Toronto 7-Day Itinerary: Niagara, Islands and Old Town

How should you spend 7 days in Toronto?

Spend day 1 on the waterfront and CN Tower, day 2 in Old Town, day 3 at the ROM, Yorkville and Casa Loma, and day 4 at the AGO, Kensington and Queen West. Give day 5 to Niagara Falls by GO train, day 6 to the Toronto Islands or Scarborough Bluffs, and day 7 to High Park.

A week lets Toronto breathe. Instead of squeezing the CN Tower, two museums and the islands into three days, this plan gives each district its own day, adds a full car-free day trip to Niagara Falls and saves the west end for the last morning, close to the UP Express stop at Bloor. The Toronto 3-day itinerary is the faster version.

This is a desk-researched suggested route, not one we have walked end to end. Opening hours come from each venue’s own website and transit details from the TTC, UP Express and GO Transit, all checked on 16 October 2026. It assumes one hotel near Union or in the Financial District for all seven nights; where to stay in Toronto compares the alternatives.

Check the season first in best time to visit Toronto. Between 14 October and mid-April only the Ward’s Island ferry runs (City of Toronto), and January at Pearson averages 31.5cm of snow (ECCC), so the outdoor days need winter swaps, which this page gives.

What does the 7-day Toronto plan look like at a glance?

Each day has one district and one anchor, and the order avoids the main closures: St Lawrence Market and the AGO both close on Mondays. Starting on a Tuesday puts the Niagara trip on a Saturday and High Park on Monday. The table lists what to book and an indoor swap for each day.

Treat the timings as a sketch. Niagara and the islands are the two days to move if the forecast is poor; the museum days can absorb rain, snow or humid heat. If you arrive late on day 1, keep only the evening CN Tower visit and push the waterfront walk to the end of day 2.

A Tuesday start works neatly: Old Town on Wednesday, museums on Thursday, the AGO on Friday, when it stays open until 9pm (AGO), Niagara on Saturday with GO’s weekend fares, the islands on Sunday and High Park on Monday, when both the market and the AGO are closed (St Lawrence Market).

Which tickets should you use for a week in Toronto?

Tap a credit or debit card, phone or PRESTO card on the TTC: an adult fare is $3.30, and transfers within two hours of your first tap are free. Children 12 and under ride free. Buy UP Express for the airport run and a GO+WEGO package for the Niagara day.

The TTC charges $3.30 for an adult fare on a PRESTO card or a tapped debit card, credit card or mobile wallet, and $3.35 in exact cash or on a one-ride PRESTO Ticket. Transfers within two hours of your first tap are free if you tap the same card each time, a PRESTO day pass costs $13.50, and discounted fares are not available by tapping a bank card (TTC).

Subway trains on Lines 1 and 2 run every 2 to 3 minutes in the rush hours and every 4 to 5 minutes at other times (TTC). Streetcars fill the gaps: Destination Toronto suggests the 504 for Old Town (Destination Toronto), the 501 Queen for Queen West (Destination Toronto) and the 506 from Queen’s Park station for Kensington Market (Destination Toronto).

For the airport, UP Express costs $12.35 one way, or $9.25 with PRESTO (UP Express fares, PRESTO fares). For Niagara, GO Transit sells a $10 One-Day pass for Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays, online only and without the local WEGO bus (GO Transit), and kids 12 and under always travel free on GO (GO Transit).

Days 1 and 2: how do you start with the waterfront and Old Town?

On day 1, ride UP Express to Union, walk down to Queens Quay for the lake and Harbourfront Centre, and go up the CN Tower at dusk; last entry is 9pm. On day 2, eat your way round St Lawrence Market, then walk east to the Distillery District for the afternoon and evening.

UP Express reaches Union in 28 minutes (UP Express), and if your room is not ready, Union’s SkyWalk has a BagsAway luggage service beside the UP Express stop (UP Express). The waterfront is a short walk south: Harbourfront Centre, the Toronto Music Garden and the Power Plant gallery line Queens Quay West, and the Martin Goodman Trail runs along the shore (Destination Toronto).

The CN Tower lists hours of 10am to 11pm with last entry at 9pm. It flagged an early closure on 20 October and adjusted Main Observation Level hours on 20, 21 and 27 October and 3 and 6 November 2026, so check before you go. Sunset from the top makes a good first-night anchor after a long flight.

On day 2, the South Market at St Lawrence Market opens from 9am Tuesday to Friday, 7am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday, and the Saturday Farmers’ Market from 5am. Destination Toronto calls the peameal bacon sandwich the market’s most popular draw (Destination Toronto). Walk east to the Distillery District’s Victorian brick lanes for galleries, cafés and a brewery dinner (Destination Toronto).

Day 3: how do you combine the ROM, Yorkville and Casa Loma?

