Toronto, sitting on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, is Canada's largest city, a cosmopolitan, clean, hip city to which immigrants – Germans, Italians, Chinese, Russians, Poles, Irish, Greeks – have flocked for centuries. This modern, buzzing city pays tribute to this diversity with distinct communities (Little Italy, Little Greece, Chinatown) fused cuisine and a plethora of cultural festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival, Gay Pride Parade and the Caribana Festival.
Finding cheap flights to Toronto are just the starting point for savvy travellers. For picking up bargains and browsing, Yonge Street, Queen Street and the Church Wellesley Village (one of Canada’s most vibrant communities) are the places to go.
The Royal Ontario Museum, renovated and expanded under Daniel Libeskind’s guidance, is a fascinating place. It has more than six million artifacts. The Art Gallery of Ontario, the tenth-largest art museum in North America, has more than 40,000 works in its collection, from 100 AD to present day.
When the city gets too busy, Dundas Square or the Beaches offer a respite. A ten-minute ferry journey from the Harbourfront will deliver you to the Toronto Islands, full of lakeside charm.
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Toronto has a moderate climate as one of the southernmost cities in Canada with the warmest springs and summers in the nation.
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Peak Season: June to early October is the best time to look for Toronto flights and visit. There are numerous festivals and events taking place during this time. Toronto can be muggy and humid in July and August. Autumn leaves and mild temperatures with plenty of sunshine make Toronto a delightful city to visit in the autumn.
Off Season: Even in winter, when the temperatures range from 18-31 (F) the city is active with numerous holiday festivities so this can be a great time to search for a cheap flight to Toronto.
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Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
Distance: 16 miles
Drive time: 30 mins
Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ)
Distance: located on Toronto Islands
Drive time: a shuttle links to the city centre.
Toronto has an extensive public transport system run by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) with a large subway system, numerous buses, and street cars. A single fare can take you anywhere in the city and you can transfer between subway, streetcar, and bus if you make sure to get a transfer (a slip of paper) when you first pay your fare. You need exact fare on buses and streetcars and TTC day passes are also available.
Go Transit is Ontario’s inter-regional bus and train service. It links Toronto with outlying areas of the Greater Toronto Area. GO Trains and buses depart from Toronto’s Union Station on a frequent schedule throughout the day.
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Public transport in Toronto is fast, safe and reliable consisting of an integrated system of subways, buses and streetcars that reaches every part of the city, as well as a light rapid transit (LRT) line extending to the Harbourfront. The subway is easy to use, with only two major lines, and the buses and streetcar stations are next to every major stop, taking over where the subway leaves off. Fares are standard and a single fare will take you anywhere on a single trip; tokens can be used to avoid the hassle of having to pay with exact change. To freely change from one form of transport to another, get a transfer slip when and where paying for the fare. The subway operates from 6am to 1.30am, the buses and streetcars from about 5am to 12.30am (both start at 9am on Sundays), and the Blue Night Network services main street routes after 1.30am. The Request Stop Program allows women traveling alone late at night to get off the bus anywhere in between stops. Taxis are always available and ferries travel to the Toronto Islands. Driving a hire car is not recommended due to traffic congestion and expensive parking.
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- Beginning on the Thursday night after Labor Day (first Monday in September in Canada) and lasting for ten days, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is considered one of the top film festivals in the world. Between 300 to 400 films are screened at approximately 23 venues in downtown Toronto. Considered "Hollywood North" by the film industry, Toronto ranks third in North American TV and film production.
- Don’t miss a visit to the Canadian National Tower, which is the highest freestanding structure in the world, with a glass floor, outside viewing deck, and revolving restaurant that let’s you see over 100 miles (160km) on a clear day.
- Be sure to spend some time traveling Yonge Street, from the heart of the shopping district through the campus of University of Toronto as it stretches 1,896 km (1,178 miles) from the lakeshore in Toronto, north to Rainy River, Ontario, near the Minnesota border.
- To find your way around Toronto, try the new InfoTOgo visitor system. At each “pillar” located at over 20 sites at various points around the city, you’ll find maps specifically designed for the area. Historical locations and public transportation stops are highlighted on the map and you can purchase a pocket-sized, fold-out, color map of Toronto or listen to information through an audio system built into the pillar.
- Never been to a castle in North America? Here’s your chance to visit Toronto’s own 98-room Casa Loma on 5 acres of manicured estate gardens that are in full bloom from May through October.
- Toronto's underground city, PATH, holds the Guinness World Record for "Biggest Underground Shopping Complex" with over 10 kilometres of underground, indoor pedestrian walkways linking hotels, shopping, dining and major attractions.
- Foreign visitors to Canada can apply for a rebate on the GST that is paid on accommodation (up to 30 nights per visit), and on goods purchased in Canada and exported within 60 days of the purchase. Be sure to keep your receipts – you’ll need to have them validated by Canada Customs at the airport or border crossing when you leave. For more information about the visitors’ tax refund and to obtain an application form, visit www.cra.gc.ca/visitors.
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