Here are the best Toronto tours and activities to experience when you travel to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As locals to Toronto, we know all the best things to see and do when you visit the city, whether it's your first or your fiftieth trip to Toronto. Allow local experts to guide you around the best areas of the city.
This list of the top tours in Toronto showcases the must visit spots for first timers, as well as hidden areas of the city that are equally as important to discover. I've included walking tours by day and night, more active adventures like biking and canoeing, and unique tours highlighting the history, architecture and interesting stories throughout the ages.
Quick Summary of the Best Toronto Tours
In a hurry and need to plan your Toronto trip soon? Here's a brief listing of every tour that I'll be recommending in this blog post for amazing experiences in Canada's largest city:
- Best of Toronto Small Group Tour
- Distillery District Walking Tour
- Toronto Film and TV Tour
- Walking Tour of the PATH, Toronto's Underground City
- Ghost Tour of Toronto
- Toronto Guided Night Tour with CN Tower Entry
- Downtown Toronto Bike Tour
- Toronto Islands Bike Tour
- Toronto Islands Sunset Canoe Tour
- Kensington Market International Food Tour
- Toronto Beer Tour
- Candlelight Concerts in Toronto
- Graffiti Tour of Toronto
- Helicopter Tour of Toronto
- Niagara Falls Day Trip from Toronto
Best Toronto Tours: Small Group Tour of the Highlights
For a half day overview of Toronto, check out this Best of Toronto Small Group Tour. This four hour tour will have no more than nine participants total in an intimate, small group setting. You'll have a chance to connect better with your guide and experience the highlights of Toronto like a local.
Visit Toronto's most iconic landmark, the CN Tower, taking in views of the city from its observation deck. You'll also experience an hour long Toronto harbour cruise to see the city skyline from a really fun boat ride. Other stops include St. Lawrence Market and a guided driving tour passing Dundas Square, Queen's Park and Nathan Phillips Square (Toronto City Hall) and more.
Best Toronto Tours: Distillery District Walking Tour
The Distillery District is best known for the annual Distillery Winter Village (Toronto Christmas Market), though it's a wonderful area of the city to visit all year long. As the neighbourhood has a very interesting history, it's best to learn all about it from a qualified guide on this Distillery District Walking Tour.
On your tour, you'll discover the Victorian Industrial architecture and learn about the company that became the world's largest distillery. This walking tour is fairly priced and only an hour long, leaving you with ample time to explore the Distillery District on your own after the tour.
Best Toronto Tours: Toronto Film & TV Tour
Did you know that Toronto is a popular film location for movies and television? Some popular shows and films that were made in Toronto include Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Suicide Squad, Suits, The Boys, Handmaids Tale, American Psycho, and more.
On this Toronto Film and TV Tour, you'll embark on a 2.5 hour walking tour through various neighbourhoods and your guide will explain their role in the productions. You'll be shown scenes from famous Hollywood productions on a tablet at the actual location. Let's celebrate Toronto's booming film industry and uncover the locations behind them.
PATH Underground Walking Tour of Toronto
If you're from Toronto, you've probably gotten lost in the PATH more times than you can count. I still don't know my way around down there! PATH is an underground network beneath Toronto's downtown core that allows you to get around more comfortably in bad weather. But, what some people don't realize is that the PATH connects you to 900 shops, 11 hotels, 500 food establishments, and 5 subway stations!
Now, you can familiarize yourself with the PATH by taking a Walking Tour of the PATH, Toronto's Underground City. Your guide will also show you how to navigate all 20 miles of the PATH on your own, including the above ground sections, too.
Haunted Walk of Toronto Ghost Tour
Here's a great evening tour of Toronto that you'll love, especially if you adore anything spooky. This Ghost Tour of Toronto is a 75 minute, small group guided tour that uncovers some of the creepiest places in the city.
Make sure you wear comfortable shoes as this is a walking tour, showcasing the stories behind the spooky landmarks. Learn about intriguing mysteries, historic crimes and scary supernatural tales from your expert tour guide.
Toronto Guided Night Tour with CN Tower Entry
While most group walking tours are during the daytime, here's a unique experience for you: a Toronto Guided Night Tour with CN Tower Entry. This is a small group tour with a maximum of nine participants. You'll venture up to the observation deck of the iconic CN Tower to witness the bright, twinkling lights of the cityscape at night.
Some other great stops that you'll make on your night tour of Toronto include the Distillery District, Cherry Beach, the Toronto sign and more. You'll receive some time with your guide and some time to explore on your own, as well as transportation to the various locations.
Downtown Toronto Bike Tour
This half day, guided Downtown Toronto Bike Tour takes you on an epic adventure through some of Toronto's famous landmarks and hidden gems. You'll stop by the main attractions like Chinatown, City Hall, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Entertainment District, St Lawrence Market, the Art Gallery of Ontario and more.
At the same time, your guide will teach you about the city's history, architecture and culture. Along with your guided tour, you'll receive a bicycle and a helmet for the duration of your tour, as well as bottles of water and snacks.
Toronto Islands Bike Tour
Looking for a bike tour but in a more natural setting? Head across the water for this Toronto Islands Bike Tour for a 3.5 hour morning guided tour. This is one of the most unique areas of the city where you'll be able to soak up breathtaking views of Toronto's skyline.
