Welcome to Toronto!

Toronto's a fun city. I've written this guide to help friends plan their visit and enjoy their stay.

I lived in London (UK) before I moved to Toronto, and most of my friends are from there. This guide generally presumes a UK-centric cultural background as a result.

Toronto is a young city in a young country. As such, it doesn't have the same depth of history or culture as London. If you talk to Canadians, they might say things like "Toronto's really busy/expensive/intense." If you're used to London, you'll find it surprisingly affordable/less crowded/quite chill. There's great food, coffee, and weather. It's very safe, and an easy destination for a native English speaker. You're not visiting for history, culture, or beautiful architecture: you're visiting to soak up the vibe, see some amazing nature, and enjoy city life.

The weather is more extreme than the UK - colder winters, hotter summers - so the seasons are more distinct. Torontonians lean into this seasonality, and you should too: make the most of the sunshine in late spring and summer, embrace sweaters and pumpkins in the autumn, layer up and try ice skating in winter.

London has lots of marquee attractions: for instance, a day at the V&A is a fulfilling day in itself. Toronto's attractions are smaller, so string a few together. A day trip to the AGO alone might be underwhelming; but combine it with a look around Chinatown and a coffee in Kensington Market, and you've got a great day. High Park alone might not feel worth the trip; a walk in High Park, lunch and a browse up Roncesvalles, then a film at the Revue will be.

Don't be fooled by a map of Ontario: it's bigger than you think. You will not be doing day trips to Ottawa, Algonquin, or Montreal. Prince Edward County is about the limit; it looks close, but it's a good 2-3 hours of driving.