8 Best Sights in Old Town and the Distillery District, Toronto

St. Lawrence Market is a historic Toronto landmark, widely regarded as one of the world’s top food markets. Since the early 19th century, it has served as a post office, city hall, and police station. The market spans two sections. The South Market is housed in a large brick building with more than 120 vendors. Many are family-owned, offering local and imported goods, meat, seafood, and produce. Grab a bite at popular take-out spots such as Buster’s Sea Cove, Yip’s Kitchen, or Carousel Bakery (known for its Canadian bacon—or “peameal bacon”—sandwich). The newly renovated North Market hosts the Saturday Farmers' Market. The Sunday Variety Market is in a large white tent just south of the South Market with vendors selling antiques, handmade goods, and more.

This small but charming public space features a striking two-tiered cast-iron fountain surrounded by 27 whimsical dog sculptures—and one cat—making it a popular spot for a quick break or an Instagram-worthy photo. Designed by the acclaimed firm Claude Cormier + Associés, the fountain is ringed by statues gazing up at a golden bone perched at the top. With plenty of seating and green space, Berczy Park offers a relaxing oasis in the heart of the city where people and their dogs gather year-round. In the colder months, the fountain shuts off, but the park still draws visitors to see the dog statues decked out for the holiday season. 

One of several wedge-shaped buildings found across North America, Toronto’s Flatiron Building sits on the triangular block bordered by Wellington, Scott, and Front streets. Built in 1892, it originally served as the head office of the Gooderham and Worts distillery. On the back, a clever trompe l’oeil mural by Derek Besant wraps around the windows, creating the illusion that part of the building has been tacked to the wall and is peeling away.

This small museum might not rival the city’s major art institutions, but it offers a fun escape—especially for families on a rainy afternoon. Its mind-bending illusions range from holograms to an antigravity room and a rotating room that makes it look like you’re standing upside down. It’s also a great place to snap a few photos.

Toronto’s first sake brewery uses natural Ontario spring water from Muskoka and traditional Japanese techniques to produce its award-winning sake under the name Izumi Brewery. The company has a small tasting bar and retail shop featuring products made with sake kasu—the lees or yeast, left over from fermentation—such as soaps, salad dressings, and miso soup, ceramics—as well as sake glassware. Weekend brewery tours (by reservation only) offer a look at how sake is made, an introduction to Junmai (pure rice) and Namazake (unpasteurized sake), and a guided tasting of four varieties.

Now dwarfed by bank towers, this Anglican church with its soaring Gothic spires still holds the tallest steeple in Canada. Its illuminated clock once helped guide ships into the harbor. St. James Cathedral is the fourth church built on this site—the third was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1849. As part of its bicentennial celebration in 1997, the church added a peal of 12 bells. Stand nearby most Sundays around 10:10, just after the 9 am service ends, and you’ll hear a glorious concert of ringing bells.

Built in 1850 on the site of the area’s first public meeting space, St. Lawrence Hall showcases Renaissance Revival architecture at its finest. Originally designed for musical performances and balls, the hall hosted famous opera soprano Jenny Lind and became a venue for antislavery demonstrations and P.T. Barnum’s first presentation of Tom Thumb. Take a moment to admire the exterior of this architectural gem, now used for everything from concerts to wedding receptions. If you join one of the many walking tours in the area, you’ll likely find photos on the third-floor lounge of notable figures who performed, lectured, or were entertained here. 

This small, functioning post office dates back to 1833 and still operates with quill pens, ink pots, and sealing wax. For C$5 plus the postage stamp, you can use the old-fashioned equipment to send a letter. Exhibits feature reproductions of letters from the 1830s, and all outgoing mail is stamped with distinctive cancellation marks.