I recently had a group of family friends visiting from out of town, and they had asked me for suggestions on what to see in Toronto. In addition to the Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood, I recommended that they include Harbourfront and King Street West in their itinerary.

To make it easy, I pulled together a list of Top 5 must-see destinations for any visitor. Although they are listed as a “combined experience” below, these can definitely be done on their own. If the whole Top 5 is done in one day, you will need at least eight hours to thoroughly explore it.

1) If you enjoy outdoor activities, make sure to rent a bike. This can be done for most of the year, and is an amazing way to experience the city as well as some of its best views (see photos below from different seasons). You can find the bike network map here and some additional information here. It’s fun and works well for both couples and families.

Start your biking tour at the Wellington and Niagara intersection, head south to Queens Quay at Bathurst, and then go east.

Recommended time: 1.5 hours.

2)  Stop over for lunch at the Amsterdam BrewHouse. Whether it’s +30°C or -25°C, you are guaranteed a fantastic view if you sit on the south side of the building.

On warmer days, the venue has a massive patio that wraps around the entire building, but you can also opt to sit indoors on a particularly sizzling day. Food-wise, definitely check out their burgers.

Recommended time: 1.5 hours.

3) An important art, theatre and dance hub is slightly east of the Amsterdam BrewHouse.

You can easily bike or walk there, and the must-see stops are the Harbourfront Centre and The Power Plant gallery. Both feature a lot of amazing Canadian and international talent.

Recommended time: 1.5 hours.

4) To keep you going, refuel at Lavazza Café with a latte and pastry of your choice!

Recommended time: 0.5 hours.

5) The grand finale is the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Last year, when my childhood friend and her fiancé came into town for my wedding, I took them to that building since it’s such an essential element of Toronto.

In September, the Lightbox is home to all the press conferences for the Toronto International Film Festival, so many city visitors hang out in the area, looking to spot their favourite celebrities!

The venue also showcases some of the best films and exhibitions in the city. You can find the list of upcoming ones here.

Bonus: Luma restaurant upstairs has stunning décor and a lovely dinner menu.

Recommended time: 3 hours.

Enjoy the adventure!

Canada’s largest city and most-visited destination, Toronto is Canada’s downtown. Toronto blends the best of modern Canadian diversity and inclusiveness with big-ticket events, top attractions, restaurants, music, architecture, culture and festivals in one of the world’s most unique and exciting cities.

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Tourism Toronto via Mode Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Tourism Toronto.