NEED HELP RE TORONTO SIGHTSEEING
 

My husband and I will be traveling to Toronto the week of August 14th via Niagara Falls and want to stay two full days and three nights in Toronto. Can anyone give me advice on what to see in this short time span? We are in our 50"s and love to walk. We are also interested in boat tours. <BR>

Hi! We just got back from a week in Toronto - what an amazing place. It's great that you're walkers because most of the fun things to do involve walking. These would be my top picks for 3 days - go to Royal Ontario Museum, go up the CN tower, take a ferry over to the Toronto Islands, visit Chinatown area, visit Little Italy area, visit Greek area, take a walk in the "Beaches" area and check out the underground. Have a great time!

If you have any time left over after following Jamie's advice, tour the Art Gallery of Ontario, which you pass on your way back from Chinatown. (There are several Chinatown's in Toronto. Look for Spadina Avenue, between College (you're on your way to Little Italy when you get to College and Spadina) and Queen Street. The walk from the CN Tower, up John Street (stop at Chapter's book store at John and Richmond for coffee and washrooms, and a look through some more guidebooks for the city) to Queen, and then west on Queen takes you past interesting counter-culture stores and restaurants, the few blocks to Chinatown. <BR>

Nancy, we've just returned from Toronto. We didn't hit any of the big attractions, but we enjoyed taking the ferry over to the Toronto Islands, great for walking, biking, picnic lunch (bring it over with you, snacks are expensive on the islands). The Harbourfront antique mall is worth a look if you're into more pricey antiques. <BR> <BR>We went to the TO ticket booth at Eaton Shopping center and got tickets for Mousetrap and Second City 1/2 price on the day of the show. You probably won't find Lion King or Mamma Mia tickets but they had most everything else. <BR> <BR>At Niagara Falls, be sure to take the Maid of the Mist boat from either side of the falls. It was amazing being that close to the falls.

We loved visiting Casa Loma, a mansion (sort of castle) perched on a hilltop overlooking the city. The taped commentary was excellent and very interesting. One could just imagine watching the city below grow from the fabulous windows and lovely gardens. I DO NOT recommend the trolley tour. It basically goes from one hotel to the next and the stops are quite a walk from the nearest sights and attractions. Several times, we were too far away to catch one we could see approaching and didn't want to wait 30 minutes just standing around for the next one, so hopped on a bus. It does go directly to the Casa Loma parking lot (which is up a steep hill from the nearest public transportation). There is also almost no commentary on the trolley and an inordinate amount of time is spent processing tickets for new boarders. For less than the fare, you could taxi all over. We took a boat tour which was fabulous (just hopped on whatever the next one leaving happened to be). Amusing commentary and beautiful views. Drinks in the lounge atop the Manulife Center provide a glorious view of the city below, especially at night. And, we loved the jazz (you'd swear you were in Paris between wars) at Upstairs at the Senator. In addition to Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls, Journey Behind the Falls is thrilling. If you have time (or on your way to or from Toronto), be SURE to stop for at least an hour or two at Niagara-on-the-Lake. Ask someone to direct you to the lakeside gazebo. From there, you can see the skyline of Toronto on a clear day. NOTL is a charming Victorian village. And, the shopping there is awesome. Don't miss the Christmas shop or the hat shop.

If the weather is nice take the ferry to the island and when you return walk west to the Music Garden - it is lovely. Also, rent bikes and cycle the ravines, very pretty. Go up to Bloor Street between Yonge and Avenue, great shopping and then walk a block north to the Cumberland Street area where you can sit on "the rock" and watch the world go by. <BR>For restaurants try the College Street strip for Italian, Danforth for Greek and Queen West (between Spadina and Walnut) for neat coffee shops.

Nancy-although two full days of sightseeing in Toronto isn't enough (reason to return, right), and if you have the energy after your sightseeing, try to catch an evening performance of anything at one of the Toronto theatres. You won't be disappointed. A cruise around the islands would be quite relaxing. Would recommend a 'dim sum' lunch somewhere in Chinatown-which is definitely a walker's paradise!! <BR> <BR>NOTL (between the Falls and Toronto) is quite a charming stop-again-you'll enjoy your share of walking here-it's a change of pace from hectic Toronto. ENJOY your trip !!