Toronto
A lakefront city of neighbourhoods, with the tower, the islands and the falls within reach.
Toronto stretches along the north shore of Lake Ontario, with the CN Tower on the skyline, a chain of car-free islands just off the harbour and a patchwork of neighbourhoods — Kensington, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, the Distillery District — that make it as multicultural a city as any. Niagara Falls is under two hours away.
Why go
For a big, easy, welcoming city where the food of the world is served on one streetcar line, the museums are strong and the lake gives it a waterfront and a beach.
And for the days out: the islands by ferry, the falls at Niagara, the wine country around Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the film and music festivals that fill the calendar.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01The CN Tower and the waterfront
The tower's glass floor and decks over the lake and the city, with the aquarium and the stadium at its foot and the harbourfront trail running along the water.
02The Toronto Islands
A short ferry to car-free islands of beaches, bicycles and parkland, with the classic view of the skyline across the water from the western tip.
03The Distillery District and St Lawrence Market
The Victorian brick distillery turned into galleries, restaurants and a Christmas market, and the covered food market with its peameal bacon sandwiches nearby.
04Kensington Market and Chinatown
Vintage shops, cafés and murals in the bohemian market district, with Chinatown's dim sum and groceries along Spadina next to it.
05The museums
The Royal Ontario Museum's crystal and its dinosaurs, the Art Gallery of Ontario's Canadian collection, and the Aga Khan Museum's Islamic art in the east of the city.
06Niagara Falls
The Horseshoe Falls from the Canadian side, the boat into the spray and the wine villages of Niagara-on-the-Lake on the way, a day trip by train, bus or car.
07The neighbourhoods by streetcar
Queen West's shops and bars, Little Italy and Little Portugal on College and Dundas, Greektown on the Danforth and the beaches at the east end, all on the streetcar lines.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Downtown and the Entertainment District
Hotels near the tower, the theatres and the financial towers, with the waterfront a walk away.
Queen West and King West
The restaurant, bar and boutique streets west of the centre, lively and well connected.
Yorkville and the Annex
Upscale shops and galleries beside the university and the museum, calmer and central.
The Distillery and the east
Lofts and boutique hotels near the market and the historic district.
When to go: Toronto
- SummerJune – August
- Warm to hot and humid, with patios, festivals, the islands and the lake beaches in full use. The high season.
- AutumnSeptember and October
- Crisp, colourful and busy with the film festival in September. Comfortable for walking the neighbourhoods.
- WinterNovember – March
- Cold, with snow and the underground PATH network for the worst days; skating rinks, holiday markets and hockey.
- SpringApril and May
- Cool and changeable, warming through May with blossom in High Park.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Toronto. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- YYZPearson International
Distance from
- JFKNew York570 km
- LHRLondon5,690 km
- CDGParis6,010 km
- DXBDubai11,070 km
- BOMMumbai12,490 km
- JNBJohannesburg13,350 km
- SINSingapore15,000 km
- SYDSydney15,570 km
Getting around: Toronto
The UP Express train runs from Pearson airport to Union station in about twenty-five minutes; the subway and the streetcars cover the city, paid with a Presto card or a contactless bank card.
Downtown is walkable and the streetcar lines are the way to the neighbourhoods. Ferries leave from the harbourfront for the islands; GO trains and buses reach Niagara.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Canada
- Currency
- CAD · Canadian Dollar
- Languages
- English and French
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +1
The atlas
Toronto in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Toronto, month by month
- Jan0°
- Feb0°
- Mar4°
- Apr9°
- May15°
- Jun21°
- Jul25°
- Aug25°
- Sept21°
- Oct14°
- Nov8°
- Dec3°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: June to September.
Mean highs run from 0°C in January to 25°C in July, with about 774 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for TorontoModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBToronto
11,070 km
13 hrs 45 mins · Estimate
From AUHToronto
11,110 km
13 hrs 50 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Toronto
Plan this trip: Toronto
Open the trip builder with Toronto already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
