Laura's Toronto City Break

My favourite area for staying in Toronto is the financial/distillery district which offers lots of quirky restaurants and shops as well as its closeness to the harbourfront and many of the cities attractions. My three favourite hotels to stay at are the Fairmont Royal York, Le Germain Maple Leaf Square and the Novotel Toronto Centre. My go to restaurants when visiting are Cafe Landwer for Breakfast/Brunch, Jack Astors for watching the sports and soaking up the atmosphere before a baseball game - the local team is the Blue Jays who play at the nearby Rogers Centre, St Lawrence Market for a bacon butty, Mezes or Pantheon at the Danforth for Greek food and Tabule Middle Eastern Cuisine. 

If I am visiting with my kids I make sure to visit Ripley's Aquarium, Canada's Wonderland Theme Park which has a water park for cooling off during the summer months and the rollercoasters for late afternoon/evening when it is cooling down. Toronto Zoo is another fun place, it is one of the best zoo's I have visited and they also have splash zone area perfect for young kids cooling off. 

The ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) is another fantastic attraction to visit, they always have some great exhibits. If you like to shop you will not be short of options here, I recommend Yorkdale Mall and the Eaton Centre. 

During my recent childfree visit I had a fabulous lunch at Bisha's rooftop bar/restaurant which offers stunning views of the CN Tower, harbourfront and Toronto Islands, some fantastic photo opportunities from here. I also went on a terrific Chopsticks and Forks food and walking tour of Kensington Market, I tried many foods that I wouldn't of picked myself and they were all delicious, a couple of my favourites were the Jamaican Patty's and the Montreal bagel. My top tip for a food and walking tour is put comfy shoes on, go hungry and if you have dinner reservations that day make sure it is a later one! Another is book a meal up the top of the CN Tower in the 360 restaurant well in advance before travelling, the food and views will be a real highlight of your trip.

My top tip for visiting Toronto is pack a picnic and take the short water taxi ride over to Centreville Island for either in the morning to get explore the Island, it's beaches, it's walking trails and even the mini amusement park or head over for the beautiful sunset which offers spectacular views of the city's skyline and the iconic CN Tower.