During peak season, all of our vehicles are open-top double-deckers buses that afford you the best possible view of Toronto in all its glory.
City Sightseeing Toronto uses only the finest open-top
Routemaster double-deckers. Originally introduced by London Transport,
these distinctive buses were so well designed that they outlasted later
replacement models to remain in regular service until 2005. Only 2,876
of these incredible vehicles were ever built and approximately 1,000
remain in existence today.
Schedule/Frequency
The hop-on-hop-off City tour is 2 hours long with the first
departure every morning is at 9:00 am from stop #1. Our buses run as
often as every 20 minutes during the peak summer months. Please feel
free to contact us as your travel date nears for the most current
scheduling information.
Narration
Each and every bus (as well as the boat) has at least one live
guide on board. These official City Sightseeing Toronto guides are fun,
friendly, and informative. They will animate the sights and attractions
along our route and are more than happy to give you advice on how to
make the most of your stay in our city.
The Free Harbour and Islands Cruise
Our boat is named the Harbour Star. It docks at the foot of
Harbourfront Centre’s West Pier (stop #1).
The cruise features a live guide delivering an entertaining and
informative commentary as the boat winds its way through the Toronto
Inner Harbour and the 14 Islands. Three distinct seating options are
available: outdoors under the canopy on the upper deck, outdoors on the
water-level sundeck, and inside at tables on the lower level. The
lower level also houses washrooms and a bar.
The tour lasts 45 minutes with departures every hour and fifteen
minutes. Please feel free to contact us as your travel date nears for
the most current scheduling information.
One of the most fun events of the whole summer kicks off this Friday! Though the roller coaster rides (and the cotton candy) are the main attractions, there's literally something for everyone at the Canadian National exhibition.- Nathaniel
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The world’s tallest tower! Visited by 2 million people annually, the
Tower has something for everyone: simulated motion rides and a movie at
ground level, super-fast elevators, a glass floor, an outdoor
observation deck, a restaurant in the sky and the world’s highest
observation pod.
Casa Loma
Sir Henry’s dream home had 98 rooms, 30 bathrooms, 2 secret
passageways, and an 800 ft (240 m) tunnel. But wait, there’s more: 25
fireplaces, 3 bowling alleys, a shooting gallery, a 1,700-bottle wine
cellar, a library with space for 10,000 volumes and 5 acres of splendid
gardens.
Eaton Centre
North America’s largest downtown shopping centre is bursting with
four levels of great shops and services under a spectacular vaulted
glass ceiling. The mall is so long that they had to build a subway
station at either end!
Dundas Square
Toronto’s answer to Times Square, Dundas Square hosts hundreds of
concerts, fairs, promotions and a variety of other events annually. The
Square is
well situated at the city’s busiest intersection, surrounded by three
shopping centres, loads of restaurants, and overlooked by the country’s
tallest media tower.
Harbourfront Centre
A year-round celebration of the arts! Check out music and dance in
12 diverse venues, buy food and souvenirs at the World Café and the
International Marketplace, and enjoy free outdoor concerts at the
Sirius Stage.
Royal Ontario Museum
6 million artifacts! The ROM’s new eye-popping addition, the Michael
Lee-Chin
Crystal, might be a sight to behold from the outside, but the true
wonders of Canada’s largest museum lie within its extensive World
Cultures and Natural History galleries.
Art Gallery of Ontario
Frank Gehry’s stunning new addition didn’t just give the AGO a
pretty face; it increased viewing space by nearly 50%, making all the
more room for the works of Picasso, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, the Group of
Seven and many more.
St. Lawrence Market
Here you’ll find 50 specialty vendors offering everything from
organic produce to exotic seafood flown in fresh daily, all working
together inside a fantastic heritage building that originally opened as
our second
City Hall in 1845.
The Distillery
This complex was once the world’s largest distillery. Now it’s a
romantic and creative pedestrian-only village whose cobblestone streets
are lined with great theatres, galleries, restaurants, cafes, and
boutiques.
