I am so excited for you to read and — hopefully — try out this guide for a weekend in Toronto! Perhaps I am too invested in making a perfect stranger happy on his or her travels, but let me explain why.
First, I spent two weeks in Toronto and this guide right here is the essence of everything I absolutely loved to see and eat in the city. Second, my sister- and brother-in-law who have been living in Toronto for 5 years now, have actively helped me create this guide by suggesting many of their favorite, tried-and-true spots to visit.
I don’t want to say that this itinerary is perfect, but it kinda is. Major attractions, a few hidden gems, and lots of delicious food along the way are arranged in logical order so you can simply enjoy your weekend in Toronto!
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something by clicking the link I will earn a small commission at absolutely no extra cost to you.
Start your weekend in Toronto with a hearty breakfast at the most iconic and popular market in the city. Located in the Old Town, St. Lawrence Market has been around since the early 1800s and made the list of 10 best food markets in the world by National Geographic back in 2011. There are over 120 vendors selling everything from fresh produce, to baked goods, to prepared food.
Take some time to walk around and explore the market stalls, then head to Blackbird Baking Co. for amazing pastries. Alternatively, St. Urbain Bagel Bakery offers great bagels and Crepe It Up — a range of sweet and savory crepes. For a cup of coffee, stop at Everyday Gourmet Coffee Roasters.
Alternatives: Forno Cultura on King Street West is another great place to start your day. It is a modern Italian bakery known for its artisanal breads, classic Italian pastries, and good coffee.
OEB Breakfast on Toronto Street offers familiar favorites like eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs, and bacon and buttermilk waffles, as well as specialties like breakfast poutine or pierogi with duck confit. They use locally-sourced, often organic ingredients.
A 10-minute walk from St. Lawrence Market
After breakfast, head down to the waterfront. You can walk the strip between Sugar Beach and Harbourfront Center (about 20 minutes on foot) or continue walking all the way to Toronto Music Garden (30 minutes on foot), a public park designed in collaboration with world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy.
A 12-minute walk from Harbourfront Center or a 15-minute walk from Toronto Music Garden
A weekend in Toronto wouldn’t be complete without visiting the CN Tower, the most iconic landmark in Toronto and the most recognizable part of its skyline. The tower is over 500 meters tall and was once the tallest structure in the world until in 2009 it was surpassed by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.
CN Tower offers an amazing observation deck which you can reach in 58 seconds by taking the high-speed elevator. If you are adventurous, doing the EdgeWalk, a hands-free walk along the outer edge of the tower, might be fun.
CN Tower — 290 Bremner Blvd
A 13-minute walk from the CN Tower
After a visit to the CN Tower walk to the nearby Khao San Road for some delicious Thai food. They serve all the familiar Thai favorites like papaya salad, green and red curries, and Pad Thai, the latter being the most popular dish.
Chef Top Srisomphan grew up in Bangkok, where she learned to cook alongside her mother before attending culinary school and eventually moving to Canada. The restaurant itself is cozy but airy, with high ceilings, big windows, and decorative tiles imported from Thailand. You can always grab a seat at the bar if the place is too busy.
Note: double check the opening hours of Khao San Road before heading there for lunch, their schedule is a bit tricky.
Khao San Road — 11 Charlotte St
Alternatives: PAI (an 11-minute walk from the CN Tower) is another incredible place for lunch that specializes in cuisine of Northern Thailand. Pigeon Cafe and Bar (a 10-minute walk from the CN Tower) is a good choice if you are craving something simple, like a sandwich, a salad, or a chicken bowl.
A 4-minute walk from Khao Sun Road
I told you this guide for a weekend in Toronto is as much about trying delicious foods as it is about seeing the city! I hope after a hearty lunch you are still up for a coffee and dessert, because French Made is an absolute must-try.
This Parisian-inspired cafe located on the ground floor of Bisha Hotel offers some of the most amazing pastries I’ve ever had. Their almond croissant is especially good.
It’s usually crowded, and seating inside is limited. If the weather allows you can enjoy your coffee on the patio or take it to go.
