Downtown Toronto offers a host of experiences for visitors, from swanky neighborhoods to ethnic food stores, to the sweeping lines of the CN Tower. If you are visiting downtown Toronto, you can easily visit many of these Toronto attractions on foot, as they are concentrated near the downtown center. If you ever get tired on your walk, jump on the subway or an electric tram moving in the direction of your next destination.
Upscale Shopping in Bloor-Yorkville
East of the University of Toronto campus, the upscale shopping district of Bloor-Yorkville is the Toronto shopping haven of fashionistas with extra cash to spend. For the rest of us, it's an interesting place to check out where the well-heeled buy their heels. Bloor Street east of Bay Street, and the neighboring streets of Cumberland Street and Yorkville Avenue are packed with high-end brands such as Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, as well as some charming smaller designer boutiques. The Cumberland Theater on yes, Cumberland Street, is a great place to catch art-house films and do some celebrity-watching during the annual Toronto International Film Festival.
University of Toronto and The Annex
As you walk west on Bloor Street past Bay St and the University of Toronto campus, you will notice the shops and boutiques changing to accommodate the student lifestyle. The Annex is the name of the neighborhood on Bloor Street west of the university, and it is characterized by small boutiques selling fair-trade items or knick-knacks, and a plethora of cheap restaurants, from sushi joints to falafel stands to juice bars.
You will also encounter the multi-faceted crystal of the ROM, the Royal Ontario Museum, as you walk past Bloor Street and University Avenue. If you are at all interested in museums, this newly-renovated building houses excellent permanent and traveling exhibitions, and the architecture makes it one of the most distinctive Toronto attractions in the city.
Walk south on St. George Street and you'll enter the University of Toronto campus. Check out Convocation Hall, a beautiful classic domed building often used as a set in Hollywood films, as well as the gothic stone hall of University College. Other old buildings include the dorms and classroom buildings of Victoria and Trinity College, and the medieval edifices of St. Michael's College.
The Eaton's Center and Queen Street Shopping in Toronto
Continue walking south along St. George Street and you'll eventually get to Dundas Street. At this point, go east and you'll hit the Eaton Center, one of the most famous Toronto attractions. This multilevel shopping complex has every store you could imagine, and then some. Walk south through the mall and you'll exit on Queen Street – head west to check out the futuristic design of Toronto City Hall and the imposing courthouse buildings. Continue toward Queen Street West for more Toronto shopping, with plenty of quirky boutiques, and the studios of the Canadian music TV station, MuchMusic.
Toronto Chinatown and Kensington Market
From Queen Street and Spadina, head north to Dundas Street to get to the West Chinatown district of Toronto. Savor a bowl of lo mein or wonton dumplings, or indulge at a Toronto dim sum restaurant, before walking through the neighborhood with grocers hawking vegetables, Asian DVDs, and kitschy knick-knacks.
Off Dundas Street west of Spadina, check out Kensington Market, a small street with charming ethnic food stores and boutiques where you can pick up a unique souvenir.
The CN Tower and the Toronto Waterfront
From Chinatown, you'll probably want to hop on the subway station at Dundas and University to take you down to Union Station at Front Street. Union Station is a tourist attraction in its own right, and from here, you can walk to the base of the CN Tower. Paying an entrance fee lets you go up to the viewing platform, where you can stand on the nerve-wracking glass floor overlooking the ground hundreds of feet below.
Continue south of the CN Tower, and you'll eventually get to the waterfront, where you can check out the boutiques of the Harbourfront Centre, or if it's cold enough, go skating at the public outdoor skating rink. You can also head to the Ferry Pier to go to the Toronto Islands, if you've still got enough time, or you can save that trip to Center Island for another day.
Camilla Cheung - Camilla is a Canadian freelance writer currently living on the Central Coast of California. She has a background in teaching and ...
