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First time visit to Toronto - what to do in one week?

Ralf:

First, spend a bit of time on Google Maps (or Microsoft's "Virtual Earth") to get a basic layout of the downtown area so that you have a head start on knowing your way around a bit. Next, go to the TTC website (Toronto Transit Commission) www.ttc.ca and learn the subway routes around the downtown area. Check out www.toronto.com which is one of the best websites for where to eat (any type of food in the world is available here in Toronto), it also lists directories to museums & galleries, what events are taking place around town on a given day or week, the music & movie scene etc. A good "touristy" website is www.123toronto.com/sightseeing.htm which highlights all the main places to see and do. When you arrive in town pick up a copy of "NOW" Magazine (it's free in newspaper boxes all over downtown every Thursday) and it will also give you a comprehensive guide to "what's on" in the city for music, arts, festivals, film, club scene etc.

Good luck and enjoy your trip to Toronto!
 
The Royal Ontario Museum ( ROM ) is devoted to the arts and the natural world, and has some of the best collections on the continent. The new Canadian Indian Gallery is a must-see if you visit, and the Chinese collection is one of the strongest outside of China.

The ROM is undergoing renovations, and the new 9,500 sq ft Gallery of Canada opens on October 6th on the main floor - when you may be in town.

Also opening on the same day is their Canada Collects: Treasures from across the Nation, an exhibition of important objects from other museums and private collections, housed in the largest temporary exhibition space in any Canadian museum.

Also, the ROM has a very good restaurant ( C5, on the top floor of the new Crystal addition ) that a group of us on this forum have been to. It stays open after the museum closes and offers a great view of the city.
 
Urban Shocker said:
The Royal Ontario Museum ( ROM ) is devoted to the arts and the natural world, and has some of the best collections on the continent. The new Canadian Indian Gallery is a must-see if you visit, and the Chinese collection is one of the strongest outside of China.

The ROM is undergoing renovations, and the new 9,500 sq ft Gallery of Canada opens on October 6th on the main floor - when you may be in town.

Also opening on the same day is their Canada Collects: Treasures from across the Nation, an exhibition of important objects from other museums and private collections, housed in the largest temporary exhibition space in any Canadian museum.

Also, the ROM has a very good restaurant ( C5, on the top floor of the new Crystal addition ) that a group of us on this forum have been to. It stays open after the museum closes and offers a great view of the city.
Click to expand...

I think the ROM is a great idea. Might as well check out the Gardiner too. It's easy to say Toronto institutions aren't on par with those in NYC or even Chicago, but then why would anyone visit anywhere? They could limit their travels to just 4 or 5 cities for their entire life.
 
Well put, syn!
If you are at the ROM or Gardiner, I would suggest a stroll along Bloor Street West, from Yonge over to Bathurst or Christie. Like Queen St, it's a very eclectic mix, starting off with high-end shopping, changing to institutional (ROM, Royal Conservatory of Music, University of Toronto), then becoming the "high street" of a great neighbourhood called the Annex. You'll find a great mix of bars, book shops, coffee shops, clothing shops, and food shops. Plus the side streets that run off of Bloor in the Annex showcase some great and varied residential styles.
 
Thank you all for the wealth of great suggestions so far. They definitely help a lot for our planning (in fact, our current list will suffice for a second visit).

Also, this thread turns out to be of value to other Toronto 'newbies', too. I already recommended it to some friends of mine who will go there next spring or summer. I therefore hope you will continue to contribute posts to this thread for a while.

Ralf
 
Urbandreamer, your "suggestions" will be less than helpful to our visitor. Hopefully he will understand that you are being facetious.

The ROM, already mentioned, is adjacent to the University of Toronto campus, where you may take in some architecture, both older and modern. For old architecture: University College and Hart House, located close to each other. The newest building is the Pharmacy Building, designed by world-famous architect Norman Foster. Just to its west, on College Street, is another new building, designed as a laboratory / research building, but not at all boring; in fact, thought by many to be one of the best buildings in the city. Look inside both of these, at least as far as the lobby.

