Although the famous Niagara Falls are nearby, Toronto isn't a city with a checklist full of attractions. But its summer festivals, the spicy corners of its markets, the beachfront boardwalks and the music pouring out of its neighborhood eateries will slowly and surely seduce you.
This is Canada's business capital and largest city: a clean, safe and vibrant metropolis where real estate prices are high and blood pressure levels are low. The center of Anglo-Canadian culture and media, it's also one of the great ethnic melting pots of the world.
Points of Interest
CN Tower
Canadian National Tower, La Tour CN, 301 Front St W | 10am-10pm, later in summer
Having recently turned 30, the funky CN Tower still warrants ‘icon’ status. Its primary function is as a radio and TV communications tower, but relieving tourists of as much cash as possible seems to be the second order of business. It’s expensive, but riding the great glass elevators up the highest freestanding structure in the world (553m) is one of those things in life you just have to do. On a clear day, the views from the Observation Deck are astounding; if it’s hazy, you won’t be able to see a thing. Beware: two million visitors every year means summer queues for the elevator can be up to two hours long – going up and coming back down. For those with reservations and sacks full of cash, the award-winning revolving restaurant 360° awaits (elevator price waived for diners).
Hockey Hall of Fame
BCE Pl, 30 Yonge St, lower concourse | 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9:30am-6pm Sat, 10:30am-5pm Sun, to 6pm Jun-Aug
Inside an ornate, gray stone rococo Bank of Montreal building (c 1885), the Hockey Hall of Fame gives hockey fans ev- erything they could possibly want. Check out the collection of Texas Chainsaw Massacre -esque goalkeeping masks, attempt to stop Wayne Gretzky’s virtual shot or have your photo taken with hockey’s biggest prize – the hefty Stanley Cup (no trifling shield or pint-sized urn for these boys, oh no, no, no…). Even visitors unfamiliar with this super-fast, ultraviolent sport will be impressed with the interactive multimedia exhibits and hockey nostalgia.
Bata Shoe Museum
327 Bloor St W, subway St George | 10am-5pm Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat, to 8pm Thu, noon-5pm Sun
Designed by architect Raymond Moriyama to resemble a stylized shoebox, the museum displays over 10,000 ‘pedi-artifacts’ from around the globe. Peruse some 19th-century French chestnut-crushing clogs, aboriginal Canadian polar boots or famous modern pairs worn by Elton John, Indira Gandhi and Pablo Picasso. Permanent and rotating exhibits cover the evolution of shoemaking, with a focus on how shoes have signified social status throughout human history.
Steam Whistle Brewing
255 Bremner Blvd, subway Union, streetcar 509, 510 | noon-6pm Mon-Sat, to 5pm Sun
Steam Whistle Brewing is a microbrewery specializing in a crisp European-style pilsner. During snappy, punny tours of the premises, guides explain the brewing process in great detail and let you blow the railway roundhouse’s historic steam whistle. Tours depart hourly from 1pm and include tastings at the brewery’s retail store.
Toronto's First Post Office
260 Adelaide St E | 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun
Dating from the 1830s, the old post office is now a living museum. After you've written your letter with a quill and ink, seal it with wax and send it postmarked 'York-Toronto 1833' for a small fee. Famous folks like William Lyon Mackenzie and the Baldwins once rented postal boxes here. At the back is an old-fashioned reading room with historical displays and a model of Toronto c 1833. Self-guided tour pamphlets are available at the door. Look for the British and Canadian flags flying out front, just west of the Bank of Upper Canada building.
Harbour Sixty Steakhouse
60 Harbour St, streetcar 509, 510 | 11:30am-1am Mon-Fri, 5pm-1am Sat & Sun
Inside the gothically isolated 1917 Toronto Harbour Commission building, this opulent baroque dining room glows with brass lamps and plush booths. Indulge yourself in an eminent variety of steaks, sterling salmon or seasonal Florida stone-crab claws and broiled Caribbean lobster tail. Side dishes seem pricey but are big enough for two. Superb wine list; reservations essential.
Susur
601 King St W, streetcar 504, 511 | 6-11pm Mon-Sat
Order à la carte, or let superstar chef Susur Lee take you on a whimsical journey through his elaborate tasting menus (six courses $120; vegetarian $75). From Europe to Asia and back again, each plate is a magical study in contrasts, complemented by an imaginative wine list. Book weeks in advance.
Horseshoe Tavern
370 Queen St W, streetcar 501, 510 | bar noon-2:30am, music room 9pm-2am
Well past its 50th birthday, the legendary Horseshoe still plays a crucial role in the development of local indie rock. Not so local, The Police played here on their first North American tour – Sting did an encore in his underwear. Tuesday night is usually free.
Matador
466 Dovercourt Rd, west of Ossington Ave, streetcar 506 | 2am-5:30am Fri & Sat
Matador is a hard-to-believe club just west of Little Italy, where there’s been late-night dance-floor chaos for more than 40 years. Shuffle in under the rusty ballroom sign for live bands playing honky-tonk and classic rock. It’s alcohol-free, but if you’re up this late, chances are you won’t need any more.
Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre
189 Yonge St | tours 5pm Thu & 11am Sat
A restored masterpiece, the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre is the world’s last operating double-decker theater. Constructed in 1913, the stunning Winter Garden was built as the flagship for a vaudeville chain that never really took off, while the downstairs Elgin theater was converted into a movie house in the 1920s.
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