With its collection of effervescent neighbourhoods, a vibrant creative scene and bucket-list attractions, Toronto has so much city-break appeal.
Proud to be Canada’s most diverse city, with citizens from 230 countries around the world speaking 140 different languages, the result is a colourful array of culture, art, food and history.
From the shallows of Lake Ontario to the soaring towers of its skyline, the city tantalises every kind of tourist with a warm welcome and infectious energy.
But when the summer season tourists have gone home, Toronto turns even more alluring.
Awash with a backdrop of red, orange and dazzling amber foliage during an Ontario autumn, it is easy to “fall” in love with this glorious place.
In fact, these seasonal changes are so marked, the natural fiery scenery was immortalised in a collection of paintings by Toronto’s Group of Seven landscape artists in the early 20th century. Visiting during autumn also has its advantages, as there are fewer crowds and bargain flights up for grabs.
Plus, with a thriving major league sports scene, big-city sports bars and excitable fan bases, there’s always a buzz on game nights.
To get a flavour of this city’s zest for life, visit the historic Distillery District. A bevy of beautiful 19th-century buildings that once housed the world’s biggest distillery, it’s now filled with more than 40 one-of-a-kind shops, coffee houses, bakeries, bistros, global cuisine, theatres, galleries, all within exposed brick settings, which give it
an edgy vibe.
As you wander through, you’ll soon find yourself drawn in by all the sweet and spicy aromas that permeate from the shopfronts.
One of my favourite finds was SOMA chocolate-makers, which produces the most indulgent chocolates, cookies, truffles, spreads, toffee and gelato, with the owners seeing the process through from bean to bar.
The Distillery District is the only pedestrianised neighbourhood in Toronto, so it’s perfect for group tours. Take your pick from themes including breakfast, ghost or prohibition and spirits tour.
The District has also been the backdrop for many famous films including X-Men and Chicago, but if you want to find where Meghan Markle filmed Suits, head over to the 51-storey skyscraper known as Bay Adelaide West, a part of the Bay Adelaide Centre located in the Financial District on 333 Bay Street.
Just west of Chinatown is another fascinating district – Kensington Market – an enticing maze of alleys packed with street food, vintage shops, Instagrammable bars, restaurants and living spaces.
As you weave through the market stalls, live music from all different cultures drifts through the air, and with many of the vendors standing outside their stalls and shops, there’s always someone to chat to.
Rush Lane, just south of Queen West, better known as Graffiti Alley, is home to a swathe of vibrant street art stretching 1,000ft. Some works have been there for years, while other sections of this inspirational open-air gallery are constantly changing.
When you fancy a pitstop, swing by Baldwin Street to Jimmy’s Coffee, an easy-going hangout for students and locals reading books. There’s a chain of seven branches all over Toronto, each with their own eclectic style.
In this neighbourhood, it’s forbidden to build anything taller than eight storeys, which means that from the pavement cafes, you can see Toronto’s famous skyline.
Which might just whet your appetite to test your nerve on EdgeWalk at the famous CN Tower. At a height of 1,815ft, The Top, where the walk takes place, is the highest observation platform in the Western Hemisphere. From here you can actually feel the Tower sway in the wind.
There are thrills, but there really is nothing quite as daring and terrifying as walking 116 storeys above the city, hands-free, with nothing but a harness securing you. It’s certainly one way to feel on top of the world.
I stayed at 1 Hotel Toronto, a sustainable urban retreat in one of the city’s coolest neighbourhoods, King West Village, a former industrial area turned nighttime hotspot with elegant restaurants and rooftop patios.
Proudly naming itself a “nature-inspired sanctuary”, its furniture and decor are designed using local reclaimed materials, including its DJ booths made from fallen trees. It also uses nature as art in its living floral wall. The bedrooms overlook the city’s gleaming skyscrapers along with the fabulous rooftop pool (open during the warmer months) that has a gorgeous decked area for lounging with cocktails. There’s also a 24-hour gym, yoga sessions and bikes to borrow.
From the pure exhilaration of the EdgeWalk, to one of the most recognisable natural wonders of the world, Niagara Falls is a one hour 45-minute drive away from the city.
You can simply stand and stare as an astounding 3,160 tons of water flow over the cliff edges every single second.
Or experience it in a more novel way by taking the famous Maid of the Mist scenic boat tour, where you’ll get a souvenir poncho – and you’ll need it – or via the Cave of the Winds where you venture out on to the Hurricane Deck and get closer than you ever imagined.
However, Niagara has a lot more to offer than just the falls. In fact the route there from Toronto was once described by Winston Churchill as “one of the prettiest Sunday afternoon drives”.
Niagara-On-The-Lake town looks like it’s part of a movie set, with sweetly decorated shop windows including a Christmas shop where you can get every version of a moose bauble that springs to mind.
There are also more than 130 wineries in Niagara, and at Peller Estates Winery you can enjoy a guided tour and discover Niagara’s only igloo-like lounge, the 10Below Icewine Lounge, to sample their liquid gold.
If you’re heading north out of Toronto, be sure to stop at McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, which showcases Canadian and indigenous art. The permanent collection consists of more than 7,000 artworks by artists who have contributed to the development of the art of Canada.
Here you’ll also find more work from the Group of Seven mentioned previously – the collective of landscape artists who created works to reflect Canada’s rugged wilderness in a distinctive painting style from 1920-1933.
The lakes in Muskoka – there are 80 in total, with three large main lakes – Muskoka, Rosseau and Joseph, with old Muskoka cottages dotting their shores, are worth a stop for their sheer beauty.
They’re also a favourite hang out of the Beckhams, who have posted merry snaps of themselves waterskiing, wakesurfing and barefoot skiing on the water. For the ultimate Canadian lakeshore log cabin experience, book into Arowhon Pines, on the banks of Little Joe Lake, in the wilds of Algonquin Provincial Park.
Very much like a luxury summer camp for grown-ups, you can spend your days swimming, sailing, kayaking, bird-watching, hiking and canoeing – and keep your eyes peeled for moose and beavers.
Enjoy homely, hearty food too as all guests stay full-board.
And, this being the Canadian wilderness, there is no phone signal here so take a good book, even talk to other people, or just enjoy the tranquil life by the lake.
What could be better?
Book the holiday
- Trailfinders offers a 13-night Classic Ontario Circle holiday from £2,099pp. Includes flights from Heathrow on September 25, two nights in a Toronto hotel, 11 nights’ motorhome hire (sleeps up to four), Voyage to the Falls, Toronto Downtown Bicycle Tour, Cranberry Wine Experience, Canadian Museum of History & War, 1,000 Islands Helicopter Tour and 1,000km free motorhome travel, saving CAD$300 per vehicle. trailfinders.com
- More info at destinationontario.com/en-ca