The most vibrant Canadian megapolise. It will make your head spin and your heart to go fast. What to do on your visit to this enormous city? Let me introduce you my Toronto must-see list:
1. CN Tower – the main attraction of Toronto.
You can see it almost from everywhere, proudly standing above this huge and vibrant city.
CN Tower has amazing 360 views over the city. The height of the observation tower is 553.3 meters or 1,815.3 ft., which gives an opportunity to observe Toronto from a perfect elevation where you can see the whole city but also a lot of details.
The views are outstanding, but the tickets for the main observation level are costly. You can also combine the gorgeous Toronto Panorama with a dine-in experience in the 360 Restaurant on top of the tower (minimum $75 per person). 360 completes a full rotation every 72 minutes. If you choose this option, you can also access the Main Observation Level for free.
If you plan to visit only the Main Observation Level, you can save by buying a Toronto City Pass (one ticket for different Toronto attractions).
2. Toronto Islands
It’s one of the best ways to observe Toronto Skyline. We were short on time, and made it only to Ward’s Island. The view was gorgeous, and we enjoyed a short ferry ride to the Island.
But there is a lot to explore on the Toronto Islands. There are beaches, parks, restaurants, and some people actually live there. I wish we could spend at least a full day exploring it all. Hopefully, next time.
You can get to the Islands through Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, which is close to downtown.
3. Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
That’s a special place on my Toronto must see list, and it is conveniently located by the CN Tower in the heart of Toronto.
There are a lot of gorgeous aquariums with thousands of marine and freshwater habitats.
One of the best parts of Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is the amazing tunnel with sharks and stingrays swimming above your head. It’s an astonishing experience. I loved it!
Another great experience is an open pool with stingrays where you can touch them. It looks like these beautiful species don’t mind it and swim close to the edge where the crowd is waiting to pet them.
But there are more of cool features in Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, like diving shows, the Life Support Systems gallery (where you can see how it works), crawling spaces for kids (and some adults🤣) where you can crawl under the aquarium and become part of the exhibition, etc.
The aquarium has a good flow, so you can see it all in just a few hours.
4. Graffiti Alley
It is an excellent place for street art lovers and one of the symbols of vibrant Toronto City.
It’s easily accessed and conveniently located in downtown Toronto. Here, you can explore urban art representing different styles and themes. Some murals are very complex and truly mesmerizing.
I appreciated this experience a lot. It’s free, so you can add it to your Toronto bucket list and explore it even if you’re on a tight budget 😉
5. Toronto City Zoo
Huge spaces, lots of animals and tons of great memories. That’s my favourite attraction in Toronto.
The vast territory of the Toronto Zoo is divided into 7 Geographic regions:
- Australasia
- Americas
- Tundra Trek
- Indo-Malaya
- Africa
- Canadian Domain
- Eurasia
There is a huge selection of animals from each region. It’s easy to notice that habitats are well kept, and most of them live in open spaces, but there are still some cages.
Even though It would be awesome to see all animals running free in their natural habitats, Toronto Zoo looks like a decent place. And I think of it as an opportunity for kids and adults to explore wildlife and develop respect and compassion.
If you plan to add Toronto Zoo to your Toronto bucket list, remember it’s a vast space. Ideally, I would plan for the entire day or at least 4-6 hours.
We spent a lot of time there and couldn’t see all the inhabitants. Some of the animals were in hiding (cats especially), and we couldn’t spot them, even though we were coming back a few times.
- My absolute favourites:
- Ring-tailed lemur (in African Rainforest Pavilion)
- African Lion (in African Savanna)
- Grizzly bear (in the Canadian Domain)
- Amur tiger (in Eurasia Wilds)
- Polar bear (in Tundra Treck).
A few words about real showman – Polar Bear. There are quite a few of them, but most were laying on the grass, except the star of the show. He (or maybe she🤔) was playing with a toy in the water and showing cool moves 😎 for the astonished public. One of the best experiences. I would give him a gold medal for sure!
And the silver medal goes to the Lions. It was quite a show when the proud Lion went to one lioness and then to another, trying to get their attention. But both females were clearly uninterested and pompously shook him off. One of them even had to stand down, shake her head, walk a few steps and then lay down again.
6. Casa Loma
Another Toronto’s must-see! Casa Loma – castle-style mansion with a beautiful garden, gorgeous interiors, interesting history, incredible views and much more.
This gorgeous mansion was constructed as a residence for financier Sir Henry Pellatt from 1911 to 1914. Now, it has become a historic house museum and Toronto landmark.
Casa Loma also is a popular location for filmmakers. We were surprised to see an exhibition of scenes from different movies filmed there, some of them X-Men, The Tuxedo, Chicago, etc.
It would take at least 2-3 hours to go through all floors, garden and tower (with downtown views on top).
7. Downtown Toronto
The best way to experience the city is to walk on foot through its streets. Massive Toronto skyscrapers, shops, restaurants, you name it. So, just take some time to enjoy the vibe and go with the flow.
A few spots in downtown that you don’t want to miss:
- Nathan Phillips Square (that’s where Toronto Sign and Toronto City Hall are)
- Entertainment District (CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, etc.)
- Yonge-Dundas Square (Times Square of Toronto)
That sums up my Toronto’s bucket list. Check my Instagram to see some video footage, and let me know in a comments what attractions of Toronto you like to visit?
YANA'S WANDERLUST 
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