French Made — 80 Blue Jays Way
A 10-minute walk from French Made
After the coffee break walk towards Queen Street West, popular for its cool vibe and a variety of independent boutiques, art galleries, and vintage stores. The stretch of Queen Street between University Avenue and Portland Street is where you will find the highest concentration of cute shops and nice cafes.
A few places worth visiting are Mama Loves You vintage store, Mizzica Gelateria for award-winning gelato, and Aux Merveilleux de Fred for the most incredible merengues.
After Queen Street West, walk on to Chinatown. Explore the many grocery stores and open markets. There are many tiny spa places that offer a quick foot massage. My sister-in-law and I stopped at a random place for massage in Chinatown and it was a nice break from all the walking.
A 6-minute walk from Chinatown
From Chinatown make your way to the the Art Gallery of Ontario. If you want to spend a little more time outside, just behind the gallery is Grange Park, a beautiful green space where you can relax. If you are traveling with kids, it’s an especially good choice since there’s a great playground in the park.
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is one of the most well-known art museums in North America. It was established over a century ago and houses a collection of over 120 000 artworks. You will find masterpieces by Van Gogh, Rubens, and Andy Warhol here. Some of the most important works of art you can see here include Albrecht Dürer’s Adam and Eve, The Massacre of the Innocents by Rubens, and Henry Moore’s Large Two Forms, a monumental sculpture located in the Grange Park.
Finish your first day in Toronto in style! Here are a few options for dinner that are located not too far from The Art Gallery of Ontario.
Aloette (a 13-minute walk from The Art Gallery of Ontario) is a stylish yet relaxed bistro that offers elevated comfort food like burgers, fried chicken, and lemon meringue pie in a diner-inspired space.
Petros 82 (a 13-minute walk from The Art Gallery of Ontario) offers Mediterranean cuisine with a focus on fresh seasonal seafood.
Coffee, Oysters & Champagne offers the largest selection of sparkling wine in Canada and fresh oysters, just as the name suggests.
Another option for dinner and drinks is Kōst, a California-inspired restaurant on the 44th floor of Bisha Hotel (the same one where French Made is located) with al fresco dining and beautiful views of the city.
Sud Forno is an Italian bakery and cafe with several locations in the city. For the purposes of this guide, head to the one at Yonge and Temperance in Toronto’s downtown for breakfast. The bakery is housed in a beautifully-restored 19th-century heritage building.
The space is enormous with vaulted ceiling and custom-designed floor mosaic. For breakfast, you will find an array of classic Italian pastries, good coffee, and sandwiches.
Sud Forno — 132 Yonge St
Alternative: OEB Breakfast on Toronto Street serves up classics like eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs, and buttermilk waffles, alongside creative twists such as breakfast poutine and duck confit pierogi. The menu highlights locally sourced, often organic ingredients.
A 10-minute walk from Sud Forno
The Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square is one the most popular landmarks and photo spots in the city. It was originally installed in 2015 for the Pan Am Games, but became a permanent fixture due to its popularity.
Right near the sign are the Old and New City Halls of Toronto. The Old City Hall is a Romanesque-style building, while the New City Hall is a contemporary structure that houses the municipal government.
An 11-minute walk from the Toronto Sign
Yonge-Dundas Square has a vibe similar to that of Times Square in New York: large digital billboards, street performers, and lots of people. It’s a hub for entertainment, public events, and shopping. Conveniently, Eaton center, one of the largest shopping malls in Toronto and Canada is located just across the road.
A 2-minute walk from Yonge-Dundas Square
Little Canada is located right on the Yonge-Dundas Square and is a fun way to see more of Canada, albeit in miniature. The exhibit consists of mini versions of Canada’s most popular cities and nature spots that come to life thanks to incredible technologies.
You can see Toronto’s skyscrapers, the boats with tourists at Niagara Falls, and cute little streets of Quebec City all in one place. The installations are interactive: the trains ride around, the water at Niagara Falls flows, days turn into nights by deeming the lights. At the end, you will find a little exhibition explaining how the miniature world was created.
