11 Great Toronto Shopping Spots

A landing spot for many immigrants and a vast city rich with Canadian
history, Toronto is home to one of the world's most diverse communities. Just
a little over an hour and a half away from New York City by plane, and a bit
closer to Detroit, Toronto has fantastic shopping, whether you're looking for
retro bargain finds or upscale couture.

The capital of the province of Ontario, Toronto can be a gold mine for visiting
shoppers, but beware of two things: the sales tax, and the weather. Mentally
tack on about 13 percent to the price of clothing, housewares, souvenirs, and
other goods, and bundle up (or find the PATH walkways) if you're visiting in
winter, as temperatures drop to an average high of about 30 degrees Fahrenheit
(minus 1 degree Celsius) from December through February.

The Toronto Eaton Centre

The Toronto Eaton Centre is a bright and airy shopping mall in the heart of
Toronto's downtown that houses more than 230 stores—one of Canada's
largest malls and, measured by visitors, consistently the city's biggest tourist
attraction. The stores will appeal to the budget conscious and spendthrifts
alike.

The mall has undergone several renovations over the years since it opened in
1977. The Toronto Eaton Centre connects underground with the Toronto
PATH network of shops and businesses, making it great for cold or rainy days.
More than just a place to shop, the multi-level, glass-domed Toronto Eaton
Centre is home to several excellent places to eat and features a huge mobile of
a flock of Canadian geese, Flight Stop, designed by artist Michael Snow.

Bloor-Yorkville

The Yorkville neighborhood is a delightful anomaly in the midst of Toronto

high-rises and shopping malls. Tucked into a pocket of downtown, the quaint
Victorian architecture in Yorkville houses dozens of restaurants, boutiques,
and art galleries.
 Bloor Street runs adjacent to Yorkville and features shopping that is upscale
and includes high-end names like Holt Renfrew, Prada, Hermes, and Gucci.

Winners (Various Locations)

Winners is much like TJ Maxx and Filene's Basement in the U.S., selling
designer labels at up to 60 percent off regular prices.
Stores are large and a lot of sorting and searching is required, but the payoff is
often worth it. In addition, Winners has locations throughout Toronto, making
it an easy addition to any shopping trip you make.

Hudson's Bay Company

Canada's oldest corporation has several different store chains in Toronto and
thousands across Canada. The flagship store is right across from the Toronto
Eaton Centre. The Bay is a good old-fashioned department store, complete
with everything from clothes to household items, and a place to have lunch.
The Bay is particularly famous for its Hudson's Bay Blanket, sold for more
than two centuries. The Bay also features a TOPSHOP women's clothing
department from the popular U.K. retailer.

Chinatown

Toronto has one of the largest Chinatown areas in North America. You will
find bargains on exotic trinkets, jewelry, clothing, and household items. Plus,
of course, where there's a bustling Chinatown, there's delicious food, and
Toronto's Chinatown is no exception. There are numerous restaurants serving
not just authentic Chinese, but also Vietnamese and other Asian fare.
Chinatown runs along Spadina Avenue from King Street to College Street.

Queen Street
Queen Street cuts east/west through Toronto and morphs from funky retro to
chic shops and restaurants to antique shopping to The Beaches district at the
far east end.

Especially famous for attracting shoppers is Queen Street West (University

Avenue to Spadina Avenue): Edgy, hip, and trendy all describe this area of
Toronto that also boasts some of the best-known clubs and cafes.
The Queen Street West area has, in fact, become so popular that the truly
bohemian have moved even further west to what is now known as West Queen
West (between Bathurst Street and Niagara Street).

Kensington Market

Kensington Market is a favorite area in Toronto. If you're someone who wants

to get away from high-rises and department stores, Kensington Market offers
a nice respite from the usual big commercial trappings. Adjacent to
Chinatown, Kensington Market has a plethora of retro shops, cheap and used
clothing stores, cool cafes, furniture shops, great restaurants, and a variety of
ethnic and organic produce stores.

St. Lawrence Market

Close to downtown and central to the historic St. Lawrence neighborhood, St.
Lawrence Market includes the South Market, which has over 50 mostly food
specialty vendors and a gallery on the second floor, and the North Market,
which carries on a tradition of over a century of hosting a Saturday Farmers'
Market. On Sundays, more than 80 antique dealers fill the North Market
building.

Yonge and Eglinton (Midtown)

Known as "Yonge and Eligible" due to the young professionals that frequent this
area, Yonge and Eglinton is less pretentious than Bloor-Yorkville and offers
cool, unique finds mixed with mainstream appeal. A mall and indoor shopping
concourse are on the corner, or walk north on Yonge Street and peruse a variety
of clothing, home decor, and bookstores. Buy yourself something pretty and
head to one of the many area clubs and eateries to hang with the beautiful
people.
Yonge and Eglinton is about a 15-minute subway ride from Union Station or
Eaton Centre on the Yonge-University line heading north.

