Lonely Planet Pocket Toronto , livre ebook

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Toronto
Top Sights
Eating
Entertainment
Drinking & Nightlife
Festivals
Shopping
Freebies
For Kids
LGBTIQ+
Four Perfect Days
Need to Know
Toronto Neighborhoods

Explore Toronto

Waterfront
Toronto Islands
Entertainment & Financial Districts
Old Town, Corktown & Distillery District
Tommy Thompson Park
Downtown Yonge
Kensington Market & Chinatown
Yorkville & the Annex
West End
East Toronto & Rosedale

Worth a Trip

Niagara Falls

Survival Guide

Survival Guide
Before You Go
Arriving in Toronto
Getting Around
Essential Information
Behind the Scenes
Our Writer
Welcome to Toronto

Bright and bustling, Toronto brims with art, food, nightlife and even sandy beaches. It has must-sees like the CN Tower and first-rate museums, plus stop-you-in-your-tracks street art, hideaway eateries and walkable neighborhoods. And Canada’s largest city is proudly, and astoundingly, diverse – with deep global roots, and a tradition of welcoming the world into its fold.

Flatiron Building | DIEGO GRANDI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Toronto Top Sights

CN Tower
Toronto’s iconic, must-see tower.

MIHAI_ANDRITOIU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©; CN TOWER ARCHITECT: JOHN ANDREWS

Toronto Top Sights
Art Gallery of Ontario
Stunning Gehry-designed art museum.

REIMAR/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Toronto Top Sights
St Lawrence Market Complex
Historic farmers market and more.

KIEV.VICTOR/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Toronto Top Sights
Niagara Falls
Powerful and awe-inspiring waterfalls.

CPQ/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Toronto Top Sights
Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre
Beautifully restored double-decker theater.

CLICK IMAGES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

Toronto Top Sights
Harbourfront Centre
Impressive waterfront cultural complex.

JHVEPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES ©

Toronto Top Sights
Royal Ontario Museum
Toronto’s biggest and best museum.

JAVEN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©; ARCHITECT: DANIEL LIBESKIND

Toronto Top Sights
Evergreen Brick Works
Brick factory turned green oasis.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

Toronto Top Sights
Toronto Islands
Lovely island escape in Toronto.

LORNE CHAPMAN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

Toronto Top Sights
High Park
Arguably Toronto’s finest public park.

CANADAPANDA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Toronto Top Sights
Tommy Thompson Park
Unexpected urban nature reserve.

PUFFIN’S PICTURES/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Eating

Nowhere is Toronto’s multiculturalism more thrilling than in its restaurants. You’ll find everything from Korean walnut cakes and sweat-inducing Thai curries to good ol’ Canuck pancakes with peameal bacon and maple syrup. Fusion food is hot: traditional Western recipes are spiked with zingy Eastern ingredients, while British influences linger with fizzy lunchtime pints and formal afternoon tea.

EQROY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Global Eats
Toronto has more than 7000 restaurants, representing a phenomenal range of tastes, cultures and experiences. Most neighborhoods are known for a certain scene – there’s fine dining in the financial district, and hole-in-the-wall eats and homegrown talent in Kensington Market and Chinatown – but the truth is there’s great food from around the world in every corner of Toronto. If ever there was a place to explore, graze and experiment, this is it.

Fine Dining
Toronto is deep into the fine dining and celebrity chef scene. Restaurants are stylish and exclusive, with idiosyncratic techniques and ingredients, and usually a menu of creative cocktails. A splurge perhaps, but always Instagram-worthy.

Food Halls
Can’t decide what to eat or where to go? Dining halls may be the answer, featuring a variety of first-rate cuisines, with counter service and communal tables, and a relaxed but lively ambience. They’re uber-popular and popping up all over town; Assembly Chef’s Hall is a fine place to start.

Best Budget Eats
House of Gourmet No-frills restaurant with a dizzying number of Hong Kong–style dishes.
Seven Lives Standing-room-only place serving the best fish tacos in town.
Otto’s Bierhalle Brats, beer and communal tables evoke Oktoberfest year-round.
Annex Food Hall Industrial-chic food court with eateries from vegan to Bangkok-style street food.

Best Fine Dining
Buca Artisanal nose-to-tail Italian served in an upscale setting, soaring ceilings and all.
Lee Mid-century Modern–inspired dining room with creative Asian plates meant to be shared.
Ruby Watchco Different nightly menu of farm-to-table comfort food.
Richmond Station Streamlined restaurant with an eclectic menu of beautifully presented dishes.

Best Specialty Eats
Pow Wow Café Fry-bread tacos are the specialty at this cozy Ojibwe eatery.
Okonomi House Simple restaurant serving okonomiyaki (stuffed Japanese cabbage pancakes).
Chef’s House Culinary students work the front and back of this upscale restaurant.
Dipped Donuts Tiny bakery serving fancy doughnuts with surprising toppings.

