Downtown photo walk

Toronto's financial district is full of skyscrapers. If glass, steel, and right angles are your thing, then you will find lots of photo opportunities here.

This walk will feel very different on weekends, as the city completely empties out. A lot of the businesses in the PATH are closed at weekends; you're never too far away from the shops, but it's harder to break for a coffee mid-walk. It's not a long walk - 2 hours should be plenty of time to see everything, take photos in each spot, grab a coffee, and see any special events you stumble across.

A map of the financial district, with the photo walk route on top.

  1. Start at St Andrew Station, and head west. You'll pass a church - basically the only bit of non-modern architecture we'll see today - then immediately encounter Roy Thompson Hall. It's a concert hall with a sunken patio garden. On the north side of King Street you'll find part of the Canadian Walk of Fame, if you'd like to see some famous Canadian names. Head south through the park to Wellington Street, then head east.

  2. Cross over University Avenue and York Street, then head up into the park by the two big black buildings. This is the Toronto-Dominion Centre, designed by Mies van der Rohe. There's reflections here, and long lines of pillars, and often good shadows for portraits.

    You might have heard the story of the lawyer who liked to show interns the unbreakable glass by throwing himself against windows? Until one day, the glass did not break but the window frame did, and he fell to his death? That was Garry Hoy, in the TD Centre.

  3. Pass up through the courtyard back onto King Street, then head south along Bay. The RBC Plaza is on your right, a sharp golden building. But we're heading indoors to Brookfield Place/the Allen Lambert Galleria. This space has a dramatic roof, as well as cut-outs where you can shoot overhead photos of people on the escalators. The galleria often hosts exhibits too; their website has listings.

Where next

  1. The Hockey Hall of Fame is at the end of the galleria, if you want to finish your tour and go see sporting memorabilia.
  2. You could head east along Wellington Street and see the dog fountain, Gooderham building, and St Lawrence Market.
  3. You could head south and see Union Station. The inside hall is striking.
  4. Keep walking south, tolerating some traffic-heavy roads, and you'll find yourself at the Toronto ferry terminal. You could head to the island; it'll strike a real contrast against the financial district.
  5. The Eaton Centre is a 15 minute walk north. Or take the northbound subway from King to Dundas, and round off your photo walk with a trip to The Image Centre (a photography-focused gallery).