50 Fun and Unusual Things to Do in Toronto (Local Picks, With Prices)
I once spent forty minutes in line for the CN Tower elevator behind a guy explaining timeshares to his kids. That was the trip I decided Toronto rewards people who plan a little and wander a lot. This list skips the brochure stuff where it can and tells you what things actually cost, in US dollars, so you can build a week that doesn't just hit landmarks — it eats well and doesn't bleed money on stuff that isn't worth it.
Only-here experiences
1. Ride the Toronto Islands ferry at golden hour
The classic skyline shot everyone's seen on Instagram is a 15-minute ferry ride away, and going right before sunset means fewer families and better light. Bikes are allowed, the islands are car-free, and there's a beach on the far side most tourists never reach. Ferry from the Jack Layton terminal downtown; round trip runs under $10.2. Walk Graffiti Alley with someone who actually knows the artists
Everyone photographs this stretch behind Queen Street West, but a guided walk turns it from wallpaper into a story about who painted what and why the city lets them. An hour and a half, small groups, and you'll never look at a plain brick wall the same way. The street art tour option runs about $36.
Toronto Graffiti Alley Street Art Walking Tour with an ExpertCheck availability on Viator →
3. Climb the CN Tower's glass floor (then skip the second attraction)
Yes, it's the obvious one, but standing on reinforced glass 1,122 feet above a parking lot still gets a genuine gasp out of me every time. Go at opening or after 8pm to dodge the worst lines. Buy timed tickets ahead — don't be the guy behind me in that queue.4. Explore Casa Loma's tunnels
A Gilded Age tycoon built himself a literal castle with secret passages and an 800-foot tunnel to the stables, then lost it all in the crash of '29. It's genuinely strange and very photogenic, especially the towers in autumn light. Budget two hours, midtown location, best paired with the CN Tower on a single sightseeing day.5. Do the EdgeWalk if you have zero fear of heights
This is walking a narrow ledge around the CN Tower's outside, harnessed, at 1,168 feet, no railing. I did it once and my palms are sweating just typing this. It's not cheap and it's not for everyone, but nobody who's done it has ever called it boring.6. Take a helicopter loop over the harbour
Fifteen minutes sounds short until you're airborne over the islands watching the skyline shrink — it's the fastest way to actually understand how the city sits against the lake. Book for late afternoon when the light's low and gold. This one's for splurgers, not budget travelers, and slots vanish fast in summer.
20 km Helicopter Tour over TorontoCheck availability on Viator →
7. Ride the ferry-and-boat combo around the islands
Instead of just crossing to Centre Island, a full harbour loop shows you the skyline from angles the ferry doesn't hit, plus the container port and Ontario Place. An hour, live narration, good for people who don't want to commit to a whole island afternoon. Around $29 and a good rainy-morning backup since you stay mostly under cover.
1-Hour Toronto Harbour Tour with Live NarrationCheck availability on Viator →
8. Find the Leslie Street Spit
This is a five-kilometer man-made peninsula built from construction rubble that accidentally became a wetland bird sanctuary. Locals bike or walk it on weekends; cars are banned. It's free, it's strange, and it's the closest thing Toronto has to actual wilderness within city limits.
Food and drink
9. Eat a peameal bacon sandwich at St. Lawrence Market
This is Toronto's answer to a Chicago Italian beef — a fat slab of cured pork loin on a soft bun, invented here, argued about constantly. The market hall dates to 1803 and gets busy by 11am, so go early or late. A sandwich runs about $8-10; the market itself is free to wander.10. Take the Old Town food and history walk
This covers the market, the Flatiron Building and the Distillery District's cobblestones while someone explains why Toronto's downtown looks the way it does. Three hours, small groups, several tastings included. Good for a first afternoon if you want context before you start eating on your own.
Old Town Toronto Food and History Tour with St. Lawrence MarketCheck availability on Viator →
11. Get lost (on purpose) in Kensington Market
Vintage shops next to Jamaican patty counters next to a cheese shop that's been there since your grandparents were young — it's a genuinely bohemian grid, not a manufactured one. Go on a weekday if you hate crowds; Sundays get the Pedestrian Sundays street-fair energy. Wandering is free; budget $15-20 for snacking your way through.12. Book the original Kensington Market food tour
This is the highest-rated food experience in the city for a reason — patties, empanadas, dumplings and cheese in one 2.5-hour loop with a guide who actually stops you before you overeat at the first stall. Great for a first full day in the city. Runs about $79.
