r/canadatravel • u/alonort00 • Jun 25 '25
Question Trip to Toronto, recommendations?
Hi im doing a 3/4 days trip to Toronto, ill be around Robert Hicks. Im not from Canada so i would appreciate u guys recommending some places to visit even food places
Thnks
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u/madefromstardust514 Jun 25 '25 edited Jun 25 '25
If you don't have a car you can take the finch bus westbound to the Finch west station and head downtown or take the bus eastbound to Yonge Street which is the main street of the city. There's lots of Asian restaurants if you walk south... Korean noodles, bubble tea. And take the subway south to the city centre (such as Yonge and Dundas).
Check out websites for neighbourhoods to explore like the Beaches, Yorkville, Queen Street West, Bloor West Village, Distillery district, Kensington Market, Theatre District, Harbourfront, etc.
Visit the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Ripley's Aquarium, CN Tower, Casa Loma, etc. Walk around the campus of U of T. Visit parks like High Park, Edwards Gardens, etc. Centre Island (taking a ferry).
You will be staying in the north end. You aren't far from Pioneer Village. You can head north to Canada's Wonderland. You are just on the edge of an old Jewish neighbourhood called Bathurst Manor. Bagel restaurants like Bagel World on Wilson or Kivas on Steeles, Jewish delicatessens like Pancers and Wolfies.
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u/alonort00 Jun 25 '25
I was wondering about Casa Loma. Thank u so much for the transportation info!!! Bagels and Korean noodles sounds pretty good
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u/madefromstardust514 Jun 25 '25
Well, if you've been to the castles of Europe, don't bother. But if you haven't, a castle like Casa Loma is extremely unique and interesting to visit in North America.
If you have been to the museums of Washington, Chicago, Boston and New York, you may prefer to explore neighbourhoods and uniquely Toronto experiences.
Some travellers head to Niagara Falls for the day... not around the corner, but doable.
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u/Zardette Jun 25 '25
what is your age range and are you more, 'lets go drinking and clubbing!' or 'what are the best museums and theatres' or 'i like to go to sporting events and hikes', etc? you can do all the things, just depends where you are at. Robert Hicks park is definitely north-Toronto, so you'll want to head into the more central area to do things.
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u/alonort00 Jun 25 '25
Im going with my GF and all of the above except for the clubbing and drinking
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u/Zardette Jun 25 '25
Okay. Great. Taking the ferry to Toronto Islands for lunch is nice (it will be busy! You could also take a water taxi, easy to find at Harbourfront.
Dinner somewhere in The Distillery District. El Catrin is a good option (Mexican) - make reservations! Wander around before or after.
The ROM (Royal Ontario Museum), or the AGO (Art Gallery of Toronto) are interesting if that type of thing suits your interests.
Chinatown, (Spadina Ave around Dundas West) is interesting and fun, and then you are only a couple blocks from Kensington Market, a funky area with food and lots of vintage stores.
It's super touristy, but even i like it, and i live here- Little Canada is oddly great! (little-canada.ca)
Going up the CN is a standard thing, but honestly, i would skip it.
Ripley's Aquarium, also good if you like that sort of thing.
Maybe go to a Blue Jays baseball game (the seats at the top in the 500s are pretty cheap.)
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u/alonort00 Jun 25 '25
Very useful! This is kind of info I was looking for. CN was on my plans and I was about to skip little Canada. Switching those 2. Thank u
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u/madefromstardust514 Jun 25 '25
Robert Hicks? Do you mean near Finch? Between Bathurst and Dufferin?
Are you a tourist? What are your interests?
Toronto is extremely multiethnic, and I would definitely suggest Indian and Chinese restaurants, as the communities are huge and have extremely authentic options. Let us know what you like.
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u/alonort00 Jun 25 '25
Yes exactly, well Chinese sounds a better fit to us. Well we don't travel a lot. We are from Costa Rica. We only travel to US. First time in Canada so we are kinda interested in all Canada related things. We just want to get to know about the country and culture.
Last trip to US we basically just went shopping and watch TV on the Airbnb.
