We started our first day in Toronto with a walk around the stunning historic Distillery District. A former industrial area made up of beautiful restored Victorian red-brick buildings which have now been transformed into a trendy shopping and dining area.

After a tasty lunch of traditional Canadian poutine we ascended to the heady heights of the CN Tower; the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere! Once at the top, we bravely stepped out onto the glass floor 342 metres above the ground. It’s not for the faint hearted but offered amazing vistas of the Toronto skyline.

Back at ground level, we headed to the lake shore for a stroll along the waterfront to admire the views across the harbour to the Toronto Islands as the sun set.

 A great addition to any Toronto city break is a short trip to see the thundering Niagara Falls. We took the Niagara Falls from Toronto day tour which was a great way to see the falls without the stress of having to drive. 

The sight of the falls was truly spectacular with the mighty Niagara River tumbling down a 50m drop. 

We marvelled at the falls in June, joining the Voyage to the Falls boat tour. Armed with our fashionable pink ponchos we boarded the boat and cruised upstream towards the Horseshoe Falls. As expected, we got a soaking so be sure to wear sensible clothes!

On our way back to Toronto we stopped at picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake. A beautifully quaint little town with lots of lovely boutique shops, it’s also known for the numerous local wineries which produce the ice wine for which the region is famous.

We spent our last morning in the city walking around St. Lawrence Market. Built in 1803 it is a must visit for all food lovers. A great place to experience Toronto’s diverse food scene, it was named “best food market in the world” by National Geographic. There were so many different samples to try (we spent a long time in the cheese section!) and were absolutely stuffed by the time we left.

In the afternoon we stopped by the Hockey Hall of Fame, a shrine to Canada’s most popular sport. Being complete hockey novices, we enjoyed learning a little more about the sport which flows through the heart and soul of every Canadian. 

Afterwards we took a walk around Kensington Market. Here, there are lots of boutique shops to browse and interesting street art to view in this colourful bohemian neighbourhood.

We finished the day and our trip to Toronto with a cocktail at The Porch rooftop bar watching the sun go down and reflecting on an amazing 72 hours in this fantastic city.