Toronto's First Food Tour: Taste the World in Kensington MarketCheck availability on Viator →
13. Try the multicultural Kensington and Chinatown combo walk
This one stretches the food crawl into Chinatown proper, which most single-neighborhood tours skip. Three hours, more ground covered, a slightly cheaper ticket than the flagship version at around $38. Good if you're food-touring on a tighter budget but still want a guide instead of a map.14. Drink a Caesar, Canada's actual national cocktail
It's a Bloody Mary with clam broth instead of straight tomato juice, and Canadians are dead serious about it. Order one at basically any downtown bar; expect $12-15. Skip the touristy garnish-tower versions near the tower — the best ones are quieter neighborhood pubs.15. Do the full-flavor food tour with a chef's-eye guide
This one runs a broader route than the Kensington-only tours and leans into both local and international stops, which fits a city where half the good food is Vietnamese, Ethiopian or Filipino, not Canadian at all. Three hours, close to $75, well rated by people who actually cook.16. Order dim sum in Chinatown before noon
Skip the touristy carts-for-show places near Spadina and Dundas and go where the carts are actually moving fast — that's the tell. A full spread for two runs $25-35. Weekend mornings get a line; weekday mornings don't.17. Hit a Filipino bakery for pandesal
Toronto's Filipino community is enormous and underrated as a food scene compared to, say, its Chinese or Italian ones. A dozen warm rolls costs about $4. Scarborough has the density, but a few downtown spots carry the basics if you're not going that far out.18. Get a butter tart, then argue about which bakery does it best
This is Canada's actual dessert — a pastry shell with a gooey maple-and-butter filling, and everyone in Ontario has a strong opinion about the right one. Runs $3-5 each. Buy two from different bakeries and do your own taste test; it's the cheapest fun you'll have all week.Outdoors and neighborhoods
19. Bike the Martin Goodman Trail along the waterfront
This runs roughly 35 kilometers of lakeside path connecting the islands ferry, Ontario Place and the eastern beaches. Bike-share docks are everywhere downtown; a day pass runs around $10-15. Best in September when the crowds thin but the weather's still generous.20. Walk the Beaches neighborhood boardwalk
This is the un-touristy Toronto — a mile of actual boardwalk along Lake Ontario with real sand beaches, ice cream shops and porch-heavy streets that feel more small-town than big-city. Free to walk, a streetcar ride east of downtown. Go on a weekday morning for the quiet version.21. Explore Trinity Bellwoods Park on a Saturday
This is where the city's twenty- and thirty-somethings actually hang out — dogs, hammocks, a farmers market some mornings. Free, west-end, good people-watching if you like guessing which coffee shop everyone just came from. Skip it in a downpour; there's zero cover.22. Take the Toronto Premium driving tour with the CN Tower and harbour cruise combo
This packs a guided drive through the major neighborhoods with a tower visit and a boat ride into one four-hour block — useful if you've only got a single day and hate figuring out transit logistics. About $138. Best for a first morning before you get your bearings on foot.23. Climb the Scarborough Bluffs
These are 300-foot sandy cliffs along the eastern edge of the city that look more like the American Southwest than Ontario. Free, but you need a car or a longer transit trip to get out there — worth it for the view alone, especially at sunrise. Bring water; there's no shade on the trails.24. Wander the Distillery District's cobblestones
Restored Victorian industrial buildings now house galleries, chocolate shops and patios, all car-free. It gets genuinely magical at Christmas with a huge light installation, and it's free to walk anytime. Go on a weekday afternoon in summer; weekends draw wedding parties and Instagram crowds.25. Ride the hop-on hop-off bus for a first orientation lap
I'm not usually a bus-tour guy, but if you've got one day and want the lay of the land before committing to neighborhoods on foot, this earns its keep. 2.5 hours if you stay on the whole loop, around $50. Don't make it your only sightseeing — use it as a map, then get off and walk.After dark
26. Take the original Toronto ghost walk
This covers Old Town's actually-documented hauntings and executions with a guide who's clearly done the archive digging, not just made stuff up for effect. An hour and a half, evening starts, around $27. Good date-night alternative to another restaurant reservation.27. Catch a Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre
