5 Places In Toronto You Must Visit

What do a pair of Elton John’s high heels, a Gothic castle and the world’s largest hydraulophone have in common? They all feature on this list of the top attractions in Toronto, Canada.

Some attractions in Toronto – such as the skyline-busting CN Tower, the turrets of the Casa Loma and the thunderous Niagara Falls down the road – stand out like Drake in the front row of the Scotiabank Arena. However, others – like the merchants of St Lawrence Market, the boutiques of the Distillery District and the murals of Kensington Market – take a little more discovery. Culture Trip has done the hard work for you by rounding up the top 5 attractions in Toronto you need to add to your itinerary.

* CN Tower

Leaving Toronto without scaling the city’s most iconic landmark would be like visiting Paris and not bothering to see the Eiffel Tower. This tour provides a unique perspective from the pointy end of the CN Tower, thanks to the stomach-churning glass floor that stares overs the Toronto streets 1,122 feet (342 meters) below, as well as the LookOut level and al fresco SkyTerrace gazing out over Canada’s biggest city.

* Museum of Illusions

If you’re expecting your stock-standard hall of mirrors and a couple of shrinking hallways, prepare for a shock. Toronto’s Museum of Illusions is a very contemporary take on the old fairground funhouse – a minimalist space that opened in 2018 with an Instagram front of mind. Found on Front Street East with tickets starting at 23.50 Canadian dollars ($17.93), the museum feels more like an art gallery than some cheesy carnival attraction, with each piece explaining the visual trickery at play as well as a marker pointing out the perfect selfie spot.

* Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

With ferocious tiger sharks, slippery eels, entrancing jellyfish and 450 other species of exotic marine life populating the country’s largest indoor aquarium, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada attracts huge crowds. While long queues snake around the block in the shadow of the CN Tower, you can skip the line with this ticket for 49.80 Canadian dollars ($33.76). It’s delivered straight to your smartphone, and the price includes animal feedings and talks. Under the sea, hassle-free.

* Hockey Hall of Fame

If hockey is a religion in Canada, then this is the cathedral where the faithful come to worship. Occupying Brookfield Place’s historic Bank of Montreal building in the heart of downtown, the Hall of Fame boasts the world’s largest collection of hockey artefacts, including the original Stanley Cup locked away in the bank vault. However, you don’t need to be a hockey nerd to enjoy the replica NHL dressing room or the interactive games – and at 20 Canadian dollars ($15.59), admission is a bargain.

* Distillery District

Once home to the largest whiskey producer in the British Empire, the cobbled alleyways of Toronto’s Distillery District provide a perfectly preserved time capsule of Victorian-era industrial architecture. This wonderland of red-brick warehouses can be difficult to navigate for a first-timer, so leave it to an expert guide. On this one-hour tour for 23.73 Canadian dollars ($18.42), you’ll stroll through the indie eateries, boutiques, bars, galleries and theaters that make the Distillery District one of The Six’s coolest cultural precincts. You’ll also get to sample some local craft beer and chocolate at the end.