Toronto... the highs and lows!
- Georgia Louise
- Feb 23
- 9 min read
Updated: Mar 10
So Georgia and I embarked on a trip across America in August 2024 with the first stop on our trip actually being in Ontario, Canada – the mighty city of Toronto. I’ll be honest I didn’t know much about the city until I started researching. Our thought process for this one was that we could visit Niagara from here rather than travelling north from New York, somewhere we have been numerous times before. What surprised me was how compact the city is and how clean!
To start at the beginning we had a lunchtime flight from LHR which landed into Toronto at about 4.30pm (flight time is around 8 hours and 20 minutes.) We flew British Airways from Heathrow Terminal 5 and travelled from our home in Essex to the airport via the new Elizabeth Line. This was relatively easy but busy due to us not having to fly until around 1.30pm in the afternoon and catching the Thursday morning rush hour. It’s also pricey compared to just travelling on the tube to Heathrow at around £36 for the two of us (single journey).
Our intention was to get to the hotel using the Union Pearson Express which runs from the airport to Union Station and takes around 25 minutes. I actually got the tickets online ahead of time so that we wouldn’t have to wait in line when we got to the airport ($25 each return).
Unfortunately, the security system at the airport had other ideas and after a totally chaotic queue around the airport, with virtually no staff, help or guidance, having to fill in a declaration form, waiting a bit more, finding out we were in the wrong queue (!) we were finally spat out after 2 hours with a Canadian stamp on our passport only to find that the UP Express was not running! We then had to endure a 55 minute uber ride into the city which at that time of day was absolute hell and we actually missed our first dinner reservation which was meant to be at Jack Astors. To be fair we did call them to tell them we would be late and they said they would hold our table, but it was just too late in the end. We ended up going to Farm Boy (which is like Trader Joes) and getting food there which we ate in our room!
We stayed at the Westin Harbour Castle hotel which overlooks the harbour. A really nice hotel, spacious rooms (we had a queen bed each) and a nice bathroom with ample storage space and a good mirror (always a plus if you want to be doing your make up!). There was a large closet, a good amount of plug sockets, drawers, towels etc. We were lucky enough to get vouchers for free breakfast during our stay as well as we mentioned at check in that this was our first time in Toronto (thanks to the Front Desk guy Raj!).
We had a great breakfast on our first morning, indulging in their hot cooked breakfast with toast, orange juice and coffee. We did of course manage to squeeze in a couple of pastries – just for the sake of the blog of course! All fresh, flaky and yummy.
On day 2 we went more cereal, toast, fruit etc and on our final day we opted for toast and coffee as we were flying to Washington). A really hearty breakfast is offered but pricey if you do have to pay for it – I believe it was around $40 per person. No booking required as there was plenty of space, however you need to eat plenty to get your money’s worth!
Remember that there is a Tim Hortons on virtually every street corner in Toronto and there is actually a Starbucks virtually opposite the hotel so there are other options for a light and cheaper breakfast. I should say that one major plus was that they provided gluten free, dairy free and vegan options at no extra cost.
On our first morning in Toronto, we explored the area close to the hotel, took a walk along the harbour front, visited the outdoor Transport museum and then headed up to the CN Tower / Rogers Centre area to get our bearings. We did wander through the pro shop (Go Blue Jays!) however a basic baseball tee will set you back around $200! We opted for a magnet for the fridge and a squeaky toy for our dog! We then headed back to the hotel for a quick change before heading out again to our pick up point for our trip to Niagara Falls (which was of course outside a Tim Horton’s coffee shop).
After pick at 1pm up we headed out of the city, did another couple of pick ups, and were then on our way. We booked our tour through Viator (Day and Night tour) which included a visit to the Maple Syrup shop/factory/experience, a stop at Niagara on the Lake for food and shops, then on to the Floral Clock (a hydro clock) and finally arriving at Niagara itself at around 5pm. There is full commentary on the bus but a lot of the advertised places on the itinerary are pass by only. Even so, it does take in excess of 4 hours to get from the city to the Falls.
I very much enjoyed the maple syrup tasting at Maple Leaf Place, with three types on offer ready for you to sample and savour! You are then given the opportunity to wander the large shop. We did buy some fudge and some syrup but opted for a maple leaf shaped bottle which I believe was around $16 so not cheap – I think you could easily get larger bottles much cheaper in the city.
After this we headed to Niagara on the Lake – an absolutely beautiful town. The tour takes you to a parking area which is around a 5-10 minute easy walk into the town. There is a shuttle bus for those who are not able to manage the walk which runs every 10-15 minutes from the parking lot. On the tour you get around 55 minutes to explore and although this is meant to be a food stop, there really isn’t time to queue for food or sit at a restaurant. We therefore opted to wander the shops and ended up getting a couple of magnets (of course!) and a Christmas decoration! A lovely town which I would love to take a full day to explore – maybe another time!
Our next stop was the Floral Clock which is a huge planted hydro clock which was interesting to see but by this time (pardon the pun) we were just desperate to get to Niagara!
On arrival at Niagara at around 5pm you are given your boat tickets and assigned either a blue or red poncho (which you will definitely need!). The boat goes right up to the falls with plenty of photo opportunities. It then sails over to the horseshoe falls, travelling right through the mist, up to the very edge of the falls themselves which in all honestly feels like being in the midst of a storm! We both got soaked but it was an absolutely amazing experience.
After our boat trip (and a visit to the shop for the obligatory magnet) we headed up Clifton Hill to the Sheraton Hotel where a buffet dinner was served as part of our tour. There really was a huge selection of food on offer but do beware that if you are on this tour the buffet closes quite early at around 8pm so don’t miss out! It is buffet style and there is plenty of seating.
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