I'll be in Toronto in early November and will have one afternoon for touring. We'll be staying in a downtown hotel. I think an organized tour is a good idea, since we will have so little time. Any recommendations for a tour? I am not interested in an amphibious or boat tour. I notice there is the hop-on/hop-off greyline but since we will only have a few hours, I'm not sure this makes sense. I see there is another organization that does more organized tours:
http://www.torontotours.com/index.ph...s-tickets/city

Does this one sound like it hits the high spots?

I've never been and realize that a few hours is hardly time to see such a large city, but would be grateful for your suggestions. I'd really like to get a feel for the city, if this is possible in a very short time.

I wonder if the boat tours are even on in November.

And the city tour - is the city tour still on in then?

The Market is okay - if you're hungry (not open Mondays though); there might not be much going on in city hall square in November, the flowers will be gone and it's rather bleak if it's cold; I don't think the skating rink will be open yet. The rest of the tour seems to be inside in the PATH network which is all stores and food courts.

Really, you'd be better off going to the Market yourself and having a quick lunch, it's downtown, easy to find, maybe go up the CN Tower and see the view or take a streetcar ride or walk on your own with a tourist map.

The city tour is a two hour loop through the city that allows you to hop off at any point and rejoin the loop when you wish... if you are in a hurry... just stay on the bus, you'll still see everything, but not in depth... the drivers will give you backround and history along the way... if anything is worth the stop... jump off and get the next bus...

We have done this in several cities and find its a great overview and introduction to many attractions in a short time... we then go back on our time to really explore the sites that interest us...

I almost always take tour buses around to orient myself in a new place, too, but the description for the link given by Orcas says:

"Our 2-hr City Tour is fully narrated and features guided walking tours of these popular Toronto attractions:

* St. Lawrence Market - Located in the centre of historic Old Town, Toronto residents have been coming here to purchase fresh produce, meat and bread since 1901 [a Market has been in that area a LOT longer than 1901 - sources I've just checked say 1803 - what else are they getting wrong?]

* Nathan Phillips Square - This gathering place in front of the ultra-modern New City Hall is a favourite for celebrations, exhibits and even a farmer’s market [what's on in November?]

* PATH - At 27 km (16 miles), PATH is the largest underground walkway that allows people to move throughout the downtown core in weatherproof comfort"

The farmer's market won't be on in November and it's only Wednesdays when it is there.

The description of that tour doesn't say it's hop on, hop off.

Walking through the PATH - you can do that for free and tourists do so - I find tourists (and locals) lost in there often and try to show them the way when I see them puzzling over their maps of it - they all seem to be heading for the Eaton Centre and can't find the route. The PATH signs deliberately don't show the way to EC as they want people to shop in PATH shops.

The Gray Line tour seems a better choice - it has 25 stops and is hop on, hop off: http://www.grayline.ca/tours/pages/g...HopOffCity.asp

I should have said, as Garyt22 did, that you can just stay on the Gray Line bus.

We did the hop on/off tour a couple weeks ago and it was a great way to see the city. Because it was so stinking hot, we only got off at the Harbor but you could get off in any of the neighborhoods. They did stop for a potty/snack break. We did enjoy the harbor and did a boat tour.

Thanks for all your thoughts. Sounds like the hop-on/hop-off is the way to go. I'll report back after my trip!

Orcas, sorry I just saw your posting about your visit to Toronto in November and I must tell you, www.torontotours.com would be the way to go. No, they are not a hop on hop off but the tour is full commentated and they guarantee their tour. If you are not completely satisfied, they will refund your money.
Have a safe trip no matter what you decide