edit Toronto Travel Guide

• CN Tower is the worlds tallest free standing structure at 553 m (1815 ft). It includes the worlds highest observation deck -beware if you are afraid of heights.
• Explore some of Canada's best museums and galleries including the Royal Ontario Museum which has great dinosaur and Egyptian exhibits. Or the Art Gallery of Ontario, which is the largest art gallery in Canada. It has a great Canadian paintings exhibit and the world's largest collection of Henry Moore sculptures.
• Don't miss the Hockey Hall of Fame a shrine to Canada's pastime in the heart of the city.

History

In the late 1700's, Lieutenant Governor John Simcoe founded the settlement of York as the capital of what was then known as Upper Canada. York would, by the 1830's, evolve into the city of Toronto.

Area

In 1998 the cities of Toronto, Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke, and York and the Borough of East York amalgamated to form the current City of Toronto. This is also known as Metropolitan Toronto or "the 416" after its area code (although now there are some new area codes, the overwhelming number of area codes in the Toronto are still "416") and has a population of over 2.6 million people. More than half of these were born in some country other than Canada - a fact obvious to any visitor immediately, as the city has many vibrant bustling neighborhoods with street signs in several languages. Toronto and its surrounding suburbs are collectively known as the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Outlying suburbs are also known as "the 905" after their area code, although technically this code is also used in both Hamilton and the Niagara Region, stretching to the border in Niagara Falls. The entire area including Toronto is known as the "Golden Horseshoe" and has a population of over 8 million people.

Culture

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, but Toronto's residents represent far more cultural and language groups, which is arguably a better measure of multi-cultural. Most immigrants either pass through Toronto on their way to other parts of the country, or they stay in Toronto permanently. This contributes to the overall cultural mosaic that is Toronto today. Within Toronto, most ethnic groups will work their way into the fabric of Canadian society but still retain their distinct ways such as language, dress (for special occasions), customs, and food.

As a result of this cultural mosaic, Toronto is home to many ethnic festivals throughout the year. Toronto also boasts several radio stations which broadcast in various languages as well as at least two multicultural television channels. The City of Toronto officially deals in 16 different languages while the Toronto Transit Commission (public transit) has a helpline that deals in 70 languages. Even large department stores such as The Bay in downtown Toronto proudly advertise service in 9 languages. The lingua franca of Toronto however, remains English.

By plane

Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

The airport is bout 45 minutes by car from the downtown core and is serviced by most major international carriers. There are two terminals: Terminal 1 hosts all Air Canada flights and a few other international carriers, while Terminal 3 hosts all other airlines including WestJet and Zoom. (There is no Terminal 2 anymore.)

Several options exist for getting downtown from Pearson:

• Airport Express bus service is quick, convenient, and frequent (peak periods: every 20 minutes; off-peak periods: every 30 minutes). It picks up at both terminals, and stops at several major hotels in the downtown core. Adult fares are $16.45 one way, $28.35 for round trips.
• TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) provides public bus services that run to and from Pearson. The best TTC option is the 192 Airport Rocket that runs every 20 minutes between Kipling Station on the Bloor-Danforth Subway, and Pearson Airport. Kipling Station is the western most subway stop on the Bloor-Danforth line and it takes about 45 minutes to reach downtown. One way adult fare on the TTC is $2.75 (or less if purchased in bulk) which includes free transfers to other TTC buses or the subway.
• GO Transit, the commuter transit agency, provides express buses that run from the airport to Yorkdale and York Mills subway stations in North York for $4.05. This takes about 35-45 minutes, followed by another 20 minutes on the subway to get downtown.
• Blue22 is an express train scheduled to be built from the airport to downtown Toronto's Union Station. However, it has not yet started construction due to route alignment issues.
  

Taxis run a flat rate of $40 while airport limousines go slightly higher at $50. Limousines are generally slightly larger (though not stretched) and more comfortable vehicles than taxis. Government approved rates can be found here.

Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ)

This airport handles much less traffic. One of it's main tenants is Porter Airlines which services Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. Toronto City Centre Airport offers only short-haul regional flights to neighboring Canadian cities.

A free ferry service makes the short crossing (just 121 metres - possibly the world's shortest regularly-scheduled ferry route) between TCCA and the mainland every 15 minutes, 6:45AM-10:07PM.

By train

Toronto is situated along a primary VIA Rail corridor. Trains travel east towards Montreal and Ottawa, west towards towards Western Ontario (Windsor, Sarnia, and Niagara Falls) and north to Northern Ontario and then also out West from there.

Express service exists between Toronto and Montreal. The only stop in between is Montreal Airport. It is a very nice service with beautifully painted carriages. Remember to ask for student fares if you have an ISIC card.

The Canadian service operated by VIA (three times weekly) goes through "Northern" Ontario, across the prairies, then through the mountains all the way to Vancouver.

