Toronto is the largest city in Canada best known for its skyscrapers, fantastic food, and unique blend of different cultures from all over the world. Every neighborhood of Toronto has something different and exciting to offer. A weekend in Toronto is a great way to explore this vibrant city!
As a US East Coaster, Toronto is just a short two-hour flight away from DC and makes a fabulous weekend trip. I’m so glad I finally got to visit this part of Canada and am sharing a perfect weekend itinerary in Toronto for first-timers.
Table of Contents
Where to Stay in Toronto
Downtown
If you want to be right in the heart of town, close to major attractions, with easy access to public transit, there’s no better place in Toronto than downtown. The downside? It can get really pricey; however, this area has tons of excellent hotels to choose from.
The big-name luxury hotels are all here. Within just a few blocks of each other are the Ritz-Carlton, the St. Regis, and the Shangri-La. But you’ll also find major chains like Hilton and Marriott, which are not as expensive, but still more than the others on this list.
Midtown
Personally, if I were going to choose where to stay in Toronto on a future trip, I’d select midtown! It has a more neighborhood feel to it with lots of parks, the University of Toronto nearby, and is only 10-15 minutes on the subway from downtown.
There are plenty of hotel options in this area, ranging from the luxurious Four Seasons to Park Hyatt, Royal Sonesta, and guest houses for a more affordable option.
On a budget
If you’re looking to stay in Toronto on a budget, there are fewer options than I’d like to admit! Toronto is generally a pretty pricey city, but there’s always a deal to be found. We found a great VRBO just 15 minutes from downtown that was really affordable – would highly recommend looking there!
Consider staying further out near the airport for a great deal at Airbnbs like the DoubleTree by Hilton Toronto Airport or Best Western Premier Toronto Airport, which offer easy public transit options into downtown.
Getting Around
You may have caught this if you read the section above, but getting around Toronto is pretty straightforward, especially to the major tourist sights! Below are some easy options for you.
Public Transit
The easiest way to get around Toronto is by using the public transit system. The system includes subway, streetcar, and bus service. They run regularly around the city on a reliable schedule. You can find the lines and schedule here.
Regular subway service runs from approximately 6:00 am to 2:00 am Monday through Saturday and from 8:00 am to 2:00 am on Sundays. There is a late-night bus service, known as the Blue Night Network, that operates on many major routes from around 1:30 am to 5:00 am (or 8:00 am on Sundays).
Taxi/Ride Share
If you’re headed somewhere that isn’t easy on public transit, using ride share services like Uber are an easy alternative. We used Uber several times, and I don’t think we waited over 5 minutes for a single ride! It was really easy to get an Uber, and since downtown is not too big, most rides were under CAD 10.
Just make sure that if you are not from Canada, you have a reliable eSIM for phone service to call one easily!
Walking the PATH
This list would not be complete without mentioning walking in Toronto. Hear me out on this one because Toronto has an extensive underground tunnel system that goes all throughout downtown. This means even if it’s raining, freezing cold, or an extremely hot day, you can walk around comfortably downtown.
It’s called the PATH system and spans over 30 kilometers. Here’s the map for you. Even if you don’t need to use it, this is a cool thing to check out while downtown in Toronto.
Friday Night
After arriving in Toronto, it’s time to start exploring on your first night! There are tons of cool areas of Toronto to check out for an evening, but I’d recommend spending your first night enjoying the nightlife in Toronto in Midtown!
Consider Terrazza for excellent Italian food. After dinner, head to Civil Liberties, a fun speakeasy without a menu. They ask you a few questions, then whip up a cocktail personally for you! End the night with some comedy nearby at Backroom Comedy Club.
Saturday
Saturday is all about exploring downtown Toronto! There’s plenty to see and do here, so let’s dive in to seeing some of the top sights, eating some amazing food, and exploring this fantastic city on your first full day of a weekend in Toronto.
Morning
Downtown Toronto is very walkable, as we talked about in the getting around section of this article. You can easily see the top sites just walking around and exploring. Today will be full of lots of walking, but it’ll be worth it – trust me!
Breakfast and Coffee at Dineen Coffee Co.
Start off your day at one of the cutest coffee shops with great food and drinks to fuel your Saturday! Food options are locally sourced and they serve up baked goods, pastries, parfaits, handmade French baguette sandwiches, and salads.
Walking Tour of Downtown Toronto
After grabbing breakfast, there’s no better way to get to know a city than by joining a walking tour! We chose this tour with GuruWalk and are so glad we did!
GuruWalk is a website and app that connects travellers with local tour guides across the world. Their mission is to connect travelers to free walking tours with experts. Tours can have different themes, but the one we chose was a downtown essentials tour to see the top sights.
Our tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours, and we got to hear so much about the top sights in Toronto. We met several other travelers from different places around the world and were able to get some great pics!
I believe that understanding the history and culture of a new (to me) country is crucial at the beginning of a trip. Plus, you get expert insider tips and ideas for the rest of your trip. We loved our morning exploring the top sights.
