CN Tower
Slender 553-metre tower that dominates the skyline. Visitors ride a fast lift to indoor and outdoor decks, including a glass floor, for views across the city and Lake Ontario.
Toronto
Canada's largest city is home to the CN Tower and varied food neighbourhoods, and Niagara Falls is an easy day trip from it.
Attractive locations
Casa Loma
Castle-style mansion built in the early 20th century for a wealthy financier, with towers, secret passages, a long conservatory and landscaped gardens on a hill above downtown.
Toronto Islands
Car-free chain of small islands reached by a short ferry ride. Beaches, bike paths, picnic lawns and some of the best views of the downtown skyline are all close together.
Hockey Hall of Fame
Museum of ice hockey in a historic downtown building, with the Stanley Cup, player memorabilia, goalie masks and interactive games that suit fans of all ages.
Aga Khan Museum
Museum of Islamic art and Muslim civilisations, in a bright white building with a calm interior courtyard and reflecting pool, set within a landscaped park.
High Park
The city's biggest park, with woodland trails, a pond, playgrounds, a small zoo and gardens. Visitors come in spring to see the cherry trees in bloom.
Nathan Phillips Square
Public plaza in front of the city's modern City Hall, home to the Toronto sign, a reflecting pool and an outdoor skating rink in winter.
Royal Ontario Museum
A large museum of world cultures and natural history, known for its dinosaur skeletons, ancient Egyptian and East Asian collections and a bold crystal-shaped extension.
Art Gallery of Ontario
A major art museum with Canadian, European and Indigenous collections and a large group of Henry Moore sculptures, in a building redesigned by Frank Gehry.
St. Lawrence Market
A busy food market in a historic hall, with stalls of fresh produce, meat, cheese, seafood and baked goods. It is known for its peameal bacon sandwiches.
Distillery District
A pedestrian-only neighbourhood of restored Victorian-era distillery buildings, with cobbled lanes, galleries, cafes and shops. It is a popular place for strolling and for seasonal markets.
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
A large aquarium beside the CN Tower, known for its underwater glass tunnel where sharks and rays swim overhead. Other exhibits cover Canadian waters and coral reefs.
Airports
Toronto Pearson International Airport YYZ
It is about 20 km in a straight line from Toronto.
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport YTZ
It is about 5 km in a straight line from Toronto.
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport YHM
It is about 71 km in a straight line from Toronto.
Getting around
From Toronto Pearson
UP Express links Pearson Airport with Union Station in downtown Toronto, a ride of about 25 to 28 minutes with stops at Mount Dennis, Weston and Bloor. The TTC's 900 Airport Express bus starts at Kipling Station on Line 2 and goes to Terminals 1 and 3 in about 20 to 25 minutes; it takes a single fare. GO Transit routes 94 and 40 leave from Terminal 1, and overnight TTC routes serve the airport as well.
- Source: Toronto Pearson: Public transit and buses (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: UP Express (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: TTC: Service to Toronto Pearson (checked 4 Nov 2026)
TTC subway, buses, streetcars
Toronto's subway, buses and streetcars are all operated by the TTC. Line 2 passes through Kipling Station, the departure point of the 900 Airport Express to Pearson. UP Express, which links the airport with Union Station, is separate from the TTC, as are the GO Transit buses that run from the airport to many suburbs. Hold on to the card, ticket, device or paper transfer you tapped for the entire trip, since you may be asked for proof of payment.
- Source: TTC: Fares and passes (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: TTC: Service to Toronto Pearson (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Toronto Pearson: Public transit and buses (checked 4 Nov 2026)
PRESTO and contactless on TTC
Pay for a TTC ride by tapping a PRESTO card, or a contactless credit or debit card or mobile wallet, on a PRESTO reader as you board a bus or streetcar or enter a station. Use the same payment method each time so the two-hour transfer applies and your trips count toward monthly fare capping. Contactless cards are charged the adult fare only. People paying cash get a paper transfer, good for one-way travel on the day it is issued.
- Source: TTC: Fares and passes (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Scams and safe taxis
Spotting a licensed taxi
The City of Toronto lists these signs of a licensed taxi: a plate number on the rear right bumper and near the front door, a meter, a driver photo card on the dashboard, a Taxicab Bill of Rights and tariff card in the back, and a roof light, though a roof light by itself does not prove a licence. At Pearson, licensed vehicles display a GTAA number plate on the bumper plus a window decal, and do not pick up inside terminals. Report problems to 311, giving the plate number.
- Source: City of Toronto: Taxis and limousines (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Toronto Pearson: Taxis and limos (checked 4 Nov 2026)
App rides in Toronto
Private transportation companies such as Uber and Lyft are regulated by the City of Toronto. Street hailing and pick-ups at taxi stands are for taxis only, while rides with app companies must be arranged through an app. Make sure the driver's photo matches the person at the wheel and the licence plate shown in the app matches the vehicle. Some app-arranged rides are priced differently from the regulated taxi rate, so agree the price before the trip starts.
- Source: City of Toronto: Passenger safety for taxis and private transportation companies (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan-2.7 °C54 mm
- Feb-2.8 °C49 mm
- Mar0.7 °C53 mm
- Apr5.5 °C71 mm
- May11.3 °C73 mm
- Jun17.6 °C71 mm
- Jul21.7 °C75 mm
- Aug21.6 °C59 mm
- Sep18.3 °C66 mm
- Oct11.5 °C74 mm
- Nov5.4 °C66 mm
- Dec0.5 °C63 mm
Driest months: Jan, Feb, Mar. Wettest months: May, Jul, Oct.
Costs
Prices here are about 83% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
culture
Toronto International Film Festival
This film festival counts among the major ones worldwide.
Who can help
Emergency
911 for police, fire and ambulance.
local government
Emergency number 9-1-1 (Royal Canadian Mounted Police page)
Helps with: The RCMP website tells people to dial 9-1-1 for emergency help. Canada has no national tourist police, so visitors use the local police through this number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Canada who needs emergency help.
Phone: 911
embassy
Foreign representatives accredited to Canada (Global Affairs Canada)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy or high commission. The Office of Protocol page links to a list of diplomatic missions in Canada and search tools.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy, high commission or consulate.
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Canada
Helps with: The UN migration agency's one Canadian office, in Ottawa. Its main work relates to Canada's refugee and humanitarian resettlement programme and to partnerships on migration.
Who qualifies: Refugees and migrants in resettlement programmes, and partner organisations. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +1-613-237-0651
Email: iomottawa@iom.int
Address: 280 Albert Street, Suite 800, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5P3, Canada
local government
Toronto Police Service
Helps with: Toronto's police service. Dial 911 in an emergency; the non-emergency line and a text-phone line are listed on the City of Toronto page.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Toronto who needs the police, residents and visitors alike.
Phone: 416-808-2222
Address: 40 College Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2J3
local government
311 Toronto
Helps with: The City of Toronto's contact line for non-emergency city services and information. The page says help is available in more than 180 languages and that 311 runs around the clock.
Who qualifies: Residents, businesses and visitors in Toronto with a non-emergency city question.
Phone: 311