Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the capital of Ontario, set on a harbour on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The city had about 2.8 million residents at the 2021 census, and its metropolitan area more than seven million, and roughly half of Torontonians were born outside Canada, which makes for a city of remarkable diversity.
Visitors come for the skyline and the CN Tower, the Toronto Islands just offshore, major museums, theatres and sports, and neighbourhoods such as Kensington Market, the Distillery District and the Beaches, each with its own character and food. Deep ravines and parks wind through the city, and Niagara Falls is an easy day trip. The city is walkable downtown and served by subways and streetcars. Short-term rentals must be the host's principal residence and registered with the city, so look for the registration number in any listing before booking.
Downtown, between the waterfront and Bloor Street, is the most practical base, with the Entertainment District's theatres, the CN Tower, Union Station and the Financial District close together. The harbourfront and St. Lawrence neighbourhoods, near St. Lawrence Market and the Distillery District, add lake views and older brick streets. Yorkville and the Annex, north of downtown, sit beside the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Toronto and suit travellers who like quieter, leafy streets.
West of downtown, Queen West, Trinity Bellwoods and Kensington Market are known for independent shops, cafes and nightlife, while Little Italy and Little Portugal have a neighbourhood feel. To the east, Leslieville and Riverdale are residential areas with streetcar links, and the Beaches has a lakeside boardwalk and sandy shore that suit families. Condominium towers around the waterfront and Liberty Village offer many apartments, though building rules may restrict short stays.
In Toronto, a short-term rental is any stay of less than 28 consecutive days, and it is permitted only in the operator's principal residence, the home where they live and that they use for bills, identification, taxes and insurance. Operators must register with the city and include the valid city-issued registration number in every listing. An entire home may be rented for a maximum of 180 nights per calendar year, while up to three bedrooms in a principal residence may be rented while the host lives there, with no night limit. Operators also collect a municipal accommodation tax.
A secondary suite or laneway suite can be rented only if it is itself the operator's principal residence. Condominium boards often restrict short rentals as well. Rules change from time to time, so check the city's current official guidance and the registration number before booking.
The CN Tower, completed in 1976 and 553 metres tall, was the world's tallest free-standing structure until 2007 and still dominates the skyline; its observation levels look over the lake and the city. At its foot are the stadium and arena districts and the waterfront. The Royal Ontario Museum, a museum of world culture and natural history, has a striking crystal-shaped addition by Daniel Libeskind, and the Art Gallery of Ontario, remodelled by Frank Gehry, holds large Canadian and international collections.
The Distillery District, a National Historic Site, preserves the Victorian industrial buildings of the former Gooderham and Worts distillery as a pedestrian quarter of galleries and cafes. Kensington Market, another National Historic Site, is a multicultural tangle of small streets, and St. Lawrence Market has been a food market for generations. Casa Loma, a castle-like mansion completed in 1914, Fort York and the Hockey Hall of Fame add more history.
The Toronto Islands were a peninsula until a storm in 1858 cut them off, and today public ferries cross year-round from the downtown ferry terminal to beaches, picnic lawns and the largest urban car-free community in North America. On the mainland, the Toronto ravine system follows the Don and Humber rivers with trails through wooded valleys, High Park has gardens and a lake, and the Scarborough Bluffs rise above the lake in the east. Rouge National Urban Park, managed by Parks Canada, protects farmland, forest and wetlands on the city's eastern edge.
Niagara Falls, about 70 kilometres southeast across the lake, is reached by road around its western end in about an hour and a half, and the wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake lie nearby. Farther north, the lakes and forests of Muskoka and Algonquin Provincial Park make classic summer and autumn trips.
Indigenous peoples have lived in the Toronto area for more than 10,000 years, and the Wendat and later the Haudenosaunee had villages here before the British acquired the land from the Mississaugas in the Toronto Purchase of 1787. Governor John Graves Simcoe founded the town of York in 1793 as the capital of Upper Canada, and in 1813 American troops captured and burned part of it during the War of 1812. York was incorporated as the City of Toronto on March 6, 1834.
