Hello friends! I know I haven't done a travel post in a while. I am so excited to share with you the details of a weekend trip that I took to Toronto, Canada. This was my first time in Canada, but it definitely wont be my last. This is my 72 hour itinerary that hopefully you can find useful for your next trip.
Transportation
Getting around the city is fairly easy, most places are in walking distance. If you don't really enjoy walking and want to save time, Uber is an option. Toronto also has a very simple and reliable public transportation system called the TTC. Buses and cars operate all over the city, even on the outskirts. I used this a couple of times during my trip. To use the bus, you need to purchase the gold coins that look like arcade tokens. For the metro, there are ticketing machines available at every station. To get from Toronto Pearson Airport to downtown Toronto (25 minutes), you have to take the UP express train from the airport, costing ($13 CA).
Money exchange
This is quite possibly the most annoying part of the trip in my opinion. If you want to use a credit or debit card instead of crisp bills, be sure to notify your card company beforehand. I prefer using cash just so I can avoid the international fees. It also helps me stay within my budget. You can get your money exchanged before you leave the United States, at the Post Office or the airport. I just did it when I flew into Toronto Pearson Airport. I forgot the exact rate on that particular day. I do know I ended up getting more Canadian dollars with the $300 USD I exchanged. Also, some places in Canada do take USD because they're worth more, but I wouldn't rely on that.
The CN Tower
Address: 290 Bremner Blvd, Toronto, ON M5V 3L9, Canada
This iconic landmark is a must-see on every tourist list, besides Niagara Falls of course. You can pay $30 CA to go to the very top, and there's also a restaurant up there so you can take in that panoramic view as you dine. It looks especially amazing at night when it lights up and sparkles among the rest of the city.
The Distillery District
Address: 290 Bremner Blvd, Toronto, ON M5V 3L9, Canada
This was about a 30 minute walk from our air bnb. It's a pedestrian friendly area set in buildings and small warehouses constructed in the 1800's. There are plenty of dining choices for you foodies out there, like me with a distillery, wine bar, tapas, French-style bistro, and so much more. There are also shops with tourist junk like Toronto t-shirts and snow globes. One thing I definitely think worth mentioning is the shops that exclusively sold crafts, essential oils, and other goods handmade by the native tribes in Canada. If you're looking for a really unique gift for friends and family back home, I recommend that. For my caffeine addicts, there are 3 or 4 shops, and one of them takes USD (surprisingly). The first place Arvo offers a decently priced, cappuccino only ($4CA). The other place I went to on my second day called Balzac's reminded me of a Parisian coffee shop with the decor, and it was hands down my favorite cafe from the trip. I ordered this drink called "Parisian Mist" ( $3 CA). It was basically a French breakfast tea, vanilla syrup, and topped with steamed milk. I felt like I was drinking cotton candy, it was an absolute dream. In addition to the coffee, there are two Insta-worthy spots, the first was this wall that spelled out "love" with flowers, another one was a huge heart located at the end of the district. Both of which were difficult to get a photo because there were so many tourists around in late September.
Kensington Market
Located 5 or 10 minutes from Chinatown (via Spadina Ave), Kensington Market is a very bohemian, neighborhood in Toronto. It offers a lot of exquisite dining options from Japanese, Chinese, American, Greek etc. We went with this Japanese restaurant called Film Cafe which well-known for gold ice cream, but I order a basic chicken teriyaki dish. You can also feast on empanadas, Belgian waffles, and other street food delicacies. Aside from the food lovers paradise that Kensington Market offers, there are also eccentric clothing shops if you love to thrift for unique pieces.
St. Lawrence Market
Address: 93 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1C3, Canada
I only went here once, but I am 100% glad that I made it a stop on my trip. It's located in a massive warehouse building located on Front and Lower Jarvis St. Similar to Kensington Market, it also has a large variety of stalls that prepare street food. There are 3 floors of options to choose from it's quite overwhelming. I ended up eating in the basement where among some dry food stores was a crepe stall that looked like it should be somewhere in Europe. The stall had an option of savory and sweet fillings. I chose the Nutella and strawberry crepe which was so light, crispy, and buttery.
