Toronto's touring question is straightforward: one attraction is in the city and the other is two hours away, and the second is the one worth thinking about.
Niagara: tour or independent
Independently — GO train and bus, or coach, about two hours each way. It costs a fraction of an organised tour and gives you as long at the falls as you want.
By tour — typically adds the Niagara wine region and Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is a pretty nineteenth-century town, plus the boat trip. That is where the price is justified, if those interest you.
The falls themselves take about two hours. The town of Niagara Falls on the Canadian side is a strip of casinos and wax museums, which surprises people expecting a natural setting.
The boat trip to the base of the falls runs roughly April to November and is the thing to do there. Book it separately if going independently.
The CN Tower
A timed ticket avoids the queue, which matters in summer and at weekends. Sunset slots cost more and sell first.
The glass floor is included. EdgeWalk — harnessed, on a ledge around the outside of the pod — is a separate and much more expensive booking that sells out.
The cheaper alternative for a view: the free observation area at the top of some downtown buildings, or a drink at a rooftop bar.
What is free or cheap
The Toronto Islands. An inexpensive ferry to a car-free archipelago with beaches, a boardwalk and the best skyline view. Ferry queues are long on summer weekends; go early or on a weekday.
Museum evenings. Several Toronto museums have run free or reduced admission on specific weekday evenings, including the ROM and the AGO. Terms change, so check current policy before buying a full ticket.
Kensington Market and Chinatown, adjacent and walkable.
The Distillery District, a Victorian industrial complex now pedestrianised.
St Lawrence Market, which is a working food market rather than a tourist one.
High Park, and the Scarborough Bluffs on the eastern lakeshore.
Getting around
The TTC — subway, streetcars and buses — covers the city on a single fare with a Presto card or contactless. Toronto's streetcars are slow but reach places the subway does not.
The UP Express runs from Pearson airport to Union Station in about 25 minutes, which is far better than a taxi in traffic.
Timing
| Season | Character |
|---|---|
| May–June | Best — warm, everything open |
| July–Aug | Hot, humid, festival season, busy |
| Sep–Oct | Excellent, autumn colour nearby |
| Nov–Mar | Genuinely cold, indoor city |
Toronto winters are severe enough that the city has an underground pedestrian network, the PATH, running for kilometres beneath downtown. In January that is not a novelty, it is how people get around.