Some of the sights you don’t want to miss during your morning exploring Toronto (tour or not) are below (in order for easy walking and navigating!):
- Yonge St: Considered the longest street in the world, starts on Lake Ontario and goes far outside Toronto
- Dundas Square/Sankofa Square: Toronto’s “Times Square,” bustling gathering place for millions of visitors each year
- Eaton Center: Toronto’s largest mall and an iconic place for shopping downtown.
- Nathan Phillips Square: Urban plaza that forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall.
- City Hall: The seat of the municipal government for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It’s a prominent landmark characterized by its modern architectural design.
- Financial District: Features a distinctive skyline with numerous skyscrapers, showcasing a blend of Gilded Age and Art Deco architectural styles.
- The PATH: An extensive underground tunnel system that goes throughout downtown.
- Brookfield Place: Internationally acclaimed for its iconic architectural design, it features soaring, light-filled spaces, including the award-winning Allen Lambert Galleria (designed by the same architect of the Oculus in NYC). My personal favorite of the tour!
- Berczy Park: The distinctive feature of the park is a large, two-tier fountain with cast-iron statues of 27 dogs and a cat. Found right on Front Street, which is a main street for shopping, dining, and fun in Toronto.
- Gooderham Building: Toronto’s Flat Iron Building, right next to Berczy Park.
*Even though tours are free through GuruWalk, you need to tip (GuruWalk recommends between CAD 10-20) your guide as a thank you for the tour!
Not interested in a walking tour? Consider taking a food tour instead! You’ll get to see many different sights and learn the history of Canada through it’s food.
Lunch at St. Lawrence Market
After finishing off your morning exploring top sights, walk from the Gooderham Building to St. Lawrence Market for lunch. This historical market has been a part of Toronto’s food scene since 1803. It started as a farmers’ market with stalls in an open space, but soon after opening, structures were built and have changed over time due to fires and infrastructure across the city.
Today, St. Lawrence Market is home to over 200 vendors with all the iconic foods you need to try while in Toronto, including the peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel Bakery, poutine from Paddingtons, and butter tarts from one of the many bakeries.
But it doesn’t stop there, you can get amazing seafood at Mike’s Fish Market, great bagels from St. Urbain Bagels, and grab some Canadian mustard from Kozlick’s Mustard to take home!
Pro-Tips: The second floor is home to most of the food options, while the first floor has more grocers and shopping, making it perfect for looking for souvenirs. I highly recommend having some cash for the market, too, as some stalls don’t take credit cards.
Afternoon at a Museum
After spending the morning exploring downtown, it’s time to choose a museum to get to know some history, explore art, or visit an iconic landmark. Below are three options to consider for your trip, depending on what interests you the most!
Option 1: Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of art, world culture, and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America. It is the largest and most-visited museum in Canada.
Our favorite part of this museum was the section on dinosaurs. There have been many, many dinosaur fossils found in Canada of different species from various periods. It was a fantastic exhibit! With a museum this size, you can easily spend an entire afternoon exploring.
Photo by tommao wang on Unsplash
Option 2: Casa Loma
Casa Loma is a Gothic Revival castle-style mansion and garden in Midtown. The architecture is absolutely stunning, and walking through the grand halls, secret passages, and beautifully preserved rooms feels like stepping back in time.
It was constructed from 1911 to 1914 by the architect E. J. Lennox, who also designed several other city landmarks. Each room is unique, and you’ll love hearing about the history while visiting here, plus it’s just beautiful!
The best time of year to visit is in summer when gardens are in full bloom or during Christmas when they transform the castle into a beautiful, winter wonderland!
Option 3: Art Gallery of Ontario
If you’re interested in exploring a museum dedicated to art, this is the perfect place for you! The museum complex takes up 480,000 sq ft, making it one of the largest art museums in North America and the second-largest art museum in Toronto, after the Royal Ontario Museum.
There are over 120,000 works spanning from the first century to the present day in the museum, and you’ll find an extensive collection of works by Canadian artists.
Evening in the Distillery District
End your day in one of the coolest neighborhoods in Toronto – the Distillery District! This pedestrian-only area was once a 19th-century large whisky distillery and has been redesigned into a vibrant hub of restaurants, bars, boutiques, and galleries.
This area is perfect for art (and drink) lovers! We spent an evening exploring this area and had so much fun. After doing some shopping, we started off the evening with oysters and drinks at Pure Spirits and tapas at Madrina Bar y Tapas.
Visiting during different times of year provides different opportunities! In summer, you can expect live performances, outdoor movies, and more at the outdoor stage. Check out their website for upcoming events before your trip. During Christmas time, you’ll find a large Christmas market and plenty of fun, festive decorations!
After dinner, there are plenty of spots to continue the fun, like El Catrin Distillery, Mill Street Brewpub and Distillery, and Old Flame Brewing.
Pro-tip: I recommend arriving before 5 pm to ensure you have time to visit some of the boutiques. We visited in May, and many of them were already closed or closing by the time we arrived, typically at 6 pm during summer, but earlier in winter.
