Toronto - Something for everyone (Toronto (Canada))

Member Name: linzeelou

Product:	Toronto (Canada)
Date:	08/06/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: So much to do and see

Disadvantages: A week is never enough

Toronto is one of my favourite cities in the world. Two holidays and a years working holiday might have a lot to do with that though. I live in a smallish town so moving to a city as big as Toronto was quite overwhelming to begin with but I soon found myself feeling very much at home.

GETTING AROUND
I didn't live downtown but the subway made it really easy to get to. Compared to the London Underground, the TCC is the easiest subway to follow. The subway is by far the easiest and quickest way to get around Toronto and for a pretty decent price too.

Prices: (Correct as of August 2009)
Single cash fares: $2.75 for adults and 70 cents for children
Day pass: $9
Weekly pass: $47

If you are there on holiday then I would recommend buying a weekly pass because even though it seems expensive, walking around the city will really wear you out and this will save you a lot of time and effort. The weekly pass also allows you all of the bus services so it makes it easy to get as close to the attractions as possible because some of the subway stations don't stop very close to them.

THINGS TO DO
Because wages are low compared to UK I had to find some cheap things to do with my friends. Long walks around downtown were fabulous once id been there a while. Getting off at a random stop and wandering around and seeing what I could find was lots of fun.

Here's a few of my top free/ extremely cheap things to do:
Kensington Market - Some little quirky fashion shops there
BATA shoe museum - they got a free night once a week
ROM - half price on a Friday night
Casa Loma - around $10 admission but they do some fun things when the kids are off.

If you do have some money to splash around though here's some other things to do:

Jay's baseball game - The Sky Dome is home to the Toronto Blue Jay's baseball team and although I'm not really a big fan of sports, the Canadian man that I lived with was. Prices start at $9 for seats in the 500 Level, which is way up high and aren't very good but if you want some Action Seats, they will set you back $210. Since I wasn't planning on going very often (mainly because I don't understand the game), we decided on Super Premium, Premium Dugout tickets which set us back $73 each but they were well worth it. We got to see all of the action and the players up close and I was very impressed with my first baseball experience.

Medieval Times Dinner - There are only 9 of these throughout the whole of North America and the one in Toronto is located at 10 Dufferin St, Exhibition Place. At Medieval Times, you get sent back to the 11th century to enjoy a feast and a tournament of knights on horseback duelling it out.

Prices: (all are plus tax)
Kings Royalty Package: Adults $82.95
Children $63:50
Royalty Package: Adults $72.95 Children $ 53.50
Celebration Package: Adults $78.95 Children $59.50
Normal tickets: Adults $62.95 Children $43.50

CN tower - The CN tower is the largest freestanding building on land, standing at 1815 feet and 5 inches. The original cost of the build was $63 million. I didn't think there was that much to do here but there are some spectacular views, the glass floor to look down from and you can even go for a meal (if you can afford it) in the revolving restaurant. Most of the CN tower is open from 9am until 10pm but you will have to wait until 11am if you want to go on the simulator or watch the film.

Prices:
Total experience: All ages $31.99
Look out + Glass floor + skypod: Adults $25.99 Children $19.99
Look out + Glass floor: Adults $21.49 Children $14.49
Look out + Glass floor + Simulator or movie: Adults $25.99 Children $19.99

TIMES TO VISIT
As I lived in Toronto for a whole year, I got to experience all of its seasons. If it is your first time then I would recommend going in the summer if you aren't used to some extremely cold conditions. During the summer I was there, it reached about 40 degrees so the weather will be lovely and you'll be able to walk around and take everything in. In the winter it can reach under -20 degrees and the city is normally covered with snow and even after living with it for 4 months, I still wasn't used to it.

OVERALL
Toronto is full of different cultures and you can find yourself in China Town one minute and then you can be surrounded by students near the University. This city has something for everyone and is child friendly. Search around the internet for things to do and when places have free admission and you can't go wrong. Getting there might not be cheap, but you can have the time of your life on a budget when you get there.

Summary: My favourite city