During your city bus tour of Toronto, your step-on-guide will give you detailed information on some of Toronto’s most incredible landmarks. From the CN Tower to the City Hall, Toronto is a nonstop adventure waiting to be explored.
Casa Loma
From its European elegance to its splendor, Casa Loma’s house and grounds will take you back in time. Former home to Canadian financier Sir Henry Pellatt, the ‘medieval castle’ on the brow of a hill overlooking Toronto was a life-long-dream of Sir Henry Pellatt. Constructed over a three year period, the Gothic Revival style house was completed in 1914 at the cost of $3,500,000.
Rogers Centre
Situated near the shores of Lake Ontario in Downtown Toronto is the Rogers Centre, previously called the SkyDome. Opened in 1989, the Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium and the home of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. The stadium is renowned for being the first stadium with a fully retractable motorized roof and its 348-room hotel attached to it, 70 of which overlook the Roger Centre’s field.
Yorkville
Boasting a mix of art galleries, fashion boutiques, antique stores, cafés and restaurants, Toronto’s Yorkville is one of Canada’s most exclusive shopping, dining and entertainment districts. A compact area in the heart of Toronto, Yorkville consists of several important shopping streets including Avenue Road, Hazelton and Yorkville and Cumberland Street. As you drive through on your tour bus admire the tasteful collections of merchandise displayed in the shop windows.
Chinatown
Extending along Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue is one of several major Chinese-Canadian communities in the Greater Toronto Area. While Chinese immigrants have long settled in the area behind Toronto’s City Hall, Chinatown has expanded since the early 80s when new immigrants began commercializing the district. Today Toronto’s Chinatown is a commercial and cultural hub with a character all of its own. As you pass through Chinatown watch as merchants sell their goods to the tourists, area residents, bargain-hunting shoppers and funky folk and don’t forget to look for the outdoor sculptures of dragons and other Chinese mythical creatures on Spadina Avenue.
CN Tower
Situated next to the Rogers Centre is Toronto’s tallest and most prominent landmark, the CN Tower, originally referred to as the Canadian National. Stretching 1,815 feet into the air, the tower was opened in 1976 becoming the world’s tallest free-standing structure and the tallest tower at the time. Today the CN Tower not only serves as a hub for telecommunications across Toronto, but has become a major tourist draw seeing millions of visitors each year.
Financial District
Within the downtown core of Toronto is the city’s Financial District, the headquarters of Canadian capitalism. Delight in the many skyscrapers and other impressive complexes which house banks and businesses as you make your way through the district. Notable skyscrapers and complexes in the Financial District include: First Canadian Place, Royal Bank Plaza, Exchange Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower and the Ritz- Carlton Toronto.
Queen’s Park
Situated in Downtown Toronto on the site of the Ontario Legislative Building is Queen’s Park. Opened in 1860 by Edward, Prince of Wales and named in honor of Queen Victoria. One of the quietest parks within Toronto, Queen’s Park has virtually no recreational facilities making it the perfect place to take a stroll along the park’s paths, or relax on its lawns.
Harbourfront
On the northern shore of Lake Ontario within the downtown core is Toronto’s Harbourfront neighborhood. Part of the Toronto Waterfront, Harbourfront is made up of notable buildings, facilities and a network of beautiful waterfront parks.
Saint Lawrence Market
Saint Lawrence Market in Downtown Toronto is one of Toronto’s major markets. Named the “world’s best food market” by National Geographic in April 2012, the marketplace boasts 120 vendors, merchants and artisans, their pride, care and passion being the sole reason that after 208 years, the market continues to thrive.
Eaton Centre
Eaton Centre is Canada’s premier shopping destination located in the heart of the city. A truly unique destination that offers an urban vibrancy and exciting possibilities, its spectacular glass galleria boasts more than 230 retailers, restaurants and services.
Fashion District
Toronto’s Fashion District, often referred to as the “Garment District” is situated in Downtown Toronto around the intersection of Spadina Avenue and King Street. While the area was originally the home to many clothing manufacturing businesses, today it’s known for its terrific bargains on local fashions, fabrics, leathers and furs.
Old City Hall
Located at the corner of Queen and Bay Streets, Toronto’s Old City Hall was home to Toronto’s city council from 1899 to 1966 and remains one of Toronto’s prominent structures to this today thanks to the Friends of Old City Hall. As you make your way past this National Historic Site, its clock tower which heads the length of Bay Street from Front Street to Queen Street defines the Old City Hall and will take your breath away.
City Hall
Toronto’s City Hall is one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong in 1965, it was built to replace the Old City Hall. As you make your way past, admire the striking modernist architectural design of the City Hall and the way it contrasts with Romanesque architecture of the adjacent Old City Hall.