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District · Toronto

St. Lawrence Market and Old TownSt. Lawrence

Flat and walkable; quiet on Sundays when the market is closed.

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Key facts

Suits
Market lunch, brick streets, the Distillery District by streetcar
Sights here
2
Eats here
1

What it's like

Feels:
Brick streets, a market hall and quiet blocks
Suits:
Market lunch, brick streets, the Distillery District by streetcar
Best time:
Weekday mornings
Watch out for:
Sunday and Monday.
In short:
Flat and walkable; quiet on Sundays when the market is closed.

About these names

Streets are on a grid: Yonge Street divides east and west; Bloor Street is the northern edge of downtown. The PATH is an indoor pedestrian network linking Union Station to the towers.

Almost everything a first visit needs sits within about 4 km of Union Station, in a strip along the lake and Bloor Street. Downtown is the base; the waterfront is south, the market east, Chinatown and Kensington west, and the museums and Yorkville north.

Where exactly

This district is highlighted. Shapes follow this guide's walking areas and places, not official boundaries.

St. Lawrence Market and Old Town on the Toronto mapTap an area for what it is like and who it suits. Shapes follow this guide’s walking areas and places, not official boundaries.
Downtown core (Union St… · $$$Yorkville · $$$YYZ · 20 km · 40–75 min

St. Lawrence Market and Old TownSt. Lawrence

seeeat

Flat and walkable; quiet on Sundays when the market is closed.

Suits: Market lunch, brick streets, the Distillery District by streetcar

On the map: Distillery District, St. Lawrence Market

District guideWalk: St. Lawrence Market and Old TownIn the districts table

Where’s what, as a list:

  • Union Station, CN Tower and the waterfront (Union Station): The transit hub; the CN Tower and the ferry to the islands are within 15 minutes on foot. Suits: First visit, transit, the tower and the ferry. Price band $$$.
  • St. Lawrence Market and Old Town (St. Lawrence): Flat and walkable; quiet on Sundays when the market is closed. Suits: Market lunch, brick streets, the Distillery District by streetcar.
  • Kensington Market and Chinatown (Kensington): A walk on Baldwin, Augusta and Spadina; best on weekdays. Suits: Food counters, vintage shops, dim sum.
  • Yorkville and the ROM (Yorkville): Quieter and more upmarket; the ROM is 6 minutes on foot. Suits: Museums, quiet nights, shopping. Price band $$$.
  • Sleep area Downtown core (Union Station): suits First visit, transit, the tower and the ferry, price band $$$.
  • Sleep area Yorkville: suits Museums, quiet nights, shopping, price band $$$.
  • Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), about 20 km from the centre, 40–75 min by the usual route.

Stay here?

Not a base in this guide

No sleep area here has scores. The best-placed bases are Union Station, CN Tower and the waterfront, Yorkville and the ROM.

See

Opening hours and prices from each place page; (check) means typical hours, not yet verified.

  • Distillery DistrictGo

    A cobbled, car-free block of Victorian factory buildings with galleries, cafés and a Christmas market in winter; go on a weekday afternoon and take the streetcar from the market.

    Hours:
    Streets always open; shops mostly 11:00–18:00.(check)
    Entry:
    Free
  • St. Lawrence MarketBook a time

    Go on a Tuesday to Saturday before noon for lunch: the food stalls in the South Market are best at open-to-lunch, and it is shut on Sundays and Mondays.

    Hours:
    South Market normally Tue–Sat; times vary by day. Check the official page.(check)
    Closed:
    Closed Mon
    Entry:
    Free

Eat

What to order and what locals pay, from each eat page. Prices are estimates; check the menu.

  • Carousel Bakery

    The peameal bacon sandwich stall inside St. Lawrence Market: go before 11:30 on a Tuesday to Saturday, order at the counter and eat at the tables upstairs.

    Order: Peameal bacon: Ask for "a peameal sandwich".

    Price: A sandwich costs C$9–14 (≈ US$7–11); the same price for everyone.

Shopping

Markets and shopping streets from the Toronto buying guide that name this district.

  • St. Lawrence Market · Food hall, peameal bacon, cheese, bread and produce · Tuesday–Saturday, times vary (check) · haggling: noneA weekday morning is the calm time.
  • Maple syrup and Canadian food gifts · St. Lawrence Market and supermarkets · Shop hoursCheck the grade and origin on the label.

Getting there and around

Where to get off

  • 504 King streetcar to Parliament Street, then walk south about 5 minutes · for Distillery District
  • Streetcar or walk to Front Street East · for St. Lawrence Market
  • St. Lawrence Market South Market, main level (check) · 15 min walk to Carousel Bakery

Walks inside the district

  • St. Lawrence Market → Carousel Bakery: 2–3 min on foot (Walk inside the market)
  • St. Lawrence Market → Distillery District: 27–36 min on foot (Walk east along King Street)

On to the next area

From other sleep areas

  • From Downtown core (Union Station): 12–18 min walk to St. Lawrence Market and Old Town

Nearest arrival point: Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ): about 21 km in a straight line; the usual ride to the centre takes 40–75 min.

Minutes are this guide’s typical walking and ride times (p50–p90); traffic and heat stretch them.

Walking loop

A loop that starts and ends at the same place, through this district's sights and eats. Pick a length; download it for Organic Maps, OsmAnd or Google Earth.

About 120 min in all: 45 min on foot, the rest at the stops. 3 stops, back to where you started.

123
  1. Distillery DistrictStart here · stop about 30 min
  2. Carousel Bakery16 min walk (estimate) · stop about 15 min (snack, or note it for later)
  3. St. Lawrence Market2 min walk · stop about 30 min
  4. Back to Distillery District: 27 min walk

Walking minutes come from this guide’s route graph where it has one; “estimate” means straight-line distance plus a quarter for street detours at an easy pace. Opening hours are not checked: look at “Open now” below before you set off.

Streets in this district

Street names that appear in the addresses of this district’s places and eats: useful to type into a map or show a driver.

  • Parliament Street
  • Front Street

Safety at night and noise

  • St. Lawrence Market and Old Townday: oknight: caution

    Quiet streets after dark; use a ride-hail.

Nearby districts

Built from this guide’s Toronto districts table, place, eat and sleep pages, route graph and city notes. Hours, prices and rules change: anything marked (check) is typical, not verified. checked: 2026-09.