Canada · CN Tower · Harbourfront Centre · Toronto Islands · Hockey Hall of Fame
Day 3 – Bata Shoe Museum · Royal Ontario Museum · Casa Loma
Day 4 – Scarborough Bluffs
Day 5 – High Park · Nathan Phillips Square · Aga Khan Museum · Edwards Gardens · Evergreen Brick Works
Day 6 – Train Day · Niagara Falls
Day 1
1. Art Gallery of Ontario~1 hr 30 min
One of the largest art museums in North America, with 95,000+ works spanning five centuries — from Group of Seven landscapes to European Old Masters and contemporary installations. The 2008 Frank Gehry expansion added the Galleria Italia, a glass-and-wood volume along the full Dundas Street facade.
Tuesday - Sunday 10:30am - 5:00pm · Wednesday 10:30am - 9:00pm
Closed Monday
2. Toronto Music Garden~45 min
A waterfront garden that translates Bach's first Cello Suite into landscape — cellist Yo-Yo Ma and designer Julie Moir Messervy shaped each of its six sections after a movement of the music, from the swirling river of the Prélude to the grass-step amphitheatre of the Gigue.
3. Fort York National Historic Site~1 hr
Founded in 1793 to guard the town of York, Fort York holds eleven original War of 1812 buildings — blockhouses, barracks and a powder magazine. American troops occupied the garrison in 1813; the British destroyed the magazine on departure, leaving a crater still visible in the grounds today.
Daily 10:00am - 4:00pm
4. Allan Gardens Conservatory~45 min
A glass Palm House from 1910 anchoring one of Toronto's oldest parks — six greenhouses of tropical palms, orchids, cacti and seasonal flower shows, free to wander year-round. A warm, fragrant pocket of the Victorian city hiding in plain sight east of Yonge Street.
5. Distillery District~1 hr 30 min
The Victorian industrial core of the Gooderham & Worts whisky empire — forty brick-and-stone buildings on cobbled lanes, now a pedestrian-only quarter of galleries, distillers, chocolate makers and patios. The best-preserved collection of Victorian industrial architecture in North America.
Monday - Thursday 10:00am - 6:00pm · Friday - Saturday 10:00am - 7:00pm
Sunday 11:00am - 6:00pm
Free
Day 2
1. Ripley's Aquarium of Canada~2 hr
Canada's largest aquarium, sitting at the foot of the CN Tower with 20,000 aquatic animals. The showpiece is the Dangerous Lagoon — a moving glidepath through North America's longest underwater viewing tunnel, where sand tiger sharks and sawfish cruise overhead.
Daily 9:00am - 11:00pm
2. CN Tower~1 hr 30 min
Toronto's defining silhouette — a 553-metre concrete spire that held the title of world's tallest free-standing structure for over three decades. Glass-fronted elevators climb to observation levels with a vertigo-inducing glass floor and views across Lake Ontario to the mist of Niagara on clear days.
Daily 9:30am - 11:00pm
Heights · glass floor
Last entry to the observation levels at 9:00pm
3. Harbourfront Centre~1 hr
A 10-acre lakeside cultural campus on Queens Quay West, with free galleries, an outdoor amphitheatre, a craft and visual arts studio, and a marina. The Centre hosts over 4,000 events a year — from literary festivals to open-air concerts — and the waterfront promenade offers unobstructed views across Lake Ontario.
Monday - Friday 10:00am - 6:00pm · Saturday - Sunday 10:00am - 9:00pm
Free
4. Toronto Islands~3 hr
A car-free archipelago fifteen minutes off the downtown shore, with the best skyline panorama in the city. Lawns, beaches, gardens and a boardwalk spread across the lagoons; rent a bike or simply wander before catching the ferry back as the towers light up.
Daily 8:00am - 11:45pm
Some sailings run on peak days only — the posted schedule marks them
5. Hockey Hall of Fame~1 hr 30 min
Housed inside an 1885 Beaux-Arts bank building at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets, this is where the Stanley Cup lives. The collection spans over 3,000 artefacts, including game-worn jerseys, championship rings and a full-replica ice rink where visitors can face NHL-calibre virtual shooters.
