24 Best Things to Do in Toronto
Given that Toronto is Canada’s most populous (and diverse) city, it should come as little surprise that there is a lot to do in town. Whether you’re looking to dive into the city's vast number of museums, take in nature in its parks, or sample the varied cuisines of Toronto's 250-plus ethnic groups, there is plenty to fill any itinerary. Our recommendation? Take it all in bit by bit. There’s always another chance to come back and see more.
Read our complete Toronto travel guide here.
AlamyactivityToronto Music Garden
This urban garden located in Toronto’s Harbourfront neighborhood is very accessible to tourists walking around downtown—and it has great views of the CN Tower. As for the garden itself: Yo-Yo Ma, the cello maestro, can put “landscape architect” on his resume after having collaborated on the Toronto Music Garden with professional landscape architect Julie Moir Messervy. For the project, the duo physically interpreted and manifested Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, the first of the composer’s six suites for unaccompanied cello, as a garden, using the piece’s six dance movements (Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuet, and Gigue) to create different sections of the green space. At the center is the Gigue (or Jig) section, a grassy amphitheater with a stage beneath a weeping willow tree where free classical music concerts are held each summer.
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Courtesy Art Gallery of OntarioactivityArt Gallery of Ontario
Established in 1900, the Art Gallery of Ontario has more than 90,000 items in its encyclopedic collection, which spans the last 2,000 years. Of particular note are its collections of Canadian and Indigenous art, though it also has notable works by European masters like Rembrandt, Auguste Rodin, and Pablo Picasso. The museum underwent a $276 million renovation by Toronto-born architect Frank Gehry in 2008, his first work in his native city, doubling its exhibition space.
AlamyactivityHarbourfront Centre
In 1972, the Canadian government began a massive revitalization project in Toronto to boost both local, national, and international tourism, transforming 100 acres of industrial waterfront into cultural, educational, and recreational attractions. Overseeing the operation was the Harbourfront Corporation, which became the Harbourfront Centre nonprofit in 1991. The organization was tasked with organizing cultural programming in the neighborhood—more specifically, in a 10-acre area right on the water—which is still its primary function today. And it’s quite successful: In non-pandemic years, Harbourfront Centre’s myriad venues and public spaces would host some 4,000 events each year, from summer writing festivals to the performing arts to art and architecture exhibitions, drawing in more than 17 million visitors. In the winter, there's even an ice skating rink.
Lorne ChapmanactivityCasa Loma
Canada might not be known for its castles, but Toronto is home to an unusual one that has become a beloved tourist attraction. Casa Loma is a 98-room château built by Canadian businessman Sir Henry Mill Pellatt in 1914, who went bankrupt shortly after completing his beloved home. Casa Loma now serves as a museum and a popular filming location, most notably serving as Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngers in X-Men. Do the self-guided tour, which you can fly through at a clip, providing the place isn't packed; it can be tricky to rush past the crowds during busier times, especially in some of the smaller spaces, tunnels, and towers. Must-sees include secret passageways, gardens, and an underground pool.
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GettyshopSt. Lawrence Market
St. Lawrence Market is perhaps the most famous market in Toronto, and locals regularly shop its stalls for produce, meats, cheeses, and more. While the focus of your trip should be browsing the dozens of food stalls, it’s interesting to take a look at its architecture, too. Though the current main building was erected in 1902, part of the Old City Hall, which dates to 1845, was incorporated into it. There’s also The Market Kitchen, a cooking school and event space where you can take culinary classes or partake in special hands-on dinners that include shopping the market for ingredients.
Courtesy Hockey Hall of FameactivityHockey Hall of Fame
If there’s anything Canadians are known for, it’s hockey. The sport is the most popular in the country, so it’s no surprise that its most populous city is home to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Established in 1943, the non-profit organization has been inducting legendary players and other hockey professionals to its ranks every year since 1945. Today, the Hall of Fame also functions as a museum and houses the Stanley Cup. The museum is a must-take pilgrimage for all hockey lovers, though its gift shop deserves a stop, too: Pick up a wide array of themed merch, from authentic NHL and Hall of Fame apparel to souvenirs, novelty items, and all manner of presents for the hockey fans in your life.
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AlamyactivityKensington Market
Kensington Market is not actually a market, but a food-centric neighborhood in downtown Toronto. While the city at large is known for its diverse population, there’s perhaps no better place to witness that multiculturalism in such a concentrated area than here. Whatever type of food you’re in the mood for, from Ethiopian to Vietnamese to Jamaican, there’s probably a restaurant, grocery store, or hole-in-the-wall for it. Some favorites include Seven Lives Tacos Y Mariscos for stellar tacos and NU Bügel for Montreal-style bagels with Venezuelan toppings. Beyond all the food, there are also vintage shops, independent boutiques, and artists’ studios tucked into Victorian-style houses all throughout the neighborhood.
GettyactivityHigh Park
Toronto’s largest public park has 400 acres that range from manicured lawns to themed gardens to untouched nature. In addition to the greenery, there are a number of interactive activities, including a zoo, an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, ice skating rinks (or frozen ponds in winter), a dog run, and playgrounds. It’s a park designed for all Torontonians and visitors to use however they best see fit, whether for leisure, sport, or fitness.