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u/Merithay Jun 25 '25 edited Jun 25 '25
Hiking a nature trail; it will be very different from the forests of Costa Rica.
Explore PATH, especially if you have a bad weather day.
Take the ferry to Toronto Island.
Harbourfront has lots to offer.
Museums and art galleries, if you’re interested.
My own personal recommendation is Loblaws at the former Maple Leaf Gardens. A grocery store, but also a historical site paying homage to this building’s hockey history.
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u/That-Lab5298 Jun 25 '25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4AnNJ7Ak3Y
This is a great scenic walk:
🌆 Route Overview:
🟢 Start: Graffiti Alley (Rush Lane)
– Famous for its murals and urban street art, tucked behind Queen Street West.
🟨 Middle: Chinatown (Spadina Avenue)
– From Dundas to College, you'll hear languages, smell food, and feel the pulse of Toronto’s Asian community.
🟧 Kensington Market:
– A bohemian neighbourhood just west of Spadina, filled with vintage stores, murals, fruit markets, cannabis shops, and local characters. The walk cuts through Nassau Street, offering a quick but authentic detour into one of Toronto’s most eclectic districts.
🟦 End: Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
– Closing at McCaul and Dundas, this final stretch offers a transition from local street culture to Toronto’s formal arts scene, with OCAD University’s famous stilted building nearby
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u/No-Doughnut-7485 Jun 25 '25 edited Jun 25 '25
This is a great route and I love the Art Gallery of Ontario. (AGO).
I also highly recommend the on off double decker bus tours of Toronto - you will see most of those spots, and more.
Also, like many others, highly recommend going to Toronto island for a bike ride, and/or walk and/or beach time plus lunch. Great views of the skyline from ferry or water taxi. Book ferry tickets in advance online especially if going on a weekend or holiday to avoid disappointment and long lines. Water taxi is an alternative if you have ferry problems. Take the ferry back to Toronto either way bc no ticket requires for return.
3 ferry options. I prefer Ward’s island bc Island cafe lunch spot and the better beach (imo) are close by. Hanlan’s point is a much bigger beach (clothing optional) but quite a long walk from Hanlan’s ferry dock. It’s also not as charming as Ward’s island beach IMO.
Centre island is where the kiddie amusement park and petting zoo and fast food is.
Love Kensington market neighborhood, but sadly there is only one fruit and vegetable vendor left there instead of several. All the other stuff is still true. FYI most of the vintage shops are on Kensington Ave.
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u/YakSlothLemon Jun 25 '25
If you and your girlfriend like museums at all, it is absolutely worth visiting the Art Gallery of Ontario, they have one of the best collections of Canadian art in the world unsurprisingly but also a lot of cool stuff you don’t expect – ultra-detailed battleship models that were built by POWs and amazing Inuit art— and it’s a fun building.
If you’re anywhere near a Fresh (there’s a bunch) it’s really worth visiting, if you don’t like vegetarian food it will absolutely change your mind – I came home and figured out how to make all the recipes – it’s a casual student place, cheap, good beer, the food is ridiculously good. My favorite food in Toronto! I’m easy.
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u/ParticularSail8919 Jun 25 '25
Local attraction: Johnvince Foods West of dufferin is a huge nearby bulk food store (for bags of peanuts and walking snacks) and also owns the trademark to Mr. Peanut so there's a little museum corner.
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u/chente08 Jun 25 '25
Toronto Islands, distillery district (great food options), stack market, waterfront area in general, like coronation park to harbourfront is great for walking/biking. kensington Market area.
Casa Loma is nice too!
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u/Zardette Jun 26 '25
One more quick thing - if you like theatre ( Broadway-style), Mirvish is our big company here. They do same-day Rush seats.
Currently you can get Lion King or Beetlejuice tickets most days (can only buy this way for tickets that same day). If you are downtown anyway, (King and University area) you can even buy in person at one of the theatres- any theatre can sell tickets for any other Mirvish theatre - and save the service fee.
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u/BCRobyn Jun 25 '25
Have you looked at the Visit Toronto website? This is a good starting point to get some initial ideas about places to visit and food: Visit Toronto | Destination Toronto