Daily 10:00am - 5:00pm
Day 3
1. Bata Shoe Museum~1 hr
The world's largest footwear collection — 13,000 specimens spanning 4,500 years, from Ancient Egyptian sandals to Elton John's platform boots. Raymond Moriyama designed the 1995 building to resemble a hatbox, with a lid-like angled roof above four floors of galleries tracing the history of human footwear.
Monday - Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm · Sunday 12:00pm - 5:00pm
2. Royal Ontario Museum~2 hr
Canada's largest museum, with 13 million objects across art, world culture and natural history in 40 galleries. The 2007 Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition — a jagged, angular extension designed by Daniel Libeskind — protrudes from the original Edwardian building onto Bloor Street.
Tuesday - Sunday 10:00am - 5:30pm
Closed Monday
3. Casa Loma~2 hr
A Gothic Revival castle on a hill above downtown — financier Sir Henry Pellatt's 98-room folly, completed in 1914 and lost to taxes within a decade. Secret passages, an 800-foot tunnel to the stables, conservatory glass domes and tower-top skyline views; the audio guide is included.
Daily 9:30am - 5:00pm
Last admission 4:30pm · Scottish Tower closes 3:00pm Wednesday - Friday and 1:00pm Saturday - Sunday
Day 4
1. Scarborough Bluffs~1 hr 30 min
A 90-metre-high white clay escarpment carved by post-glacial Lake Iroquois, stretching 15 kilometres along the Lake Ontario shoreline. Bluffer's Park at the base offers beach access and unobstructed views back up at the sheer chalk-white cliffs — a landscape unlike anything else in the Toronto metro area.
Open 24/7
Day 5
1. High Park~1 hr 30 min
Toronto's largest park at 161 hectares, bequeathed to the city by architect John George Howard in 1876. Grenadier Pond reflects the skyline of mature oaks and maples; the free High Park Zoo is tucked into the southern section, and the meadow trails make it a genuine half-day destination outside the urban core.
Daily 6:00am - 10:00pm
2. Nathan Phillips Square~30 min
The civic heart of the city — Viljo Revell's space-age twin-towered City Hall curving over a reflecting pool, the Freedom Arches, and the 3D TORONTO sign that became the city's favourite photo stop. The pool becomes a skating rink in winter; Old City Hall's clock tower watches across Bay Street.
Open 24/7
3. Aga Khan Museum~1 hr 30 min
The only museum in North America dedicated to Islamic art, culture and civilizations, housed in a luminous white granite building by Pritzker Prize laureate Fumihiko Maki. The collection of 1,000 objects — manuscripts, ceramics, textiles and scientific instruments — spans ten centuries of Muslim creativity.
Tuesday - Sunday 10:00am - 5:30pm · Wednesday 10:00am - 8:00pm
Closed Monday
4. Edwards Gardens~1 hr 30 min
A 35-acre public garden on the banks of Wilket Creek, laid out by businessman Rupert E. Edwards in the 1940s. The grounds sweep from formal rose beds on the upland through a valley of wildflowers, rhododendrons and rockery, with bridges and a trail linking to the Don River ravine walk.
5. Evergreen Brick Works~1 hr 30 min
A former brickyard that operated from 1889 to 1984, supplying the bricks that built Casa Loma, Massey Hall and the Ontario Legislature. The preserved kilns, chimneys and quarry ponds now house a community environment centre with a Saturday farmers market and trails through the Don Valley ravine.
Day 6
Union Station → Niagara Falls · VIA Rail Maple Leaf · 2 hr
book at: VIA Rail
8:20am Toronto Union Station → 10:20am Niagara Falls
1. Horseshoe Falls~1 hr
The centrepiece of Niagara Falls — a 57-metre-high curtain of water spanning 670 metres, carrying nearly six million litres per second over the brink. Queen Victoria Park provides the best ground-level viewpoint, with the full arc of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls visible across the river spray.
Open 24/7
2. Journey Behind the Falls~1 hr 30 min
A tunnel network carved beneath Table Rock, first opened in 1889 and extending 46 metres behind the curtain of Horseshoe Falls. Visitors descend to observation portals that look directly through the cascading water — a perspective unavailable from any viewpoint above. Plastic raincoats are provided at the entrance.
