We’d arrived into Toronto the previous afternoon by train from Montreal and after a relaxing overnight stay at The Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre we were feeling refreshed and looking forward to a day of city sightseeing.
Walking tour with Dave from Buzz Tours
Often, the best way to find your way around and to get your bearings of a new city is to join a walking tour so we signed up for a three hour “Show Me The City” tour with Buzz Tours. The tour begins outside the Roy Thomson Hall where we met Dave who was to be our guide for the morning.
It was a beautiful sunny spring morning, just perfect for a walking tour and after a brief welcome introduction we set off on our tour pausing to admire some of the city’s beautiful buildings and to learn about the city’s history.
Roundhouse Park
Continuing our tour of the old parts of the city we explored Roundhouse Park where we viewed the John Street Roundhouse which houses the Toronto Railway Museum. We didn’t go inside but were able to view a collection of former Canadian Pacific Railway trains which are on display in the park that is now a designated national historic site of Canada.
Lake Ontario Waterfront
Located close by is the harbourfront so we headed there next where we enjoyed a stroll along the banks of Lake Ontario. Several historic museum ships are moored in the harbour but were not open to view at the time of our visit. Our tour guide Dave pointed out Billy Bishop City Airport across the bay where we had good views of aircraft activity. This airport is Toronto’s second, operating short haul flights and it is into here that we could have arrived if we had not opted to take the train from Montreal.
Entertainment District and PATH
Leaving the waterside behind our tour then headed through the Entertainment District with its theatres, concert halls and sports stadiums. We were then led into the PATH (Toronto’s underground pedestrian walkway).
This underground ‘city’ spans more than 30 km linking to offices, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. Dave explained that the acronym PATH doesn’t actually stand for anything but rather that each letter signifies a colour coded route through the walkway.
Financial District and Banksy Artwork
Continuing into the Financial District section of PATH, our attention turned to a piece of artwork by the British street artist Banksy. Entitled ‘Guard With Balloon Dog’ this was originally displayed on the side of a city centre building which was to be demolished. A section of wall was saved in order to preserve the artwork and re-positioned in the underground PATH system next to One York Street, for all to see.
Brookfield Place
We then strolled through the stunning, glass roofed Brookfield Place where we admired the façade of the Clarkson Gordon Building.
The front of this heritage building was taken apart stone by stone and then painstakingly reconstructed into the Brookfield Place Galleria.
Berczy Park Dog Fountain
Close to the end of our walking tour we paused to view the Berczy Park Dog Fountain. As it was wintertime there wasn’t any water flowing in the fountain but nevertheless the Dog Fountain was delightful to view. This distinctive two tier fountain features cast iron statues of 27 dogs and a cat. The dogs are all looking up towards a large bone perched on the top of the fountain. The fountain also includes a ground level trough which provides drinking water for ‘actual’ dogs which was so nice to see. Dave told us that when the fountain is operating each of the dog statues spout water upwards from their mouths.
Our walking tour concluded in the wonderful St. Lawrence Market where we said goodbye to Dave and thanked him for his excellent introduction to the city. The three hour tour went by so quickly as we were taken to see so many places that we probably wouldn’t have discovered on our own.
The St. Lawrence Market
The market complex comprises three main buildings with the main and lower levels of the South Market being home to over 120 food stalls offering fresh produce, bakery and dairy products. Before bidding farewell to Dave he suggested that we might like to get our lunch from St. Urbain Bagel located in the far corner of the market. Back in the 1990’s St. Urbain was the first company to introduce Montreal style bagels to Toronto and ever since then they have proved a hit with locals and visitors alike.
It was worth the ten minute wait to get our order as our cream cheese and smoked salmon salad bagels were absolutely delicious and as the weather was good we took them outdoors to eat on the market’s terrace. After our lunchtime bagels and coffee we were raring to go, and set off on an afternoon of exploring some of Toronto’s attractions by ourselves.
Ice Hockey Hall of Fame
We decided to start with a visit to the Ice Hockey Hall of Fame as this was nearest to the St. Lawrence Market. The museum is located in Brookfield Place in an adjoining historic Bank of Montreal building.
I have to admit that our knowledge of ice hockey is very limited but we did once attend a very exciting match in Finland between local rivals Helsinki and Espoo. The museum’s galleries showcase players, teams, records, memorabilia and National Hockey League relics.
We enjoyed viewing equipment and team kits through the ages and watched other visitors testing their skills in the Game Time Hub against life size animated versions of famous NHL goaltenders and shooters. Hockey Hall of Fame
CN Tower
Leaving the Hockey Hall of Fame we retraced our steps to the CN Tower which we had observed whilst on our morning walking tour. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and perfect weather for our ascent to the top of Toronto’s most iconic landmark which stands at 553 m (1,815ft).
The CN Tower was the tallest freestanding structure in the world from its construction in 1976 up until 2007. The lift whisked us from the ground floor up to the main observation level in just 58 seconds at a speed of 15 miles (22 km) per hour.
it was such a clear day that we were able to enjoy far reaching views over the city, airport and outlying islands. Part of the observation deck has a glass concrete floor from which you can look down.
For any daredevils, the Brave the Edge Walk is on offer at an additional charge. Needless to say, we were happy to walk along the glass floor but couldn’t be persuaded to take the hands free Edge Walk 116 storeys above the city, secured by only a harness. CN Tower.
Ripley’s Aquarium
Back at ground level, we only had to walk next door to visit Ripley’s Aquarium which is home to North America’s longest underwater viewing tunnel. The aquarium is divided into different sections, the first of which is Canadian Waters where we learnt about the flora and fauna across Canada from oceans to freshwater life.
The one way self-guided tour then led us to the Pacific Kelp Forest where we viewed an enormous kelp water tank from both the upper and lower levels. This was really beautiful as the tall kelp floats gracefully while fish swim around. Continuing, we viewed the colourful coral of the Rainbow Reef.
The highlight for us of Ripley’s Aquarium was undoubtedly the underwater viewing tunnel known as the Dangerous Lagoon. This 96 m long glass tunnel is accessed by a slowly moving travelator with sharks, sea turtles and countless fish visible all around. Before leaving we also viewed the Jellyfish tank and Shoreline gallery. A great way to spend a couple of hours for all ages. Ripleys Aquarium
BATA Shoe Museum
It was then off to our final attraction of the day, the Bata Shoe Museum. To reach there we needed to take the subway, the nearest station to the museum being St. George. Some readers may recall this name as until its UK factory closed in 2005, BATA was a familiar name on our high streets.
The museum’s permanent gallery ‘All About Shoes: footwear through the ages focuses on the evolution of footwear, the methods and materials of its manufacture. As well as presenting an overview of the history of footwear it also covers BATA’s own fascinating collection of footwear. A temporary exhibition was also taking place entitled Art/Wear: Sneakers and Artists. This explored the history of sneakers (trainers) and the rise of customisation as its own art form.
Waterworks Food Hall
For our evening meal we headed over to King West to seek out the Waterworks Food Hall which is located in a historic building that was formerly the Water Works offices, It’s now a culinary destination offering a varied range of freshly prepared authentic cuisines, a wine bar and craft beers under one roof.
We were spoilt for choice and though we could have opted to purchase food from different counters we both settled on steak and fries from the Argentinian TANTXO counter which tasted delicious. The Waterworks is reasonably priced and easily accessible by both subway and tram and has a relaxing atmosphere. Waterworks Food Hall
The end of a fun-filled day exploring Toronto.
We were guests of Buzz Walking Tours and Destination Toronto and as always, all views and opinions are entirely my own.
If you have enjoyed this post you may also like:
Love Travelling Blog 
Leave a comment