Things to do in and Near Toronto

Welcome to the InterContinental Toronto Centre, but more importantly ‘Welcome to Toronto. Toronto isn’t just diverse it is the most diverse city in the world and that leads Torontonians to look at things a little differently, from the perspective of a hundred cultures. Two transit tokens can take you from one country to another, passing along the way through the quaint neighbourhoods that make up our intimate metropolis. It’s a place of energy exchange, but don’t worry, when you need to reenergize, we will make sure you are comfortable as possible.

Bloor Yorkville Little Italy The Beach Distillery District Toronto Islands Toronto Theatre Getting Around in Toronto Nearby Facilities

Toronto, the largest city in Canada and 5th biggest in North America, is constantly abuzz with theatre and other performing arts productions more than fifty ballet and dance companies, six opera companies and two symphony orchestras call the metropolis home. If youre staying at the InterContinental Toronto Centre, most of these venues are right at our doorstep. The area also boasts a wide array of sports bars, elegant and casual restaurants, designer boutiques (the nearby Fashion District, on Spadina Avenue between Dundas and Front Streets, features hard-to beat bargains on clothing, fabric, leathers and furs as well as custom-made original designs) and the business nexus of the country, Bay and King Streets. Next door, the CN Tower (the second tallest free-standing land structure in the world) offers visitors a spectacular 360-degree view and, on a clear day, you can even see the spray from Niagara Falls.

Bloor-Yorkville. Considered Toronto’s most chic shopping neighbourhood and nicknamed the Mink Mile, a ten-minute taxi ride from the hotel takes you to Bloor-Yorkville, the domain of international style houses like Tiffany’s, Prada, Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton as well as Canada’s premier department store, Holt Renfrew. Most iconic brands are found on Bloor Street while boutique fare lines the small one-way roads and passageways in Yorkville. Built by British immigrants in the style of London row houses and, in the 60s, infamously inhabited by hippies and the bohemian at heart (Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot regularly played at the now-defunct Riverboat), the brick architecture still distinguishes the area with its outdoor cafes, cozy restaurants, art galleries and stylish shops.  [Top]

Little Italy. With more than 1.3 million people claiming Italian ancestry, Canada has one of the largest Italian populations outside Italy. As a result, every time Italy makes it to the World Cup soccer championships, Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood (concentrated along College Street between Bathurst Street and Ossington Avenue) closes its streets to make way for flag-waving fans that crowd the copious cafes, trattorias, bars, ice cream parlours and billiard halls. In 1992, when Italy won the soccer championships, more than 200,000 people poured onto the streets to celebrate. Many local shops still display photos of the impromptu party, which lasted for days. The area is peppered with popular pasta-producing eateries like Bar Italia, Sotto Voce and Veni Vidi Vici. At the heart of the neighbourhood, Café Diplomatico aka “The Dip” is a much sought-out meeting spot with its outdoor terrace perfect for warm-weather people watching. Plus, the hip ‘hood is only a 20-minute trip from the hotel via public transit.  [Top]

The Beach. Although now within the city boundaries, in the 1870s The Beach (situated west of Woodbine Avenue, extending to Lake Ontario in the south and Kingston Avenue to the north) was filled with cottages where Torontonians went to get away from the summer heat. Still an escape yet only 20-minutes away by cab, the many parks, outdoor tennis courts and three-kilometer long boardwalk that skirts the sandy beach is popular year-round for everything from rollerblading and biking to jogging and strolling. The trendy stores of Queen Street East share space with intimate restaurants and plenty of pubs. Lick’s, where hamburgers have reached mythic status, is a local landmark.  [Top]

Distillery District. Look familiar? The 13-acre Distillery District has played backdrop to more than 800 film and television productions. Until 1990, the area belonged to Gooderham and Worts, the biggest distillery in the world that annually provided over two million gallons of whisky. Now, its ten streets and 40 heritage buildings comprise the largest collection of Victoria-era industrial architecture in North America. In 2003, after a massive redevelopment, the gates opened to the public. Since the new owners refused space to chains or franchises, the old buildings house unique boutiques, restaurants, jewelry stores, a theatre and cafés in addition to a well-known microbrewery, the Mill Street Brewery. There is also a large roster of galleries including Arta Gallery “our mission is to promote art in our daily lives and replace the drudgery with color, movement and life”, Artcore/Fabrice Marcolini “committed to presenting the best of innovative contemporary Canadian and international art” and Corkin Gallery “known for exhibiting international contemporary artists working in a variety of media, including some of the most important photo-based artists.” Count on ten minutes in a taxi to get to the gates.  [Top]

