Last Updated on January 21, 2026 by Home in the World
‘T-Dot. It’s short for T dot O. As in Toronto, Ontario’, some Canadians had explained to me, having casually thrown the term around enough for me to finally ask in bewilderment what the heck they were on about (apparently this is now an outdated name, however. The cool kids these days refer to the city as ‘the 6’, in reference to its area code).
Whatever you want to call it, I landed in Toronto for what would be my second trip to Canada in 8 months. And I had once again headed to the country’s far east, but this time to the province of Ontario, where I was looking forward to experiencing Canada’s most populous city – and one of the biggest in North America.
Read on to find out my recommendations for things to see in Toronto, based on my travel experience.
This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Toronto. You can also read more about the GPSmyCity concept in this blog post.
City centre
My first impressions were that it reminded me a lot of Australian cities – a modern downtown area interspersed with older, heritage structures (including St Andrew’s Church pictured below), grungy, hip inner-city neighbourhoods, wide streets, and a good mix of buildings, nature and water. Under the clear blue skies of late-spring/early summer, it looked particularly fresh and functional.
The trams (known locally as trolley buses) are a cute additional element to the bustling traffic scene in and around the city centre, as pictured below near Dundas Street, one of Toronto’s biggest and most historic arterial roads.
Dundas & Yonge Streets
Dundas runs all the way from the western suburbs, cuts straight through the downtown area, before ending near the city’s eastern beach area. One of its main intersections, right in the ‘city core’, is the junction with Yonge Street (pronounced Young), once incorrectly touted as being the longest street in the world.
Yonge-Dundas Square is a vibrant hub of busy crosswalks, billboards, big screens, glass high-rise and brand-name shops, many more of which can be found in the Eaton Centre, also located at the square.
CN Tower
One of the main landmarks in Toronto, however, is the CN Tower. Measuring 553 m (1,815 ft) in height, it’s virtually omnipresent, not to mention a good reference point if you get lost!
Those game enough can do the EdgeWalk along the outside, but I was more than content to just enjoy the view through the glass from the ear-popping heights of the observation deck. And the view is indeed panoramic, particularly giving you a great aerial look at Lake Ontario, the quay area, and Centre Island, home to Toronto City Airport.
The tower also stands alongside the Rogers Centre, a multi-purpose entertainment venue, whose distinctive white dome similarly characterises the skyline.
It is also flanked by the Toronto Railway Museum, whose outdoor exhibition area I just happened to walk past upon leaving the tower.
Centre Island
For a picture-perfect snapshot of the tower, however, it’s worth heading out to the lush surrounds of Toronto’s Islands. Many people don’t associate islands with this big concrete metropolis, but they do exist, and are just a short (10-15 minutes) ferry ride across the water from the modern harbourfront – which in itself is a pleasant place to stroll around pre-cruise.
The Toronto Island Park is a small chain of islands, the main one of which is arguably Centre Island – home to Toronto City Airport (the city’s second and much smaller airport), an amusement park known as Centreville, a number of eateries, lush parkland (the white swans and weeping willows make you feel like you could be in England!) and even a beach.
As mentioned before, it is a great spot to capture the Toronto city skyline, dominated by glass high-rises and the imposing CN Tower.
Day trip to Niagara Falls
Perhaps one of the most common reasons people come to Toronto, however, is not for the city itself, but rather for the natural wonder situated an approximately 90-minute drive away – Niagara Falls.
There are several ways to get there, including a bus and a train, but we actually booked a private day tour with door-to-door pick-up and drop-off from our hotel. It worked very well, and there are a number of companies that offer such a service.
On the way, we stopped at a winery specialising in ice wine (I had never heard of it, but it’s made from grapes that have been left to freeze naturally on the vine. It’s grown a lot in the Niagara region), and the quaint and imaginatively-named town of Niagara-on-the-Lake (a.k.a NOTL), with its old-world architecture and horses-drawn carriages.