Little Canada — 10 Dundas St E
Note: Little Canada is quite expensive to visit with tickets for adults at CAD 36. It’s up to you whether you’d like to make a stop here. I visited with my two kids and we all found it fascinating.
What to do otherwise? If you don’t want to visit Little Canada, you might want to explore PATH, a network of underground pedestrian tunnels and walkways. It spans over 30 km and is home to the world’s largest underground shopping complex.
A 30-minute walk (17 minutes by public transport) from Little Canada
Kensington Market is another popular spot you cannot miss on a weekend in Toronto. It is quite different from St. Lawrence Market you visited the day before. Where St. Lawrence is a covered market (think: a lot of stalls in one building), Kensington is a historic district. Its streets are lined with restaurants, shops and grocery stores, so the best way to explore it is by wandering around and popping into random places that catch your attention along the way.
You will find food from all over the world here: from Chinese to Mexican to Jamaican and beyond which is a clear reflection of the several waves of immigrants who moved to Toronto over the past few decades.
Here are some of my favorites: Blackbird Baking Co. for delicious baked goods, Golden Patty for Jamaican-style patties, Latin Taste for amazing empanadas. My brother-in-law also recommends The Cottage Cheese for Indian cuisine and Sunnys Chinese.
A 15-minute walk from Kensington Market
In warmer months, the University campus is one of the best things to do on a weekend in Toronto. Stroll along tree-lined paths, admire the ivy-covered Gothic-revival buildings, and peek inside quiet courtyards.
Some of the most popular sights to see here are: University College, Convocation Hall, Knox College, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, and Philosopher’s Walk.
University of Toronto is where Margaret Atwood and Malcolm Gladwell studied. It is also often used as a filming location: some scenes from Good Will Hunting and Mean Girls were shot here.
A 10-minute walk from the University of Toronto
Home to 18 million artworks and cultural objects from around the world, Royal Ontario Museum is Canada’s largest museum. If you use this guide to plan your weekend in Toronto, you’ll only have 2.5 hours at ROM as it closes at 17.30. That is not nearly enough to cover 40 galleries and exhibition spaces inside. Pick and chose what exactly you’d like to see beforehand so you don’t get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of artworks on display.
Among all the paintings and sculptures, don’t miss out on exploring the building itself. The original structure was constructed in 1914 in the Neo-Romanesque style, while the most controversial feature of the ROM, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, was added in 2007. The new structure is made of glass, aluminum, and steel, and juts out dramatically from the older stone building.
Inside, visit the Rotunda, the Museum’s ceremonial entrance hall, which features a mosaic dome made from Venetian glass cut into over a million tiny squares.
ROM is located in Yorkville, so technically you have already arrived
Yorkville is one of Toronto’s most upscale neighborhoods, famous for its luxury boutique shops, art galleries and fine dining. Along Bloor Street you will find flagship stores of Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci, to name a few.
Also located on Bloor Street is Eataly, a one-stop-shop for all things Italian. From produce and authentic ingredients to multiple dining options to Italian-style coffee.
I have visited Yorkville in the morning, so here are a few recommendations for dinner and drinks from my family.
For an upscale experience, try Amal, a stylish Lebanese restaurant.
Alobar is cocktail bar and restaurant, offering refined seafood and steaks in an intimate setting.
Yamato is a Japanese restaurant known for its tepanaki grill and sushi bar. The table-side cooking makes the whole experience lively and cozy.
Writer’s Room Bar is a stylish rooftop bar at the Park Hyatt Toronto, offering craft cocktails and incredible skyline views.
If you have more than 48 hours in Toronto, visiting Scarborough Bluffs Park is a great idea. It will be a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city. You need a car to get there and it will take a little under an hour one way.
Another obvious nature getaway is Niagara Falls. You can visit on your own or do a day trip with a guide.
If you want to see more of the city, Casa Loma is one of the most popular attractions that I couldn’t fit into this guide for a weekend in Toronto.
If you are traveling to Toronto with kids, check out Ripley’s Aquarium.
I write stories about food, travel, and my life as a mom of two boys. Home is Russia, but somehow also Sri Lanka and Hamburg, Germany. Go figure.
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