Daily through rail service from New York via Buffalo and Niagara Falls (the Maple Leaf) is operated jointly by VIA Rail and Amtrak. Other schedules use a bus from Toronto to Buffalo.

By car

Major highways leading into Toronto are the QEW, the 404, the 401, the 400, and the 427. Toronto is in the enviable position of being the largest city in Canada, so it's relatively easy to find a sign pointing you in the right direction. Be advised that traffic on incoming highways can be extremely heavy.

The main streets in Toronto are laid out in a grid pattern that makes it one of the easiest cities to get around in by car. Getting from point to point anywhere in the city can be achieved with only a few turns. Parking in the downtown core can be expensive and hard to find, but is plentiful and inexpensive or free throughout the rest of the city.

By bus

Greyhound provides transportation from most major Northeast cities, Ontario Northland provides service from the northern parts of Ontario and Coach Canada links Montreal and Toronto. GO Transit provides buses from outlying Toronto areas.

Greyhound, Coach Canada and Ontario Northland buses stop at Toronto Coach Terminal, which is a short walk to the Dundas or St. Patrick subway stations of the Toronto Transit Commission.

By Car

By Mass Transit

Toronto has a safe, well maintained and effective public transportation system, run by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) [12], and you can get pretty well anywhere you want in the main part of the city with the subway / streetcars / buses.

There are three subway lines:

• The Bloor-Danforth line runs east-west along Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue. It meets the Yonge-University line at Bloor-Yonge, St. George, and Spadina stations, and meets the Scarborough Rapid Transit (RT) line at Kennedy station.
• The Yonge-University-Spadina line runs in a U formation, travelling north-south along Yonge Street, bending at Union Station, then travelling north-south along University Avenue, Spadina Avenue, and Allen Road. It meets the Sheppard line at Sheppard-Yonge station and the Bloor-Danforth line at Bloor-Yonge, St. George, and Spadina stations.
• The Sheppard line runs in an east-west direction along Sheppard Avenue. It meets the Yonge line at Sheppard-Yonge station and terminates at Don Mills Station in the east.
  

Other TTC services are provided by buses, streetcars, the Scarborough RT line, and Wheel-Trans vans (for people with disabilities). There are also a number of Downtown Express buses that run during rush hour, for which additional fare must be paid.

By Foot

By Taxi

Taxis are plentiful and safe, but not cheap. As with most big cities, driving a car downtown can be annoying; parking is often hard to find and expensive, and traffic along certain streets can make vehicle travel slower than mass transit.

It gets very cold during the winter and very hot and muggy in the summer. Fall is the best season. Toronto's public buildings are air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter. Among the major world tourist cities, Toronto has the third coldest winter temperatures (although the first & second place cities of Moscow & Montreal being significantly colder). Mild periods occur melting accummulated snowfall but nevertheless you must come prepared and dress warmly, preferably in layers as conditions are changeable. The average January high temperature in Toronto is -1°C and the average low is -8°C, but it can drop or -20°C or colder with a biting windchill. In July the average maximum is 27°C and the average low is 18°C, with sometimes hot, humid conditions but the city has many parks or public spaces with gardens to cool off.

Police and Fire Department

For emergency, dial 911 (you can dial it at the pay phone without putting in any coins).

Hospitals

Crime

Although the overall violent crime rate in Canada is much lower than that found in the United States, it is still higher than the rate in some European countries such as Germany. In 2005, Toronto's murder rate was lower than most other large Canadian cities, but there was an increase in violent gun-related crimes. Petty crime is generally not a problem in Toronto, although rates of vehicle and bicycle theft are high.

Toronto also has a large homeless population, many of whom will ask you for money. If you do not want to offer them money, simply look the panhandler in the eye and say "not today" or "sorry". Toronto's homeless tend to live up to expectations of Canadian courtesy and will smile and say, "Oh that's alright, don't worry about it!"

Be careful when getting off the streetcars. Although vehicles are supposed to stop when the streetcar doors open, some motorists will ignore this and keep going.

On the whole Toronto is remarkably safe and the streets are vibrant with pedestrians and bicyclists, and if you use common sense you should have no trouble at all: don't walk around alone late at night, be aware of your surroundings, etc. Avoid the club/entertainment district at closing time, fights are common occasionally escalating to where weapons become involved. The downtown core and most of the surrounding suburbs are largely risk-free, but be careful when in Neighborhoods such as Jane-Finch, Regent Park, Parkdale and Morningside Avenue. 

