A hop on hop off tour to the best sights in Vaughan ON.
Toronto, Canada’s largest city is beautifully situated on the shores of Lake Ontario. Varied life, culture, great restaurants, parks, museums and much more invite you to this lively city with many green spaces.
We introduce you to selected sights for a city tour, for Toronto Sightseeing.
CN Tower
It is widely visible, the landmark of Toronto, Canada’s largest city and capital of the province of Ontario. We are talking about the CN Tower, the Canadian National Tower (French La Tour CN). The television tower, which stands in the south of the city near Lake Ontario, was the highest of its kind from 1975 to 2009 with its 553 meters. At the same time, from 1975 to 2007, it was the tallest freestanding and non-stayed structure in the world.
The name CN Tower originates from the Canadian National Railways, which built the tower together with the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) and was exclusively intended to improve television reception and various radio lines. Accessibility for the public was not planned. Today, the CN Tower has long since become a landmark of Toronto, the main tourist attraction and architectural highlight. Up to two million visitors conquer the different levels, the viewing platforms and the revolving restaurant every year. Another highlight is the EdgeWalk at the CN Tower (see separate sights here in the report).
The CN Tower is located close to Lake Ontario, while the Rogers Centre, which also shapes the cityscape, and the main artery, the Gardiner Expressway, are nearby. The CN Tower is connected to the Union Station, Toronto’s main railway station, via a skywalk with the underground pedestrian system PATH (see separate sights here in the report). Also in the vicinity of the imposing tower, visitors will find the John Street Roundhouse, a roundhouse built in 1897 and restored in the mid-1990s. It houses a brewery and historic locomotives.
A visit to the CN Tower is definitely worthwhile. The viewing platforms offer an impressive 360° view of Toronto, Lake Ontario and the Toronto Islands. In the first viewing level, the floor has been made of glass since 1994, to enter it requires a head for heights and a bit of courage.
Lake Ontario
The smallest in terms of area, but the second smallest in terms of volume and depth. Lake Ontario (French: Lac Ontario) is connected to Lake Erie by the Niagara River. Lake Ontario is drained by the mighty St. Lawrence River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Lake Ontario takes its name from the First Nation of Wyandot, in their language Ontario means “Great Lake”. The border to the USA runs through the lake, the bigger part of the lake with 9969 square kilometres is in Canada, the part of the USA is 9042 square kilometres. In addition to the main tributary, the Niagara River, the 244 meter deep lake is fed by the Trent River, the Genesee River, the Oswego River and the Salmon River. The lake, which is often frozen over a large area in winter, is a heat reservoir for fruit and wine cultivation in the Niagara region in summer.
Lake Ontario is very important for the city of Toronto. Its water is used to supply drinking water and in summer to cool office buildings. And of course the lake with its promenades and beaches is a special attraction for the inhabitants of Toronto and the many tourists who visit the biggest Canadian city every year.
Royal Ontario Museum
It is one of the largest museums in North America and has been a special eye-catcher in Toronto since it was added as part of the “The Crystal” project based on a design by the world-famous architect Daniel Libeskind. We are talking about the Royal Ontario Museum, which most people only call ROM. The museum possesses an ethnological collection on cultures of all continents that is important far beyond Canada.
Situated next to Queen’s Park and the University of Toronto, the original building was built in 1912 and the museum was inaugurated in 1914. The museum is a family-friendly illustration of Canada’s history, culture and biodiversity from early times to the present, and the ROM also houses a large, impressive collection of dinosaurs. Children can work as geologists in the rooms of the museum, in the other natural history departments there is also a lot done for children, and museum contents are conveyed in a child-friendly way. A total of over six million exhibits await visitors and it is worth planning a day at the Royal Ontario Museum. In addition to the permanent exhibits, the museum also shows temporary exhibitions on a wide variety of topics.