10 Things to Do in Toronto, from the ROM to the Islands

I have seen Toronto from the top of 1,776 stairs and from a picnic lawn across the harbour. In between, I have walked under sharks at the foot of the CN Tower, spent Christmas night in the lobby of the Fairmont Royal York, and wandered the Distillery District between banks of snow.

This list is built from those visits, with a few favourites from other trips. It runs from the dinosaurs at the Royal Ontario Museum to the vintage racks of Kensington Market. Some of these places I know from the inside, including the CN Tower’s main stairwell, which I climbed for charity. One, Casa Loma, I have only admired from the outside so far, and going in is on my list for next time.

The ten aren’t ranked. They’re grouped by area, so neighbours sit together. The list starts with the landmarks around the foot of the CN Tower, then heads through downtown and east to Old Town and the Distillery. From there it goes up to the museum and Casa Loma, across to Kensington, and finally over the water to the Toronto Islands, where the whole skyline lines up like a postcard.

10 Things to Do in Toronto at a Glance
🗼 Around the tower · CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and the Fairmont Royal York sit within a few blocks
🛍️ Downtown & Old Town · The Eaton Centre and St. Lawrence Market, then east to the Distillery District
🦕 Uptown · The Royal Ontario Museum and Casa Loma
🌆 West & water · Kensington Market and, by ferry, the Toronto Islands
🎟️ Good to know · Not ranked but grouped by area, so neighbours visit together — and the CN Tower and aquarium share one site

1. CN Tower

Those 1,776 stairs are inside the CN Tower. I climbed them for United Way’s ClimbUP, a charity event that sends climbers up 144 flights to the LookOut level. It has run for more than four decades and raises money to fight poverty in the Toronto area.

From the ground, the tower is just as hard to ignore. At 553.33 metres, it was the world’s tallest freestanding structure from its opening until 2007, and it is still the tallest in the Western Hemisphere. It opened to the public on 26 June 1976, which made 2026 its 50th anniversary. At night the shaft lights up in colour, and on the evening I took these photos it glowed red, white and purple.

2. Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada sits right at the base of the tower, between it and the Rogers Centre, so the two make an easy pair for one outing.

The highlight is Dangerous Lagoon, a 96-metre tunnel with a moving walkway that carries visitors underneath sharks. I was scared at times, though I knew I was perfectly safe inside the tunnel, and that mix is exactly what makes it fun. Planet Jellies is the calmer counterpart, with jellyfish glowing in dark rooms.

3. Fairmont Royal York

Across Front Street from Union Station stands the Fairmont Royal York, which the Canadian Pacific Railway opened on 11 June 1929. At 28 storeys, it was briefly the tallest building in the British Empire, and members of the Royal Family have stayed there on visits to the city.

I spent Christmas night 2025 in its lobby, and I would happily do it again. The decorations change every year. That year it was white-lit trees, giant nutcracker figures and the clock glowing above the bar. That same day I had Christmas dinner at Reign, the hotel’s restaurant, and the turkey tasted like home. For decorations and service at Christmas, nowhere else in Toronto comes close for me.

4. Eaton Centre

I went to the Eaton Centre on Boxing Day, and the crowd filled every level. The real reason to go, though, is above the shoppers’ heads. Flight Stop, Michael Snow’s flock of 60 fibreglass Canada geese, has hung under the glass roof since 1979.

The geese have their own Christmas story. In 1981, the mall tied red ribbons around their necks for the holiday season. Snow had not been consulted, so he took the Eaton Centre to court and won, in what became a leading Canadian case on artists’ moral rights. On Boxing Day, a light-up reindeer and a tall blue tree stood beneath the flock, and the geese flew on undecorated.

5. St. Lawrence Market

In Old Town Toronto, St. Lawrence Market has been part of city life since 1803. Even the street sign on The Esplanade carries its name.

It is always busy, and it is worth more than one stop. The produce is fresh, and shoppers can sample on site, which makes it easy to wander from counter to counter. At one fruit stall, the strawberries were stacked high in green cardboard pints.

6. Distillery District

Further east, the Distillery District began as the Gooderham and Worts distillery, founded in 1832, which grew into the largest distillery in the British Empire. Distilling stopped in 1990. Today its brick and stone buildings make up the largest collection of Victorian industrial architecture in North America, all on pedestrian-only cobblestone lanes.

