Neighbourhood guide
The waterfront and the Toronto Islands
Queens Quay, Harbourfront Centre, Sugar Beach and the islands across the bay.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Chicken4War · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsToronto’s lakefront runs along Queens Quay: Harbourfront Centre, the Power Plant gallery, Sugar Beach and the Toronto Music Garden. From the foot of Bay Street, the ferries cross to the Toronto Islands, with beaches, a boardwalk, Centreville and the best view of the skyline.
Sights
The Toronto Islands, Harbourfront Centre, the Power Plant, Ontario Place and the harbour cruises.
Eating and drinking
Don Alfonso 1890 (One MICHELIN Star) at the Westin Harbour Castle.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Jeff Hitchcock from Seattle, WA, USA · CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsStaying
Hotel X Toronto by the lake.
Cross to the islands on a summer evening and come back after dark.
Our advice: on the way back, stand on the open deck facing the city for the skyline.
Why it's on our list
- Sights
- Eating and drinking
- Staying
What’s nearby
Distances from The waterfront and the Toronto Islands are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest subway and streetcar stops
- Island ferry terminalFerry400 m5 min walk
- Toronto UnionTrain500 m6 min walk
- UnionSubway600 m8 min walk
Key sights
- CN Tower600 mWalk 8 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 10 min
- St. Lawrence Market1.2 kmWalk 15 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 12 min
- Art Gallery of Ontario1.8 kmWalk 23 minCycle 9 minCar or taxi 13 min
- Distillery District2.0 kmWalk 25 minCycle 10 minCar or taxi 14 min
- Island ferries2.2 kmWalk 28 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 15 min
- Royal Ontario Museum3.3 kmWalk 41 minCycle 16 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Casa Loma4.8 kmCycle 24 minCar or taxi 23 min
- Pearson airport20 kmCar or taxi 69 min
Main stations
- Union Station500 mWalk 6 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 10 min
- St. Andrew950 mWalk 12 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Bloor-Yonge3.4 kmWalk 43 minCycle 17 minCar or taxi 18 min
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storyToronto at the table: stars, Bibs and a city of many kitchensThirteen One MICHELIN Star restaurants, from Alo and Edulis to Sushi Masaki Saito and Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto, the Bib Gourmand tables of Chinatown and Dundas West, and St. Lawrence Market: how Toronto eats.
The back storyCanadian FoodThe peameal bacon sandwich, the butter tart, poutine, the Nanaimo bar, maple syrup and Niagara icewine: what to eat in Toronto.
The back storyWhere Toronto sleeps: Yorkville, downtown and the west endThe Four Seasons, the Hazelton and the Park Hyatt in Yorkville, the Royal York opposite Union Station, the Ritz-Carlton, the St. Regis and Nobu downtown, and the Drake and the Gladstone on Queen West: where to stay in Toronto.