 Discover Toronto, Canada
Toronto
Author: Martin St-Amant (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Toronto Budget Travel Guide is created to help people who are planning a trip to Toronto on a budget. All the tourist attractions of the city is described with information on how you can visit them using public transport.
About Toronto
Toronto is the biggest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontaria. With a population of 2.5 million people, and a metropolitan area with 5.1 inhabitants, Toronto is also the fifth largest municipality in North America.
Guide to Toronto Hotels
Here's a list of hotels in Toronto that you can book online, with full description, star rating, address, location map, evaluation, and prices as offered by different booking sites. This helps you to make your room booking with the site that offers the best price.
St Michael's Cathedral, Toronto
Author: Brian (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
More on Toronto
Toronto today is Canada's economic capital. It is a center of finance, business, film, television production, medical research and publishing, among others. The Toronto Stock Exchange is also the eighth largest in terms of market value.
The area of Toronto was inhabited by the Huron indigenous tribe prior to the arrival of Europeans. The name Toronto is believed to have come from an Iroquois word "tkaronto", which means "place where trees stand in the water", in reference to a site in northern Lake Huron, where the Huron had planted trees in the water to catch fish.
Christmas tree at Toronto Eaton Centre
Author: paul dex busy @ work (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)
French traders established Fort Rouillé in 1750 on the site where the Exhibition grounds of Toronto is located today. The site was abandoned nine years later. British settlers moved in during the American Revolutionary War. In 1793, Governor John Grave Simcoe established the town of York on the site of present-day Toronto, but the town only came to be called by its present name on 6 March, 1834. Many of its inhabitants back then were escaped African American slaves.
Toronto served as the capital of the Province of Canada twice, in 1849-1852 and 1856-1858. It became the capital of the province of Ontario since its creation in 1867.
Lady Pellatt's Suite in Casa Loma, Toronto
Author: Steven V. Rose (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic)
Metropolitan Toronto was created in 1954 out of the City of Toronto and twelve surrounding municipalities. In 1967, the seven smallest municipalities were merged with their largest neighbors. Another round of merger in 1998 dissolved the metropolitan government and amalgamated the remaining municipalities into one, creating the current City of Toronto. The city celebrated its 175th anniversary on 6 March, 2009.
Budget Travel to Toronto
The Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is the main gateway to the city. It is located about 40 minutes from downtown Torontto. The airport comprises two terminals. Terminal 1 is used by Air Canada and a few Star Alliance carriers.
The most economical option of leaving the airport is by taking the public bus by Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Single-journey fare is C$3.00 (you can buy five-pack tokens which cost only C$2.50 each) from the Bureau de Change at the Arrival Hall. The bus takes you to the Kipling Station of the Bloor-Danfort Subway Line. From there, you can transfer to the subway which takes about 1.5 hours to reach downtown Toronto.
The Mill, Black Creek Pioneer Village
Author: John Vetterli (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
There are express buses operated by GO Transit to downtown Toronto. Journey to Yorkdale and York Mills subway stations cost C$4.05 and takes about 45 minutes. From there, you can tranfer to the subway, which takes an other 20 minutes to reach downtown. The subway fare is separately charged at C$2.75.
An even faster option, for those who have already booked their hotel rooms, is to take the Pacific Western Airport Express, which stops at major hotels in downtown Toronto. The journey costs C$19.95 one way per adult.
Lastly, you can hail a taxi to downtown Toronto for C$40 or airport limousines for C$50-C$70.
Budget Travel within Toronto
Toronto has the third busiest subway network in North America after those of New York City and Mexico City. You can use it in combination with buses and streetcars to fully explore Toronto. If you are planning to use public transport a lot, I would suggest that you buy the one-day pass, which costs C$10 and allows you unlimited rides on all the TTC services within the City of Toronto, except for the Downtown Express buses. The passes are good from 9:30 am in the morning until 5:30 am the following morning, meaning you should avoid traveling during the morning rush hour of 5:30 am to 9:30 am, when you will have to pay the regular fare.
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
Author: Staka (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
There is also a weekly pass for C$36. With this, you get unlimited travel from 5:00 am Monday morning until 5:30 am the following Monday, so this offers travel any time of the day, but you lose out if you arrive at the later part of the week, such as Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
The single-journey ticket costs C$3.00 while a 5-token and 10-token pack bring down the fare to C$2.50 per ride. If you plan to make more than 4 trips a day, then the day pass is more worthwhile.
Partners
Toronto travel guide: Toronto online guide, maps and tourism information.
Downtown Toronto, Canada
Author: Norm Betts (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
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Places of Interest in Toronto
- Art Gallery of Ontario
Gallery holding one of the most extensive collections ofv fine arts and modern sculptures in Canada.
- Bata Shoe Museum
Museum founded in 1995 by Sonja Bata, member of the famous shoe-making family.
- Black Creek Pioneer Village
A showpiece village with some 40 19th century buildings relocated here, and run by guides in period costumes.
- Chinatown
Enclave where the Chinese immigrants to Toronto make a living.
- CN Tower
Tallest free-standing building in North America.
- First Post Office
The first post office in Toronto has survived to this day and is still in operation.
- Fort York
Fortress built by the British in 1793.
- Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Canada's first purpose-built performing arts centre for opera and ballet.
- George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art
The only museum of its kind in North America dedicated to pottery and porcelain.
- Hockey Hall of Fame
Center celebrating Canada's national sport, ice hockey.
- Kensington Market
An ethnically diverse neighborhood founded at the turn of the 20th century by East European immigrants.
- Little Italy
Enclave of Italian immigrants in Toronto.
- McMichael Art Collection
A log-and-stone dwelling holding the collection of
Canadian art donated by Robert and Signe McMichael to the Canadian government.
- Ontario Parliament Building
A majestic sandstone building completed in 1893.
- Ontario Place
A theme park with many fun rides for children.
- Queen Street West
Old warehouse area turned into a lively precinct of nightlife and designer stores.
- Queen's Park
A leafy space fringed by 19th century buildings.
- Rogers Centre
The first sports stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof.
- Royal Alexandra Theatre
Historical theatre building that was restored in the 1960s.
- Royal Museum Ontario
A major museum with a wide range of exhibits from natural sciences to archaeology and more.
- Royal York
The most luxurious hotel in Toronto.
- Scarborough Bluffs
Rocky outcrops forming an attractive feature of a suburb along Lake Ontario.
- Spadina Museum, Historical House & Gardens
Former residence of James Austin, the first president of the Toronto Dominion Bank.
- The Beaches
A neighborhood of brick houses on leafy narrow streets.
- Toronto City Hall
Skyscraper complex completed in 1964.
- Toronto Dominion Gallery of Inuit Art
Gallery occupying two levels of the Toronto Dominion Centre exhibiting Inuit Art.
- Toronto Islands
Three low-lying islands on Lake Ontario.
- Toronto Science Centre
A place with many interactive exhibits.
- Toronto Zoo
Claimed to be one of the best zoos in the world.
- University of Toronto
One of Canada's most prestigious universities.
- Yorkville
A neighborhood of upscale shops and restaurants formerly a hippie haven.
Get a GPS and never get lost again!
Avoid charges for overweight luggage! Get a luggage scale for your trip.
Prepare for your trip!
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