72 hours in Toronto

I spent a total of 2 and a half days in Toronto with an overnight trip to Niagara Falls in the middle. During this time I stayed in the HI Toronto youth hostel which was in a good central location, had a great breakfast and was generally a really nice place.

First night in Canada I was pretty jet lagged, I'd had a long and exhausting journey, plus I'd been up since 4am UK time so I went to bed not long after 8 o'clock. Being in a room with seven other travellers meant that I wasn't the only one waking up early the following morning. The first person got up at about 5:30am to take a shower in the en suite bathroom so if I wasn't completely awake before then then I sure was now. I gave up on the idea of going back to sleep and left the hostel around 6 o'clock. It was a beautiful morning and I walked down to the Toronto waterfront to see the boats and watch the sunrise. I discovered Sugar Beach, situated right next to the sugar factory so it smelled really good. There was hardly a soul around and the lake looked stunning. Clearly the answer to dealing with jet lag is to just make the most of waking up early because that was one of my favourite moments in Toronto. I made it back to the hostel in time for the start of breakfast at 7:30.

To start off my exploration of Toronto I actually headed out of the city by taking a ferry across to Toronto Island. I would really recommend doing this if you're spending more than a day in the area as it gives the best views of Toronto's waterfront, it's nice to get out on the lake and it's great value for money. I did the most walking I've ever recorded during that day, covering as much of the islands as I could by foot (though some parts were too flooded to access). It's very picturesque - all parkland with beautiful cherry blossom, beaches, walkways and an old theme park. I also saw my first Canadian wildlife - a beaver, black squirrels and a variety of birds.

I headed back to the mainland mid-afternoon and had time to check out the Harbour Front Centre (not very exciting) and wander through the Distillery District. The Distillery District is worth a visit - the area has a nice vibe with lots of art displays, interesting shops and nice buildings. On my way back to the hostel I stopped off at the St Lawrence Market which was busy with people and had lots of fresh produce being sold. All in all a tiring but great first day. I was able to get more of a feel for the city and explore a bit without quite getting into the very centre.

On day two I felt I ought to climb the CN Tower since it's kind of the most prominent feature of Toronto. Once again I was awake early so, to pass the time before the tower opened, I took a stroll along the waterfront through the Toronto Music Garden which is a garden that was supposedly designed to reflect Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major. Regardless of whether it achieves that or not, it was a nice garden with lots of birds chirping from the bushes and interesting water features.

The CN Tower itself I found somewhat disappointing. Having flown in over the city only two days ago I had already seen Toronto from above and so I wasn't really getting any new views. Standing in the tower I just didn't feel like I was that high up - perhaps because the surrounding buildings are also so high - so I didn't get that adrenaline rush that I was expecting. It is also not possible to get to the very top of the tower and you have to go up in the lift. I got up as far as the observation bubble which is about three quarters of the way up. Needless to say, it's a very expensive tourist attraction and I found the views I got from the island more interesting.

Back on the ground, I made my way over to Chinatown and Kensington Market, passing by Fort York and Graffiti Alley on the way. Fort York was interesting as a historical sight and I enjoyed wandering round Chinatown which has all kinds of interesting shops and food options. The best thing I had was a cheese and herb scone from a small bakery which was straight out of the oven and absolutely delicious. I also walked to the city hall where the "Toronto" sign is (apparently costs the council a fortune to keep) and I watched some dancing in the square before heading to the bus station to catch the bus to Niagara Falls. I was very glad to be spending a night in Niagara Falls and not trying to do a day trip because the bus journey took around 3 hours.

When I got back from the Falls I had just half a day left in Toronto before I left for Kingston and someone I spoke to at breakfast gave me the idea of looking at walking tours. I booked a free walking tour of Toronto which turned out to be really interesting and got me hooked on walking tours for all the other cities I visited after that! The walking tour gives you so much more information than you would learn on your own or just from reading notice boards and, because the guide works off a tips-only basis, they tend to do a good job and put lots of effort into making it entertaining. All in all I enjoyed my stay in Toronto and was impressed by the enormity of it! It is very different to the places I'm used to in Europe.

#toronto #ontario #canada #travel