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Tips & Traps
Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
- TipA place or a move worth it
- TrapWhat to avoid, and how
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Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
Join RALF to share your own tips and traps
New this weekPicks from our Local GurusCommunity picksrefreshed every Monday
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Before you book an apartment or room in Toronto, look for the City registration number on the listing, written as STR followed by digits. Short-term rentals of under 28 nights are only allowed in a host's principal residence, and unregistered listings can be reported to the City. Skip any listing without the number…
Gladstone House at 1214 Queen Street West opened in 1889 and is still a working hotel, with an art program that places local artists' work throughout the building. It suits travelers who want an art-filled stay in West Queen West rather than a downtown chain. Its restaurant hosts live music, and the Queen streetcar…
Each May, Toronto opens roughly 150 buildings of architectural, historic and cultural interest to the public for free, many of them normally closed or ticketed. Check the building list on the city website when it is published, pick two or three in the same part of town and arrive when doors open, because most sites…
Twice a year the City of Toronto runs Winterlicious, in late January and early February, and Summerlicious, in July. Participating restaurants offer three-course set menus at a fixed price per person. Drinks, tax and tip are extra, and each restaurant picks its own price tier, so compare menus before booking. Lunch is…
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar, on Queen Street West just west of University Avenue, has live music every day. Most shows are pay what you can, with a contribution passed around, but the later evening set is ticketed. It takes no reservations, so arrive early to get a seat. Food and drinks are welcome but not…
The Horseshoe Tavern at 370 Queen Street West has been a live-music room since 1947, and its back bar still books touring and emerging bands. The front bar is open daily, so you can have a drink before the show. Check the venue calendar and buy tickets early, since popular nights sell out. Over the decades it has…
The Distillery District is a pedestrian-only block of 19th-century industrial buildings from the Gooderham and Worts distillery, now home to artist studios, galleries, cafes and small shops. Several studios sell original work directly, so it works well for gifts that are not souvenirs. Visit on a weekday morning for…
Evergreen Brick Works hosts what it calls Toronto's largest year-round farmers market every Saturday, with Ontario farmers and small producers. A free shuttle runs from Broadview subway station, with more trips on Saturdays, and the site sits inside the Don Valley ravine system. Eat something there, buy local produce…
The Scarborough Bluffs stretch about 15 km along Lake Ontario, and Cudia Park has a lookout atop Cathedral Bluffs, near some of the cliffs' highest points. Reaching it means an uphill walk. The cliffs are still eroding, so stay behind fences and on marked paths. Bluffer's Park below gets busy on warm weekends, when…
The Humber Bay Arch Bridge, where the Humber River meets Lake Ontario, is at its best around sunrise, when the twin arches make a strong frame. Stand in the middle of the walkway for a symmetrical shot, then walk to Humber Bay Park East for the downtown skyline across the water. Go before June if you want bare…
The Bata Shoe Museum sits on the southwest corner of Bloor and St. George and traces footwear across more than 4,500 years. Admission is free for everyone on Sundays, when it opens at noon and closes at five. Other days it opens at ten. Check the museum website for current exhibitions before you go, since the displays…
You can pay cash on TTC buses and streetcars, but it is exact fare with no change, and it does not include the two-hour transfer. Tap a contactless card, phone or Presto at every boarding instead, and a transfer within two hours costs nothing extra. If you do pay cash, take the paper transfer and keep it, because it…
The Aga Khan Museum holds more than 1,200 pieces, from manuscripts to ceramics and metalwork of Muslim civilizations. Admission is free on Wednesdays from 4 to 8 pm, and the museum is closed on Mondays. Take a direct bus from Broadview or Pape subway station. Leave backpacks, tripods and umbrellas behind, because they…
Most prices in Toronto are shown before the 13 percent Ontario sales tax, which is added at checkout, and tips are never included. Card terminals often calculate the suggested tip on the total with tax, so a few seconds on the screen saves you from tipping more than you meant to. Choose a custom amount and tip on the…
High Park's cherry trees bloom from late April to early May, and the park limits car access during the peak, so arrive by transit. Weekday early mornings are far calmer than weekend afternoons, when thousands of visitors arrive. After the blossoms, the dirt trails and Grenadier Pond, where fishing is allowed in…
The Leslie Street Spit is a car-free park about 5 km long where more than 300 bird species have been recorded, but it is not open all week. Weekends and holidays run from early morning to 9 pm, while weekdays only open from 4 pm, with daytime closures for construction. Plan the visit for a weekend, leave the dog at…
Little Jamaica runs along Eglinton Avenue West between Marlee Avenue and Keele Street, and it is where Toronto's favorite street snack is best served. Order a flaky beef patty at a bakery such as Spence's and ask for coco bread, which turns it into a sandwich. Many shops sell patties by the dozen, so locals often take…
Most dim sum rooms in Spadina Chinatown serve from about mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Dim Sum King, on the third floor of a mall, still uses pushcarts, so point at what you want as they pass. Rol San and Sky Dragon are the long-time classics. Weekend late mornings bring long waits, so arrive early, carry a little…
Shop jewelry, try local foods, and grab some gifts or pastries!
Grab a drink and some food and walk around to play ping pong, basketball, retro arcade games and pool!
Right next to the CN Tower in downtown Toronto, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is a massive, world-class indoor aquarium. It holds over 5.7 million liters (1.5 million gallons) of water and is home to more than 20,000 marine animals representing 450 unique species. It’s completely immersive, designed to make you feel…
The museum boasts an incredible variety of permanent galleries: Canadian and Indigenous Art: The AGO holds an unmatched collection of Canadian art, including an extensive collection of works by the Group of Seven, alongside powerful historic and contemporary Inuit, First Nations, and…
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