Toronto travel guide: overview

Ethnically diverse, Toronto is Canada’s largest metropolitan area, with a population of 5.4 million.

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Places to visit in Toronto

Canada’s largest city is ideally placed on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario, eastern most of the Great Lakes that connect to the North Atlantic via the St Lawrence Seaway. The province of Ontario has its seat of government here and though Ottawa, four hours’ drive away, is the nation’s capital, Toronto is its cultural, entertainment and financial heart. A quarter of the country’s population lives within a 160-km (100-mile) radius of the city. Niagara and the US border are just 90 minutes away, and half the popu lation of the US is within a day’s drive or an hour’s flight. Following city founder John Simcoe’s military grid pattern, Toronto’s main arteries run from the lakefront north and east–west.

On the same latitude as the French Riviera and one degree north of Boston, Toronto has the warmest spring and summers in the country, helped by the moderating effect of Lake Ontario. In winter the temperature is just below freezing, dipping in January, with around 10cm (4in) of snow, making it a place for both winter and summer activities.

An impressive skyline, with the CN Tower shooting up to the stars, contains many cultural hotspots such as the Princess of Wales Theatre, the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum. Shoppers will delight at the antiques at St Lawrence Market and the designer stores of the Eaton Centre. Visitors can get away from the bustle of the inner city at the Harbourfront and Toronto Islands

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