- Toronto
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Canada
For some peace and quiet take the ferry to Toronto Island. You can hire a bike and cycle around the island in about two hours. Stop at the delightful Wards Island where you'll find a collection of truly unique houses and the board walk. The are beaches too. The view of the City from the ferry is stunning.
Take the ferry from Queens Quay at the bottom of Bay Street.
Brilliant Vietnamese restaurant. The noodle soup dish - Pho - is amazing.
On Spadina at St Andrews street - near Kensington Market. I think it is next to the flagpole which has the cat at the top of it!
Don’t be put off by the name – this is a classy joint in downtown Toronto! There are, however, brilliant discounts on offer with happy-hour drinks and a half-price dinner menu every day between 5 and 8 p.m.
I enjoyed watching office workers hurrying home, sat on one of the bar’s terraces with a nice cold beer…
A great place to relax with your shopping and soak up the city’s vibe.
539 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S1Y6
Toronto has some of the best shopping in North America – at least it seems that way among the boutiques and the department stores!
Far from just housing run-of-the-mill stores, the city had some great and unusual wares on sale. Honest Ed’s is the city’s first budget department store and there are some real fashion bargains to be had in here!
My only advice – make sure you have enough room in your backpack to get all those purchases home!
581 Bloor St. W., Toronto, Canada M6G 1K3
The Toronto Blue Jays are the city’s pro baseball team and, as Toronto has the most professional sports teams in Canada, its worth hitting a game to soak up the atmosphere and see how much the residents enjoy their competitive league sport!
For Europeans who, like me, are less clear about the rules of baseball, don’t worry – there are drinks and hotdogs on offer to keep you entertained too!
The season runs April through September.
One Blue Jays Way., Ste. 3200. Toronto, Canada, M5V 1J1
A bit of a local secret in the heart of Toronto. Two floors offering a surprisingly diverse and reasonable range of foods, from sandwich shops stuffed with meat (which is everywhere in Canada and about the closest thing I could find to a national dish) to Japanese and Ukrainian cuisine.
I recommend the veal and aubergine (eggplant for Americans) sandwich. Definitely worth a taste!
95 Front Street East, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1C2
A great, cheap place to stay right in the centre of Toronto. This budget hostel has a fantastic community feel and is a fun, lively place to meet other travelers. As a girl visiting Canada on my own, I felt right at home here – especially on Saturday nights where the free barbecue attracts a large proportion of the guests for a beer and a burger!
It’s located in Kensington market, about five minutes from the entertainment and shopping districts – and there’s no curfew so you can stay out exploring as late as you please.
This is a friendly place but its real selling point is the combination of the low price of a bed of the night set against their great facilities…
175 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5T 2L4, Canada
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/canada/toronto/7339/
It is a massive park in northern Ontario - it is absolutely beautiful. My wife and I stayed in a cabin there in 2002 and loved it. Loads of lakes, ecological reserves, birds, fantastic Parks Canada visitor centres.
You go up from Toronto, past Barrie, and just keep going.
Is it the best second hand record store in the world? Probably not, but it is easily the best in Toronto. Jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, Brazilian, boogie, Blue Note originals, Salsoul 12s. The lot.
607 Queen Street West
+1 416-603-0254
Yikes what a city! People are as cold as the weather. So many restrictions and laws that after a while you don't know which end is up. You can't even take your drink into the bathroom....against the law. So you have to leave it on a shelf somewhere and hope that no one spikes it. The police are brutal and bar security matches the anger of the citizens there. Now I know why tourism is almost non existant in Toronto. There is an area of downtown called 'the entertainment district'. It is a few square blocks devoted to nightlife. On a Saturday night it is completely surrounded by police. On foot on horse back and in cars. They are rude pushy and should be avoided.
The leading public gallery in Toronto has a manageably-sized collection. Intricately carved medieval prayer beads, a selection of some lesser works of 20th Century greats, some interesting Canadian pieces and a world-renowned collection of Henry Moore.
