albatravels

Can you give us feedback on this itinerary? We will be staying at the downtown Courtyard (475 Yonge) and will be attending the tennis tournament in York University. My husband and I are taking out 16 yr old daughter to visit the university of Toronto and celebrate her 16th bday.

Thursday
Get in at 2 pm and rent a car
Go to CN Tower (do we need to buy tickets in advance?)
Walk around Yonge ST or go to Harbour Centre?
Dinner reservations in Yorkville at 8 pm (Annona)

Friday
Breakfast in Kensington Market
Tennis all day long

Saturday
Breakfast at St Lawrence Market
University of Toronto (tours are at 11 am so we may want to get this done Sat?)
Explore Queen St West
Mass at St Michaels’ Cathedral – 5 pm
Dundas Square?

Sunday
Zoo at 9am
Tennis noon-4
Niagara Falls to watch sunset

Monday
Breakfast at the market?
Visit UT if we did not go Saturday or go to the CN tower if we have not gone….or the Harbour Centre
Lunch at Terroni
Some shopping?

garyt22

Just a few suggestions... When you get your car, go right to the Hotel and check-in... then walk down Yonge Street to Queen St W.... then explore to Spadina and walk to the Tower... that takes care of much of your exploring... you could Taxi back to the hotel or use public transportation, relax a bit and get to dinner... after dinner take a walk around Yorkville, you might see some celebrities...

On Friday, I would grab a breakfast near the Hotel or head to the area of the Tennis (depending on start time)

On Saturday, St Lawrence Market is alive with activity and I would combine that with a waterfront day... head for Harbourfront... walk around the shops, consider a ferry ride to Centre Island or a harbour tour or the Toronto Hippo Tour... then zip back to the hotel and clean up for Mass... after Mass, consider the strip of restaurants along King St. W.. outside dining in a fun area...

On Sunday... The Zoo is quite far and very spread out to cover in a couple of Hours... I would XO the Zoo as impossible timing... instead consider a museum or walk and then head to the Tennis... then Niagara

Monday ... Breakfast an the UT tour and Lunch at Terroni and some shopping in Yorkville and along Bloor...

Have fun!

albatravels

Awesome suggestions GAry. THANK YOU!!!

OceanBreeze1

So, after tennis on Sunday in Toronto you are going to drive out to Niagara Falls (at least 2 hours...maybe 3 hours with Sunday evening traffic.). "Watch sunset" around 8:30PM, then drive back to Toronto so you will be there for breakfast on Monday morning?

garyt22

The Sunday drive is possible putting you in Niagara Falls at around 7pm... you could walk around and eat there and there are concerts and fireworks at 10pm at the Falls... if you stay in Niagara for that, your drive back will be 90 minutes, getting you back to your hotel at around 12:30 am... I think its well worth it if you have never seen the Falls... two of you can sleep on the ride back (not the driver)...

mat54

I will reinforce much of what garyt22 has said. If you can combine Harbourfront (more bustling and interesting on weekends with boat activity, musicians and buskers, etc.) with the relatively nearby St. Lawrence Market on Saturday, that would be a good idea, and do your U of T tour on Monday. You could even include the CN tower on Saturday as it is an easy walk from Harbourfront (although will be busier that day).

The Zoo, tennis and Niagara Falls all in one day seems ambitious. The Zoo is a good drive from downtown and is "big" and spread out. We usually spend 6 or 7 hours there and don't see it all even then. Niagara Falls is an hour and half plus drive each way in the opposite direction. Maybe consider Niagara Falls for the afternoon and evening on Monday after your UT Tour? You could even stop enroute at Niagara-on-the-Lake for a late lunch, a charming Victorian town situated where the river enters Lake Ontario and surrounded by vinyards and wineries. Then take the scenic Niagara Parkway from there to Niagara Falls, only about a 30 minute drive.

You haven't mentioned the Royal Ontario Museum (The ROM) which is near U of T and Yorkville and is one of Toronto's top attractions, a wonderful museum, maybe do that instead of the Zoo on Sunday (although as it only opens at 10:00, won't give you much time there). Or, as you have dinner reservations on Thursday at Yorkville, maybe do the nearby ROM after checking into your hotel then you can easily walk over to Yorkville from there for dinner. Do the CN tower with Harbourfront on Saturday.

When you say breakfast at the market Monday - which market? The St. Lawrence Market is closed on Mondays (and Sundays).

mat54

I don't know why I was thinking in my reply above that you were talking about University of Toronto, maybe because you are staying downtown. Sorry - I now see that you clearly stated York University which means downtown attractions like the ROM and Yorkville obviously aren't within walking distance as I was thinking. Although otherwise, I don't know that this affects things too much - except you won't really have much time to go downtown first before the tennis matches on Friday or Sunday. If you like Art, an alternative that is a little closer for Sunday morning is the McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg, about 20 minutes drive.

OceanBreeze1

mat, OP did mention U of T tours. They are going up to York for the Rogers tennis tournament but they also want to do the U of T tour. They are staying downtown far from York.

mat54

Thanks OceanBreeze1, I'm obviously not paying attention or am in an easily confusable (word?) state today.