Smoking

• Bata Shoe Museum
• Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)
• Casa Loma A castle built in the early 1900's by Sir Henry Pellatt.
• Ontario Place A great place to take the kids in summer with an Imax theater inside.
• Ontario Science Centre -Lots of hands on science exhibits, including a rainforest, a tornado machine, sound proof tunnel, balace testing machines, and more. It also contains Ontario's only Omnimax (full wrap around) movie theatre.
• Toronto City Hall Two buildings forming a semi-circle overlooking Nathan Phillips square, which has a very popular skating rink in the winter. Arcitecturally stunning. Next door to Old City Hall which has a more classical architecture
• Toronto Island
• Toronto Zoo

Toronto has a great theatre scene for every taste and budget. Check out the big theatres on King Street and Yonge Street for the big splashy (and pricey) shows, such as the former runs of Chicago, The Lion King, Les Miz, Cats, etc. Small theatres in the Annex and elsewhere offer smaller productions that range from original Canadian works, avant-garde, experimental theatre, small budget musicals to British murder mysteries. Also try to check out the new Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the brand new (2006) home of the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. The Toronto Symphony plays in the recently acousticaly renovated Roy Thomson Hall.

• Take a walking tour Tortonto has so many varied neighbourhoods that a random walk through downtown is fascinating in its own right.
• Beaches - Toronto has some excellent beaches in the east end that offer typical beach activities such as volleyball, bike/rollerblading paths and a boardwalk along the water. Lake Ontario tends to be quite cool, even in mid-summer, and is cleaner than its local reputation might suggest - testing is conducted regularly and beaches have notices posted if the water is considered unsafe for swimming.
  
• Stroll through the Distillery District the former Gooderham & Worts distillery lands have been rejuvenated into a pedestrian-only village dedicated to the arts and entertainment. It has fantastic restaurants, festivals, and art galleries.
  
• Cruise Chinatown -Centered on Dundas and Spadina its a great way to see China, without the airfare. Vast crowds crush the sidewalks as venders sell as authentic as you can get Chinese food and not so authentic knock-offs.
• Go to the Lakefront and Toronto Island, the downtown core offers biking and walking trails, with an excellent view of the Toronto skyline. The Toronto Islands tend to have the cleanest beaches (including a clothing-optional beach at Hanlan's point).
  

Little Italy/Portugal Village

Centered at College and Grace, this is the spot to get a sense of the Western Mediterainian. Sit at one of the many coffee shops and watch the world go by on the weekends. A great time to visit is durring the World Cup of Soccer (regardless of where in the World it is actually being held) as both communities face off and rivalries reach a fever pitch. Recently the rivalries have begun to infect adjacent communities and it is now getting to the point that the entire city is being draped in a mind numbing variety of flags once every four years.

The PATH, is Toronto's Underground. It's the largest underground shopping complex in the world (27 km/16 miles). It is a city under a city. In a city like Toronto with harsh summer heat and winter cold, an underground, temperature regulated shpping experience is a godsend.

Besides the underground mall, Toronto has ample other opportunities for shopping; nearly any section of the city has unique places to shop and find deals:

• Yonge Street is locally regarded as the longest street in the world (this is actually not true, but it's best not to argue with the locals about it). It runs from the edge of the Lake to about 100 KMs north of the city. The in-town end is a touristy-shopping district with many restaurants, souvenir and gift shops etc.
• Yorkville is the high-end shopping district of Toronto. It is located just north of Bloor and Bay Streets. Bloor Street is home to many designer boutiques.
• Located a short walk west of the Eaton Centre is the city's fashion district along Queen Street West, an area usually bustling with local hipsters looking for the latest looks in a variety of trendy stores. The stretch between University Ave. and Spadina tends to be much more mainstream with an ever increasing number of chain stores. More offbeat choices can be found west of Spadina Ave. stretching all the way into Parkdale.
• Kensington Market, around College and Spadina, has hundreds of stores. Most of them are food vendors, but there are a number of used clothing shops as well.
• Chinatown, centered at Dundas Street and Spadina, is one of North America's largest Chinatowns with many stores geared towards tourists. It is a good place to pick up souvenirs though it is important to pay attention to the quality of the items.
• Toronto Eaton Centre - shopping mall at Yonge & Dundas
• Yorkdale Shopping Centre - shopping centre by Yorkdale subway station
  

Toronto is a great starting point for exploring southern Ontario.

• Pacific Mall at Steeles and Kennedy in Markham is the largest Chinese indoor mall in North America. Definitely worth a visit if you are interested in Asian Canadian culture. Take the 53B bus from Finch subway station. About 1-3hrs from downtown Toronto.
• The Niagara Region, including Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake, is less than an hour's drive from Toronto towards the United States border at the Falls.
• The Waterloo Region to the west has colleges and culture.
• Muskoka, to the north and The Kawarthas to the northeast of Toronto, are cottage country areas, with country inns, hundreds of lakes and rivers, camping, fishing/hunting, provincial parks, and a wealth of year-round outdoor activities amongst natural beauty.