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Voykit pocket guide · Canada

Toronto

Toronto is a transit-and-market city: keep one bed downtown, use the subway and streetcars between four clusters, and put the CN Tower on a clear day and the museums on the wet or cold one.

Toronto's sights sit in a strip a few kilometres wide, joined by the subway and streetcars, so the trips that go wrong are about weather and timing: the CN Tower on a cloudy day, the market on a closed day, or a January walk between clusters. Four clusters cover a first visit; Niagara Falls is a full-day trip, not a stop between them.

Union Station, CN Tower…St. Lawrence Market and…Kensington Market and C…Yorkville and the Royal…Downtown core (Union…Yorkville500 mpins: sleep areas · dots: places
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Canada
Best months
May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
Time zone
America/Toronto
Stay
2 days: Waterfront + St. Lawrence in one day, Kensington and Chinatown on the second

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
CAD
Money
Cards work almost everywhere; carry a small amount of cash for markets and tips.
Daily spend
Budget C$80–140 excl. bed · Mid C$140–260 excl. bed · High C$260+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Rogers, Bell and Telus plus cheaper brands (Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile); prepaid SIMs in malls and stores. Canadian data is expensive — an eSIM is often cheaper.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Health advice line 811 · Poison control 1-844-764-7669 (Ontario) — check other provinces
Plugs
Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Same as the US.
Tipping
Restaurant: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: CAD 1–2 per drink.; Taxi: 10–15%.; Housekeeping: CAD 3–5 a night.; Guide: 10–20% of the tour price.
Water
Tap water is drinkable; treat water from lakes and streams (giardia).
Toilets
Free in malls, Tim Hortons, stations and park visitor centres.

Get in

By air

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
YYZ to downtown: one ride-hailing car or taxi to the door in 35–75 minutes, or the UP Express train to Union Station; the risk is rush-hour traffic on the highways, not the ride itself.

Get around

Walk inside a cluster; subway or streetcar between clusters; ride-hailing car late at night.

Passes
No pass needed for one to three days: tap a card each ride and check the fare cap on the transit agency's site.
Late at night
The subway does not run all night; late buses and ride-hailing cover the gap.

See and do

  1. 01CN Tower

    Go up on a clear morning: cloud and haze hide the view, and queues are longer at midday; book a timed ticket ahead.

  2. 02Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)Royal Ontario Museum

    Canada's largest museum: book the first entry on a wet or cold day and plan two to three hours; the building is indoors and step-free.

  3. 03St. Lawrence Market

    A covered market of food stalls: go on an open weekday or Saturday before lunch, eat at the counters, and skip it on a closed day.

  4. 04Kensington Market

    A grid of lanes with vintage shops and food stalls: walk it in the afternoon for an hour, and avoid Sundays when many stalls are shut.

Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.

Eat

Carousel Bakery
The peameal bacon sandwich stall in St. Lawrence Market: go before noon on an open day; expect a short queue and stand or sit at the market tables.
Mother's Dumplings
Chinatown dumplings on Spadina Avenue: go outside the 12:00–13:00 rush, order at the table, and share several plates.

Sleep

Downtown core (Union Station)
First-timers: Union Station, the subway and the UP Express to the airport are at the door; choose a hotel on or near Front Street with a 24-hour desk.
Yorkville
Quieter and more upmarket: two subway stops from the ROM, with cafés and shops at the door and the subway to Union in about 10 minutes.

Language

English is the working language in most of Canada; French dominates Québec and parts of New Brunswick and Ontario. Québec's language law (Bill 96) makes French the language of signs, menus and services; a 'Bonjour' first earns goodwill, and in Montréal most people switch to English easily.

  • Metric system: km, °C, litres — but people often give heights in feet.
  • 'Eh', 'toque' (winter hat), 'loonie' and 'toonie' (CAD 1 and 2 coins), 'double-double' (coffee with two cream, two sugar).

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake; 'Bonjour' first in Québec; avoid: Assuming everyone speaks English
  • Queues: Line up and wait your turn; avoid: Pushing in
  • Apologising: 'Sorry' is politeness, not admission of fault; avoid: Loud confrontation
  • Canada vs US: Treat Canada as its own country; avoid: Calling Canadians American
  • Indigenous culture: Buy from Indigenous-owned businesses and ask before photos at ceremonies; avoid: Wearing headdresses as costume

Red lines

  • Tipping is expected: 15–20% in restaurants and bars.
  • Do not photograph people at close range without asking.

Scams (Canada page)

  • Fake eTA sites: Only canada.ca; the real fee is CAD 7.
  • Phone calls claiming to be the CRA or immigration: Government agencies do not demand gift cards or crypto; hang up.
  • Moraine Lake 'shuttle' resellers: Book Parks Canada shuttles or licensed operators directly.
  • Car break-ins: Leave nothing visible in the car.
  • Rental scams: Pay only through the booking platform.

One and two days

1 day

The first day of the timed plan.

Day 1 — CN Tower, then St. Lawrence Market lunch

  1. 09:00CN Tower
  2. St. Lawrence Market
  3. Carousel Bakery (optional)
  4. Hotel or café 14:00–16:00; the lakefront path in the evening.

2 days

The first two days of the timed plan.

Day 1 — CN Tower, then St. Lawrence Market lunch

  1. 09:00CN Tower
  2. St. Lawrence Market
  3. Carousel Bakery (optional)
  4. Hotel or café 14:00–16:00; the lakefront path in the evening.

Day 2 — Kensington Market and Chinatown

  1. 10:30Kensington Market
  2. Mother's Dumplings
  3. Evening: dinner in the entertainment district, back by streetcar.

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Toronto

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Take me to

  • Royal Ontario MuseumRoyal Ontario Museum (ROM)

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/toronto). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.