24 Hours in Toronto: Street Art, Skyline and Kensington Market
Canada's largest city is fantastic to explore in a single day: from street art and Chinatown to Kensington Market and the Art Gallery of Ontario , all the way to the CN Tower . Here are my tips for a day in Toronto – including sights, restaurants, hotels, and a trip to Niagara Falls.
Morning: Street art, Yonge Street and Kensington Market
With around three million inhabitants, Ontario's capital city is the largest in the country and also one of the most diverse. An incredible 140 languages are spoken here , so every fan should be able to find someone to talk to. From Chinatown and Little Italy to world-class museums, top attractions, and vibrant markets: here are my tips for 24 hours in and around Toronto.
After breakfast at Café Landwer , a stroll along Yonge Street is highly recommended . It divides the city into east and west and runs from Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe. At the corner of 20 East Charles Street, observant visitors can spot a piece of graffiti depicting a face wearing sunglasses, with the Frankfurt skyline reflected in it.
Toronto is home to some of the world's best muralists, street artists, and graffiti artists. These artists and their artworks have transformed Toronto's public streets, alleys, and parks into a citywide art gallery. An exchange program exists between the sister cities of Toronto and Frankfurt , for which Frankfurt street artist Justus Becker created this enormous architectural artwork entitled " Diversity is our Strength ."
More graffiti can be found on the StreetARToronto map.
Click on the first photo to see the images in full size:
The sculptures “The Audience” by Michael Snow, which are located on the exterior of the Rogers Centre in Toronto One of the many secondhand shops in Kensington Market The car, “Live Eye”, which protrudes into the wall of the house, is located at 299 Queen Street West, Toronto. You can simply put your feet up in the deck chairs on the beach. Kensington Market in the evening Yellow buses and skyscrapers, and in the far distance, the CN Tower.
Yonge Street is famous as a shopping district , home to the Eaton Centre, Sankofa Square, and the Hockey Hall of Fame. Right next door on Dundas Street is the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), designed by architect Frank Gehry . It is one of the largest art museums in North America, with a particularly noteworthy collection of Indigenous and Canadian art.
From there, a fifteen-minute walk through the streets of Chinatown leads to the famous Kensington Market , a vibrant, historic district known for its multicultural atmosphere. Here you'll find vintage shops, second-hand fashion, and unique food stalls where you can refuel for the afternoon.
The best time to visit is from Friday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00, when most shops are open.
Afternoon: Toronto from the water and from a height of 470 meters
From here, you can take a red hop-on hop-off bus operated by City Sightseeing Toronto, which serves as both transportation and a tour guide. The ticket also includes a 45-minute boat tour to the nearby islands. From the boat, you have a fantastic view of the city skyline, dominated by the CN Tower .
From the pier, it's just a short walk to the city's 553-meter-high landmark. Adrenaline junkies can book the " Edge Walk ," where, held only by safety cables, they walk around the entire tower at a height of 116 floors. This perilous walk was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records on November 8, 2011, as the highest outdoor walkway.
Those less daring – or perhaps even crazy, depending on your perspective – can take the elevator up to 470 meters and enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of the city. There's even a glass floor that offers a vertical view down to the streets below. Definitely not for the faint of heart.
To avoid queuing, it is best to buy tickets online in advance :
Evening: Food from around the world
In this multicultural Canadian city, there is a huge selection of international restaurants in the evenings to let the many different impressions sink in.
Tip: From Toronto to Niagara Falls
Whether by bus or train: Niagara Falls can easily be reached from Toronto in two hours using public transport.
You can find out what you should do there in my blog post:
Information for your trip to Toronto
General information
General information on travel destinations , activities , attractions and accommodation options can be found on the Destination Ontario website.
Arrival
Condor, for example, offers direct flights from Frankfurt to Toronto.
Niagara Falls can be reached from Toronto in approximately two hours using public transport.
An electronic travel document (eTA) is required for entry into Canada .
Sleeping in Toronto
An oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of the city is the Michelin-starred 1 Hotel Toronto , whose motto is sustainable luxury. The restaurant and rooftop pool offer fantastic views of the city skyline.
Double rooms are available from €430.
The Chelsea Hotel is located on a side street off Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. This large hotel has 1,590 rooms in two towers, as well as a sauna and a swimming pool. Double rooms start at €125.
Artistic and hip: Each room at the Drake Hotel in West Queen West has been decorated by different artists. Double rooms are available from €190 per night.
Food in Toronto
Planta Queen proves that vegetarian food can be anything but boring. The stylish restaurant, decorated in black with Asian-inspired wallpaper, offers a unique kind of fusion cuisine.
Café Landwer was founded in Berlin in 1919 and was originally a popular coffee roastery. Due to the rise of the Nazis, the family emigrated to Tel Aviv in 1933 and established the city's first coffee roastery there. Since 2017, they have also had restaurants in Toronto.
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