DK Travel : Toronto

Torontonians are justifiably proud of their vibrant and exciting metropolis. Canada’s largest city and its financial hub, Toronto has a tremendous amount to offer, including a thriving theater, music, and arts scene, top museums, world-class restaurants and shops, a beautiful lakeside location with lovely beaches, and streets safe and inviting to walk in. Its cultural diversity – over 90 ethnic groups are represented in Toronto – enhances the urban experience.

Cawthra Park

This popular meeting place, with its benches and greenery, is home to a permanent AIDS memorial, installed in 1993. The pillars are inscribed, upon request and with no geographic restrictions, with the names of people lost to the disease. The Universal Remembrance Plaque, added in 1995, is a tribute to those who remain unnamed.
CBC Museum

Celebrates the people and programs of Canada’s national broadcaster.
Centre Island

A highlight of this Toronto island is Centreville, a bustling amusement park. Some 30 old-fashioned rides include “swan” paddle boats, an 1898 carousel, and pony rides (see Centreville Amusement Park).
Château des Charmes

This family vineyard boasts over five generations of wine-growing experience, with ancestral roots in Frances’s Alsace region. A tasting bar, shop, and splendid rose garden.
Chiado

Dine on the freshest fish and seafood to be had in the city, flown in from the world’s wharfs daily and transformed into the most luxurious of Portuguese fare. The wine list is replete with unusual offerings which the waitstaff are expert at elucidating and pairing with dishes. Try wines by the glass at the tapas-style wine bar, Senhor Antonio, in the restaurant’s cozy annex addition, where cheaper prices mean some of the best value in town.
Chinatown

With the largest ethnic Chinese population of any North American city, it’s not surprising that Toronto has several Chinatowns, though none other as old as this one, settled in the early 1900s. Originally farther east on Dundas Street, the hub is now Spadina Avenue, where scores of shops and restaurants – including many Vietnamese ones – rub shoulders. The area is even more frenetic during Chinese New Year celebrations, usually in February (see Chinatown).
Chinatown

A steady flow of new Chinese immigrants keeps Toronto’s main Chinatown one of the most vibrant in North America. Hundreds of authentic restaurants cater to all tastes and budgets, and there are countless shops selling Oriental wares. In recent years, Spadina Avenue has expanded to include many Vietnamese shops and restaurants (see Chinatown).
Chinatown

You may think you’re in Hong Kong as you browse along Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street, speculating on the use of exotic ingredients such as dried shrimp and the odoriferous durian fruit, or eyeing the dizzying array of Chinese housewares, knickknacks, and herbal medicines on offer. A terrific place to find unusual souvenirs at low prices (see Chinatown).
Chinese Buns

Steamed dough filled with savory meat, vegetables, or sweet coconut and red bean paste. Eat piping hot.
Church Street

The hub of Toronto’s Gay and Lesbian Village, Church Street from Carleton Street to north of Wellesley Street, is vibrant day and night. Bars and restaurants cater to an out crowd, and specialty shops, such as those selling body wear, abound. The general vibe is pink and proud and it’s no wonder that the popular TV show Queer as Folk , made in Toronto, is often filmed on location at Church Street. Pick up a copy of the free bi-weekly newspaper Xtra! , available at most shops on the street, for listings of everything the village has to offer.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
- under $30
- $30–$50
- $50–$80
- $80–$110
- over $110