With kids · Toronto · Canada
Toronto with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: JK Liu, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Toronto is easy with children: the aquarium, the ROM's dinosaurs, the island ferries and Centreville amusement park, free animals in High Park and big parks make it simple to mix sights and play. Strollers are manageable on transit, though not every older subway station has a lift. Top picks: Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Royal Ontario Museum and Toronto Islands. Families usually base themselves in Entertainment District.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 8
- Best area for families
- Entertainment District
- Rainy-day options
- 4
- Busiest months
- July–August
Best things to do with kids
Aquarium · Entertainment District
1.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.
Late-evening sessions and weekday mornings are much quieter than weekend afternoons.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Book a timed ticket online for weekends and school holidays.
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Museum · Yorkville
2.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. Daniel Libeskind's crystal-shaped extension, added in 2007, juts out over Bloor Street.
Start with the dinosaur gallery before school groups arrive, then pick two or three other galleries rather than trying to see everything.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Island · Toronto Harbour
3.Toronto Islands
A short ferry ride across the harbour, the car-free Toronto Islands have lake beaches, picnic lawns, bike paths, the 1808 Gibraltar Point lighthouse and the Centreville amusement park for young children. The ferry deck gives the classic view of the downtown skyline.
Take the ferry to Ward's Island in the morning, walk or cycle west along the boardwalk, and return from Centre Island or Hanlan's Point at sunset for skyline photos.
- Time needed
- Half a day to a full day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- On summer weekends buy ferry tickets online to skip the ticket-office queue.
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Views
- Photo spot
- Couples
Landmark · Entertainment District
4.CN Tower
At 553 metres, the CN Tower was the world's tallest free-standing structure for more than 30 years after it opened in 1976. 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.
Go about an hour before sunset to see the city by day and lit up, and skip it on hazy or low-cloud days.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets bought online avoid the longest queues; EdgeWalk must be booked well ahead.
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- After dark
- Photo spot
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Park · High Park
5.High Park
Toronto's largest park covers about 160 hectares of oak savannah, ravines and Grenadier Pond, with a free small zoo of bison, llamas and capybaras, an adventure playground and cherry trees that draw crowds when they bloom, usually in late April or early May.
Take Line 2 to High Park station and walk south through the park to Grenadier Pond and the zoo.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Couples
Castle · The Annex
6.Casa Loma
Financier Sir Henry Pellatt built this Gothic Revival castle between 1911 and 1914, complete with towers, secret passages, an 800-foot tunnel to the stables and a glass-domed conservatory. Rooms are furnished in period style, and the terraced gardens look out over the city.
Climb the towers for the view, and approach on foot up the Baldwin Steps from Spadina Avenue.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Architecture
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Zoo · Rouge Valley
7.Toronto Zoo
Canada's largest zoo covers about 287 hectares on the city's eastern edge, with animals grouped by world region, including polar bears on the Tundra Trek and indoor pavilions for African and Indo-Malayan species.
Plan a full day, wear comfortable shoes and use the seasonal Zoomobile if young children tire.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Museum · Financial District
8.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. Interactive zones let visitors shoot pucks and face virtual shots in goal.
Pair it with a Maple Leafs or Raptors game at nearby Scotiabank Arena if your dates line up.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Rainy-day ideas
- Ripley's Aquarium of Canada — Late-evening sessions and weekday mornings are much quieter than weekend afternoons.
- Royal Ontario Museum — Start with the dinosaur gallery before school groups arrive, then pick two or three other galleries rather than trying to see everything.
- Casa Loma — Climb the towers for the view, and approach on foot up the Baldwin Steps from Spadina Avenue.
- Hockey Hall of Fame — Pair it with a Maple Leafs or Raptors game at nearby Scotiabank Arena if your dates line up.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, families and nightlife
Entertainment District
The blocks between Union Station and Queen Street hold the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, Ripley's Aquarium, the Royal Alexandra and Princess of Wales theatres and the TIFF Lightbox cinema on King Street West. It has the city's biggest concentration of hotels and restaurants, the underground PATH network for winter, and the UP Express to Pearson from Union.
- Good
- Walk to the main sights and the waterfront; Direct UP Express link to Pearson; Plenty of restaurants and theatres
- Watch out
- High-rise and busy, with little character; Expensive hotels on event nights
- Nearby
- CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Rogers Centre, Union Station
Family travel tips
- Children aged 12 and under ride the TTC free.
- Centreville amusement park on Centre Island suits younger children and usually opens from late spring to early autumn.
- The CN Tower and Ripley's Aquarium are next door to each other, so book them for the same day.
- In winter, skating at Nathan Phillips Square is free if you bring skates, and the PATH keeps walks warm.
- Splash pads in city parks are free on hot summer days.
Day trips for families
- Niagara Falls (About 1.5–2 hours by car, train or bus) — The Horseshoe Falls drop about 50 metres across the Canada–US border, with the American Falls beside them.
- Algonquin Provincial Park (About 3 hours by car) — Ontario's best-known wilderness park of lakes, maple forest and canoe routes is famous for autumn colour, usually peaking from late September to early October, and for moose sightings along the Highway 60 corridor.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–October. July–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Toronto good for kids?
Toronto is easy with children: the aquarium, the ROM's dinosaurs, the island ferries and Centreville amusement park, free animals in High Park and big parks make it simple to mix sights and play. Strollers are manageable on transit, though not every older subway station has a lift.
+What can kids do in Toronto?
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Islands, CN Tower and High Park.
+Where should families stay in Toronto?
Entertainment District: CN Tower, theatres and Union Station in the downtown core.