Toronto Islands. A picturesque ferry trip takes visitors to the Toronto Islands and into another world that consists of a small airport (at 400 feet, Guinness lists this ride as the world's shortest scheduled ferry run), idyllic residential neighbourhood (the largest urban car-free community in North America) and Centreville, a children's amusement park that also has a small farm. A short walk from the Ward’s Island ferry, the Rectory Café, a two-story, stucco residence built in 1948, is shaded by a stand of pine trees. From the outdoor patio you can see the lake. At nearby Hanlan’s Point, in 1914, Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run into the waters of Lake Ontario. One of the xx islands is home to the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC). Founded in 1852 as a place where people could keep their recreational boats, it also once served as an unofficial auxiliary of the British Navy in the event that the waters of Lake Ontario needed to be defended. Any spot on the bay side of the islands offers a superlative view of the Toronto skyline. From the hotel, it’s a five-minute taxi ride to the ferry docks.  [Top]

Toronto Theatre. The Entertainment District is eight square blocks of fabulous restaurants and nightspots, exciting sports, live theatre, music and unique shopping. Broadway-type theatre can be seen at the Royal Alexandra and Princess of Wales theatres, where the world premiere stage production of The Lord of the Rings took place in 2006. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra plays at the nearby Roy Thomson Hall, and performances of the National Ballet of Canada can be seen at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Professional Sports in Canada. If sports are more your style, catch a game of professional baseball or football at the Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome), home to the Toronto Blue Jays and the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. NBA basketball and NHL hockey are both at the Air Canada Centre, home to the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs. These arenas also often play host to top entertainers and exciting concerts.  [Top]

Getting Around in Toronto. Union Station and the subway are just one block away from InterContinental Toronto Centre, and a host of taxis and limousines is always available to whisk you away to your destination, be it the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario or the fashionable shopping districts of Bloor and Yorkville.

The spectacular Niagara Falls are within an hour and a half of InterContinental Toronto Centre. Casino Niagara packages are available from the in-house limousine company.  [Top]

Nearby Facilities

Attractions

CN Tower	1 block
Canada's Walk of Fame	0.1 km
Canadian Broadcasting Centre	Across the street
Casa Loma	4 km
Distillery District	3 blocks
Financial District	1 block
Hockey Hall of Fame	0.5 km
Hummingbird Centre	1 km
Metro Toronto Zoo	24 km
Niagara Falls	125 km
Ontario Place	4 km
Ontario Science Centre	20 km
Provincial Legislature Buildings	1 km
Queen's Quay Terminal and Harbourfront	0.5 km
Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome)	1 block
Roy Thomson Hall	2 blocks
University of Toronto	2 km
Canadas Wonderland
CNE
Downsview Park
International Centre
Lest B. Pearson Int Airport
Living Arts Centre
Massey Hall
Toronto Congress Centre
Yorkdale Mall

Convention Centres

Direct Energy Centre	3 km
Metro Toronto Convention Centre	Attached to the hotel

Museums and Galleries

Art Gallery of Ontario	3 km
Bata Shoe Museum	4 km
George R Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art	1 km
Royal Ontario Museum	4 km
Stephen Bulger Gallery	1 km

Shopping

Bloor-Yorkville	5 km
Eaton Centre	2 km
Fairview Mall	20 km
Fashion District	1 km
Kensington Market	3 km
Queen West Street	1 km
Square One Shopping Centre	20 km
St Lawrence Market
Woodbine Shopping Centre	15 km

Theatres

Canon Theatre	3 km
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres	2 km
Hummingbird Centre	1 km
Princess of Wales Theatre	3 blocks
Royal Alexandra Theatre	4 blocks
Roy Thomson Hall	2 blocks
The Second City	4 blocks

Casinos

Casino Niagara	125 km
Casino Rama	145 km
Woodbine Racetrack and Casino	15 km

Sports / Concert Venues

Air Canada Centre Toronto Raptors (basketball) Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey)	0.3 km
Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome) Toronto Blue Jays (baseball) Toronto Argonauts (football)	1 block

Golf

Glen Abbey (home of the Bell Canadian Open)

30 km

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