The retractable roof stadium sits right under the CN Tower's shadow, and cheap upper-deck seats run $15-25 depending on the opponent. Summer evenings are the move — the roof opens and the skyline lights up behind the outfield. Buy same-day if you don't care where you sit.28. Do a Niagara night tour with dinner and the tower included
This is a genuinely different version of the falls day trip — you see them lit up after dark, get a boat cruise, dinner, and a tower stop, all in one ten-hour round trip. About $72. Good for travelers who want Niagara without giving up an entire daylight day in the city.29. Watch the sunset from Riverdale Park East
This is a free hill in the east end with one of the best unobstructed skyline views in the city, and almost no tourists know about it. Bring a blanket and something from a nearby bakery. Best April through October; it's a mud pit in winter.30. Catch a show at Massey Hall
This 1894 concert hall has hosted everyone from Bob Dylan to a young Miles Davis, and a recent renovation restored the original acoustics. Ticket prices vary wildly by act, from $30 to well over $100. Check the calendar before you book flights if there's someone specific you'd cross a border for.31. Take a harbour dinner cruise
This is the easy-to-book, no-planning-required version of a nice night out — a few hours on the water, the skyline lit up, dinner included. Prices run roughly $35-90 depending on the operator and menu. Book ahead in summer; these sell out on weekends.Rainy day plans
32. Spend three hours at the Royal Ontario Museum
The crystal-shaped addition polarizes architecture critics, but inside there's a genuinely excellent dinosaur hall and a totem pole collection worth the visit alone. Midtown, allow at least two hours, check current ticket prices online since they vary by exhibit. Go on a weekday to dodge school groups.33. Duck into Ripley's Aquarium
This sits right beside the CN Tower, so it's an easy pivot if the weather turns while you're in line for the tower. The moving walkway through the shark tank is worth the hype for once — plan 90 minutes minimum. Check current prices; it's not cheap, but it's genuinely well done, not a tourist-trap fish tank.34. Browse the Art Gallery of Ontario
The Frank Gehry-redesigned building alone is worth a look, and the collection includes the largest public holding of Henry Moore sculptures anywhere. Downtown, two hours minimum if you're actually reading the placards. Free admission on select Wednesday evenings — check current schedule before you plan around it.35. Explore the underground PATH system
This is 30 kilometers of connected underground shopping and walkways beneath downtown, built because Toronto winters are brutal. It's free, mildly disorienting the first time, and genuinely useful if it's snowing sideways in February. Grab a map at any major hotel lobby; the signage alone won't save you.36. Take the old town walking tour, indoor-outdoor mix
This gratuity-based three-hour walk covers Old Town's highlights with enough indoor market stops that a light drizzle won't ruin it. Pay what you think it's worth at the end — a fair system that keeps guides honest. Good budget option since technically it starts around $5.37. Warm up at a proper Chinatown hot pot spot
Nothing fixes a cold, wet Toronto afternoon like a table full of boiling broth and a plate of thinly sliced beef. Expect $20-30 per person for a full meal. Spadina Avenue has the highest concentration; go hungry, skip lunch beforehand.Free things to do
38. Watch the Canadian geese chaos at Trinity Bellwoods
Sounds dumb, is genuinely funny — Toronto's urban geese have zero fear of humans and treat the park like they own it. Free, obviously, and a good filler activity between other plans. Bring bread and you'll regret it; they will find you.39. Visit Nathan Phillips Square and the City Hall building
The saddle-shaped towers are one of the more striking pieces of civic architecture in North America, and the square out front turns into a skating rink in winter, free to use if you bring your own skates. Free year-round to just walk through and gawk. Best photographed at dusk when the lights come on.40. Walk the Toronto Music Garden
This waterfront park was designed by a landscape architect working with Yo-Yo Ma, structured around a Bach cello suite, which sounds pretentious until you're actually in it and it just works. Free, quiet, almost nobody's there on weekday mornings. Bring coffee and sit by the water.41. Browse the Kensington Market vintage shops without buying anything
Half the fun of Kensington is the window shopping — genuinely weird stock, prices that assume you'll haggle, owners who'll talk your ear off about their inventory if you let them. Free to wander for hours. Go on a weekday if you actually want to talk to anyone; weekends are shoulder to shoulder.42. Catch free summer concerts at Harbourfront Centre