Casa Loma
Address: 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto, ON M5R 1X8, Canada
This is a Gothic-style castle located on the outskirts of the city center. You can take a bus or the TTC to save time, but we chose to walk. I didn't actually go inside of the castle, because it's only a museum and quite expensive. However, if you do want to see the gardens there is the still the regular entry fee of ($30CA). Despite the price, Casa Loma (Hill House) is worth the visit for the stunning views of the semi-countryside. The castle itself was really majestic and spectacular that you would've never thought it would be in Canada. The garden was absolutely gorgeous with a large variety of vegetation and a huge fountain that made it all look so regal. Visiting this place at the end of the summer on a cool, clear day was a treat.
Art Gallery of Toronto
Address: 317 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5T 1G4, Canada
I'm not into art by any means, but there happen to be a really popular exhibit opening up that same night we had arrived. A renowned Japanese artist named Yayoi Kusama created something called the "Mirror Room" it's like a trick on the eyes if I could best describe it. Basically the room was filled with mirrors and floating metal balls. Since it was opening night we had to reserve a spot and waited around 30 minutes (this was free of charge for that night only). When it's your turn, you can't have any bags, but they do allow cell phones. You get to go inside the mirror room for a total of 1 minute so take lots of videos to preserve the memory. After we did the mirror room, we checked out some of the other exhibits, but to me this was for sure the best one. Simply because I enjoy interactive art exhibits rather than just looking at a painting.
Chinatown
Every city in the world has it, but the Chinatown in Toronto wasn't as big or glamorous as the one in New York City, Washington, D.C., or even Seoul for that matter. I did enjoy it for it's somewhat smaller scale and authenticity. I went to it twice during my trip. The first time was to grab dinner to take back to the air bnb that night like snacks and ramen from the local grocery store. The second time was on our last night when we decided to have a super expensive dinner. We chose a hot pot restaurant called The Happy Lamb, that was more expensive that what I am used to back in the states ($25+). When you sit down, the waiter gives you a sheet where you "build your own soup", you choose your broth, spice level, and toppings. The toppings will come on a separate dish and you cook everything yourself. The amazing thing is that toppings are unlimited, so you can keep asking for more. However, if you want extra broth I think it was ($2 CA) extra.
Scarborough Bluffs Trail
I don't think any trip is complete without an outdoor excursion, which is why I made certain that a national park would be included on the itinerary. We didn't end up going to Niagra Falls (an essential must-see in Canada, I know.) This hike however without a doubt made up for that. I remember we pondered for hours that night in our air bnb about where we should hike. Most of the hikes with picturesque views were hours away and neither of us wanted to rent a car. Luckily, we stumbled upon a hike that was only 40 minutes away from our air bnb. We hopped on the TTC, and got off at the Scarborough station. We walked through a residential area for about 30 minutes to reach the park. I don't recommend walking to this park, because towards the end the road was super winding and there was no sidewalk. When we arrived to the park, we only did one short trail covered in various types of wild flowers that led us to the public beach area. The beach was very pretty with the scenery of Canadian wildlife and cliffs. We sat on the shore eating apples we had purchased from a local mart back in the city. The only bad part about my visit here was that there was so many bees for some reason. So we couldn't enjoy the serene views as much as we would've liked to.
Graffiti Alley
I know I mentioned I'm not into art that you would typically see in a museum or gallery. However, I do really enjoy seeing street art like murals and graffiti. Toronto has this somewhat hidden part of the city where 3 or 4 streets are dedicated to murals. It took awhile to find this, but I think it's one of the hidden gems of the city. You can learn a lot about a place just by seeing the street art. It's also just a great place to take Instagram pictures and explore.
Stackt Market
Address: 28 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5V 0C6, Canada
My friend and I randomly stumbled upon this place one day while heading back to our air bnb. The location was absolutely picturesque overlooking the CN Tower. It's an outdoor shopping center with cafes, restaurants, and clothing stores. But, the most intriguing thing is that it's made up of shipping containers. There's also a micro brewery, events that the vicinity hosts (there was a Crossfit event going on when I was there), and outdoor seating so you can enjoy your food and a beverage of choice. We spent the evening here sipping on bubble tea while watching the sunset over the city. Besides the Distillery District, if you want a place to unwind from a busy day of sightseeing, I highly recommend it.
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