Daily 9:00am - 5:00pm
3. Skylon Tower~1 hr
A 160-metre tower reached in 52 seconds by glass-enclosed elevators, offering indoor and outdoor observation decks 775 feet above the falls. The 360-degree panorama takes in all three falls — Horseshoe, American and Bridal Veil — the Niagara River gorge, Lake Ontario and, on clear days, the Toronto skyline.
Niagara Falls → Union Station · VIA Rail Maple Leaf · 2 hr
book at: VIA Rail
5:45pm Niagara Falls → 7:43pm Toronto Union Station
Weekly Closures
Museums · Closed Monday
Tours
Viator
Top-rated three-hour walk through the Entertainment District, Harbourfront, the PATH underground city and Old Town, ending at St. Lawrence Market — history, storytelling and insider tips by Buzz Tours guides.
3 hr · 12 max
Full-day trip to Niagara Falls with three to four hours at the Horseshoe and American Falls, optional boat cruise and Journey Behind the Falls upgrades, plus the Whirlpool and a maple farm tasting on the way.
9 hr · 30 max
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Small-group day trip led by a certified sommelier to two or three Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries — tutored tastings with charcuterie pairings, a gourmet lunch at Ravine Winery, and a stop at the falls.
8 hr · small group
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GetYourGuide
Five-hour small-group drive across the city with CN Tower admission, Nathan Phillips Square, St. Lawrence Market and a seasonal harbour cruise — Casa Loma replaces the cruise in the off-season.
5 hr · 12 max
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Three-hour evening drive in a Mercedes van with night-time CN Tower admission and a guided walk through the lit-up Distillery District — the city at its most photogenic hour.
3 hr · 9 max
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Small-group food and history experience through Old Town Toronto — locally roasted coffee, peameal bacon at St. Lawrence Market, butter tarts in the cobblestone lanes, and stories of cholera, immigration and reform that shaped the city. Max 12 guests.
2 hr 30 min · 12 max
4. From Toronto: Niagara Falls + Winery · Cruise & Lunch Option · GetYourGuide · 4.8 · 1200+ reviews
Full-day premium coach trip from Toronto to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake — three hours at the falls, a wine tasting at an estate winery, and optional Hornblower cruise and panoramic lunch add-ons.
10 hr · small group
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90-minute guided coach tour through Toronto's top landmarks — CN Tower, Yorkville, St. Lawrence Market, Old Town, the Entertainment District, and iconic film locations — with a midway photo stop at the Toronto sign at City Hall.
1 hr 30 min · small group
TripAdvisor
Guided walk through the PATH — the world's largest underground shopping complex, 30 kilometres of tunnels beneath the financial district. Starts beneath the clock in Union Station's Great Hall.
2 hr · 12 max
Coach day trip to Niagara Falls with about three hours of free time at the falls, an optional river cruise, and a guided loop past the Whirlpool. Departs the bus zone outside Ripley's Aquarium and returns to the same spot.
9 hr 30 min · coach group
Small-group 4-hour experience combining a narrated driving tour of downtown Toronto with CN Tower admission and a harbour cruise — See Sight Tours guides cover the city's highlights from Yorkville to the Distillery District by vehicle, then from the water.
4 hr · 7 max
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Small-group walk led by a local guide through the Market District and Old Town — peameal bacon sandwich, butter tart, and iconic Canadian bites tasted while uncovering how immigration and resilience shaped the city's identity.
2 hr 30 min · 12 max
90-minute panoramic bus tour with live English commentary in a climate-controlled vehicle — covers the CN Tower, Harbourfront, Royal Ontario Museum, Yonge-Dundas Square, and Old Toronto without a single walking segment.