A Taste of the World
Quirky, well-qualified guides lead offbeat tours ( % 416-923-6813; www.torontowalksbikes.com ; 2-3½hr tours $25-50) of Toronto’s nooks and crannies, usually with a foodie focus, but also including ghost hunting.

Entertainment

As you might have guessed, there’s always something going on in Toronto, from jazz and art-house cinema to offbeat theater, opera, punk rock, and hockey. In summer, free festivals and outdoor concerts are the norm, but Toronto’s live-music scene keeps grooving year-round.

COLIN WOODS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Theater
Long winter months indoors are conducive to the creation and performance of theatrical works. This, and Toronto’s relative proximity to Broadway and cosmopolitan Montréal, help sustain the city’s reputation as a theater-maker’s playground. Broadway and off-Broadway musicals and plays pack theaters around the Entertainment District and Yonge & Dundas Sq. There are numerous smaller venues and vibrant young production companies around town too.

Live Music
Dust off your Iggy Pop T-shirt, don your Docs and hit the pit. Alt-rock, metal, ska, punk and funk – Toronto has a thriving live-music scene. Bebop, smoky swamp blues, classical and acoustic balladry provide some alternatives. Expect to pay anywhere from nothing to a few dollars on weeknights, up to $20 for weekend acts.

Ticketing
In an effort to promote arts and culture, many venues and events operate a ‘Pay What You Can’ (PWYC) policy: admission is free or by donation – give what you think is reasonable. Otherwise, Ticketmaster ( www.ticketmaster.ca ) sells tickets for major concerts, sporting matches and events.

Best Iconic Experiences
Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre Historic double-decker theater with big Broadway shows.
Horseshoe Tavern Legendary stage for indie bands.
Toronto Maple Leafs Fiery fans and sold-out games make watching the Leafs unforgettable.
Second City Toronto Nightly improv and sketch comedy at an iconic comic stomping ground.

Best Live Music
Reservoir Lounge Longtime ‘it’ spot for jazz and blues.
Rex Nightly jazz and blues, from traditional to experimental.
Dakota Tavern Country-music joint with a sweet bluegrass brunch.

Best Theater
Royal Alexandra Theatre Impressive 1907 theater staging big-ticket musicals.
Soulpepper Theater company producing plays focused on the diversity of the Canadian experience.
Shakespeare in High Park Outdoor Shakespeare in one of Toronto’s prettiest parks.

Best Cinemas
TIFF Bell Lightbox Magnificent cinema complex screening independent films year-round.
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema Art deco theater showcasing documentaries and off-the-beaten-track films.

Entertainment Resources
blogTO ( www.blogto.com ) Up-to-date info on local happenings.
Now ( nowtoronto.com ) Alt-culture and live-music listings.
Tourism Toronto ( www.seetorontonow.com ) Official tourism website with events listings.

Drinking & Nightlife

Toronto’s drinking scene embraces everything from gritty dive bars to sky-high cocktail lounges, plus a clubbing scene that centers on the Entertainment District. Strict bylaws prohibit smoking indoors in public spaces, although some patios allow it. Taps start flowing around midday and last call hovers around 2am.

TRPHOTOS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Best Bars
Bar Raval Magnificent Gaudí-inspired bar serving small Spanish plates, too.
Oxley Upscale British pub with Victorian decor and glitzy clientele.
Drake Hotel Smart rooftop bar and hipster underground music venue in the West End.
O’Grady’s Irish pub popular for its patio and its Dirty Bingo Nights, hosted by drag queens.

Best Breweries
Bellwoods Brewery Award-winning beers, gourmet small plates and a hipster vibe in a two-story brewery.
Rorschach Brewing Co Century-old house turned brewery, with two patios and an ever-changing menu of beers.
Mill Street Brewery Distillery District brewery in a Victorian-era factory with over a dozen craft brews on tap.

Best City Views
Rooftop Floor-to-ceiling windows and a wraparound patio on a, yes, spectacular rooftop.
One Eighty Glitzy bar with Toronto’s highest licensed patio – 51 floors up!
Against the Grain Urban Tavern Lakefront views from a spacious patio.

Best Quirky & Unusual
Storm Crow Manor Sci-fi-themed bar with dungeon masters on staff.
Snakes & Lattes More than 1000 board games plus an eclectic drink menu.

Festivals

Toronto loves festivals! Summer months are especially busy, but count on events year-round. Arts, food and culture festivals are especially popular, including the Toronto Film Festival and Pride Toronto. Others celebrate theater, music, neighborhoods, historical events and more. Check local calendars for festivals taking place during your stay.

SHAWN GOLDBERG/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Best Performing Arts Festivals
Toronto Fringe Festival ( % 416-966-1062; http://fringetoronto.com ; $13; h early Jul) Theater festival featuring more than 150 productions chosen by lo