Toronto is one of the classiest cities on the North American continent, and – if you know where to look – one of the most affordable. Cheapflights is convinced that price is part and parcel of what defines a great city. To that end, some ideas:
Wondrous Wednesdays: The Art Gallery of Ontario is a place to connect with some of the great works of the world – from classic European and cutting-edge contemporary. The AGO is located in the Grange Park District, near the lake. Every Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. admission is gratis. As luck would have it mid-week flights to Toronto are also usually cheap.
Admission is also free Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Royal Ontario Museum. Head to the Reed Gallery of the Age of Mammals behold a skeletal Mastodon bestride the exhibit hall. Kids love it.
Bounteous botanicals: In search of a place to breathe in the rich, loamy scents of the good earth? Allan Gardens is a vision ripped right from a Victorian novel. Admission is free to the conservatory. There you’ll see and smell tropical plants from the world over – all encamped under greenhouse glass in Toronto’s Garden District.
Stick with your sense of smell for a while and let it lead you to Kensington Market, an area just west of downtown Toronto where pubs and corner fruit stands compete for olfactory attention. Each month the neighborhood blocks off the area’s narrow streets and throws a festival. There are worse places to be.
Be a Yank in Yorkville: Join the legion of other window gazers and peruse the upscale shops of Yorkville, a pricey piece of downtown real estate. Boutiques and galleries abound. The best part is you can enjoy the ambience without having to ante up a dime.
Eat cheap in Chinatown: You’ve got to fuel all this exploration with eats. For food that can be extraordinary (not to mention extraordinarily reasonable) make your way to Spadina Avenue, the heart of one of this continent’s largest Chinatowns.
Get out of town: Belly full, go fuel the soul. Rent a two-wheeler and bike the Don Valley. Be sure to wear a helmet. The stretch of ravine between the Don River Brickworks up to Thornhill Park boats some viscerally challenging trails. Other paths are better for beginners.
Trails abound on the Toronto Islands. Go to the dock at the foot of Bay Street and catch a ferryboat for the short ride across the near reaches of Lake Ontario. Investigate the mysterious history of Gibraltar Point Lighthouse. For the adventurous, there’s a clothing-optional beach on the west side of Hanlan’s point. Wouldn’t recommend it till the weather changes.
Toronto is as accessible as it is affordable. Discount airline WestJet’s presence is growing. Air Canada continues to spread its wings. And an aviation treaty between the United States and Canada continues to open up transborder air routes. Facilitating flights back home there’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection Pre-Clearance at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Clear formalities in Canada. When you get back to the United States no need to queue in long wait lines.
Story by Jerry Chandler
Photo by paul (dex)
