3 Day Tour De Toronto

Oct 18, 2002
9,759
52
Sydney, Australia
#1
Hello friends,

The family and I will be travelling to the US and Canada in June/July. Our itinerary will take us to Toronto for 3 days. We will be staying in Downtown. As I know many ISP-ers are Toronto residents, I thought I might get good tips for sightseeing, places to visit, "must do" things etc.
Our travel party includes a 7 and 5 year old so family friendly venues and locations are on top of our agenda.

We will also be visiting Niagara Falls for 2 days separately to this.

Any suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated.
 

Bache Tehroon

Elite Member
Oct 16, 2002
39,533
1,513
DarvAze DoolAb
www.iransportspress.com
#2
:) Good to hear you're heading over here aziz.

- Make sure you eat at one of the Iranian restaurants in North York or Richmond Hill area and visit the Iranian stores. It can be refreshing for those who don't have access to such stores.

- Spend some time walking the downtown area on Yonge St, Dundas Street and the junction which is called Dundas Square. A couple of beers at one of the many surrounding patios is quite a pleasant experience.

- Go to the CN tower if you find the time. It's not a bad one-time experience.

- Casa Loma is an interesting place to visit near Downtown.

- Make sure you eat a Sausage at one of the many downtown hot-dog stands. Most of them are owned and operated by Iranians :) If there's one thing I would miss about Toronto, it would be those!

- Take a ferry to the Central Island and take some breathtaking pictures of Toronto's skyline. It's relaxing.


I'll post more.
 

The Matrix

Bench Warmer
Jul 25, 2007
2,332
0
#4
well my friend the best Iranian restaurant in Toronto is Pomegranate which serves mostly stew but you have to reserve your seat earlier ahead of time. Places to visit: well the downtown area is really amusing and you can do a lot there if you only spend money. Go to the Eaton center and china town in downtown Toronto and they are really nice and big and amusing. You will feel like your shopping back home. Prices right now are a little steep but hopefully they will go down. Make sure you dress warmly since it be really cold here. I hope you enjoy some of the attractions we have to offer to tourists!... :). :). :). Make sure to also checkout whatever festival is offered at the harbour front area and take the kids to centre island or canadas wonderland. Especially Canada's wonderland has nice rides for kids and adults and fun place to go to here!.
 
Last edited:
Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#6
Shikamooha ro bebin... sightseeing suggestions, restaurants!!! LOL

As far as restaurants, you have a couple of very good suggestions... Kabob Torsh from Shomal is definitely something you don't get in many or any Persian restaurants and very YUMMY. And Pomegranate is a very nice place if you're looking for some home made food with a nice twist that you won't find elsewhere - all in a small cozy setting.

Canada's Wonderland would definitely be my top suggestion for a family visit. It's the largest amusement park in Canada and has the 2nd largest number of roller coasters anywhere in the world. It also has a water park which is great for kids in the summer time. The kids will love it there and if you have someone older to take care of them, you and the wife will definitely enjoy some of the wilder rides.

CN Tower is definitely another unique Toronto experience which shouldn't be missed. You can do that with the Harbour Front and the Toronto Island all in one day or add Ontario Place to the itinerary for two fun days, particularly if you add a picnic or beach @ the Toronto Island to the itinerary.

The Ontario Science centre is also another nice place for kids for a 3-4 hour visit as are the Playdium in Mississauga and Dave & Busters in Vaughan. The Royal Ontario Museum also has occasional fun and educational events for the little ones during the summers which makes it a potential candidate.

As far as Niagara Falls, my suggestion would be to spend only one day there and stay at Niagara-on-the-Lake for the 2nd day. It's beautiful there and definitely an Ontario gem. You can do winery tours and there's a GREAT family oriented beach with shallow warm waters at Port Delhousie nearby with Ontario's oldest Carousel still in operation charging only a nickel for a ride!!! Overall, it's a great little town to visit. It's also worth checking out a nice play at the Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-lake) if you guys are into that stuff and for after the little ones are in bed. On the drive back from there, The Lake House (in Jordan) is a great place to eat and unwind with a gorgeous patio overlooking the lake.

Speaking of beaches, Wassaga Beach is the longest fresh water beach in the world and for that reason worth mentioning, although it's crazy busy in the summer time and unless you go early in the morning, it's a bit hectic. It's about an hour and half away.

And of course no tourist suggestion for Ontario is complete without mentioning Algonquin Park. If you guys are into camping, it is definitely one of the must see places in Ontario, if not Canada. They have cabins there, regular camp sites and if you really want to rough it out in nature for a memorable experience for the little ones, interior camping where you have to canoe to your camp site and the closest neighbouring site is about a kilometer away!!!