The PATH

For your indoor shopping pleasure, the PATH is an underground system of

over 19 miles of walkways mainly running parallel to Yonge Street and Bay
Street. Lined with stores, restaurants, and services, the PATH's atmosphere
may be lacking, but on days when the weather is crummy, it's a good way to
stay toasty and dry.

Vaughn Mills

Foreign visitors flock to Vaughn Mills, one of the largest malls in

Canada, located beside Canada's Wonderland. It has almost 1.3 million square
feet (110,000 square meters) of retail space. Vaughn Mills is open 362 days a
year, closing only on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day.

The Legoland Discovery Centre is an indoor family attraction located at the

mall.

One-Day Walking Tour of Downtown Toronto

This tour highlights the downtown core and is easily done on foot by most
people. The total walking distance over the day is about 10 km (just over 6
miles).
The tour completes a circuit from Yonge Street to Queen Street to Spadina to
Dundas Street and back to Yonge (see map).
Of course, the length of the tour depends on how long you spend at each point.
Some tourists never make it past the morning visit to the shopping mall!
 Breakfast at Daybreak or St Lawrence Market

If you're looking for a cheerful, no-nonsense breakfast join, Sunset Grill is a

good choice. Fuel up for your day of walking with huge portions of standard
breakfast fare including omelets, pancakes and eggs benedict. The central
location leaves you with a short stroll down Yonge Street to the Eaton Centre.

 Located at 1 Richmond St. West, corner of Yonge & Richmond

 (416) 861-0514, Open Daily 7 AM to 4 PM

Alternatively, start your day at the St. Lawrence Market at the corner of Front
Street and Jarvis. Meander the stalls of fresh foods. Have a sit-down breakfast
or grab something to go. Open every day except Sunday & Monday.

From St Lawrence Market, head west to Yonge Street and north toward Queen
Street.

Morning, the Toronto Eaton Centre

The Toronto Eaton Centre is a popular tourist choice, as it features over 300
stores in a four-level glass-domed retail complex. Hanging from the ceiling is a
spectacular mobile of a flock of Canadian geese by Canadian artist Michael
Snow.

 Level 2 features a tourist info service, with free maps available.

 Open Mon-Fri 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM, Sat 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM, Sun 12:00 PM -
6:00 PM

Exit the center on Queen Street and turn right, heading west
toward Spadina.

Continue to 3 of 7 below.

Late Morning, Toronto City Hall / Queen Street

 PaulMcKinnon / Getty Images

Walking down Queen Street, Old City Hall (1899) is on the right and is
immediately contrasted by the contemporary city hall. Star Trek fans may
recognize the new city hall as it was featured in an episode of Star Trek: The
Next Generation.
On the left is Canada's oldest corporation, the Hudson Bay Company, and its
flagship store, the Bay. If you haven't had your fill of shopping, stop here. The
department store features a variety of Canadiana, including t-shirts and
mittens featuring the iconic maple leaf and most notably the colorful striped
HBC Point Blanket, originally created in the 1600s for fur traders.
Continuing west, Queen Street begins to become more akin to New York City's
Soho district. Queen Street is unabashedly hip, featuring an eclectic mix of
galleries, boutiques, trendy eateries, and bargain buys.
Walk along Queen until you run into Spadina, turn right, heading
north to Dundas.

Once Queen Street hits Spadina, you are in the heart of bustling Chinatown
and endless lunch possibilities.
Budget choice lunch spot is Chinese Traditional Buns (Read review) at
536 Dundas W. Two can easily re-fuel for under C$20.
If it's a particularly nice day and you want to stay outside, or if you really want
to save on cash, pick up a Vietnamese Sub for C$1.50 at Banh Mi Nguyen
Huong, 322 Spadina (left-hand side). You also have the option to stay inside
and indulge in their delicious dim sum.
Almost any of the restaurants along Spadina that are busy are bound to be
good. Most have menus and prices posted in the window.
Turn right and head east on Dundas toward the Art Gallery of
Ontario.

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) houses an impressive collection of more than
40,000 works, making it the 10th largest art museum in North America. The
AGO is a superb document of Canadian art heritage but features masterworks
from around the world, spanning 100 AD to the present.
After the AGO, either grab a drink at one of the trendy eateries on
nearby Baldwin Street or head east down Dundas back to Yonge.
If you're too tired or hungry to walk, grab a Dundas streetcar.

After a long day of sightseeing, Baton Rouge is a warm, cozy place to settle down
for a leisurely dinner. This export from Montreal is a hot spot for locals and
tourists alike. Famous for its slow-cooked ribs and steaks, the restaurant offers
a wide selection of stir-fries, salads, seafood and more.

Alternately, if you want to indulge in culinary excellence while getting a

panoramic view of the city, make reservations well in advance for Canoe, the
54th-floor restaurant famously known as the city's (and one of the country's)
best for 20 years.