1 hr 30 min · 55 max
Cappuccino
Le Gourmand · 4.3 · 1800+ reviews
Monday - Friday 8:00am - 7:00pm · Saturday - Sunday 8:00am - 6:00pm
Jimmy's Coffee · 4.5 · 1000+ reviews
Monday - Friday 7:00am - 6:00pm · Saturday - Sunday 8:00am - 6:00pm
Quantum Coffee · 4.1 · 1400+ reviews
Monday - Friday 7:30am - 7:00pm · Saturday - Sunday 8:00am - 6:00pm
Dark Horse Espresso Bar · 4.0 · 1400+ reviews
Monday - Friday 7:00am - 7:00pm · Saturday - Sunday 8:00am - 7:00pm
maman · 4.3 · 763+ reviews
Monday 8:00am - 2:30pm · Tuesday - Thursday 8:00am - 3:00pm · Friday 8:00am - 2:30pm
Closed Saturday & Sunday
Restaurants Near Hotel
PAI · 4.6 · 14000+ reviews
Northern Thai — khao soi and jungle curries in a buzzing basement room.
Tuesday - Thursday 11:45am - 9:30pm · Friday - Saturday 11:45am - 10:00pm
Sunday 11:45am - 9:30pm · Monday 4:00pm - 9:30pm
Byblos Downtown · 4.5 · 3700+ reviews
Eastern Mediterranean sharing plates — duck kibbeh and wood-fired pides.
Sunday - Wednesday 5:00pm - 10:00pm · Thursday - Saturday 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Le Sélect Bistro · 4.4 · 3100+ reviews
Classic French bistro since 1977 — steak frites and a deep wine cellar.
Monday - Thursday 11:30am - 10:00pm · Friday 11:30am - 10:30pm
Saturday 10:30am - 10:30pm · Sunday 10:30am - 9:30pm
Gusto 101 · 4.3 · 5500+ reviews
Southern-Italian trattoria in a former garage with a retractable rooftop.
Monday - Thursday 11:45am - 10:00pm · Friday 11:45am - 11:00pm
Saturday 11:00am - 11:00pm · Sunday 11:00am - 10:00pm
Lee · 4.5 · 3200+ reviews
Susur Lee's Asian-fusion flagship — famous 19-ingredient Singapore slaw.
Monday - Friday 5:00pm - 10:00pm · Saturday 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Sunday 4:30pm - 11:00pm
Downtown Restaurants
GEORGE Restaurant · 4.5 · 1200+ reviews
Refined Canadian tasting menus in a heritage courtyard building.
Tuesday - Saturday 5:30pm - 10:30pm · Wednesday - Friday 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Closed Sunday & Monday
C'est What · 4.5 · 3500+ reviews
Cellar brew pub pouring Ontario craft beer since 1988.
Tuesday - Wednesday 12:00pm - 12:00am · Thursday - Saturday 12:00pm - 1:00am
Sunday 12:00pm - 12:00am · Monday 4:00pm - 12:00am
The Old Spaghetti Factory · 4.4 · 13700+ reviews
Family Italian landmark in an 1898 warehouse with stained glass.
Daily 11:30am - 10:00pm
Biff's Bistro · 4.4 · 1300+ reviews
Paris-style bistro by Oliver & Bonacini opposite the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Tuesday - Thursday 11:30am - 10:00pm · Friday 11:30am - 11:00pm
Saturday 4:00pm - 11:00pm · Sunday 4:00pm - 9:00pm
Closed Monday
Terroni · 4.2 · 7100+ reviews
Southern-Italian institution filling a grand 1905 former courthouse.
Sunday - Wednesday 11:30am - 10:00pm · Thursday - Saturday 11:30am - 11:00pm
Dining Areas
Roncesvalles Village
Local Tastes
Peameal Bacon Sandwich
Cornmeal-rolled back bacon piled on a soft kaiser bun — born in Toronto's pork-packing Hogtown era and named the city's signature sandwich. Mustard at the counter is the only accepted dressing.
Butter Tart
Ontario's gooey pre-1900 original — flaky pastry filled with butter, sugar and egg, runny or firm, plain or with raisins and pecans. Torontonians argue about the ideal wobble the way others argue about pizza.
Jamaican Beef Patty
Flaky golden turmeric pastry around spiced beef — a lunch-counter staple of Toronto's Caribbean community since the 1970s, sold hot in Kensington Market bakery windows for pocket change.
Food Delivery
Uber Eats
Foreign number: accepted. — it uses the same Uber account and number as the ride app.
The dominant delivery platform in Toronto, covering the downtown core, waterfront, and surrounding neighbourhoods. The restaurant selection spans local independents, chains, and convenience store delivery including 7-Eleven, with strong coverage in the Financial District and King West area.