Sunday
On Sunday, you’re headed to some iconic views of Toronto! This day is all about enjoying city views and the most famous spot in the city that you just can’t miss.
Morning at CN Tower
One thing you cannot miss when visiting Toronto is heading to the top of CN Tower. This is by far the most well-known building in the Toronto Skyline.
Visiting the CN Tower is a must-do during a weekend in Toronto. The views from up there are beautiful; you see the entire city, the lake, the Toronto Island, and the planes landing at the Billy Bishop Airport.
However, instead of just heading to the top (timed General Admission is CAD 47, same day online or onsite), I recommend heading to the restaurant, 360. Breakfast/Brunch here is CAD 75 and includes the observation deck. For just CAD 28 more, you get a great lunch and the observation deck!
We loved having brunch here and getting to explore the deck after! The restaurant rotates, so you get 360-degree views during your meal.
In addition to the observation deck, you can do other extras like the EdgeWalk, the world’s highest full-circle hands-free walk, and the first of its kind in North America.
Pro-tip: Make sure to reserve in advance for this experience, whether you choose to go for the breakfast/brunch or simply the observation deck.
Afternoon Option 1: Toronto Islands
Once you’ve finished your exploration of CN Tower, head over to the ferry port for an afternoon exploring the Toronto Islands. The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario. If the weather is good and you’re up to being active again, this is a great option!
There are three access points available by ferry daily in the summer. In spring and fall, the schedule changes more, but generally, ferries will run multiple times a day to at least one of the three ports on the islands, most commonly Centre Island. You can check the schedule here.
The ferry from downtown is just 15 minutes to any of the three ports, with Centre Island being the most popular. Ferries run every 30 minutes from each port all day and into the evening in the summer, with more restricted hours in spring/fall. In winter, there’s only one ferry a day, and it will be very cold.
I would recommend heading to Centre Island on your first trip because it puts you right in the heart of all the things to do in Toronto! You’ll have fantastic views of the city, and you can easily spend an entire afternoon (or day) here.
While here, there’s plenty to keep you busy! I recommend renting a bike for CAD 7 and exploring the island by bike. The bikes are affordable and make seeing the entire island, which can be a challenge on foot, as they are large!
Other highlights you don’t want to miss:
- Centreville Amusement Park: fun rides perfect for all different ages. Think classic rides like a carousel, Ferris wheel, and bumper boats.
- Rent kayaks and get out on the water
- Bring a picnic and relax with a view
- Head to the beach for some swimming on Lake Ontario
- Ride bikes to the lighthouse and explore the history of the Toronto Islands
- Walk the nature trails and different parks across the island
Afternoon Option 2: Kensington Market
If you love vintage shopping, unique independent shops, and good food, you’ll love exploring the Kensington Market neighborhood of Toronto! This is a great option if the weather isn’t great, ferries aren’t running, or if you want a fun afternoon of hopping around a cool neighborhood before getting on a flight!
This was definitely my favorite neighborhood in Toronto, with a ton of great places to pop into. The vintage shops were truly endless here with great options for jeans, vintage t-shirts, and more. We spent about two hours here and could have stayed longer!
Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, and you can truly find a lot of that here! The neighborhood has a rich history of immigration, with communities from Portugal, the Caribbean, East Asia, Latin America, and Africa contributing to its vibrant cultural tapestry.
We stopped in Little Pebbles Cafe for excellent pastries and matcha, Augusta Coffee Bar for great coffee, Juicy Dumpling for some, well, dumplings, and Taco Love for some amazing Tacos. We basically made our own food tour here and loved every minute of it!
Other Options
- Explore Yorkville: Wander through this upscale neighbourhood known for its designer boutiques, art galleries, and charming Victorian architecture.
- Graffiti Alley: A short walk south on Spadina from either Kensington Market or Chinatown will lead you to Rush Lane, officially known as Graffiti Alley, which stretches three blocks and showcases great street art.
- University of Toronto Campus: Take a stroll through the beautiful grounds of one of Canada’s leading universities, admiring the architecture and green spaces.
- Hockey Hall of Fame: Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia, and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup.
- Baseball game: Catch the Toronto Blue Jays playing baseball at the Rogers Centre.
- Ripley’s Aquarium: Canada’s largest indoor aquarium featuring over 20,000 aquatic animals and interactive exhibits.
- Niagara Falls: Extend your trip and head to Niagara Falls. Bonus for East Coasters – a Niagara Falls road trip is the perfect way to extend!
- Take advantage of free and cheap things to do in Toronto!
I hope this weekend Toronto itinerary helps you make the most of planning your trip! This fantastic, multicultural city is a must-visit when in Canada, and you’ll have a blast.
I used to go to Toronto all the time for work. Such a great city. Great recap of things to do there.
Always love to see what people enjoy about a trip to Toronto. As a local, we often overlook many of the fun spots to visit. Glad you got to visit Casa Loma. An unusual spot for sure!