2 days in Toronto

Day by day

1. Day 1: CN Tower and Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

   CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Royal Ontario Museum and Art Gallery of Ontario, then Nathan Phillips Square in the evening.

   1. Morning

      CN Tower

      Lifts reach the LookOut level, with its glass floor, in about a minute, and the SkyPod higher up looks across Lake Ontario. Thrill-seekers can book EdgeWalk, a harnessed walk around the outside ledge at 356 metres.

   2. Late morning

      Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

      At the foot of the CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium holds around 20,000 animals, with a moving walkway through the Dangerous Lagoon shark tunnel, a gallery of glowing jellyfish and touch pools of rays and horseshoe crabs.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Peameal bacon sandwich

      Carousel Bakery and other counters at St. Lawrence Market.

   4. Afternoon

      Royal Ontario Museum

      Daniel Libeskind's crystal-shaped extension, added in 2007, juts out over Bloor Street.

   5. Late afternoon

      Art Gallery of Ontario

      Frank Gehry, who grew up nearby, redesigned the building in 2008, adding the timber-lined Galleria Italia and a sculptural spiral staircase.

   6. Evening

      Nathan Phillips Square

      Come after dark for photos of the lit sign, and bring or rent skates in winter.

2. Day 2: St. Lawrence Market and Distillery District

   St. Lawrence Market, Distillery District, Toronto Islands and Kensington Market, then King Street West in the evening.

   1. Morning

      St. Lawrence Market

      The South Market hall is packed with butchers, cheesemongers, bakeries and fishmongers, and the peameal bacon sandwich from Carousel Bakery is the classic order. On Saturdays local farmers sell produce at the North Market across Front Street.

   2. Late morning

      Distillery District

      From mid-November to late December it hosts a winter village with stalls and lights.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Butter tart

      Bakeries across the city and at farmers' markets, including the bakeries of St. Lawrence Market.

   4. Afternoon

      Toronto Islands

      The ferry deck gives the classic view of the downtown skyline.

   5. Late afternoon

      Kensington Market

      On some summer Sundays the streets close to traffic for Pedestrian Sundays.

   6. Evening

      King Street West

      Clubs, rooftop lounges and late restaurants in the Entertainment District, busiest on Fridays and Saturdays.

Before you go

• CN Tower: Timed tickets bought online avoid the longest queues; EdgeWalk must be booked well ahead.
• Ripley's Aquarium of Canada: Book a timed ticket online for weekends and school holidays.
• Toronto Islands: On summer weekends buy ferry tickets online to skip the ticket-office queue.

If it rains

• Swap in Casa Loma (The Annex): Climb the towers for the view, and approach on foot up the Baldwin Steps from Spadina Avenue.
• Swap in Hockey Hall of Fame (Financial District): Pair it with a Maple Leafs or Raptors game at nearby Scotiabank Arena if your dates line up.
• Swap in Bata Shoe Museum (The Annex): Combine it with the ROM, a short walk east along Bloor Street.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 17–22 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.9 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. The TTC subway's Line 1 (Yonge–University) forms a U through downtown via Union Station, and Line 2 (Bloor–Danforth) crosses it east–west along Bloor Street.

More or fewer days

• One day in Toronto
• 3 days in Toronto
• 4 days in Toronto
• 5 days in Toronto
• 7 days in Toronto

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