Hockey Hall of Fame
Home of the Stanley Cup! So much more than the world’s largest
collection of hockey memorabilia, the Hockey Hall of Fame has two
theatres as well as a sprawling simulated rink that hosts
state-of-the-art interactive games.
Entertainment District
Eight square blocks of fun. Here you’ll find live theatre, movies,
nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, shopping, Major League sports, and the
world’s second-tallest building!
Club District
In the mood for a little excitement? North America’s densest club
district has dozens and dozens of hotspots, from biker bars to dance
clubs specializing in hip-hop, eurodance, reggae, jazz, latin, pop and
more.
Chinatown
Although famous for some of the world’s finest Chinese food, this
vibrant neighbourhood also offers Vietnamese and Thai delights at great
prices. Be on the lookout for amazing deals on DVDs, groceries,
housewares, artwork, clothing and electronics.
Kensington Market
Take in the multitude of sights, sounds and smells as you wander
through Kensington’s narrow streets and alleys lined with everything
from fresh fish and produce to vintage clothing and live music.
University of Toronto
Why not enlighten yourself by taking a stroll through the campus of
Canada’s largest university? You can enjoy free concerts,
lectures, and galleries while exploring some of the city’s oldest and
finest buildings!
Baldwin Village
It would be a big shame to miss this little paradise for the taste
buds! Thai, French, Mediterranean. Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican,
Indian cuisine and much more are all present here in this
unique stretch of Baldwin Street, just north of the AGO.
City Hall
Two City Halls right across the street from one another. The older
of the two features elaborate stone carvings and a spectacular clock
tower
while the newer one is a futuristic-looking complex fronted by a
beautiful public
square.
John Street Roundhouse
This historic roundhouse served as a hospital for trains for nearly
60 years. Upon arriving at the facility, locomotives would be driven
onto a huge rotating turntable that would maneuver them into one of 32
repair stalls.
Bata Shoe Museum
12,500 pairs and 4.500 years worth of shoes from around the world,
all housed in an amazing building shaped to look like a gigantic
shoebox. On
display is everything from walnut-crushing clogs and ancient Chinese
foot-bound sandals to modern ballroom dancing shoes.
Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art
Canada’s only museum devoted entirely to ceramics! In addition to a
collection of over 3,000 artifacts, this award-winning building also
features a retail shop, restaurant, library, and a clay studio where
classes are held.
Theatre District
Eight square blocks of fun. Here you’ll find live theatre, movies,
nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, shopping, Major League sports, and the
world’s second-tallest building!
Bloor - Yorkville
Often compared to New York’s Fifth Avenue or L.A.’s Rodeo Drive,
Bloor-Yorkville is home to more than 700 designer boutiques, galleries,
high-end restaurants, and lavish hotels and 4 major shopping
centres.
Queen’s Park
The north half of this oval-shaped park is filled with shady trees
and monuments. The south half is occupied by the majestic Ontario
Legislative Building of 1892, home of our Provincial Government.
Hospital Alley
This stretch of University Ave. between College and Dundas is home
to Canada’s greatest concentration of teaching and research hospitals.
Radisson Plaza Hotel Admiral
The place to be! This 157-room boutique hotel is perfectly situated
right along the waterfront, affording incredible views of the harbour,
the islands and the airport. Even if you don’t have a room here, you
can still take in the view from the hotel’s Watermark Restaurant and
Lounge or spend an afternoon at the pool overlooking the lake.
Queen’s Quay Terminal
This stunning mixed-use building was redeveloped as a shopping and
office complex in 1983 by Zeidler Partnership Architects (Eaton Centre,
Ontario Place). When it was originally built in 1926, the Toronto
Terminal Warehouse was the largest warehouse in North America and the
first poured-concrete structure in Canada.
Sony Centre
This 3,000-seat auditorium is renowned for its acoustics and has
hosted the likes of Duke Ellington, Liberace, and Placido Domingo.
Daniel Libeskind (Michael Lee-Chin Crystal) has been enlisted to
redesign the complex and he plans to add an Arts & Heritage
Awareness Centre (AHA! Centre) and a 49-storey condo tower above the
auditorium in the shape of a giant boot (L-Tower).
