Canada 2026: Toronto

Toronto was our second stop in Canada, a city I’d visited a couple of times before, and it was great to be back. We were also treated to another run of spectacular September weather. At this point, Canada was doing a rather good job of making me wonder whether its reputation for cold and miserable had been somewhat exaggerated.

We stayed at the DoubleTree Toronto Downtown, which turned out to be an excellent choice. Sankofa Square was only a couple of blocks away, with plenty of restaurants and shops within walking distance. I like a hotel that puts me in the middle of things rather than requiring logistical acrobatics every time I want to go somewhere, and this one ticked that box nicely.

Getting reacquainted with Toronto

We started with a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, which we tend to do in most cities. It’s a good way to get the lay of the land, work out what interests you, and get your bearings before heading off to explore independently.

We followed that up with a double-decker night bus tour, which was a different experience altogether. Cities have a different energy after dark, and Toronto was no exception. The streets, buildings and everything lit up at night gave us a fresh perspective on a place we’d already spent the day exploring.

One of the things I’ve always liked about Toronto is its diversity. It’s a big, busy city with people from all sorts of backgrounds, and that gives it a character I really enjoy — a place where plenty of different lives and cultures are rubbing shoulders.

I did, however, have a small accessibility adventure while we were getting around.

Toronto’s pedestrian crossing signals didn’t behave quite the way I expected. I’m used to accessible pedestrian signals providing audible information to help me work out when it’s safe to cross. At one crossing, I pressed the button and was rewarded with a persistent beeping, but no useful indication of what I was actually supposed to do next.

After a bit of Googling, I discovered the secret: you have to press and hold the button to activate the Accessible Pedestrian Signal.

Well. That would have been useful information to have at the crossing.

I understand that different cities run different systems, and I’m perfectly happy to learn how something works. But if a feature exists specifically to make a crossing accessible, it would be nice if it gave you some hint of how to use it. Having to pull out my phone and search the internet to work out why an accessible crossing wasn’t being accessible seemed a little counterproductive.

At least I knew what to do next time.

Niagara Falls: water, spray and a lovely little town

I’d been to Niagara Falls before, but that certainly didn’t make a return visit a waste of time.

We took the boat trip out towards the falls, which promises you’ll get wet and absolutely delivers. It was awesome! There’s something entirely different about getting close to that much water rather than standing back and looking at it from the shore. The sound is incredible, and you can feel the sheer scale of the place in a way no photograph could capture.

It’s one thing to know that an enormous volume of water is pouring over the edge every second. It’s another thing entirely to be out on the water beneath it, surrounded by the noise and the spray. Definitely worth doing.

The excursion also included a stop at a chocolate producer, where I discovered dark chocolate-covered blueberries. These things were seriously good. I really should have noted down the name of the place, because I’d happily go back for more — but my memory for excellent chocolate apparently doesn’t extend to remembering where I bought it.

We also spent time at Niagara-on-the-Lake, a lovely change of pace after the busy tourist strip around the falls themselves. It had a far more relaxed, village atmosphere, and it was a pleasure to just wander around somewhere a little different. I can think of worse ways to spend a day.

The Calm Waters of Lake Ontario

The day after Niagara, we headed out on Lake Ontario for a cruise around the Toronto Islands.

There’s something about getting away from the streets and buildings of a city and out onto open water that shifts your perspective. Toronto is a substantial place, and getting out on the islands let us enjoy the surroundings without having to negotiate pavements, traffic and the general business of getting around.

It was a chance to slow down. We’d done the sightseeing tours, explored the city and made the trip to Niagara, so a chill afternoon on the lake was exactly the right speed. The sunshine, needless to say, had not abandoned us.

Canada’s Wonderland: a spectacular planning fail

Now, this is where the itinerary went a little sideways.

I’d been looking forward to Canada’s Wonderland, the big amusement park north of Toronto. I live for roller coasters, I’d deliberately built it into our plans, and I had the day set aside. Everything was ready.

Except for one rather important detail.

I hadn’t checked the opening days.

It turns out that Canada’s Wonderland wasn’t open on weekdays during September. And, as luck would have it, our planned visit fell on a weekday.

Yes, I managed to put a major attraction on the itinerary without checking whether it would actually be open.

In my defence, I’d planned the trip well in advance and the opening schedule wasn’t something I’d thought to double-check. But that’s a fairly thin defence when the entire point of the exercise is to spend the day getting my adrenaline fix.

So, no Canada’s Wonderland for me.

My friend went off to visit the CN Tower and do some tourist shopping, while I had a fairly relaxed day. I wasn’t particularly motivated to find a replacement activity, and sometimes a quiet day is exactly what you need. Still, it was disappointing to miss something I’d been looking forward to, particularly when the reason was entirely my own spectacular failure to check the calendar.

Canada’s Wonderland remains on the list for next time. And next time, I might even check that it’s open before building a day around it.

Toronto: good to be back

I loved being back in Toronto. The hotel was well placed, we had plenty of time to explore, Niagara was a great day out, and the cruise on Lake Ontario was a good way to spend a few hours. It’s an easy city to spend time in.

It was also a reminder that you can plan a trip carefully and still miss something obvious. The Wonderland mix-up genuinely sucked — it was supposed to be one of the highlights, and I’m the one who put it on the wrong day. The trip survived, but I’m still disappointed about it.

Toronto was a good stop on our Canadian adventure, and I can’t wait to go back.