Ontario
Toronto
Stay beyond the CN Tower district, take the UP Express in over a taxi, build in a Niagara day, and budget for the tax and tips that land on every Toronto bill.
Best length
3-4 nights (or longer with Niagara)
Airport
Toronto Pearson (YYZ), ~22km northwest of downtown
Airport to centre
UP Express train ~25 min to Union Station, ~£7
Best base
Downtown for first-timers; West Queen West for a local feel
In short
Toronto at a glance
Toronto is best as a 3- or 4-night city break that doubles as your Canada arrival point: stay downtown or in West Queen West, take the UP Express train from Pearson rather than a taxi, do the CN Tower and Islands ferry for the skyline, and ringfence one full day for Niagara Falls. Budget in pounds and remember the shelf price is never the final price — sales tax and a 15-20% tip land on top.
The short version
- Stay downtown for everything-walkable, or West Queen West and Kensington for where Torontonians actually eat and drink.
- Take the UP Express from Pearson to Union Station (~25 min, ~£7) instead of a ~£40 taxi — it is the single easiest arrival call.
- Do the CN Tower and the Toronto Islands ferry on the same clear day; the islands give the better skyline photo and cost a fraction of the tower.
- Ringfence one full day for Niagara Falls (~1h30 each way) and only pay for the Hornblower boat, not the Clifton Hill arcades.
- Three full days covers the tower, the islands, the St Lawrence Market and Kensington, plus a Niagara day; four nights is more comfortable.
Toronto is the long-haul city break that feels reassuringly easy for a first trip: an ~8-hour nonstop from London, English-speaking, card-first, and laid out on a tidy grid you can mostly walk. The trap is treating it as a single headline sight — people fixate on the CN Tower, queue for the EdgeWalk, and miss that the better skyline photo is free from the islands and the real city is in the markets and streetcar neighbourhoods. The job of a good first trip is to take the UP Express in rather than a taxi, base yourself where the evenings are good, and stop budgeting off the shelf price, because Ontario’s 13% tax and a 15-20% tip land on top of everything.
Three full days is the practical minimum: one for the tower and the islands, one for the St Lawrence Market and Kensington, and one full day given over to Niagara Falls about ninety minutes south. Four nights is more comfortable if you want a museum afternoon or a slower patio evening. Below, the structured planning — where to stay, what to book, how to get in from Pearson, and a realistic budget in pounds — picks up from here.
Plan your Toronto trip
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Toronto
CN Tower
Book a timed CN Tower ticket online and pick a clear-day slot — the whole point is the view, and on a hazy or low-cloud day you pay full price to see fog. The General Admission ticket gets you the LookOut level and the Glass Floor; the SkyPod add-on takes you another 33 storeys higher. Allow 1.5–2 hours, go around sunset on a fine evening for the city-then-lit transition, and keep the EdgeWalk as a separate, expensive thrill rather than the default.
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
Book a timed-entry ticket online before you go — Ripley's sits right at the base of the CN Tower and the on-the-day queue can run 30-45 minutes on a wet afternoon or a school holiday, when an advance slot walks you straight in. The Dangerous Lagoon shark tunnel with its moving walkway is the centrepiece; the moon-jelly Planet Jellies gallery is the other thing people actually remember. Allow 1.5-2 hours, and aim for the first slot after opening or after about 19:00, because midday and weekend afternoons are the busiest by some margin.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Downtown / Entertainment District
£££ premiumWalkable to the CN Tower, the waterfront and the islands ferry, and on the subway, streetcar and UP Express line. The easiest first-timer base, though it is the priciest part of the city and quiet after the office crowd leaves.
Best for: First-timers who want everything walkable
West Queen West
££ mid-rangeIndependent cafes, galleries, vintage shops and bars along the streetcar line — where Torontonians actually spend an evening. Better value and more character than the tower district, at the cost of a 10-15 minute streetcar ride to the headline sights.
Best for: Food, bars and a local feel
Kensington Market / Chinatown
£ valueThe most multicultural pocket in the city, packed with cheap eats and market stalls. Atmospheric and central-ish, but noisier and patchier on hotels, so it suits short stays over a quiet base.
Best for: Food-led trips, budget eaters
The Annex / Yorkville
££ mid-rangeLeafy, residential Annex around the university shades into upmarket Yorkville with its designer shops and pricier hotels. Calmer and greener than downtown; pick the Annex for value and Yorkville only if you want the polish.
Best for: Quieter stays, longer trips
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| UP Express to Union Station | ~25 min | about CA$13 (~£7) single | Easiest with luggage; runs every ~15 min |
| TTC subway Line 2 from Kipling (via bus) | ~50-70 min | about CA$3.35 (~£1.80) | Cheapest but slow and with a change |
| Taxi or rideshare | ~30-50 min with traffic | usually CA$60-75 (~£32-40) | Good for late arrivals or groups |
When to go
Sweet spot: May, June, September and early October are the sweet spot: warm enough for the islands and patio season, comfortable for walking, and lighter on the July-August crowds and prices. October adds the fall colour that peaks across Ontario.
High summer (July-August) is warm and lively with full patio and festival season, but the busiest and priciest, and the islands and Niagara get packed. Winter (December-March) is genuinely cold, with snow and short days, though Christmas markets and indoor museums hold up. Spring and autumn give the best balance of weather, value and crowds.
What it costs
UK return flights to Toronto run roughly £400-£700 from London (Air Canada, British Airways, WestJet fly the ~8-hour nonstop), dipping lower on cheap May and September dates and topping £800+ in the July-August peak. Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh have seasonal nonstops; off-peak you may connect through a hub.
Daily budget per person
Two things catch UK visitors out in Toronto: Ontario adds 13% HST to the shelf or menu price, and restaurant tipping of 15-20% is expected, so a CA$100 meal really costs about CA$130. Card terminals prompt high suggested tips first, so check before you tap.
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