King Edward Hotel
This luxurious 298-room hotel has hosted everyone from Mark Twain to
Britney Spears! Built on the site of the city’s first jail and hanging
yard, the King Eddy had a priceless art collection and a separate
entrance for women when it opened in 1903.
St. James Cathedral
Canada’s 2nd-tallest church! At 305ft (93m), it would have been the
first thing a new immigrant would see in getting off the train at the
old Union Station. The Cathedral was even used as a navigational beacon
by sailors approaching the port of Toronto.
Old Town Toronto
This is where it all began! Toronto was known as ‘York’ from
1793-1834 and the old town was laid out as a 10-block grid of swampy,
mosquito-plagued streets. A trip through this neighbourhood today will
turn up a treasure trove up historic buildings that provide a glimpse
into our city’s past.
Corktown
Why do they call it Corktown? This area likely gets its name from
the fact that many of its early settlers were Irish emigrants from
County Cork. Before the Great Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1849, most of
our city’s population was of British descent. By 1851, though, a
whopping 37% of Toronto’s 30,000 citizens were Irish!
Design District
In the 1890s, King St. E. was Toronto’s main shopping street and
public promenade. Today, this stretch of King St. between Parliament
and Jarvis features dozens of shops specializing in high-end furniture,
lighting and decor, many of which are located inside renovated heritage
buildings.
Massey Hall
This historic 1894 concert hall has hosted Winston Churchill, George
Gershwin, and the Dalai Lama to name a few. Its construction was
financed by Hart Massey and one of his conditions was that no alcohol
could be served on the premises for 100 years. True to their word, they
waited until 1994 before opening a bar in the basement, calling it
‘Centuries,’ and throwing a big party!
Maple Leaf Gardens
This former home of the Toronto Maple Leafs was finished in an
amazing 51/2 months during the Great Depression and no major repairs to
the facility were ever required. The Leafs won 11 Stanley Cups here and
sold out every single game for over 50 years, earning the Gardens the
nickname ‘The Carlton Street Cashbox’.
Yonge & Isabella
Did you know that Yonge Street was once listed in the Guinness Book
of World Records as the World’s Longest Street, stretching all the way
from the Toronto Harbour to Rainy River at the Ontario-Minnesota
border? Ask your tour guide what happened to our title and who holds
the record today!
The Annex
Created in 1886 after the annexation of nearby Yorkville, this
upscale neighbourhood is characterized by its one-way streets lined
with trees and Victorian and Edwardian homes. Given its proximity to
the University, the Annex is an ideal home for students and professors
alike and is thought of as an ‘intellectual’ place to live.
Theatre District
Toronto has the third-largest theatre scene in the English-speaking
world and the theatre district is currently thought to center around
King & John. Important area venues include the Royal Alexandra
Theatre, The Princess of Wales, Roy Thompson Hall and the Bell
Lightbox, the new home of the Toronto International Film Festival. Many
other great theatres can be found on Yonge St and in Old Town Toronto.
Metro Convention Centre
Canada’s largest convention centre! The North Building sits on Front
St. W. and the South Building is on Bremner Blvd. Major events
regularly hosted by the MTCC include the Auto Show, the Boat Show, the
Bridal Show, Canadian Idol, and So You Think You Can Dance Canada.
Union Station
Serving 200,000 passengers a day, this is Canada’s busiest passenger
transportation facility. When it opened, it was the largest enclosed
space in Canada and the first train station in North America with
separate levels for arrivals and departures.
Fairmont Royal York
When it opened in 1929, the Royal York was the tallest building in
the British Commonwealth. It had its own 12-bed hospital, a newspaper
and a switchboard staffed by 35 telephone operators. Modern innovations
include a rooftop vegetable and herb garden as well as a series of
beehives that can house up to 150,000 honeybees.
Rogers Centre
Home of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Argonauts, the Rogers
Centre was the first stadium in the world to have a fully retractable
roof that worked. The panels of the roof move along standard railway
rails and are driven by electric motors, moving at an amazing 70 ft
(21m) per minute.
