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Toronto hotels

Overview                    Prepare                    Get Around                    Highlights

Hotels in Toronto can quickly become fully booked, especially in the summer season, so it is important to book them well in advance.  Toronto hotels are mostly situated outside of the downtown core of the city, and range from basic rooms to luxury hotels affording every comfort. 

 Each district of Toronto offers a different atmosphere to its hotel residents.... 

Each district of Toronto offers a different atmosphere to its hotel residents.  Whether you opt for a hotel in the up and coming Harbourfront district, or in the bohemian Kensington market area, you are assured of warm hospitality.   There's a thriving theatre district, and a food and shopping centre known as The Annex, with a fashion district in Queen Street West.  Gay and Lesbian travellers may want to seek a hotel in the Wellesley district, whilst those who enjoy architecture could look to the Victorian styles of the curiously named Cabbagetown area.  Greektown and The Beach areas are also very popular locations, the former offering great food options, and the latter considered to be very hip and trendy

Cheap hotels in Toronto can be found using our price comparison facility, but this can be an expensive place to stay, so be prepared to search well in advance for good prices and to book early to secure your hotel rooms.

 

Overview

Overview

A happy mix of over 80 ethnic groups, Toronto is passionate about the good things in life: food, fine art, music and partying. What it lacks in history it makes up for in world-class theatre, enthusiastic music festivals and Greek, Italian and other intriguing neighbourhoods.

See

Travel up the breathtaking outside elevator to the observation decks of the CN Tower (553m tall) to see as far as Buffalo in the US and Niagara Falls on the border. Visit the Air Canada Centre to see a pro basketball game (Apr-Sep) or the Rogers Centre for baseball (Oct-Apr). And be dazzled by the uncut gemstones, mined in the north of the province, at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Spend

If you're confident of getting it home, pick out a Muskoka chair for your back garden on Queen Street West. Muse over the sandstone Inuit sculptures at the Queens Quay, and wander through the India Bazaar on Gerrard Street East and take away some South Asian-style goods.
Get Out

Travel the 15-minute ferry ride to the Toronto Islands. The outer edges of the islands offer sand dunes and beaches, including the clothing-optional Hanlan's Point. Back in Toronto proper, make for Ashbridges Bay for a stroll along the boardwalk to marvel at up to 100 beach volleyball games that go on simultaneously during summer evenings.
Culture

Toronto's theatre scene rivals those of London and New York. You can experience top shows on Victoria and King streets. Rock to new hip bands along Queen Street. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra often performs in the Roy Thompson Hall, which has powerful acoustics.
Eat & Drink

Think of an ethnic cuisine you want, and Toronto serves it. Enjoy simple and elegant Italian dishes on College Street, while Greek food dominates the Danforth area eateries. Sample speciality meats from bison to Canadian back bacon in the Distillery district.
New Perspective

The Royal Ontario Museum renovation features more galleries and a new entrance within a structure that is designed like a huge crystal. It's a nod to the 'wow' collection of massive uncut gem stones that are on display.

Prepare

Prepare

Toronto has four very distinct seasons. You'll want light and breezy garments for the middle of summer, and a heavy winter jacket if you're visiting in the dead of winter. Bring also a neat, polite and outdoorsy aura.

Toronto Year

Join the procession in June as Toronto hosts its huge Pride parade, and dance along Queen Street East during the Beaches International Jazz Festival in July. Mingle with a million partygoers in August to celebrate the Caribana carnival, and enjoy the waterfront festivities at August's Canadian National Exhibition. In September, get among a smorgasbord of gala parties, films and Hollywood stars at the Toronto International Film Festival. Visit the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in November, complete with carriage races and performing dogs.
Public Holidays

New Year's Day (1 Jan), Good Friday (Mar/Apr), Easter Monday (Mar/Apr), Victoria Day (May), Canada Day (1 Jul), Civic Holiday (Aug), Labour Day (Sep), Thanksgiving (Oct), Remembrance Day (Nov), Christmas Day (25 Dec), Boxing Day (26 Dec).
Weather

You may encounter temperatures that soar well above 30˚C with humidity in summer, and dip below -30°C in January and February. Summer average highs range between 17°C and 26°C, making finding some shade or taking a dip very attractive prospects. Winter average highs are between -2°C and 6°C, when ice skating outdoors becomes the activity of choice for the locals.
Electricity

120v ac, 60 Hz, two flat–pin parallel plugs are standard.
Dialling Code

+1 (Canada), +416 (Toronto) + seven-digit number.
Money

The Canadian dollar (C$) is the currency.
GMT

GMT -5.
Toronto Tourist Info.

Toronto Tourism website.

Fit In

Torontonians look businesslike during the working week. On Bay Street sport a suit or dress, but for the gay Village area at night pull on your club wear. The look uptown is smart casual, while at the beach it's laid-back – or nothing at all.

Get Around

Get Around

Toronto is bordered on the south end by Lake Ontario. The city sprawls on all fronts from the downtown core, with many streets so long and straight they'd make a Roman town planner weep with joy.

The key to embracing Toronto is its great public transit system. Many residents don't have to own a car – quite shocking for North America.

Bay Street is where the Toronto Stock Exchange is located downtown. To the west is trendy Queen Street West, the college life of the Annex, and the patios of Little Italy. The lively Village area is found in the north, along with the high-end shops and boutiques of Bloor Street and Yorkville. Find the flair and restaurants of Greektown in the Danforth area and Toronto's Beach community at its east side.
Subway

Toronto's subway is the quickest and preferred way for locals to get around. The four main subway lines are all part of one zone, transporting you to most parts of the central area. It can be busy during rush hour.
Taxi

There are lots of taxis in Toronto, and they'll get you where you want to go in a hurry, including the airport. A 10-20% tip is common.
Bus

Toronto's plentiful buses have got the Greater Toronto Area covered. When the subway stops they keep going.
Foot

Toronto is exceptionally clean for a big city – the fifth largest in North America – so walking is a joy, weather permitting. In winter the way to get around downtown and stay warm against the heaps of snow outside is by taking the PATH. It's a network of 27km of underground walkways that meander past hundreds of shops, businesses and medical clinics.
Street Car

Toronto has a number of routes handled by streetcars. It's one of the only cities in North America that uses them.
Transport Tips

You can get Single Trip transportation tickets or a Day Pass. One ticket is valid for all public transport, except for the Go Trains that take commuters out to the suburbs. You can also purchase a weekly GTA Pass for access to metro Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton and York – including the GO Trains this time.
Time Travel

Take a visit to where modern Toronto began in 1793 at Fort York – this is a colonial British fortification that still exists. The Distillery Historic District was once the British Empire's largest maker of spirits. Raise your glass to the 1832 complex, which is now dedicated to the arts and culture.
Toronto Transport Link.

Toronto Transit Commission website.

Highlights

Highlights

Toronto looks huge from atop the soaring CN Tower, but many of its attractions are downtown.

The Royal Ontario Museum has superb collections of uncut gem stones from Canada's fertile mining country in northern Ontario. While you're there, see the Chinese art and archaeology gallery that spans thousands of years. Canada is the birth place of ice hockey, and Torontonians' love of the sport is evident from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Get your hands on Toronto Maple Leafs hockey tickets for a game at the Air Canada Centre (Sep-Apr). Or take the family to Ontario Place for its Province of Ontario-themed exhibits and the waterpark.

Sightseeing Tips

Grayline buses offer a hop on-hop off 24-hour pass to many of the city's finest destinations.

Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2009, Whatsonwhen Limited.



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