Toronto
It was an early start from Quebec City to reach Toronto by train. With a stopover in Montreal, it took just over 12 hours. It was a comfortable and pleasant way to pass the day watching the scenery go by.
Downtown Toronto is compact, easy to move around with plenty to see and do. The Royal Ontario Museum with its impressive collection of dinosaurs and East Asian artefacts is well worth a visit. While the St Lawrence Market makes for a tasty and entertaining exploration.
The shiny glass and concrete high rises flanking the pristine harbour create an impressive sight. People watching here is fun, and there is a great selection of bars and restaurants. The Harbourfront Centre has a good selection of exhibitions and summer music festivals.
The CN Tower soars above the skyscrapers of the Harbourfront. The restaurant just above the main observation level revolves giving amazing 360-degree views across the harbour and the city. Booking at the restaurant gives you direct access to enjoy a leisurely lunch rather than a two-hour queue to get to the main observation level.
East of the Harbourfront is the trendy Distillery District with its 19th century cobbled streets leading to old whisky warehouses. It’s a vibrant area that has made good use of the old warehouses converting them into galleries, fancy shops, restaurants and bars.
Looking for affordable downtown accommodation, I found a box room in a small, modern and high-tech apartment twenty minutes walk north of the Distillery District. The owner was out of town and buzzed me into the main entrance and unlocked the front door of the flat remotely – all very modern! During my stay, there was an announcement over the building’s tannoy system to all residents that there would be a floor-by-floor security check. Modern maybe, but it was reminiscent of a scene from a prison film.
Going further north towards midtown, Toronto has plenty of less polished but nonetheless worthwhile areas to explore with lively nightlife on offer, such as Church Street, Wellesley, Kensington Market and Little Italy.
