Toronto Holidays

Toronto is renowned for its many museums which cater for all sorts of taste, including some truly niche interests such as the Textile Museum of Canada (for those of us who love fabrics), the Bata Shoe Museum (for footwear fanatics) and the much loved Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, which contains more than 2,900 pieces of ceramic artwork from the Americas, Europe and Asia, making it Canada’s only museum which is entirely dedicated to ceramics (a far more diverse field of study than one might think!). Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more niche, there’s a sugar museum as well!

If you would like to find out more about the regions’s historical culture, then the Museum of Inuit Art is the place for you. There you will learn all about the indigenous people of Ontario and how they lived before the arrival of European settlers. It is a fascinating look into a way of life which has largely been lost in the modern world.

If you want to learn about the much older residents of Canada, then the Royal Ontario Museum of Natural History’s world famous Age of Dinosaurs Gallery. All of the dinosaurs on display are locally sourced, in that they really did roam the Canadian plains millions of years ago during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Among the dino skeletons you will see are the gigantic long-necked Barosaurus, the strangely crested Parasaurolophus, the spiky-tailed Stegosaurus, as well as the three-horned Triceratops and its newly discovered cousin Wendiceraops. Of course, the centrepiece of this dinosaur exhibition is the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, which roars into life via augmented reality!

For those of you who prefer your animals to be very much alive and kicking, the Toronto Zoo is an essential stop off point. Stretcching over 710 acres, the Toronto Zoo is easily the largest zoological garden in all of Canada. Boasting over 5,00 individual animals from upward of 450 species, it is arguably the most diverse collection of living animals which are on display to the public in the world. An all-year-round treat, the zoo is open 364 days per year (Christmas Day being the only time it is closed).

The Toronto Maple Leafs are probably the most famous of all of Ontario’s sports teams and one of Canada’s big sports success stories, being one of the original six National Hockey League teams and winners of no less than 13 Stanley Cups. Being a big NFL franchise, it can be tricky to get tickets to a Maple Leaf game, but there’s still plenty of hockey to go around. The Marlboros and Marlies also call Toronto their home town, so hockey fans have plenty of options to choose from.

Sharing the Maple Leafs’ 20,000 capacity Air Canada Centre is the NBA Raptors (they really like dinosaurs in this neck of the woods!) basketball team. Soccer fans can check out MLS side Toronto FC who’s star players include former Roma midfielder Michael Bradley, US striker Jozy Altidore and italien international forward Sebastian Giovinco. Other famous players to have worn the Toronto FC shirt in the past include current Premier League striker Jermaine Defoe and Daniel Dichio. Baseball fans should check out a Blue Jays game in the massive Rogers Centre, where up to 50,000 sports fans can gather for a game of softball.

No holiday to Toronto would be complete without taking the time to visit Niagara Falls. Going the extra mile (or 75 miles to be exact!) to check out Niagara Falls, one of Canada’s most spectacular sights is more than worth it; there is a reason it is one of the seven wonders of the natural world.

The highest point of Niagara Falls’ three waterfalls stands some 51 metres tall. While this is not exceptionally high as far as the world’s tallest waterfalls are concerned, where it really impresses is width and the sheer volume of water which flows over it. Niagara is actually made up of 3 separate waterfalls, the American Falls, the Horseshoe or Canadian Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. While tourists can see Niagara Falls on specially organised walking tours, the best way to really experience its power and majesty is on a boat ride.

Ask one of our travel experts about including a trip to Niagara Falls with your holiday to Toronto and Canada.