I went in December, during the Distillery Winter Village, Toronto’s Christmas market. Snow was piled in banks along the lanes and string lights crossed overhead. I arrived before the 4 p.m. ticket cut-off, so entry was free. Breakfast at Cluny came first, and it was packed and delicious. If a big city can keep its Christmas spirit, this is how it does it.

7. Royal Ontario Museum

The Royal Ontario Museum stands at Bloor Street and Queen’s Park. I visited in November 2024, during OpenROM, the renovation of its main floor and Bloor Street entrance.

Even with construction under way, the dinosaur galleries were the highlight. I rate the ROM’s displays above those at the Natural History Museum in London, Canadian bias admitted. I rushed through the ancient-world galleries to get to the dinosaurs, which gives me a good reason to go back.

8. Casa Loma

On a hill above Davenport Road stands Casa Loma, Spanish for “Hill House”, built between 1911 and 1914 for the financier Sir Henry Pellatt. With 98 rooms, it was the largest private residence in Canada. Pellatt’s fortune did not last. After the First World War his finances collapsed, the city raised his property taxes, and he had to leave the house in the 1920s. Today it belongs to the City of Toronto.

I have only seen Casa Loma’s exterior, during the holiday season, and it was beautiful even from outside. Going inside requires a ticket, and it is on my list for next time.

9. Kensington Market

West of Spadina Avenue, Kensington Market is the cosier counterpart to St. Lawrence. It works like a neighbourhood flea market spread over a few streets, with vintage clothing racks on the sidewalks, small food shops and murals on the brick walls.

In the early 1900s, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe built it into an open-air market, and by the 1920s it was known as the Jewish Market. Later waves of newcomers each left their mark, and it is now a National Historic Site of Canada.

10. Toronto Islands

Finish where the postcard views are. The Toronto Islands sit just offshore in Lake Ontario, about 15 minutes from downtown by ferry, and they are free of cars. On a sunny day, they are made for long strolls and picnics on the grass. Looking back across the water, the city could be a postcard.

Runners have it best. The Ward’s Island boardwalk runs for 1.5 kilometres along the lake, with no traffic to dodge. For joggers, this is the place to be.

Bubbly Tips

• Go underground in bad weather. The Fairmont Royal York and the Eaton Centre both connect to the PATH, Toronto’s network of more than 30 kilometres of underground walkways. From the Royal York, you can reach Union Station without stepping outside, and Queen station on Line 1 opens straight into the Eaton Centre.
• Use the Weston Entrance at the ROM. While OpenROM work continues, the Bloor Street doors have been closed and visitors enter through the Weston Entrance on Queen’s Park. Check the museum’s website before you go.
• Time your Winter Village visit. The 2026 Distillery Winter Village runs from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 and is closed on Christmas Day. Entry is free before 4 p.m. on most days, and free all day Monday to Wednesday until 13 December. Tickets, from $16 plus HST and fees, are required after 4 p.m. on Fridays to Sundays, on Thursdays in December, and every day from 14 to 31 December. Children nine and under always enter free.
• Wear sturdy shoes in the Distillery. The lanes are cobblestone, and in winter the snow gets piled in banks along the edges.
• Save room for peameal bacon. Carousel Bakery, on the upper level of the South Market, is known for its peameal bacon sandwich, a Toronto specialty. The South Market is closed on Mondays, and on Sundays the antiques market adds dozens of dealers to the mix.
• Check the ferry season before heading to the Islands. Ferries leave from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay Street, at Queens Quay. From mid-October to mid-April, they sail to Ward’s Island only.
• Climb the CN Tower for a cause. United Way’s ClimbUP takes place every autumn, usually in October or November. Climbers fundraise for the cause, so check United Way Greater Toronto’s website for dates and registration.
• Pair the tower and the aquarium. The CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada share the same patch of ground, so one ticketed visit can follow straight on from the other.

Final Thoughts

Three of these ten are still unfinished business for me. I have only seen Casa Loma from the outside, I want the ROM’s ancient-world galleries without the rush once the renovation is done, and I’m curious what the Royal York’s lobby will look like this Christmas.

The CN Tower, at least, I can cross off. After 1,776 steps, I’ve more than earned the elevator.

Until next time!

xoxo,
Bubbly 🎈