Top tips

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First time in Toronto? We recommend staying Downtown Toronto, Midtown, or Chinatown.

Planning to see all Toronto's sights? Consider staying in Downtown Toronto, on the Harbourfront, Chinatown, or Yorkville.

Visiting Toronto on a city break? We recommend staying in Downtown Toronto, Midtown, Queen West, in the Entertainment District, or Chinatown.

Bringing your family to Toronto? You might like to stay in Downtown Toronto, Midtown, on the Harbourfront, or Yorkville.

Hoping to enjoy Toronto's nightlife? Consider staying on the Harbourfront, Queen West, in the Entertainment District, Kensington Market, or Chinatown.

Planning a romantic trip to Toronto? We recommend Midtown, Downtown Toronto, Queen West, in the Entertainment District, or Yorkville.

Looking for a luxurious stay in Toronto? Look for accommodation in Midtown, Queen West, in the Entertainment District, or Yorkville.

Want to stay by Toronto's lakeside? Stay on the Harbourfront.

Want to live like a Toronto local? We recommend Midtown, Queen West, or Kensington Market.

Big and welcoming, Toronto offers loads of variety! People from all over the globe have made Toronto their home, and contemporary Toronto makes the best of this myriad of heritage. It’s got great museums and attractions, a buzzing food and entertainment scene, a spectacular spot on Lake Ontario, and it’s surrounded by terrain that welcomes adventurers.

A Guide to Toronto's Neighbourhoods

Shaundd, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Toronto’s neighbourhoods have benefited from the diverse population; there’s plenty of unique places to stay, as well as the super central, super convenient options: Downtown, Chinatown and on the Harbourfront. These parts of town are close to many of the city’s main attractions, and the lake, and they’ve certainly got a diverse range of places eat and drink. But if one of the particular reasons you’re visiting Toronto is to explore the city’s food scene, you might prefer Kensington Market, Little Italy or the Distillery District, which is also great if you’re keen to experience the city’s nightlife.  Hip Queen West and the Entertainment District are great for nightlife too, and for theatre, music and the arts. If you’re looking for somewhere high-end and relaxed, consider the neighbourhood of Yorkville. 

Downtown Toronto

Scott Webb from Pixabay

Toronto is conveniently laid out in a classic grid and has a ‘sensible’ public transport system, so it’s very easy to get around. The simplest starting point will always be Downtown Toronto, because it’s the transport hub, bordered by the lake, and it’s a very walkable. This is Old Toronto too, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it, because Downtown Toronto has the second largest collection of skyscrapers in a North American city, after New York’s Manhattan. Some of the skyscrapers are filled with offices, but there are plenty of high-rise hotels too, and the lower floors are filled with an exciting collection of shops, bars and restaurants. The historic part of Downtown Toronto is in the St. Lawrence area. It has many of the theatres and music venues, the cathedral and basilica, and lots of pubs claiming to be Toronto’s oldest. Don’t miss the CN Tower or the Royal Ontario Museum.  

Harbourfront

ElasticComputeFarm from Pixabay

Toronto’s Harbourfront neighbourhood radiates outwards from the Harbourfront Centre, a huge complex of event and exhibition spaces, galleries and museums, theatres and venues, including outdoor stages, artists’ studios, and in winter a huge ice rink. Of course, there’s a myriad of cafes, bars and restaurants to support the venues, and plenty of accommodation too. Outside of the Harbourfront Centre, the area benefits from the presence of the ferry terminals for access to the Toronto Islands, the Toronto Maritime Museum, the Toronto Music Garden, and several waterfront parks and trails.

Midtown Toronto

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Close to Downtown, but also comfortably removed, Midtown Toronto is an upmarket neighbourhood, encompassing Deer Park, Forest Hill, and the historic Mount Pleasant Cemetery, as well as the University of Toronto, chic Yorkville, and Koreatown. There’s a lot to see and do here, with some obvious highlights being the Royal Ontario Museum, the Toronto Public Library, and Casa Loma, a wonderful, European-style castle, built as a private home in 1911. But one of the best ways to experience Midtown Toronto is just to stroll around it. Its roads are tree-lined, with old-fashioned high streets lined with shops, cafes and restaurants as well as larger retail areas, and Midtown has plenty of green space and a rich cultural offering centred around Wychwood Barnes.

Entertainment District

Lucas Wendt from Pixabay

The Entertainment District does what it says on the tin, providing lots of entertainment opportunities, just to the west of Toronto’s Downtown neighbourhood. This is the part of town to stay in if you want to enjoy Toronto’s nightlife, but it’s also great for just being in the heart of the action. It has many of the major theatres, the CN Tower, Canada’s Walk of Fame, and the Rogers Centre Stadium. But what the Entertainment District is best known for is its nightclubs and theatres. Today there are a myriad of restaurants, bars and cafes too — plus food trucks. The Entertainment District has plenty of accommodation, ranging from luxurious choices to simple ones.  

Queen West

Mike Franklin from Pixabay

Queen West is a vibrant neighbourhood, known locally for having some of Toronto’s best restaurants and music venues, as well as great shopping and a colourful cultural scene. It’s also known for being a media hub — several TV and radio stations used to broadcast from here, and it’s still got a hip, current feel. Queen West is a great place to stay if you enjoy trying out the best local cafes and bakeries, and if you like to shop local brands and see what’s happening on the local arts and crafts scene. Queen West’s hotels are known for their art, with a number of them having their own collections of local art, and some bedecked with murals by local artists. Even if you stay elsewhere and just pass through Queen West, it’s worth checking out classic hip haunts like The Drake, The Gladstone Hotel, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.  

Yorkville

Mina Alizadeh from Pixabay

Yorkville is a small but chic neighbourhood within the larger neighbourhood of Midtown. Yonge Street is to the east, Avenue Road to the west, and Bloor Street is to the south. It’s not big, but it’s still well known as a great place to stay, with plenty of places to eat and drink, to shop, and to enjoy Toronto’s rich cultural offerings. Bloor Street, also sometimes called Mink Mile, has a reputation for being one of Toronto’s best, and highest-end shopping streets. Yorkville is a residential neighbourhood with some fantastic hotels and aparthotels, but also some really beautiful residential properties and stately homes.  Proximity to the university and The Art Centre gives this neighbourhood a reputation for being friendly and smart too.  

Chinatown

Jonas Jovaisis from Pixabay

As well as the Asian shops and Chinese restaurants and marketplace you’re probably expecting, Toronto’s Chinatown is also centrally located and dynamic, and home to the Art Gallery of Ontario and some of Toronto’s most legendary music venues. This is one of North America’s largest Chinatowns, and one of Toronto’s oldest neighbourhoods, best explored on foot, with or without a map. Chinatowns are always known for their food, and Toronto’s is no exception, with everything from food trucks and markets to Michelin-starred restaurants. It’s not just China that’s represented here either; many Asian cuisines and communities have outposts here too.  

Kensington Market

By orangemania via Flickr

Kensington Market is a colourful and multicultural neighbourhood, known for its vintage shopping, street art, and a fantastic range of eateries. It’s not just restaurants and cafes either. Kensington Market is known for its delis and international supermarkets, food trucks and stalls, and cafes serving their own signature coffee beans. The area has its own look too, featuring colourfully painted residential buildings with converted ground floor shops. The neighbourhood still has a market atmosphere — there’s a strong local population here who have rejected business with too corporate a face, in favour of supporting small, independent outlets, and that’s what the visitors are all coming for! There’s plenty to do here day and night, but if the cocktail bar scene isn’t lively enough for you, you’re just a few blocks from the bright lights of Chinatown.