Railways and waves of Irish, Italian, Jewish, Portuguese, Chinese and, later, Caribbean, South Asian and other immigrants shaped the city, which overtook Montreal as Canada's largest by the 1980s. In 1998 the old city and its suburbs were amalgamated into today's Toronto. More than 160 languages are spoken here, and the city is a centre of finance, film, theatre and music, home to the Toronto International Film Festival each September.
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Canada's busiest, lies about 20 kilometres northwest of downtown in neighbouring Mississauga, and the UP Express train runs from the airport to Union Station in about half an hour. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), on the Toronto Islands beside downtown, has limited service to cities in Canada and the United States. Union Station is also the hub for VIA Rail trains across Canada, Amtrak trains to New York and GO Transit regional trains and buses.
The Toronto Transit Commission runs the subway, including the U-shaped Line 1 and the east-west Line 2, plus light rail lines, a large bus network and the streetcars that serve many downtown streets. A car is unnecessary for most city visits, as parking is expensive and congestion heavy, especially on the Gardiner Expressway and Highway 401, but it helps for Niagara and cottage country.
Toronto has a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons and changeable weather. Winters are cold, with temperatures usually below freezing, occasional cold snaps made sharper by wind chill, and snow that can fall from November to mid-April, averaging about 120 centimetres a year. Summers are warm to hot and often humid, with thunderstorms, although lake breezes can cool the shore on spring and early summer afternoons. Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year.
Late May to September is the main season for the islands, patios and festivals, and September brings the film festival. Autumn, especially late September and October, is mild and colourful, while winter suits museums, theatre and skating rinks in the city's squares. Pack warm, windproof clothing between December and March, and expect busier hotels and higher demand for rentals during major festivals and events.
Downtown and the Entertainment District are the most convenient for first-timers, close to the CN Tower, theatres and Union Station. Yorkville and the Annex are quieter and near the Royal Ontario Museum, Queen West and Kensington suit travellers who like independent shops and nightlife, and the Beaches and Leslieville suit families who want a calmer base.
Yes, but only in the operator's principal residence and with a city registration number shown in every listing. An entire home can be rented for at most 180 nights a year, while rooms in a home where the host lives have no night limit. Stays of less than 28 days count as short-term. Confirm the city's latest rules before you book.
The UP Express train runs from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), about 20 kilometres northwest of downtown, to Union Station in about half an hour. Taxis, ride-hailing and TTC buses are also available, though road journeys vary with traffic. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), on the islands, is a short ferry or tunnel walk from downtown.
Late May to early October brings warm weather, ferries to the islands, patios and festivals, with September adding the film festival and autumn colour. Winter is cold and snowy but good for museums, theatre and skating. Spring is changeable, with cool days by the lake into May.
Niagara Falls lies about 70 kilometres southeast of Toronto across Lake Ontario, and the drive around the western end of the lake usually takes about an hour and a half, depending on traffic. GO Transit and tour coaches also make the trip, and many visitors combine the falls with the wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Not for the city itself. The subway, streetcars and buses of the TTC, the UP Express and GO trains cover most needs, and downtown is walkable. Parking is costly and traffic heavy. A car is useful for trips to Niagara, Muskoka or Algonquin Provincial Park.
Three to four days allow time for the CN Tower, a ferry to the Toronto Islands, the Royal Ontario Museum or the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Distillery District and Kensington Market. Five days or more leave room for a day trip to Niagara Falls and slower exploring of neighbourhoods such as the Beaches and Little Italy.
Yes. The Toronto Islands, with their beaches and car-free paths, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Toronto Zoo, High Park and the lakeside boardwalk of the Beaches are popular with children. Many apartments and houses suit families, and the TTC makes getting around easy, though winters call for warm clothing.
Researched and written with AI assistance, then fact-checked against the sources below. Last checked .