From there, you can wander west along College Street through the "Little Italy" restaurant / bar district. All of this may allow you to efficiently combine two or three aspects of the city, in one day's walk through a fairly compact area.

By all means go up the CN Tower if it is a clear day. You may have heard that, after 30 years, it has just lost its status as the world's tallest freestanding structure, but it's worth the trip for a first-time visitor.

You will find some lack of "historic" sites, at least by the standards of Europe where almost any city is much older. The Science Centre may be interesting, but tends to be crowded with school children.
 
I would also suggest Casa Loma, even though it's been dismissed. Along with Spadina House, it will offer some insight into Toronto's history.

You also have to check out Kensington Market, which is right beside Chinatown. Both are worth visiting. I'd also recommend Yorkville, The Beach (a neighbourhood) and some of the other areas mentioned - The University of Toronto, Little Italy, Queen West, The Hockey Hall of Fame and the Annex. St. Lawrence Market (and the surrounding neighbourhood) is worth a look too.
 
Get a Metropass and ride the streetcars (or any surface transit) to your heart's content--hop on, hop off, do stuff, whatever...you'll discover a lot that way...

(funny how nobody's raised that point, even though the original poster stated his intent to use public transit)
 
The 504 King streetcar is as good a route as any to start. For $2.75 you'll get to see (and hop on and off if you desire) some of T.O.'s most famous and diverse neighbourhoods...

The Juntion (sort of), Roncessvales/High Park, Parkdale, Liberty Village, King West, Entertainment/Theatre District, Financial District, St. Lawrence/King East/Furniture District, Corktown, Riverside, Chinatown East, Riverdale, The Danforth.
 
adma said:
Get a Metropass and ride the streetcars (or any surface transit) to your heart's content--hop on, hop off, do stuff, whatever...you'll discover a lot that way...

(funny how nobody's raised that point, even though the original poster stated his intent to use public transit)
Click to expand...

The 2nd post in the thread suggested he get a TTC weekly pass.
 
With regards to our local sports teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the main local professional hockey team playing in the National Hockey League (NHL). They are the NHLs version of Manchester United or New York Yankees, except they have not won a championship in 40 years. They play at the Air Canada Centre (ACC) and there is a good chance there will be a game on during your stay if you are here after Oct. 3rd. Tickets are expensive, and considering all the games are sold out for the season, you would have to buy them from scalpers the day of the game which will cost you even more.
schedule

If it is too much, then you could watch a Toronto Marlies game. They are another hockey team that play in a different league but is still good hockey. They play at the Ricoh Coliseum and tickets are cheaper and don't sell out.
 
First time visitor to Toronto ideas...

Marcus-I agree a TML game would be great as well as seeing the AHL Marlies. I would not mind seeing them myself. What I would like to know is about the Ricoh Coliseum-especially where it is. It is too bad that Maple Leaf Gardens could not have ended up as the Home of the Marlies-instead it becomes a grocery store.
SYN-I am the one who mentioned to get a TTC weekly pass in my reply-I wished back on my past mostly 80s trips that the TTC had flexible passes by week or more available day passes-back then they were only for weekend use only I recall. Today they are readily available-and great for frequent users. Why pay $2.75 a ride when you can purchase a pass and then get all you can ride? LI MIKE
 
marcus_a_j said:
With regards to our local sports teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the main local professional hockey team playing in the National Hockey League (NHL). They are the NHLs version of Manchester United or New York Yankees, except they have not won a championship in 40 years. They play at the Air Canada Centre (ACC) and there is a good chance there will be a game on during your stay if you are here after Oct. 3rd. Tickets are expensive, and considering all the games are sold out for the season, you would have to buy them from scalpers the day of the game which will cost you even more.
schedule

If it is too much, then you could watch a Toronto Marlies game. They are another hockey team that play in a different league but is still good hockey. They play at the Ricoh Coliseum and tickets are cheaper and don't sell out.
Click to expand...

If he goes early on game-day there's a definite possibility he could score some tickets. Not the best seats, but they're still alright for a decent price.
 
on a weekday go travel to the underground society or the underworld or the proper name the PATH.


Its amazing what you would find underground.
 
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