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Opened in 1844 as Toronto’s second City Hall, this building had a police station on the first floor and a jail in the basement. Today it houses a thriving public market – and some of the tastiest, freshest meats, cheese, produce, and breads around.

Buy fruits, vegetables, and herbs directly from those who grow them. Organic items and home-baked treats, too.

Sprawling on the sidewalks outside the North Market, these produce and flower stalls only add to the boisterous atmosphere of market Saturdays. For the best selection, arrive early in the morning.

Trade Canadian money at the South Market booth for Toronto Dollars, an alternative currency accepted by many market merchants. Ten percent of each dollar used is donated to local projects.

Locals love St. Urbain Bakery’s dense, chewy buns, in the South Market. The bagel-cooking method – boil then bake in a wood-fired oven – hails from French-Canadian city Montreal.

A cheese lover’s paradise, in South Market, selling every kind of cheese imaginable, from French cantal to the most pungent of blues. Good raw-milk cheese selection.

Lively street action is part of the charm of market Saturdays, as buskers entertain and craftspeople ply their wares outside both the north and south buildings.

Quintessentially Canadian, and perfect to fuel up for the day, the kaiser buns at South Market’s Carousel Bakery are stuffed with salty, peameal-encrusted pork.

Artifacts and photographs of Toronto’s history are exhibited in free, themed shows, in the old council chamber tucked on the second floor of the South Market. See the market from a different perspective, through the large window looking out onto the floor.

Just north of the market, at Jarvis and King streets, is this magnificent Victorian building, a carved stone and cast-iron gem. Built in 1850 for grand public gatherings, it is now used for private functions.