If your funds are depleted, fear not. A wide variety of ramen bars, Middle
Eastern take-out joints or even the renovated Eaton Centre food court will
satisfy you and go easy on your wallet. For example, two can dine at Sansotei
Ramen, including a beer, for under $40, tip included.

Nightcap, Reservoir Lounge

Finish your night off with some great Swing Jazz and Jump Blues at the
intimate Reservoir Lounge at 52 Wellington Street East. From Monday to
Saturday of every week, enjoy a different band for each night of the week. Like
what you hear? You'll always know where and when to find them.
The Reservoir Lounge has seen its share of celebrities, including Tom Jones
who gave an impromptu performance for more than two hours.

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Toronto's Most Impressive Architecture

Toronto is home to some seriously eye-catching architecture, featuring a whole

slew of uniquely designed buildings worthy of your camera lens and go-to
Instagram filter. But which ones are the most noteworthy? That’s a matter of
opinion, but if you want to narrow it down, here are eight buildings and
structures that represent some Toronto’s most impressive architecture.

Art Gallery of Ontario

 Kristjan Veski / © TripSavvy

The Art Gallery of Ontario is home to a collection of more than 90,000 works
of art, but it’s not just one of the most distinguished art museums in North
America. The AGO is also one of the city’s most unique buildings thanks to an
architectural expansion by world-renowned, Toronto-born architect Frank
Gehry, which was completed in 2008. Some of the highlights of Gehry’s
reimagining of the AGO include the stunning glass and wood façade that spans
600 feet along Dundas Street and rises 70 feet above street level and the
beautiful sculptural staircase that rises up from the second floor.

Roy Thomson Hall

Jason Merritt / Staff/Getty Images

Roy Thompson Hall first opened in 1982 with an inaugural gala concert
featuring the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn
Choir. The 2,630-seat Toronto concert hall is most notable for it’s unique
curved design with a huge glass canopy reminiscent of a giant honeycomb
encasing the lobby areas and auditorium. The hall underwent a major
renovation to improve acoustics, which saw it closed for 22 weeks and then
reopened in 2002.

Royal Ontario Museum

Canada’s largest museum of both natural history and world cultures opened its
doors all the way back in 1914. Several architectural styles are represented in
the building, but the most notable (and what makes the ROM really stand out,
is the controversial Lee-Chin Crystal that was added as part of Renaissance
ROM, the museum's renovation and expansion project. The massive crystal
jutting out of the main building is made of steel, aluminum and glass and rises
ten stories high, with the tip of the crystal hanging over the sidewalk and looking
like an art piece in and of itself. The world-renowned museum currently holds
six million objects in its collections showcasing art, archaeology and natural
science.

Aga Khan Museum

 doublespace/VIEW/Getty Images

A quick 20-minute drive from downtown Toronto will get you to one of
Toronto’s most eye-catching buildings – the Aga Khan Museum. Designed by
Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki who used light as
his inspiration, the museum has a contemporary design that also incorporates
historical elements of Islamic cultures making for a truly unique façade and
interior. Across from the Museum you’ll find Ismaili Centre Toronto, designed
by renowned architect Charles Correa and the two buildings are connected by
serene Aga Khan Park.

Toronto Reference Library

Completed in 1977 and designed by Raymond Moriyama Architects,

the Toronto Reference Library offers a bright, airy space for people to work,
study, read and gather. The first thing you’ll notice walking up to the building
is the large two-story glass cube that makes up the entrance, which was formerly
dark and uninviting. Once inside, it’s the five-story tiered atrium, inspired by
the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, that really takes the cake in terms of eye-
catching design. And if you need some caffeine to fuel your studies, there’s now
a Balzac’s Café at the entrance, which opens into the library’s main public space
as well as Yonge Street.

OCAD University

Image courtesy flickr.com/photos/opengridscheduler

One of the most interesting buildings in the city has to be OCAD

University's Sharp Centre for Design, home to OCAD U’s Faculty of Design.
Opened in 2004, the multi award-winning, black and white structure
resembling a massive tabletop, stands above OCAD University’s main campus
building on 12 multi-coloured steel legs.

Toronto City Hall

The design of Toronto’s new city hall was regarded as a significant shift in the
city’s architectural landscape. The design in question was chosen through an
international competition, which attracted over 500 competitors from 42
countries with the winner being Viljo Revell of Helsinki, Finland. Today, City
Hall as well as the adjacent Nathan Philips Square, is one of Toronto's best
known landmarks, with its curved twin towers white overlooking a disk-like,
otherworldly council chamber.

Gooderham Building

Alan Copson/Getty Images

Dating back to 1892, the iconic (and oft-photographed) red-brick Gooderham

Building can be found at 49 Wellington Street East at the intersection of Church,
Wellington and Front streets. The building's triangular shape means that it’s
most commonly known as Toronto’s Flatiron Building. Situated on a triangular
patch of land in Toronto's St. Lawrence Market District, the Gooderham
Building was declared a historic site in 1975.

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