Toronto is known as one of the most multicultural cities in the world. It’s the largest city in Canada and its unique diversity means there’s something for everyone. If you’ve never been to Toronto you should go. Why wouldn’t you want to visit a city that’s home to both the largest Caribbean carnival/street festival (Caribana) and the largest Chinatown in North America? We had two days to do our sightseeing, so we decided to go hard and make the most of it. Here’s a breakdown of our quick trip to Toronto.

We did a LOT in Toronto considering we only had two days for sightseeing. There were a bunch of sights I wanted to visit, but I ended up narrowing my list down to five sights: (1) Niagara Falls; (2) the CN Tower; (3) Casa Loma; and (4) the Royal Ontario Museum; (5) Ripley’s Aquarium (we added Ripley’s Aquarium to the list because my friend and I figured it would be a fun place for our kids). So, how did we get it all done in two days?

Three ways: (1) Start early (or at least as early as you can with kids); (2) Map it out – figure out how far each sight is from the other and work out a route/plan (it wouldn’t hurt to figure out where to park either) and (3) Take advantage of the Toronto CityPass.

Day 1

1. Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is a beautiful collection of waterfalls, a wonder you should see at least once in your life. It’s about an hour and a half drive from Toronto (depending on the traffic). I went to Niagara Falls years ago when I was ten. I still have fond memories of taking the Maid of the Mist and doing the Journey behind the Falls with my brother. Niagara Falls consists of three waterfalls – the Horseshoe Falls, The American Falls, and the Bridal Veil.

When you get to Niagara Falls, you can search the Falls parking lots for a spot (the best ones are Lots A and B). If you find one great, but chances are they may be full. If that’s the case, I recommend parking at the Skylon Tower for $15 CAD. It’s a short walk, plus there’s a Starbucks store in the Tower in case you want to grab a cup of coffee or tea before heading towards the waterfalls.

We took the elevator in the Skylon Tower down to the ground floor (very helpful because we had a stroller), walked through the mini arcade, then outside to take another elevator up to the road level. As we walked towards the Falls, we could hear the powerful rushing sound of the water as it cascaded down into the river. Our first view was of the American Falls.

After viewing the American Falls, we then walked towards the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, which I think is the most beautiful of all three. We had a lovely view of the Horseshoe Falls and got some beautiful shots despite the weather.

The boat in the midst of the waterfall is the Maid of the Mist. If you have time, you should definitely take a ride and experience the wonder of the Falls up close. It’s a 20 minute boat ride and worth the experience.

We continued walking to the Welcome Center, which has a bunch of stores and gift shops. If you walk through the Center and exit on the other side, you will be able to walk towards the section where you can see the top of the Horseshoe Falls, and watch as the water goes over the edge. There’s no doubt that the Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

When you visit Niagara, you should definitely experience the Journey Behind the Falls tour, where you will explore the underground tunnels that take you behind the Horseshoe Falls. You’ll get to view the water cascading at the open cave entrances and feel the roaring vibration of the waterfall itself. You’ll then journey down to the observation deck where you can get a full view of the Waterfall.

There are other areas in the Niagara Falls area that you can visit, such as the Queen Victoria Park. On your way back to Toronto, take a quick stop at Niagara on the Lake, a little town in the area, where you can find a quick bite to eat before heading back.

Tips: Go early so you can enjoy the entire day! Keep in mind you will be sprayed with the mist from the Waterfalls. Bring a raincoat with you so you don’t get too wet. You will be provided with a raincoat if you go on the “Journey Behind the Falls” or the Maid of the Mist. Also, comfy shoes are a must! If you stay late enough, you will get to see the Falls illuminated at night. If you have more time, consider staying overnight. There is no cost to visit and view the waterfalls. A ride on the Maid of the Mist is $19.25 CAD (adults)/$11.20 CAD (children) and the Journey Behind the Falls tour is $19.94 CAD (adults)/$13.00 CAD (children).

