Museums · Toronto · Canada
5 best museums in Toronto
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Canmenwalker, CC BY 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario and Hockey Hall of Fame. Together the 5 picks below take roughly 10–12 hours across 5 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 5
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 10–12 hours
- Areas
- Yorkville, Grange Park and Financial District
Museums in Toronto
Museum · Yorkville
1.Royal Ontario Museum
Canada's largest museum mixes natural history and world cultures, from dinosaur skeletons and a walk-through bat cave to Chinese temple murals, Egyptian mummies and First Nations art.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Gallery · Grange Park
2.Art Gallery of Ontario
The AGO holds one of North America's larger art collections, strong on Canadian painting, including the Group of Seven and Indigenous artists, alongside European works and the Thomson Collection.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Museum · Financial District
3.Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame fills the lower level of Brookfield Place and the 1885 former Bank of Montreal building at Front and Yonge, where the Stanley Cup sits beneath a stained-glass dome.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · The Annex
4.Bata Shoe Museum
Designed by Raymond Moriyama to evoke a shoebox, this museum on Bloor Street holds more than 13,000 shoes and related objects spanning about 4,500 years, from ancient Egyptian sandals and Inuit boots to celebrity footwear.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Don Mills
5.Aga Khan Museum
Opened in 2014, the Aga Khan Museum presents the arts of Muslim civilisations from Spain to China — manuscripts, ceramics, textiles and scientific instruments — in a white granite building by Fumihiko Maki, set in formal gardens with reflecting pools.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Yorkville | Royal Ontario Museum | 3 hours |
| Grange Park | Art Gallery of Ontario | 2–3 hours |
| Financial District | Hockey Hall of Fame | 1.5–2 hours |
| The Annex | Bata Shoe Museum | 1–1.5 hours |
| Don Mills | Aga Khan Museum | 2 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 5, 1 low cost, 4 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Royal Ontario Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Yorkville): Royal Ontario Museum, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Grange Park and Financial District): Art Gallery of Ontario → Hockey Hall of Fame, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (The Annex and Don Mills): Bata Shoe Museum → Aga Khan Museum, at least 3 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 0°C (32°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still cold and snowy, with good skating at Nathan Phillips Square and the Harbourfront rink.
- March: highs of 5°C (41°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Thaw and freeze alternate, bringing slushy streets and grey skies, but hotel prices stay low outside the mid-March school break.
- November: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 11 rainy days, quiet crowds. Grey and chilly, with the first snow possible; holiday markets and lights open mid-month.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Yorkville — Designer shops, galleries and luxury hotels beside the ROM
- Queen West and Ossington — Independent shops, galleries and bars along Queen Street West
- Kensington Market and Chinatown — Vintage shops, global cheap eats and Spadina's dim sum halls
- The Annex — Victorian houses, the university and Bloor Street cafés and bars
More of Toronto
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Toronto?
Royal Ontario Museum. Canada's largest museum mixes natural history and world cultures, from dinosaur skeletons and a walk-through bat cave to Chinese temple murals, Egyptian mummies and First Nations art.