Toronto travel guide
Canada
Canada's largest city and one of the most diverse anywhere, where a single streetcar ride passes through half a dozen cuisines. Its neighbourhoods are the reason to visit.
Essentials
- Language
- English; French is official nationally, and dozens of other languages are spoken across the city
- Currency
- Canadian dollar (CAD)
- Plugs
- Type A and B, 120 V
- Emergency number
- 911
- Tipping
- Around 15-20% is usual at restaurants and bars, and sales tax is added at the till rather than shown on the menu.
Rough daily budget
Approximate spend per person per day, in US dollars:
- Backpacker: $70-105, with a hostel or shared room, street food and public transport.
- Mid-range: $170-280, with a private room and restaurant meals.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Where to stay in Toronto
- Kensington Market: a tangle of vintage shops, food stalls and street murals.
- Queen West: galleries, design shops and Trinity Bellwoods Park.
- Distillery District: Victorian industrial buildings turned pedestrian streets of shops and restaurants.
Getting around Toronto
The TTC subway, streetcars and buses take a PRESTO card or a tap of a contactless bank card. Downtown is walkable in every season except deep winter.
Best time to visit Toronto
May to October, with September and October bringing milder days and autumn colour.
Top things to do in Toronto
- Eat a peameal bacon sandwich at St Lawrence Market, and come on a Saturday for the farmers' market
- Spend half a day among the dinosaurs and world cultures of the Royal Ontario Museum
- Walk Graffiti Alley, the painted lane running behind Queen Street West
- Hike the trails along the Scarborough Bluffs, white cliffs above Lake Ontario
- Catch a Blue Jays baseball game at the Rogers Centre between April and September
What to eat in Toronto
- Peameal bacon sandwich: lean back bacon rolled in cornmeal, grilled and stacked in a bun
- Butter tart: a small pastry case with a gooey filling of butter, sugar and syrup
- Jamaican patty: flaky golden pastry filled with spiced beef or vegetables, sold all over the city
- Dim sum: steamed dumplings and buns, best in Chinatown or the northern suburbs
Day trips from Toronto
- Niagara Falls: the falls themselves and boat trips into the spray, about 90 minutes by car and longer by train or bus
- Niagara-on-the-Lake: a small historic town surrounded by wineries, around 90 minutes to two hours by car
- Hamilton: waterfalls and trails along the Niagara Escarpment, about an hour by GO train or car
Local etiquette
Stand on the right on escalators and let people off the subway before boarding. Torontonians apologise readily and expect the same courtesy back.
Staying connected
Prepaid SIMs and eSIMs from Canadian carriers are easy to find, though mobile data costs more than in Europe, and free Wi-Fi is common in cafés, libraries and many subway stations.
Staying safe
Toronto is generally safe, but watch your belongings in crowded spots such as Union Station and on packed streetcars. In winter, wind chill can make even short walks bitterly cold, so dress for it.
A local tip
Take the ferry to the Toronto Islands for a quiet beach and a view of the skyline.
Visas:rules depend on your nationality and change often – check your own government's official travel advice before you go.
Meet people in Toronto on Waypacker
Waypacker is a free travel community: stay with ID-verified local hosts, join meetups and city groups, and ask people who live in Toronto for advice. We are new here, so if you live in Toronto, you could be one of the first hosts.
Questions about Toronto
- What currency is used in Toronto?
- Toronto uses the Canadian dollar (CAD).
- What is the emergency number in Toronto?
- In Toronto, call 911.
- When is the best time to visit Toronto?
- May to October, with September and October bringing milder days and autumn colour.
- How much does a day in Toronto cost?
- Roughly $70-105 a day in US dollars on a backpacker budget (a hostel or shared room, street food and public transport), and $170-280 mid-range (a private room and restaurants). These are broad estimates, last reviewed October 2026.
- Is Waypacker free to use in Toronto?
- Yes. Joining is free and stays with hosts carry no nightly rate or booking fee.
- Are Waypacker hosts ID-verified?
- Every host's ID and selfie are checked by hand by a real person before they can host. Nothing is sent to an AI service.
- Can I meet locals in Toronto without staying with anyone?
- Yes. You can join meetups and city groups, or ask locals for tips, without booking a stay.
- Will anyone see my exact location?
- No. Hosts and meetups appear as a neighbourhood-sized area about a kilometre wide, and exact addresses are never stored.