I think that should keep you guys busy for a week or two! ;)
 

spinhead

Elite Member
Oct 24, 2002
2,124
201
United States of Amnesia
#8
Play indoor soccer with some really nice ISP gentelmen who do not question weather the ball you shot really crossed the line and call it a goal just to be hospitable to you.

Hang out with other really nice ISP legends in north Young going to bars, coffee shops, restaurants, and Persian shops.
 
Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#10
^^^ Yeah. I've heard the Great Wolf Lodge is an AMAZING experience for kids - and Marine Land as well - I still haven't visited there myself. :( Is Shamu still alive?!

Also, anyone been to the African Lion Safari? I've never been there, so didn't put it on the list.

And we all missed the Toronto Zoo, but it's not really world famous or anything.
 
Oct 18, 2002
9,759
52
Sydney, Australia
#12
Thank you very much Soroush and others for the plethora of suggestions.

I initially thought 3 days would be an overkill, now I'm worried it may not be enough! LOL

Just a few adendums, questions and clarifications:

- We will be going to Toronto immediately after 5 days @ Disneyland CA. With that in mind, should Canada's Wonderland still be near the top of the list in your opinions?
- Is there a good (and safe) public transport system in Toronto or are we better off using cabs (I don't particularly want to drive)
- After our 2 day stay at Niagara Falls we have to go to Buffalo NY, to catch a plance to NYC. How long does it generally take to clear the border?

Please keep the suggestions coming, they are greatly appreciated.

Also, should time and schedules allow, I would love to have a beer with any of the ISP old timers and dear friends that I've come to know over the years.


Many thanks for the suggestions so far.
 

Payandeh Iran

Elite Member
Feb 4, 2005
25,253
5,470
#13
My comment in blue

Thank you very much Soroush and others for the plethora of suggestions.

I initially thought 3 days would be an overkill, now I'm worried it may not be enough! LOL

Won't be enough: Day 1: Drinking; Day 2: Recovering from hangover; that'll leave only one day for all other activities

Just a few adendums, questions and clarifications:

- We will be going to Toronto immediately after 5 days @ Disneyland CA. With that in mind, should Canada's Wonderland still be near the top of the list in your opinions?
Nope.
- Is there a good (and safe) public transport system in Toronto or are we better off using cabs (I don't particularly want to drive)
Yes. The subway/bus system is generally safe but you can expect delays.
- After our 2 day stay at Niagara Falls we have to go to Buffalo NY, to catch a plance to NYC. How long does it generally take to clear the border?Used to take a long time when they did finger printing but you should not have to wait long anymore. However, give it a few hours just in case there are a lot of people or in case you get an ass as an officer

Please keep the suggestions coming, they are greatly appreciated.

Also, should time and schedules allow, I would love to have a beer with any of the ISP old timers and dear friends that I've come to know over the years.

Now you're talking.
Many thanks for the suggestions so far.
 
Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#14
Haven't been to Disney Land myself, but you have a good point - it might be a little too much amusement for one trip! ;)

Wonderland is a little different because of all the nice roller-coasters and other rides, but those are not necessarily stuff you can get the kids onto. Most of them have height restrictions and some of them are just a bit much for a 5 year old. But the water park in there is quite nice too for a hot summer day. I think it's around $60 CDN to get in these days and I know DL is really expensive, so that might be a deciding factor too.

Public transport in Toronto is relatively safe, but it's definitely not good! LOL. We probably have one of the worst public transport systems for the most populated city in any G20 nation. Cabs are really expensive too, so if you're planning to move around (like go to Wonderland, Mississauga, etc.) I would highly recommend getting a car. Driving in Toronto is super easy. All the streets are East-West or South-North (kind of like New York, but without all the bridges and tunnels) and they're very well marked (unlike most European cities). Of course, the only concern for you would be driving on the wrong side of the street! ;)

Having said that. if you're staying downtown and wanna scratch the out-of-town suggestion (including Wonderland from the itinerary), you're definitely better off going with public transport and occasionally cabbing it. For the most parts, the subway (metro/underground) and street cars cover the downtown core really well and you're not cabbing for long distances at all. Plus parking in downtown hotels can be really expensive. Cab or Train to Niagara falls can be very expensive too, but buses are really cheap (I think it's around $20 per person one way).

