
How to tour Toronto
Toronto, Canada’s largest city and the capital of Ontario, stretches along the north shore of Lake Ontario. More than half of its people were born outside Canada, which makes it one of the most diverse cities in the world, and its skyline is crowned by the CN Tower.
This tour starts at the CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium, looks over the Rogers Centre, walks the Harbourfront to St Lawrence Market and the Distillery District, then heads to Nathan Phillips Square and City Hall, Kensington Market, the Royal Ontario Museum, and ends at Casa Loma. Each stop has five short films to guide you through it.
1. CN Tower
Entertainment District · start here
The CN Tower, finished in 1976, rises 553 metres over downtown Toronto. A glass lift climbs to the LookOut level and its glass floor, with the SkyPod and the EdgeWalk higher still.
Walk this order. Meeting the Tower at Its Base → Why Toronto Built It → The Lookout and the Glass Floor → SkyPod, EdgeWalk and the Revolving Restaurant → Down to the Aquarium Doors.

2. Ripley’s Aquarium
Below the tower · Canada’s ocean life
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada sits at the foot of the CN Tower, with sharks, rays and jellyfish, and a moving walkway through the Dangerous Lagoon tunnel.
Walk this order. Arriving at the Aquarium → Canadian Waters and the Great Lakes → Rainbow Reef and the Ray Bay → The Dangerous Lagoon Tunnel → Planet Jellies and the Way Out.

3. Rogers Centre Overlook
Home of the Blue Jays · the domed stadium
The Rogers Centre, opened in 1989 as the SkyDome, was the first stadium with a fully retractable roof. It is home to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Walk this order. The Stadium Beside the Tower → The First Retractable Roof → Blue Jays Nights and Big Crowds → The Audience and Other Details → Roundhouse Park on the Way.

4. Harbourfront
Lake Ontario shore · waterfront walk
Harbourfront runs along Lake Ontario, with boardwalks, galleries, ferry docks and views across to the Toronto Islands.
Walk this order. Arriving on Queens Quay → Harbourfront Centre and the Power Plant → Music Garden and HTO Park → Boats, Ferries and the Islands → Inland to the Old Town.

5. St Lawrence Market
Old Town · Toronto’s food market
St Lawrence Market, in the Old Town, has traded since 1803. Its South Market hall is famous for peameal bacon sandwiches and local produce.
Walk this order. A Market Since 1803 → Inside the South Market Hall → Peameal Bacon and Local Flavours → St Lawrence Hall and the Flatiron → East to the Distillery.

6. Distillery District
Victorian industry · cobbled lanes
The Distillery District keeps the Victorian brick buildings of the Gooderham and Worts whisky works, now pedestrian lanes of galleries, cafés and shops.
Walk this order. Gooderham and Worts Beginnings → Brick Lanes and Victorian Industry → Galleries, Theatre and Craft → Sculpture and the Winter Village → Toward City Hall.

7. Nathan Phillips Square and City Hall
Civic square · the curved towers
Nathan Phillips Square fronts Toronto City Hall, Viljo Revell’s two curved towers of 1965, with the reflecting pool, the Freedom Arches and Old City Hall next door.
Walk this order. A Square for the Whole City → Viljo Revell’s Curved Towers → The Pool, the Rink and the Arches → The Toronto Sign and Public Art → Old City Hall Across Bay Street.

8. Kensington Market
Bohemian streets · vintage and food
Kensington Market is a neighbourhood of narrow streets, painted Victorian houses, vintage shops and food from around the world, shaped by waves of immigrants.
Walk this order. A Neighbourhood of Newcomers → Augusta Avenue and Kensington Avenue → Food Stalls from Around the World → Street Art and Pedestrian Sundays → North to the Museum.

9. Royal Ontario Museum
Queen’s Park · natural and world history
The Royal Ontario Museum, opened in 1914, holds world cultures and natural history, from dinosaurs to the crystal-shaped Michael Lee-Chin addition.
Walk this order. A Museum of World Culture and Nature → The Michael Lee Chin Crystal → Dinosaurs and Natural History → Totem Poles and World Cultures → Toward the Castle on the Hill.

10. Casa Loma
Midtown hill · the city’s castle
Casa Loma is a Gothic Revival castle built from 1911 to 1914 for financier Sir Henry Pellatt, with towers, secret passages and terraced gardens.
Walk this order. Sir Henry Pellatt’s Dream → The Great Hall and the Library → The Conservatory and Secret Passages → Towers, Tunnel and Stables → Gardens and Farewell to Toronto.