Day 2

Day 2 was the tricky part. We had one day to see the remaining sights on my list. Fortunately, these places were all located within minutes of each other in the downtown area of Toronto (or at least close by), so mapping out and planning our day was pretty easy. This is also where the Toronto CityPass came in handy.

2. CN Tower

We started our second day at the CN Tower. Lines are usually long, but the CityPass lets you skip the lines. Once you get in the elevator you go all the way to the top. Make sure you enjoy the view on the way up. When you get to the top, you’ll have a fantastic view of the city of Toronto (weather permitting – if you go when it’s cloudy/overcast, you won’t see a thing).

Once you’re done admiring the view, go one level below to walk along the glass floor and look right down to see the view below you.

Once we were done, we headed back to the ground floor. We stopped at the indoor play area (right beside the gift shop) so our son could play for a bit, then headed over to our next stop, which is right beside the CN Tower – the Ripley’s Aquarium.

Parking: We parked at the Intercontinental hotel for $20 CAD (all day parking). You can also park at the Metro Toronto Convention Center for the same price. Other parking lots closer to the CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium cost around $30 CAD.

3. Ripley’s Aquarium

Ripley’s Aquarium is quite popular in Toronto. We walked through the aquarium, starting with the Rainbow Reef and the Shark tank, and then through the Dangerous Lagoon. The Dangerous Lagoon is a huge underwater gallery. For me, this was the highlight of the Aquarium.

Ripley’s Aquarium is great for kids, and worked out perfectly as a good place to meet my friend and her children. We grabbed lunch at the food court, which is right after the tunnel and spent some time catching up. Now if you don’t have kids, you may not enjoy Ripley’s as much, unless you really like aquariums. I’ve seen a bunch of aquariums in my lifetime and honestly Ripley’s was just okay.

It’s included in the CityPass and right beside the CN Tower though, so it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick stop and see what it’s all about. I think you can get through the aquarium pretty quickly if you are traveling without kids. If you are traveling with kids you should spend a little more time. There are several interactive programs that your kids may enjoy (depending on their age).

4. Casa Loma

Our next stop was Casa Loma, which was about a fifteen minute drive from Ripley’s and the CN Tower. Not many people know about Casa Loma, which is why it was high on my must-see list. Casa Loma closes at 5:00 p.m., but the last admission is at 4:30 p.m. So even though the Royal Ontario Museum was closer, we went to Casa Loma first to make sure we saw it.

Casa Loma is a magnificent Medieval castle located in midtown Toronto. In fact, it’s the only full-sized castle in North America. Spanish for “house on the hill”, Casa Loma was envisioned and owned by Sir Henry Pellatt, who lived in the castle with his wife for less than than ten years.

They were eventually forced to abandon their home because they fell into financial misfortune. We learned a lot about Casa Loma and its history with the help of the multimedia audio guide during our self-guided tour.

The castle has many rooms, as well as secret passageways, towers, stables, an 800 foot tunnel, and 5-acre estate gardens. First, we viewed all the rooms and areas on the main level. The main level consists of various rooms including the Oak Room, the Great Room, the Study, the Library and the Garden Terrace.

We then used a secret passageway from the Study to get to the second floor, where most of the bedrooms (Sir Pellatt’s suite, Lady Mary Pellatt’s suite, and guest suites) are located. You can also get a beautiful view of the gardens in the back from Lady Pellatt’s bedroom balconies.

The third floor displays the Queen’s Own Rifle Museum and an informative gallery that explains Mr. Pellatt’s involvement in the military, along with other interesting information including top secret operations at Casa Loma in the 1940s. You can use the stairs from the third floor to go up to the towers.

Make sure you take the time and go all the way to the lower level where the theater (you can watch the film if you have time), the Liberty Cafe, Gift Shop, Vault, Wine Cellar, and a tunnel to the Stables are located. The tunnel features an exhibit of “Toronto’s Dark Side”, which consists of photographs of the Prohibition, the Depression, the Plague, the Great Toronto Fire, and Toronto’s first plane crash.