317 Dundas Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M5T 1G4
www.ago.net
Homey, funky bar (29 people max!), formerly a Portuguese lunch counter. Drinks, talk, great music from the owners' sound system and the best juke box in TO, crokinole (more Canadian than hockey), scrabble. Get there before 9 when the hipsters take over. And catch the Saturday live music (5 to 7) - Django Reinhardt reincarnated wih a big surprise.
1149 Dundas St. W - Dundas and Ossington - look for Nazarre Lunch sign. Open 4 to 2.
A large shopping mall located in the Downtown area, parallel to Yonge Street and running from Dundas to Queen. Over 200 shops on four levels, ranging from the cheap and cheerful on the lowest level to designer names at the very top.
You don't have to spend money, you can window shop and look at the canada geese scuptures 'flying' down the mall.
Downtown Totonto, next to Dundas and Queen TTC stations.
www.torontoeatoncentre.com/home/index.ch2
The Spaghetti Factory is a quirky restaurant that is excellent value for money - a loaf of freshly baked sour dough bread, free refill soft drinks, starter, ice cream and tea and coffee, are included with the price of your main course. Fantastic for feeding a whole family!
The restaurant itself is a treasure trove of Tiffany glass panels and lights, mismatched furniture means you may be seated on a grand wooden throne or inside a reclaimed streetcar, and should you glance up check out the many artefacts and trinkets that adds to the family atmosphere.
#54 The Esplanade
Toronto, Ontario
M5E 1A6
(416) 864-9761
Parking available; Meter & pay parking
The alternative (and best) part of town as far as I can see. Londoners will recognise it as a genuine, more truly independent Camden. Authentic food from many countries, an anarchist bookstore, numerous cafes and clothing stores.
Backs onto Chinatown off Spadina Ave.
We went there 18 months ago whilst on a short visit to the city.
Water infused with melon. Loads of different teas to try. The afternoon tea itself was served in a bento box and delicious - share it! Lots of cake and interesting sandwiches too.
The deco was so cool - mish-mash chairs and tablecloths, and china cups. We sat out in the back (old coach) with low seats and a rocking chair.
The staff were so nice and helpful. A real oasis.
696 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON; tel: 416 203 8882;
www.torontolife.com/guide/food/coffee-tea/the-red-tea-box
This is a fabulous website for families looking for things to do in Toronto or the Greater Toronto Area. Find baby- and child-friendly events, attractions, activities, theatre, concerts, entertainment and other local parenting resources.
If you’re a sports fan with a few hours to kill go and watch the Blue Jays baseball team. Tickets start at £4.50, it’s a great day out with a great family atmosphere.
The Rogers Centre is next door to the CN Tower
Old Jewish market with no multinationals or chainstores. It's now very diverse and full of cheap quality foods and second hand clothes stalls. Go in summer for reggae in the streets and a chickpea patty. It's also home to some obscure and brilliant nightspots.
Just west of Spadina Ave, a few blocks north of Queen
One of the best cities for regional Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, and a host of others. If you have a friend with a car, check out Scarborough and Mississauga for them, also Richmond Hill and Markham for Chinese. Almost every strip mall has cheap and amazing, authentic food, much more authentic and diverse than the better known areas downtown.
Spicy, vegetarian and non-vegetarian south Indian:
Anjappar Chettinnad, 3090 Eglinton Avenue East, Scarborough; tel: 416 265 2695
Fang's Restaurant (Hong Kong food)
3225 Hwy 7, Markham; tel: 905 947-9969
Dragon Dynasty (banquet food and dim sum)
2301 Brimley Road, Scarborough; tel: 416 321 9000
Vegetarian south Indian:
Saravana Bhavan 4559 Hurontario St (at Eglinton) Miss.; tel: 905 290 0769
also 1571 Sandhurst Circle (Finch & McCowan); tel: 416 293 7755
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