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AlamyactivityAllan Gardens Conservatory
History, architecture, and plant life collide at Allan Gardens Conservatory, a park with a series of connected Victorian-era greenhouses in the center of Toronto with 16,000 square feet of space to hold its botanical collection. Though the Toronto Horticultural Society inaugurated a garden on the site in 1858, the central Palm House, designed by architect Robert McCallum, opened in 1910. Subsequent additions have expanded the gardens’ holdings to include a tropical house, an orchid house, a temperate house, an arid house, and a children’s conservatory. Because the gardens are enclosed and protected from the cold, they’re open 365 days a year. There’s also an (outdoor) arboretum with 55 species of trees, providing lovely green space for Torontonians. Catch the three seasonal floral shows for a multicolored spectacle: the Spring Hydrangea Show, the Fall Chrysanthemum Show, and the Winter Flower Show.
GettyactivityAga Khan Museum
Set in a 17-acre park, the elegant Aga Khan Museum, designed by architect Fumihiko Maki and opened in 2014, is the first museum in North America dedicated to Islamic art. The Aga Khan Museum is named after the spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili Muslims, who funded the project with the mission to share the artistic and scientific contributions of global Muslim communities with the world. While the museum has a 1,000-piece permanent collection, it also hosts rotating exhibitions and special events; one notable recent exhibit addressed the role of female citizens of Saudi Arabia (and featured an installation made from women’s travel documents), while another—inspired by the 2003 destruction of the library at the University of Baghdad’s College of Fine Arts—featured an ever-evolving installation of books that were later donated to the college.
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GettyactivityBata Shoe Museum
When Sonja Bata began traveling the world in the 1940s, she didn’t collect postcards or trinkets: she collected shoes. Three decades later, she established the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation to create a permanent home for her collection and to promote its growth. The current museum, which opened in 1995, houses nearly 15,000 shoes and related objects spanning 4,500 years of shoe-making history, so there's plenty to see.
GettyactivityCN Tower
Toronto’s most iconic landmark is the 1,815-foot CN Tower, the tallest freestanding structure in the world from 1976, when it was built, to 2007. While the tower does serve a purpose—its 335-foot antenna is used to broadcast television, radio, and cell signals—it’s also the most popular attraction in the city. The concrete megastructure is home to a number of observation decks, a restaurant with the highest wine cellar in the world (at 1,151 feet), and the EdgeWalk, a thrilling attraction that lets visitors walk outside the structure at 1,168 feet above street level. Tickets are required, with different packages providing different experiences.
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Courtesy TIFF Bell LightboxactivityTIFF Bell Lightbox
TIFF Bell Lightbox is not only the headquarters of the annual Toronto International Film Festival, but it’s also the city’s premier movie theater and entertainment complex, open to the public. Built in 2010, the modern facilities include five state-of-the-art cinemas, a restaurant, classrooms, a film reference library, gallery space, and a members’ lounge. Outside of the 10-day festival in September, TIFF Bell Lightbox screens new releases and runs thematic film programming year-round, focusing on anything from classic blockbusters to foreign indie films.
GettyactivityToronto Islands
The Toronto Islands, located just offshore from downtown Toronto, are an 820-acre car-free haven. While 600 people live on the islands, the majority of visitors are day-trippers who come to enjoy the beaches, parks, gardens, yacht clubs, cafés, and a small amusement park for children. Seasonal activities include kayaking, picnicking, barbecuing, and outdoor yoga classes.
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GettyactivityTour Guys: Toronto Graffiti Tour
If you’re looking to learn about graffiti and street art rather than just snap selfies, look no further than the Tour Guys' casual yet informative walking tours throughout Toronto. On the Graffiti Tour, your small group (no more than 12 people) will head down Graffiti Alley, a hotspot for street artists. The guides do much more than point out highlights along the way. They dive into the history of the medium, explain technical terms, discuss current players in the Toronto scene, and talk about the legality of the art form.
Courtesy Royal Ontario MuseumactivityRoyal Ontario Museum
If you’re looking for a one-stop shop of a museum, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is your best bet. Originally established in 1912 as collection of five museums dedicated to archaeology, paleontology, mineralogy, zoology, and geology, ROM has since consolidated its efforts, covering everything from natural and cultural history to fine arts and design within the same massive space. It’s not often you can find dinosaur bones and fashion exhibitions within the same space. Be sure to spend a few minutes lingering outside the Queen's Park entrance, too, to best appreciate starchitect Daniel Libeskind's geometric marvel of a structure, dubbed the "Michael Lee-Chin Crystal," part of a multi-million dollar expansion to the museum, unveiled in 2007.
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Khristel StecheractivityBruce Bell Tours
Actor, comedian, historian, and proud Torontonian Bruce Bell leads this highly entertaining one-man show, which is a perfect excursion for those who don’t love cookie-cutter tours. You’ll meet your small group at the St. Lawrence Market—be sure to make reservations in advance—and travel on foot around the bustling building and the surrounding Old Town neighborhood.
Ryan EmberleyactivityDistillery District
A collection of 47 19th-century buildings that once comprised the Gooderham & Worts Distillery is now a major dining, shopping, and cultural hub in Toronto aptly called the Distillery District. Strolling through the neighborhood’s brick-paved pedestrian streets, visitors might feel as if they’ve been transported to Victorian-era Canada—the craftspeople who restored the old structures kept true to the original construction materials as much as possible. And while there are still breweries and distilleries here (including the Spirit of York Distillery and the Mill St. Brew Pub), there are also restaurants, local-owned boutiques, and art galleries.
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