Underrated by international standards, Toronto might be North America’s best functioning large city. While it isn’t as historic as Montreal or Quebec City, Toronto more than makes up for it with wonderful ethnic neighborhoods and a clean downtown entertainment center. This city is also a relative bargain to larger US cities, which makes it even nicer.
So much of the charm of Toronto involves just checking out the various neighborhoods, so once you’ve been up in CN Tower you can get by without spending a fortune on other attractions.
Population | 2,500,000 |
Area | 5,200,000 |
Timezone | UTC-5 |
Currency | Canadian dollar |
Airports | Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) |
Food and drinks tend to be moderately priced for most visitors, and there are plenty of good budget meals available in the various ethnic neighborhoods and restaurants around the city.
Budget breakfast | Fast food places and bakeries are some of the cheaper breakfast options. | $5.19 - $8.15 |
Budget lunch | Toronto has loads of great cheap ethnic restaurants near the center. | $6.67 - $10.37 |
Budget dinner | Assuming you want a sit-down dinner you can still find good budget options in most neighborhoods. | $10.37 - $16.30 |
Beer (pint) | Look out for casual pubs. Nightclubs will charge much more. | $5.19 - $8.15 |
Month | High F | Low F | Precip (inches) |
---|---|---|---|
January | 30 | 19 | 2.4 |
February | 32 | 21 | 2.0 |
March | 40 | 28 | 2.6 |
April | 52 | 39 | 2.7 |
May | 65 | 50 | 2.9 |
June | 74 | 59 | 2.8 |
July | 80 | 64 | 2.7 |
August | 78 | 63 | 3.1 |
September | 69 | 56 | 3.3 |
October | 57 | 45 | 2.6 |
November | 45 | 36 | 3.0 |
December | 35 | 25 | 2.8 |
Toronto has a classic four seasons climate, with warm and humid summers, and cold winters where snowfall isn’t uncommon. The temperatures in summer rarely rise so high that it’s uncomfortable to be outside for most people, so it’s really the ideal season to visit. Winters definitely do get cold and it can go weeks at a time without rising above freezing.
Spring and autumn are usually quite nice, although it usually isn’t until May that it’ll be warm enough to do without a jacket or sweater during the day, so if you are planning on doing outdoor things then May through September are the best months.
The city gets mild and consistent rainfall throughout the year, with most of it being snow during winter. There’s no dry months or unusually wet months, so prepare for a bit of rain and cross your fingers.
21 Mar | 7:19am | 7:31pm |
21 Jun | 5:36am | 9:03pm |
21 Sep | 7:04am | 7:17pm |
21 Dec | 7:48am | 4:43pm |
Hotels are generally of high standard and most of them are conveniently located near the downtown area so staying there most visitors won’t need any additional transportation costs since so much is within easy walking distance. The public transportation system is extensive so you probably won’t want to drive yourself even if you’ve arrived in a car.
Hotels in Toronto have seasonal differences in price that you’d probably expect. High season is at its peak during summer, but generally runs from May through October. This is a very business-oriented city and most of its nicer hotels are in the downtown region, so it might be good news that many of those hotels drop their prices over the weekends.
The low season is winter, from early January through March, and during this time you can probably take your pick of hotels, even as you arrive. But if you book in advance you might find some really good promotional deals online so it’s worth checking.
Rating | Price(USD) |
---|---|
31.85 - 51.85 | |
65.93 - 111.11 | |
73.33 - 204.44 | |
115.56 - 334.81 | |
265.93 - 394.07 |
Type | Price(USD) |
---|---|
Hostel Bed | 16.30 - 27.41 |