We didn’t spend long there, but I did get time to have a browse through Just Christmas, Canada’s oldest year-round Christmas store – a fun, festive experience, even in June.
On to Niagara itself, and unfortunately you see the billboards and Ferris wheel before you see the actual falls.
This is North America, after all – the falls in fact straddle the Canadian/US border – so it’s inevitable that any major site is going to be converted into some sort of theme park, complete with fast-food restaurants, gaming arcades, bowling alleys, hotels.. basically all manner of commercialism.
Which is a shame, because it’s super tacky and, in my view, detracts from the natural wonder that is this monumental complex of waterfalls.
There are actually three falls in total: The aptly named Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side (over which about 90% of the Niagara River flows)..
..the American Falls (because, well, they’re on the American side), and the Bridal Veil Falls which make up the narrow, slightly separate cascade on the right-hand side of the American Falls as you face them:
A cool option for getting up close to the falls is by taking the famous Maid of the Mist boat, which sails right past, and virtually under, them – hence the name and the blue ponchos provided.
It is a very unique experience and, in my view, probably the only way of truly appreciating the sheer noise, force and volume of water as it speeds over the top edge of the cliff, comes crashing down in a gush of white froth, and culminates in puffs of hissing, gossamer-like mist – but be prepared for you (and your camera gear) to get a little wet!
The whole Niagara excursion can easily be done in three quarters of a day, and is well worth it.
Architecture and street art
The last day or two of my time in Toronto was spent wandering the streets and admiring some of the architecture, street art.. and locals like this little guy (squirrels are a novelty for Australians):
University of Toronto and Queens Park
Part of my ramblings took me up to the northern end of the city, with the ivy-clad University of Toronto, Queen’s Park and the Ontario Legislative Building (pictured below), whose grounds include statues of Queen Victoria and Sir James Whitney (former premier of Ontario), and lead onto the wide and imposing University Avenue.
I also managed to catch a band performing as part of an international drumming festival in a nearby park!
Nathan Phillips Square
My daytime walk ended back at Nathan Phillips Square in the heart of Toronto, home to the distinctive curved towers of the new City Hall at its northern end and the clock tower of the Old City Hall (now Ontario Court of Justice) at its eastern end. During my visit, the square was partly under construction and the colourful ‘Toronto sign’ sadly didn’t exist.
A local friend took me on a night tour starting from this square. We walked a fair way up Yonge St to Bloor Street, had dinner at an Italian place on College Street (a.k.a Little Italy), before heading to a nearby lounge bar which I think was called Lily’s, and then an obligatory late-night stop at Tim Hortons for that quintessential Canadian experience (Tim Hortons is a well known and loved Canadian café/fast-food chain. There seem to be outlets everywhere!).
The overall vibe throughout was lively, safe and friendly. For all the many different ethnic communities living in this city (including Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Balkan, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Jamaican, among others), there are no ‘ghettos’ as such, and everyone seems to get along pretty well overall. This was reiterated to me by my local friend, and is something Torontonians are rightly proud of.
Final thoughts on things to see in Toronto
All in all, I liked the T-Dot. It was big enough to feel like a pulsating, cosmopolitan metropolis, without completely closing you in or overwhelming you.
While the city may not have any specific major tourist attractions in itself (apart from perhaps the CN Tower), its mix of nature, waterfront areas, modern architecture, historic buildings, cool club & entertainment scene, street art, multiculturalism and friendly people, not to mention its proximity to a natural world wonder like Niagara Falls, makes it a diverse, clean and safe destination for people of all ages to spend an enjoyable couple of days.
** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **
Trip facts
When I visited: June 2011
Weather: I spent about 5 nights here in early June. The days were predominantly mild to warm (approx 25-30°C / 77-86°F) and clear. I also spent a day visiting friends in the satellite city of Mississauga, and it was boiling! But the nights were still pretty cool.
Where I stayed: Residence Inn by Marriott Toronto Downtown/Entertainment District
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