Top 10 Things to Do in Toronto That Aren't the CN Tower
Toronto is far more than its famous skyline needle.
Look, the CN Tower is impressive. 553 meters. Glass floor. EdgeWalk at 356 meters if you want to stare death in the face for $225 CAD. Fine.
But if you came to Toronto and only did the CN Tower, you'd leave thinking the city was a skyline observation deck with a gift shop. And you'd miss what makes this place genuinely extraordinary: the neighborhoods, the food, and a cultural scene that punches way above what people expect.
Here are 10 things I'd do before I'd go up the Tower.
1. Eat Your Way Through St. Lawrence Market
National Geographic called it the world's best food market. That's not hyperbole.
Over 120 vendors in a building that's been operating since 1803. Start with a peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel Bakery ($8 CAD) — this is the quintessential Toronto breakfast. Cornmeal-crusted pork loin on a Kaiser bun with mustard. Simple. Perfect.
Then wander: fresh pasta, artisanal cheese, smoked fish, pastries. The Saturday farmers' market (from 5AM — yes, 5AM) brings producers from across Ontario.
Open Tuesday through Saturday. Free entry. Allow 1-2 hours, more if you graze. Ten-minute walk from Union Station.
2. Get Lost in Kensington Market
Toronto's bohemian heart. Vintage shops, indie cafes, and food from every continent packed into a few blocks of colorful, graffiti-covered Victorian houses.
Jamaican patties at Randy's ($3 CAD). Empanadas at Emporium Latino ($4 CAD). Dim sum in adjacent Chinatown at Rol San ($15-20 per person). Pedestrian Sundays from May through October close the streets to cars and the neighborhood becomes an outdoor festival.
Allow 2-3 hours. Free to explore. The vibe is pure creative chaos and I love every square meter of it.
3. The Distillery District on a Weekend
Victorian industrial buildings — former Gooderham & Worts whisky distillery — converted into a pedestrian-only neighborhood of galleries, boutiques, and restaurants.
Mill Street Brewery does flights for $12 CAD. The public art installations change seasonally. And the Christmas Market (November-December) draws 750,000+ visitors with mulled wine, artisan gifts, and lights strung between the brick buildings.
Free to walk year-round. Best on weekends when all the galleries are open. Allow 2-3 hours.
4. The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) on a Third Friday Night
Canada's largest museum — 13 million artifacts spanning dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies, a bat cave, and world cultures. Daniel Libeskind's crystal-shaped addition is architecturally polarizing and undeniably striking.
Regular admission is $23 CAD (~$17 USD). But the third Friday of each month is ROM After Dark — an adults-only evening event ($18 CAD, 7PM-midnight) with DJs, cocktails, and the museum to yourself. Wandering the Egyptian galleries with a gin and tonic is a different experience than fighting school groups at 2PM.
Open daily 10AM-5:30PM, Friday until 8:30PM.
5. Niagara Falls Without the Tourist Traps
Just 130 km south. GO Bus from Union Station: $15 CAD each way, 2 hours. The Canadian side has vastly superior views — you face both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls head-on.
The Hornblower boat ride into the mist ($32 CAD) is worth every dollar. Journey Behind the Falls ($24 CAD) takes you into tunnels behind the curtain of water. Both are genuinely thrilling.
Skip Clifton Hill — the neon tourist strip with wax museums and haunted houses. The falls themselves are the attraction. Go mid-week to dodge crowds. Summer evenings have illumination and fireworks (Friday through Sunday).
Allow a full day.
6. Walk the Entire Waterfront from Harbourfront to the Beaches
Toronto's relationship with Lake Ontario has improved dramatically. The Martin Goodman Trail runs along the waterfront from the western city limit to the Beaches neighborhood in the east.
Start at Harbourfront Centre (free galleries and performances), walk past Sugar Beach (urban beach with pink umbrellas and Muskoka chairs), through the Port Lands, and end at the Beaches boardwalk — a neighborhood that feels like a small town grafted onto a major city.
The walk is about 10 km. Rent a Bike Share Toronto ($3.25/ride or $7/day) to cover more ground. The skyline views looking back toward Downtown from Cherry Beach are spectacular.
7. Little India on a Saturday Night
Gerrard Street East between Coxwell and Greenwood is Toronto's Little India — and the thalis here are $8-12 CAD for a full meal that would cost $25+ in a downtown restaurant.
Sari shops, Bollywood music leaking from storefronts, sweet shops selling gulab jamun and jalebi. Lahore Tikka House ($10-15 for a massive platter) is the go-to for late-night Pakistani food. The neon signs and the crowds on a Saturday evening give the strip an energy that's uniquely Toronto.
Take the 506 streetcar from College Station.
8. AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) Under-25 for Free
Frank Gehry redesigned the AGO in 2008 — the glass and wood facade on Dundas Street is beautiful. Inside: the largest collection of Canadian art anywhere, plus European works from the Renaissance through modern.
Admission is $25 CAD — but anyone under 25 gets in free, all the time. Wednesday evenings (6-9PM) are $15 CAD for everyone.
The Henry Moore sculpture collection (the largest in the world) gets overlooked. Moore's abstract bronzes in a skylit gallery are mesmerizing. Allow 2-3 hours.
9. A Blue Jays Game at the Rogers Centre
Even if you don't care about baseball, a Blue Jays game is a Toronto experience. The retractable roof opens on warm days, revealing the CN Tower looming directly above the field.
Tickets from $15 CAD (upper deck) to $150+ (field level). Hot dogs ($7), beer ($14-16). The atmosphere on a sunny afternoon with the dome open, 35,000 fans, and the crack of a bat echoing off the roof — it's genuine. The Rogers Centre is a 5-minute walk from Union Station.
Season runs April through September.
10. Sunset from Toronto Islands
A 13-minute ferry ride ($8.70 CAD round trip) from Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to Centre Island. The islands are car-free — rent bikes, have a picnic, or just walk the boardwalk.
But the real reason to go: the sunset. Facing west across the harbour, with the entire Toronto skyline behind you lit by the setting sun, reflected in the lake. It's the best view of the city, and most tourists never see it because they're up the CN Tower looking down instead of across the water looking at the skyline from a distance.
Ferries run until 11PM in summer. Bring a blanket and a bottle of wine.
Pro Tips
Pronunciation: It's "Tuh-RON-oh" or "Tronno." Never "Tor-ON-to."
Tax is not included in prices. Add 13% HST to everything. A $20 menu item is $22.60 before tip.
Tipping: 15-20% at restaurants. Same as the US.
Tim Hortons: Order a "double-double" (two cream, two sugar) to blend in. It's not great coffee, but it's a cultural institution.
Toronto is a city that reveals itself in neighborhoods, not landmarks. Skip the observation decks. Walk the streets. Eat everything. The CN Tower will be there when you look up.