The border is really hit and miss. You can clear in 10-15 minutes at Lewiston (usually a little longer at the Rainbow Bridge) and I've also been stuck there for 2 hours at times. Normally, long weekends are pretty bad for border crossings and if you're coming in early July (July 1st is Canada Day and July 4th is Independence Day in the US) so expect very long wait times for that particular weekend. If it's in the middle of the week, between 10-3 p.m. you're usually okay with a 15-20 minute estimate (commercial transport skews the wait times earlier or later).

Sorry about the long replies btw. I do a lot of reviews for Tripadvisor, so I've learnt to give a lot of details! ;)

Other than that, feel free to ask any other questions and I'm always up for a beer or two! It would be a great excuse to see Nader and Soroosh too. :)
 
Oct 18, 2002
11,593
3
#16
Thank you very much Soroush and others for the plethora of suggestions.

I initially thought 3 days would be an overkill, now I'm worried it may not be enough! LOL

Just a few adendums, questions and clarifications:

- We will be going to Toronto immediately after 5 days @ Disneyland CA. With that in mind, should Canada's Wonderland still be near the top of the list in your opinions?
- Is there a good (and safe) public transport system in Toronto or are we better off using cabs (I don't particularly want to drive)
- After our 2 day stay at Niagara Falls we have to go to Buffalo NY, to catch a plance to NYC. How long does it generally take to clear the border?

Please keep the suggestions coming, they are greatly appreciated.

Also, should time and schedules allow, I would love to have a beer with any of the ISP old timers and dear friends that I've come to know over the years.


Many thanks for the suggestions so far.
you will be a lot more comfortable if you just rent a car for the entire trip and then return it in Buffalo airport.
 

Bache Tehroon

Elite Member
Oct 16, 2002
39,533
1,513
DarvAze DoolAb
www.iransportspress.com
#17
you will be a lot more comfortable if you just rent a car for the entire trip and then return it in Buffalo airport.
Correct.

Rent a car in the US and you will save boatloads of money compared to shitty Canadian rates.

As for border crossing, it's usually not bad. I cross the border multiple times a month. Even with the finger printing (if you are unlucky), you're usually cleared within an hour. As Behrou said, avoid crossing before and after long weekends.

Also, instead of using the Lewiston or Rainbow crossings, use the Fort Erie crossing. It's a lot faster and the guards there tend to be slightly less assholish (they're paid to be assholes, so don't expect a pleasant experience)
 
Jun 9, 2004
13,753
1
Canada
#18
^^^ I think he's going the other way bro i.e. Toronto-Buffalo. Canadian rates do suck big time. I rented a fully loaded Volvo S40 @ Philadelphia airport for $100 taxes in and everything (airport surcharges and what not) for 4 days and on a long weekend! The same thing will cost $100 in Toronto per day. Last time I had an accident, they were charging $50 / day + HST for a Nissan Maxima - serious price gouging. But hey, that's Canada and they stick it to us for everything! :kick:

The snow was pretty though last night! ;)
 

Intoxicated

Bench Warmer
Dec 18, 2002
956
19
Toronto, Canada
#19
your time is very short here. Usually one needs at least week to see toronto.

-In terms of food Shomal (North) used to be really good back in a day. Nowadays Gilaneh is hands down the best upscale Persian food establishment.

- for sightseeing if you really want to get a taste of downtown Toronto go to Little Italy, Distillery district, Greektown (Danforth), Chinatown, Kensington market, St. Lawrence market and of course Yonge/Sheppard -Yonge/Steeles neighborhood (updtown)where majority of Iranian businesses are located.

- as BT suggested Casa Loma, CN Tower are definitely worth a visit as well. if you are into art and museums then ROM, AGO, Queen west area will not disappoint you. Try coffee on Queen west it'll blow your mind. R2 is a really good coffee shop

- Not sure if night life is an option for you but King West and Queen west areas have nice bars and lounges.


-Bardia
 
Sep 25, 2004
8,617
2
34
Toronto
#20
I recommend Gilaneh over Shomal as well..also there are so many hole-in-the-wall places in Toronto to try as well. Talise on the intersection of Yonge-Byng has the best sandwiches, Pizza Shab (at the same intersection) has best persian style pizza which is guaranteed to cause an upset stomach.
If you go to richmond hill go to this place : http://restoranmalaysia.com/ and order the black peppered beef kuoy teow, heavy ass meal!

In terms of sights, we always go up north to Killarney, Alqonquin and this place : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishpatina_Ridge
but none of those are practical for you since you're with a family. You can try the Thousand Island tour at Kingston, that's not bad and the kids will enjoy it. To be honest, I don't think Niagra is worth the 2 day stay, I would check out more places outside of Toronto rather than spend 2 days in Niagra. You can check mark Niagra out of your least on your way out or in!