The lakeside cultural center runs a genuinely strong summer concert series, most of it free, on a stage right on the water. Check current schedules since lineups shift week to week. Bring a blanket; grass seating fills up early for anything popular.43. Walk the High Park cherry blossoms in spring
For about two weeks in late April or early May, a grove of Sakura trees turns this west-end park into the most photographed spot in the city, and it costs nothing to see. Go on a weekday morning — weekends get genuinely crowded for photos. The rest of the park is worth a full free afternoon regardless of season.44. Explore the Toronto Public Library's Fisher Rare Book Room
Housed at the University of Toronto, this is one of the largest rare book collections in North America and it's free to visit during open hours. It's the kind of quiet, strange stop most tourists never think to make. Check current hours before you go, since it's tied to the academic calendar.45. Wander Graffiti Alley on your own before the tour crowds arrive
If you're not paying for the guided version, an early solo walk through this Queen West alley still delivers — just bring a phone with a charged battery, because everyone photographs everything twice. Free. Go before 10am for empty shots.With kids
46. Ride the carousel and mini-golf at Centreville on the Islands
This old-fashioned amusement park on Centre Island has zero roller coasters and a lot of charm — pony rides, a Ferris wheel, a splash pad. Ferry over, budget a full afternoon, tickets run per-ride or as a pass; check current pricing since it shifts seasonally. Good for kids under ten especially.47. Take the family to the Ontario Science Centre
Hands-on exhibits, a real planetarium, and enough interactive stuff to burn off a whole rainy afternoon of kid energy. Uptown, plan at least two hours, check current admission pricing online. Skip if traveling with toddlers who won't sit through the domed shows — better for ages six and up.48. Combine the CN Tower with an aquarium stop for a full kid day
Both sit next to each other, so a single downtown day covers height, glass floors and sharks without much extra transit. Plan for a full day with lunch breaks; lines get long by midafternoon in summer, so start early. Check current combined ticket pricing before you go.49. Let the kids run Riverdale Farm
This is a genuinely free working farm inside the city, with barns, chickens and the occasional lamb, tucked into a residential neighborhood most tourists never wander into. No admission fee, open year-round, best in the morning before it gets busy with school groups. A nice contrast if you've spent the previous day in tower lines.Day trips
50. Take the classic Niagara Falls day trip with the boat ride
This is the one every visitor should actually do — the Horseshoe Falls from the Canadian side, a boat that takes you right up to the base, and the walk behind the falls itself. Full day, hotel pickup included, and it genuinely lives up to the hype, unlike some tourist-trap landmarks. Prices across operators run from about $52 up past $185 depending on inclusions like lunch or a Hornblower cruise upgrade — book the Niagara Falls day trip that matches your budget rather than the flashiest option. Pair it with Niagara-on-the-Lake for ice wine and the prettiest main street in Ontario if you've got a slightly longer day to spend, or check Niagara wine tours for a version that swaps some falls time for vineyard stops.| Trip style | Typical price (USD) | Duration | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget Niagara day trip | $52–80 | 9 hrs | Solo travelers, first-timers |
| Niagara + wine + lunch | $130–185 | 9–10 hrs | Couples, special occasions |
| Niagara night tour + dinner | ~$72 | 10 hrs | Skipping a full daylight day |
| City sightseeing combo | $50–138 | 2.5–4 hrs | One-day visitors |
How to plan it
- Days needed: Three days covers downtown, the islands and a food neighborhood properly; add a fourth for Niagara so you're not doing it exhausted on day one.
- Where to base yourself: Downtown near Union Station or the waterfront keeps you close to transit, the tower and the ferry docks — check our Toronto in 3 days itinerary for a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown.
- Transit: Get a Presto card on arrival or use contactless payment — the subway and streetcars cover almost everything you'll want, and walking fills the rest.
- Book ahead: Niagara day trips, helicopter tours and dinner cruises all sell out in summer — reserve these before you land, not after.
- With kids: The Toronto with kids itinerary mixes the islands, aquarium and tower into a pace that doesn't melt down by 2pm.
- Full overview: Start with the Toronto destination guide if you're still deciding how many days to commit.