DoorDash
Foreign number: accepted. — account sign-up works with a foreign number and email address.
DoorDash is the second major delivery platform in Toronto, with wide coverage across downtown and the inner suburbs. Strong for chain restaurants, grocery delivery, and DashPass subscribers; the Dash store-delivery option covers convenience and pharmacy items.
Shows, Performances & Concerts
Royal Alexandra Theatre
Edwardian landmark of 1907 — North America's oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre, staging Mirvish's big productions.
Princess of Wales Theatre
Purpose-built 2000-seat playhouse of 1993 hosting the biggest touring musicals — two blocks away.
Roy Thomson Hall
Glass-domed concert hall and home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Canada's first purpose-built opera house — home of the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada.
Getting Around
Uber
Foreign number: accepted. — an existing Uber account from any country works without modification.
The primary ride-hailing option in Toronto, covering the downtown core, waterfront, and all inner-city neighbourhoods. Wait times in the Financial District and King West are short throughout the day; the app also offers UberXL for larger groups.
Lyft
Foreign number: not accepted. — Lyft's own help says the number must be a US, Canadian or Puerto Rican one, and the code is texted only to that number.
Lyft operates citywide across Toronto as the main alternative to Uber, with comparable pricing and coverage. Useful when Uber surge pricing is active; the same credit card works on both apps without re-entering details.
Tram
Streetcars run all day on the downtown grid — the King line passes two blocks north of the hotel and ends inside the Distillery District.
Toronto has a tram system — operated by TTC. Lines used on this trip: 504.
Ferry
City ferries cross to the Toronto Islands in 15 minutes.
Toronto has a ferry — operated by City of Toronto. Route: Jack Layton Ferry Terminal → Centre Island.
Train Stations Near Hotel
Union Station
GO Transit · VIA Rail · UP Express → Niagara Falls · Kingston · Montréal · Ottawa · Pearson Airport.
Day Trips by Train
Kingston · 2 hr 30 min
Ontario's limestone city at the junction of Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and the Rideau Canal. Fort Henry National Historic Site anchors the old town with 19th-century barracks; the Rideau Canal — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — begins its 200-km run to Ottawa at the Kingston locks.
Michelin Restaurants
Alo
Contemporary French tasting menus atop a Victorian heritage block.
Restaurant 20 Victoria
Inventive contemporary tasting menu in a pared-back Old Town room.
Edulis
Mediterranean-Spanish set menus by a husband-and-wife chef team.
aKin
Modern Chinese tasting menu by chefs Eric Chong and Alvin Leung.
Don Alfonso 1890
Southern-Italian fine dining on the 38th floor above the harbour.
Not shown: 8 more in Toronto
Heads Up
Casa Loma — Scottish Tower Early Closures
Scottish Tower closes at 3:00pm Wed–Fri and 1:00pm Sat–Sun for Escape Casa Loma; Norman Tower stays open.
Toronto Island Ferry — Peak-Day-Only Sailings
Several Centre Island departures run only on peak operating days — weekends and holidays — marked with ** on the timetable.
CN Tower — Last Entry Well Before Close
Observation levels run to 11:00pm but last entry is 9:00pm; occasional partial closures of the Main Observation Level are posted online.
Hiking
Crothers Woods Trails · Moderate
Natural-surface Don Valley trails through restored forest and songbird meadow.
10 km loop · 100 m ascent
3 hr
Mast Trail · Moderate
Rouge Valley ridge hike through rare forest on a historic logging route.
2.3 km one way · 100 m ascent
1 hr
Worth Knowing
Hogtown Notes
The Toronto Music Garden exists because Boston said no. Yo-Yo Ma and garden designer Julie Moir Messervy first proposed their Bach garden for Boston's waterfront; when the project fell through, Toronto offered its harbour instead, and the First Cello Suite took root beside Lake Ontario. Stand in the spiralling Courante section and you are walking a line of music.
Day 2 ends where Toronto's fortunes began: Gooderham & Worts was once the largest distillery in the British Empire, and the whisky money built much of the Victorian city you cross to reach it. The same 504 King streetcar threads the whole guide together, running past the theatres beside the hotel all the way to its terminus inside the Distillery District.
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