Erroneously considered by many the capital of Canada (the capital is Ottawa), Toronto is indeed the largest city in the country. Located in the southern part of Canada, it is a city that overlooks the shores of Lake Ontario and it is the capital of the homonymous province.
Toronto is one of the most important cities in Canada, and in addition to being close to the Niagara Falls, it offers visitors plenty of entertainment opportunities.
I decided to visit the city taking PATH, a historic, largely underground, pedestrian way which runs for 30 kilometres within the city of Toronto and it’s obviously available to everyone and also wheelchair friendly.
There are over 1,000 shops and businesses on this path and it connects more than 50 buildings and skyscrapers, 20 garages, 6 Metro stations, 2 shopping centres, 8 hotels and a train station.
From this route, you also have access to some of the city's major attractions, such as the City Hall, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Roy Thompson Hall, the Air Canada Center, the Rogers Center and the CN Tower. I discovered this path with a local guide who told me that the city has got a lot livelier year-round thanks to this PATH because locals and tourists alike love to ditch their cars and explore the urban centre on foot.
Here are some of the attractions I personally discovered…for more, well, I guess you will need to wait for my next blog!
Starting from the last one I mentioned, the CN Tower (Canadian National Tower), with its 1810 feet (550 meters) of height, is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and has been for long the tallest tower in the world.
Inside the CN Tower there are 3 venues, including the 360 Restaurant, the Maple Leaf Cinema and the Gift Shop.
The CN Tower is one of the most spectacular panoramic spots in the city and its high speed elevator, with its glass walls, in a very short time brings you to the Lookout Level, at 340 meters of height and to the Glass Floor, with the floors made of panels of glass for a perfect – and scary – view of the streets below.
If you are fond of strong emotions, you can try the experience of walking on the edge of the Tower, at 350 meters, on the Edge Walk, a platform that surrounds the main pod of the CN Tower, without railings, where the only system of protection is a harness that supports you and allows you to move freely.
The City Hall of Toronto is one of the symbols of the city and the building dominates the Nathan Philips Square and the sculpture of the artist Henry Moore, entitled “The Archer.”
The City Hall, consisting of two arch-shaped side buildings, was built in 1965 but it’s often referred to as the New City Hall by locals because the old one used to be located elsewhere.
The complex resembles the reproduction of an eye, with two semi-circular buildings that represent the eyelids and a large convention centre in the centre to reproduce the pupil.
It overlooks an artificial lake which becomes an ice-skating rink in the winter months. In addition, there are numerous open-air concerts here and it is home to the big New Year party in the city.
The Hockey Hall of Fame is the must for all sports fans: home of the Stanley Cup and the best hockey champions of the moment, here you have the opportunity to play against full-size versions of the most important players, see films dedicated to this sport and admire a huge collection of objects related to this beautiful sport I’m starting to like every day more and more: am I becoming a true Canadian?
CN TOWER
CITY HALL seen from above
Artificial lake
CITY SKYLINE from Lake Ontario
