In October 2018, I spent a long weekend in Toronto for my fall break. Here is my itinerary for a fun long weekend in Toronto, Canada!
Weekend in Toronto: Day 1
For my weekend in Toronto, I drove from Holland, MI. It took about 8 hours to get there. Even though you won’t need a car to get around the city, I always recommend driving when possible to save money and have transportation to locations outside of the city center. After crossing the border into Canada, you can exchange U.S. dollars for Canadian dollars. At the time of my visit (October 2018), $1 Canadian was equal to about USD $0.75. If you are not close enough to drive, there is an international airport located right in Toronto.
During my weekend in Toronto I stayed at One King West Residence and Hotel. The location of this hotel is amazing. It is right across the street from the streetcar stop and right above the King Street Subway station. All the locations mentioned in this itinerary are either walking distance from the hotel or easily accessible using the subway or streetcar system. I found the public transportation in Toronto very easy to use. The concierge at the hotel are also very helpful at explaining how to use the public transportation and providing directions to all of the places you want to go. A cool thing about the One King West is that is used to be an old bank. In the lower level there is a large open vault that you can go inside of and take pictures.
Second City
If you are arriving in the evening, spend your first night in Toronto watching a show at Second City. I saw their most recent show at the time which was titled “The Best Is Yet To Come Undone”. From the hotel, it only takes about 15 minutes to walk there. If you are unfamiliar with Second City, it is an improv comedy cabernet. If you are up for a late-night in the city, there are plenty of bars nearby to check out after the show.
Weekend in Toronto: Day 2
Start the first morning of your weekend in Toronto by having breakfast at Marche. This is a really cool European style marketplace with all the food set up at different stations. Some of the breakfast stations you can choose from omelets, crepes, pastries, smoothies, coffee drinks, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and simple egg breakfasts. This restaurant can be a little expensive, but the food is great, and they have a large variety of food to choose from. This restaurant is less than a 5-minute walk from the hotel, so it is in a great location.
Eaton Centre
After breakfast, spend the afternoon shopping at Eaton Centre. This is the largest mall I have ever been to! It has four levels and over 100 stores to shop at. Some of the stores I really enjoyed were Call It Spring, La Senza, and La Vie En Rose. Call It Spring is a super cute shoe store, I would describe La Senza as the Canadian version of Victoria’s secret and, I personally loved all the pajamas at La Vie En Rose. Shopping at Eaton Centre is the perfect way to spend a cold or rainy day in Toronto.
Old City Hall and the Toronto Sign
After you are done shopping for the day, go see Old City Hall and take pictures in front of the Toronto sign. The Toronto sign is located in Nathan Phillips Square which is right across the street from the Old City Hall. Both of these sites are close to the Eaton Centre, so it is convenient to go on the same day.
Distillery District
For your second evening in Toronto, have dinner in the Distillery District. During my weekend in Toronto, I decided to have dinner at Mill Street Brewery. From my hotel, I was able to take the streetcar to the Distillery District. At Mill Street Brewery I had an elk burger with fries and the candy apple cider. After dinner, having dessert at Cacao 70 is a must! This amazing chocolate dessert restaurant is located in the Distillery District and it is a quick 5-minute walk from the Mill Street Brewery. I had dark chocolate fondue and dark chocolate hot chocolate. Both of these items were amazing! Besides restaurants, there plenty of shops and cute photo areas to check out in the Distillery District.
Weekend in Toronto: Day 3
For your second morning in Toronto, have breakfast at Over Easy. This is a cute little breakfast place located less than a 5-minute walk from the hotel. At Over Easy you will find a large selection of omelets, benedicts, and other egg breakfasts.
Casa Loma
After breakfast, go to Casa Loma. You can take the train to get to Casa Loma from the hotel. It was Canadian Thanksgiving while I was in Toronto and I was able to get a special deal on the all-day train pass! This was great because it allowed me to get on and off the train as many times and I needed to all day. Upon arriving at Casa Loma, I decided to purchase a Toronto City Pass. If you are planning to visit 2 or more attractions in the city, the Toronto City Pass is a great deal. This pass includes entry to Casa Loma, The Royal Ontario Museum, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, CN Tower, and Toronto Zoo.
Casa Loma is a castle located in midtown Toronto that was built in 1914. This castle contains 98 rooms and is 70,000 square feet. If you want to learn more about the history of Casa Loma check out this very informative video. Since I was visiting in October, Casa Loma was all decorated for their haunted house. I was able to see their haunted area which included their underground tunnels and stables for free since it was daytime. Casa Loma also has escape rooms year-round. I would highly recommend visiting Haunted Casa Loma at night if you have time.
The Royal Ontario Museum
When you are done exploring Casa Loma, go to the Royal Ontario Museum. You can easily get there by taking the train to the museum station. The Royal Ontario Museum has been named one of the top 10 cultural institutions in North America and is home to 13 million pieces of artwork and 40 gallery/exhibition spaces. This is Canada’s largest and most comprehensive museum. I did not have much time for the museum during my visit, so I took the highlights tour. This tour is very informative and provides a guided tour of the most popular museum exhibits in about one hour. When it is not part of the city pass museum admission costs $20.
Graffiti Alley
If you are a fan of street art, you might enjoy Graffiti Alley. This area can also be reached with public transportation but, I do not remember the exact directions. The start of Graffiti Alley is located right behind an Urban Outfitters store. This area is quite dirty in some parts but, there are a lot of amazing murals to check out.
After a long day of sightseeing, I recommend stopping for dinner somewhere near the hotel. One place I would recommend is the Craft Beer Market.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
After dinner, spend the evening at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. This is a great time to visit the aquarium because it is much less crowded than it is earlier in the day. I was one of the only people there, so I was able to get up close to all of the tanks and spend as much time as I wanted in each area. The aquarium is open until 10pm so you will have plenty of time to visit after dinner.
After you are done in the aquarium you can take pictures in front of the Canada sign, CN tower sign, and a little waterfall. All of these are lit up at night and they are right outside of the aquarium.
Weekend in Toronto: Day 4
For your final morning in Toronto, I suggest having a quick breakfast at Croissant Express Cafe. This cute little cafe is located right across the street from the hotel, so it is very convenient for a quick breakfast.
CN Tower
Before heading home, make a stop at CN Tower. Even early in the morning, there were very long lines to get in. It is very beneficial to have the city pass so that you can skip the ticket line. The CN Tower became one of the seven wonders of the modern world in 1995 and it now provides entertainment and multiple food venues.
