Toronto Hotels & Holidays
Canada, North America
A microcosm of the nation, half of Toronto's population wasn't born in Canada. The city draws people from all over the world, and over 5 million people live in the Greater Toronto Area. The city is a bustling metropolis dominated by a downtown core with outreaching satellite neighbourhoods. It is the business hub of Canada and home of the Toronto Stock Exchange, and is also well known as a university town. There are three universities located in the city, along with the scenic historic campus for the University of Toronto located in the heart of downtown.
Map of Toronto
Casa Loma Castle
Toronto Holidays Planner
Toronto is a well-known venue for theatre, cinema, movie-making, and dining. It has a lot to offer the luxury boutique shopper as well as the more off-beat and funky shopping guru. The world's tallest tower, the CN Tower dominates the skyline and offers an incredible vantage point over the city. Further out, some 120-km south straddling the US border, is Niagra Falls with the larger and more famous Horsehoe Falls on the Canadian side.
If you've got kids, one of the premier destinations in Toronto is Ontario Place. Located throughout three man-made islands along the shorefront, this kid-friendly amusement area has been offering up fun to local kids and tourists for forty years, and has been ceaselessly updated with 4D movie adventures, rides for kids of different ages, a water park, interactive games, and an arcade. It offers all kinds of enjoyment in an internationally acclaimed park that make take days for you and your kids to completely absorb.
Once the kids have had their fun, you might want to explore the various neighbourhoods in Toronto. Kensington Market is a lively artist-oriented discount shopping area with a lot of diverse restaurants; nearby Chinatown offers lots of specialty shops and specialized cuisine; or browsing along the waterfront in Yorkdale may be more your speed with its high-end shops and balmy lake breezes. Little Greece, Little India, and Little Italy all offer regional flair in their various neighbourhoods as well.
Located on the shore of Lake Ontario, the normally hot summer weather of central Ontario is moderated by its proximity to the water to a relatively balmy 21 degrees Celsius.
Certainly one of the quirkier places to visit in Toronto is Casa Loma, a Gothic revival home built in the years from 1911-1914 by an eccentric financier. Full of secret passages and battlements, the castle was seized from its owner by the city for back taxes in the early 1930's and has since been converted into a museum that can be visited by the public. It's certainly worth a visit.
One of the most famous aspects of Canadians is their love of hockey. To get a quick peek at this national obsession, you may want to stop in at the Hockey Hall of Fame to learn more about everyone in hockey from Bobby Orr to Wayne Gretzky.Toronto is also gaining ground as a venue for festivals and conventions. The Toronto International Film Festival draws bigger crowds every year, while there are relatively new arrivals on the annual convention scene, like Idea City, which represents a new kind of destination convention.