Not only will you enjoy amazing scenery of the city from across Lake Ontario, but you'll learn about some interesting points of interest on the Toronto Islands themselves. Cycle over to the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse and the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in this car-free community. You will have a bike and helmet to use during the tour, and your guide will also provide you with water and snacks.
Toronto Islands Sunset Canoe Tour
Cycling isn't the only activity on the Toronto Islands. This Toronto Islands Sunset Canoe Tour offers more unique vantage points of the city as the sun goes down. Soak up the scenery of this tranquil area of the city at dusk and admire the brilliant city skyline from your canoe. What an unforgettable experience!
You'll paddle around the islands in an authentic, Voyageur canoe replica that was once used by European settlers. An expert guide will be with you in the canoe at all times and you'll learn how to properly paddle. You'll drift beneath a historic 1905 bridge on tranquil waterways and paddle around the Bird Sanctuary of the Toronto Islands.
Kensington Market Food Tour
Kensington Market is one of the most vibrant neighbourhoods of Toronto and has one of the most eclectic food scenes in the city. This Kensington Market International Food Tour takes you to the area's best eateries where you'll sample everything from Jamaican patties to Tibetan momos. Experiencing Kensington is one of the top things to do in the city.
You'll visit at least six different eateries for tastings which adds up to be at least a full meal. You won't leave hungry! There are always vegetarian options available, though you will need to ask your guide in advance about vegan options. Kensington Market is super vegan-friendly, so I doubt this will be an issue!
Toronto Beer Tour
This beer tour in Toronto is one of the best guided tours we've taken in the city. It's a really fun afternoon, whether you're visiting Toronto from afar or you're local to the city like we are. Think of it as a historic walking tour of Toronto, but with beer.
This Toronto beer tour strongly focuses on this region's craft beers with a sprinkling of local history as we travel past the city's landmarks in the downtown area. If you love walking tours, craft brews, and learning along the way, you'll love this one. Let's explore Toronto and beer together.
Best Activities in Toronto: Candlelight Concerts
Although this isn't a tour, this is one of the best activities in Toronto, as well as one of the best things to do in Toronto at night. Toronto hosts amazing candlelight concerts with several genres and themes that are sure to please everyone.
Candlelight concerts are performed by trained musicians, whether it's a pianist, string quartet or an entire orchestra. The performances are hosted at unique and magical locations where the stage is surrounded by thousands of flickering candle flames.
For more traditional concerts, you can attend live performances of timeless composers like Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi. There are shows featuring the music of popular artists like Taylor Swift, Coldplay, ABBA, Queen and Pink Floyd. And there are themed candlelight concerts highlighting the music from video games, anime, music by Hans Zimmer, and so much more.
Toronto Graffiti Walking Tour
Toronto has so much amazing street art splashed across many city walls and buildings. However, there are a few key places that are saturated with the most graffiti art that I recommend checking out if you have a short period of time in Toronto.
Tour Guys offers "Toronto's Original Graffiti Tour" and it comes at a low price - pay only a small administrative fee to book your ticket, and then "tip what you can" for the guide. This 90 minute tour takes you through Toronto's laneways and back alleys to showcase the best street art and uncover its stories.
To learn more about this tour, check out my review of this Toronto Graffiti Tour. If you'd rather wander around Toronto and check out the graffiti for yourself without a guide, please check out my Self-Guided Tour of Toronto Street Art.
Helicopter City Tour
Fly high over the city when you partake in one of the best Toronto tours, a helicopter city tour. See Toronto as you've never seen it before as you soar over the skyscrapers. Catch glimpses of the CN Tower from above.
This is a stunning but brief helicopter tour that will keep you wanting more. Your tour lasts approximately seven minutes in total, and you'll be left raving about those breathtaking panoramic views. There are a variety of departure times that will suit any schedule.
Best Day Tour From Toronto: Niagara Falls
One of the most popular destinations to visit near Toronto is the magnificent Niagara Falls. If you're coming to Toronto and you've never seen Niagara Falls, you simply must check it out. It can be difficult to take public transportation between Toronto and Niagara Falls, which is why I recommend that you take a day tour.
This Niagara Falls day trip from Toronto is great for independent travelers as Toronto isn't terribly far from Niagara region. While you will have a tour guide with informative commentary and stops in Niagara Falls, the majority of this trip is enjoying free time in Niagara Falls.
Once you arrive in Niagara Falls, you can choose to take the Hornblower Cruise (aka Maid of the Mist), visit the Skylon Tower, take the Journey Behind the Falls, walk up and down Clifton Hill, or simply admire this world wonder. Here are some fantastic ways to experience Niagara Falls for some ideas on how to spend a few hours there.
More Blog Posts About Toronto
Planning an upcoming visit to Toronto? We're locals and we know all the best things to see and do in Toronto (and the GTA!). Here are some more articles that might interest you:
- The Best Coffee Shops in Toronto
- Ultimate List of Vegan and Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Toronto
- The Best Things to Do in Toronto in the Winter
- Best Places to See Christmas Lights in Toronto
- Best Toronto Christmas Events You Need to Experience
- The Best Places to Visit in Toronto
- Visiting High Park During Cherry Blossom Season
- The Best Gardens in Toronto
- Self-Guided Tour of Toronto's Street Art
- Winter Stations Toronto, a Winter Public Art Display
- 150 Best Things to Do in Toronto and the GTA
- Toronto Beer Tour: Craft Beer and Historic Walking Tour
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