Parking: You can park at Casa Loma for $15 CAD.

5. The Royal Ontario Museum

Our last stop was the Royal Ontario Museum (the ROM), which was about a 5 minute drive from Casa Loma. Before going to the ROM, I checked out the website to see which current exhibitions they had and made a note of the ones I wanted to see. Once we got to the museum, we grabbed a map of the ROM and went straight to our selected exhibitions.

As you probably already know, my husband and I love anything to do with history and culture, especially of ancient civilizations. So we went straight to the Asian Special Exhibitions and the First Peoples Special Exhibitions on the first floor. We then went to see the World Cultures on the third floor, which include: Africa, the Americas, and Asian-Pacific; the European Special Exhibitions; the Middle East/South Asia Special Exhibitions; Egypt; Bronze Age; Ancient Cyprus; Greece; and Rome. We also squeezed in the Dinosaur exhibit on the second floor.

Tip: Checking out the exhibitions online beforehand and using a map are great ways to make sure you see everything you want in limited time. Most of these museums are huge, and chances are not every single exhibition/gallery will interest you. Avoid wasting time by wandering around aimlessly. Plan your trip to the ROM beforehand. The museum closes at 5:30 and we were able to see all of what we wanted by that time.

Parking: There are various options for parking at the ROM. We parked on the road directly in front of the ROM and used the parking meter. There are also several parking lots nearby, including a Green P parking lot under the Intercontinental (not sure what it is with Intercontinental and parking here) and an Imperial Parking lot on Bloor Street.

All in all, we really enjoyed Toronto. I’d say my top three sights were Niagara Falls, Casa Loma, and the Royal Ontario Museum (in that order). If you have more than two days in Toronto, you can spread your visits out so you have more time at each sight.

That said, if you only have a day, then doing Day 2 like we did is totally doable. Just get an early start. The CityPass also helps because it gives you a great discount and allows you to skip the lines. For $70.91 USD, we got to see the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, Casa Loma, and the Royal Ontario Museum. Our CityPass also included a choice between the Toronto Zoo or the Ontario Science Center, but we decided beforehand not to got to either one because they were further out and we just didn’t have the time. Even so, the CityPass still worked out cheaper than getting regular tickets, even though we only visited four out of the five places. We would have paid a total of $123 (before taxes) without the CityPass for the four sights we visited. Children under 3 are free for these sights, so my son didn’t need a pass.

Other places to visit in Toronto include: St. Lawrence Market; Kensington Market; the Distillery District, Chinatown, and the Toronto Islands. If you have more time in Toronto, you should explore these areas. We’ll definitely check them out when we return.

Additional Tips

Getting There: We used SkyScanner to search for our flights and found a great deal on our airfare. We flew on Air Canada Express (booked through United Airlines).

Getting Around: You will definitely need to rent a car if you are visiting Toronto, unless you plan to stay in the downtown area or somewhere where you have direct access to the train. Even if you can get around with the train for the most part, you will still have to rent a car if you plan to go to Niagara Falls.

Sidenote: We didn’t realize that our car rental company was not inside the airport. We had to take the Terminal Link train to Viscount station (this took about 5 minutes). Once we arrived at Viscount, we headed downstairs, and used the designated phone on the wall to call the car rental company, which then sent us a shuttle. If you want to avoid that hassle, then make sure you book your car with one of the car rental companies inside Toronto Pearson International Airport. Also, stay away from Highway 407 to avoid crazy toll charges.

Where to Stay: We have a lot of family in Canada, so we stayed with my aunt and uncle in Brampton (not far from the city). My mom stayed there too, which was great, plus she got to spend some time with her grandson. If this is not an option, there are many hotels and rentals in Toronto from which you can choose.