Family planning to go to Toronto this summer and will stay in the city for a few days but would like to then relax for several days at a beach front. Anybody recommend a location not too far from Toronto on the lake? Or are there beach fronts in Toronto?

There's a great area east of the city called "the Beaches"... you can visit the website at www.thetorontobeaches.com

I have never rented there but the website has an "ask us a question" option where they may be able to help you find a rental...

also there is a great public beach on Centre Island... you can take the ferry there from the city waterfront... have fun

Hi BrendaYC,

I swam in Lake Ontario off a beach on Centre Island in a designated area. Beautiful shade of blue water, a surprisingly lovely spot given the proximity to such a large city (turn around on Centre Island and there is the CN Tower in all its majesty). It was a Wednesday when I went, so was magnificently not all that busy; it felt more like I was on Prince Edward Island than Toronto... I couldn't believe at times that I was so close to the stress and movers-and-shakers of one of North America's most populated and powerful metropolises!

If you have a car and are seeking something more removed, you may wish to check out Prince Edward County. I've never been but have some friends who love going.

Best wishes, Daniel

The provincial park in Prince Edward County probably has the best beaches in the province, and there is lots to do in the area. You could also head north west to Bayfield on Lake Huron, which has some upscale accommodation. Nearby the Pinery, also a provincial park, has wonderful beaches. Or there is 'cottage country' in Muskoka, north of Toronto, which is known for is gorgeous rocky landscape and clear lakes, rather than beaches. Traffic to and from Muskoka is bad on weekends.

The Toronto beaches do not have resort type accommodation so would be best for a day or afternoon away from the city centre. For the other areas, you probably should book something fairly soon.

"The Beaches" (or "The Beach") in Toronto is right in the city - just a few miles east of the downtown core. Centre Island is just offshore from the downtown, reached by passenger ferry.

If you want to get a little more outside the City and don't mind driving a couple of hours, there are a few options:

Sandbanks Provincial Park (Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County as mentioned above) has an extensive mostly undeveloped Beach. Wasaga Beach on Georgian Bay is also extensive but much more developed with lots of summer homes, motels, cottages, cabins, beach vendors and bars, etc.

Grand Bend on Lake Huron has the advantage of having both a "developed" beach area right in town (smaller than Wasaga), plus, just down the road a couple of miles, an extensive "natural" beach back by dunes and protected rare woodlands in the Pinery Provincial Park (note: when I visited last year the beach had become rather narrow in places, due to the recently increased water levels in the upper Great Lakes. The relative lack of snow this winter may change that).

For "northern", more woodsy, settings - Muskoka Region as suggested above has many smaller lakes with a variety of resorts (and many summer homes) and most of these have small beaches or at least swimming areas off rocky shorelines. Algonquin Provincial park is quite lovely and relatively pristine if you like these types of "natural" settings.

Cobourg, some 75 minutes by car from Toronto, has a really nice beach. It is not as big as Sandbanks Provincial Park, but it is right on the edge of the town (population about 16000)and rarely busy.

Thanks for all of the ideas. I think Grand Bend is going to be exactly what we were looking for. Thanks Mat54 this forum never fails to come through.

In Toronto the trip across the harbour to the islands on the ancient ferries is fun even without any beach time. The cottage colony has jealously guarded its terrain and provides a useful website http://torontoislands.org/ Note that the far west island, at Hanlan's Point, pushed in beside the booming city airport, is officially nude. At any point on Lake Ontario, the water seems frigid all year round so scenery and sand are the major attractions.