Arrive at the Royal Ontario Museum for its 10am opening (it closes on ordinary Mondays), have lunch in Yorkville, then visit Casa Loma in the afternoon; it opens daily from 9:30am to 5pm and sells date-specific tickets online. Finish in the Annex, near St George and Spadina stations, for an easy dinner.

The ROM opens 10am to 5:30pm, but its October 2026 calendar shows it closed on ordinary Mondays and open on Thanksgiving Monday, so avoid a Monday for this day; Museum station on Line 1 is named for it (TTC). Give it the whole morning: Destination Toronto calls it one of Canada’s largest and most important cultural institutions (Destination Toronto), and it is the most useful indoor swap on this itinerary if another day turns wet.

Yorkville, between Bloor Street and Davenport Road, is a compact pocket of Victorian houses, cobbled lanes, restaurants and designer shops along the Mink Mile (Destination Toronto). It suits a long lunch before the afternoon at Casa Loma, at 1 Austin Terrace, which opens daily from 9:30am to 5pm with date-specific general admission tickets online (Casa Loma).

Check the castle’s calendar for your dates. In October it hosts Legends of Horror, a Halloween event ticketed separately (Casa Loma), and Destination Toronto lists a Holiday Lights Tour from early December to early January (Destination Toronto). End the day in the Annex, whose stations are Bathurst, Spadina and St George (Destination Toronto).

Day 4: how do you see the AGO, Kensington Market and Queen West?

Start at the Art Gallery of Ontario at 10:30am, near St Patrick station, then walk to Kensington Market for lunch and continue to Queen West for murals and boutiques. The AGO closes on Mondays and stays open until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, so those days also suit an evening visit instead.

The AGO, at 317 Dundas Street West, opens at 10:30am from Tuesday to Sunday, closes at 5pm or 5:30pm on most days and at 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, and is closed on Mondays. Adult single-day admission is $30, Ontarians under 25 go free, and the first Wednesday night of each month is free from 6pm to 9pm if you book tickets online in advance.

Kensington Market lies between Dundas Street West and College Street, west of Spadina Avenue: a multicultural mix of grocers, street food, vintage shops and live music. On the last Sunday of each month from May to October, Pedestrian Sundays bring performers and food stands onto car-free streets (Destination Toronto).

Continue south to Queen West for Graffiti Alley on Rush Lane, Trinity Bellwoods Park and the bars of Ossington Avenue, then ride the 501 Queen streetcar back towards downtown (Destination Toronto). If day 4 is a Friday, swap the order and finish at the AGO in the evening.

Day 5: how do you do Niagara Falls by GO train?

Take a direct GO train from Union to Niagara Falls GO, then the WEGO bus to Table Rock Centre at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls. GO serves Niagara seven days a week all year, and Niagara Parks sells GO+WEGO packages from $22 at weekends and $34 on weekdays, including unlimited WEGO travel.

GO Transit runs to Niagara Falls GO, in the city’s north end, seven days a week and year-round, and advises checking schedules and construction notices before travelling (GO Transit). Niagara Parks suggests setting the trip planner to “No Transfers” to see only direct trains, and its GO+WEGO packages cost from $22 at weekends and $34 on weekdays for a one-day pass (Niagara Parks). When the Niagara train is not running, GO suggests the Lakeshore West train to Burlington and GO Bus Route 12 (GO Transit).

At the falls, Journey Behind the Falls descends 125 feet into 130-year-old tunnels to an observation deck at the foot of the Horseshoe Falls. Adult tickets cost $33 and children $21.50, before 13% HST, and Niagara Parks says the attraction stays open while a restored tunnel and new viewing platform are built for spring 2027.

The boat trip is run by Niagara City Cruises, the official operator for Niagara Parks, at CA$47.95 for the Voyage to the Falls; it advises booking as early as possible because some tickets sell out (Niagara City Cruises) and warns of queues at the Lower Landing from June to Labour Day (Niagara City Cruises FAQ). From April to October the GO+WEGO package also covers the WEGO shuttle to Niagara-on-the-Lake (GO Transit).

Day 6: should you choose the Toronto Islands or the Scarborough Bluffs?

From mid-April to mid-October, take the ferry to Centre Island or Ward’s Island for beaches, bikes and skyline views; an adult round trip costs $9.57. From 14 October to mid-April only the Ward’s Island route runs, so in colder months the Scarborough Bluffs make a good alternative.

Ferries leave the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at 9 Queens Quay West. Buy tickets online to use the express line at busy times; they are valid until the end of the calendar year. To avoid the worst queues, travel before 10am and return before 5pm, or use Ward’s Island, about a 35-minute walk from Centre Island (City of Toronto). Centre Island has sandy beaches, bike rental and a small amusement park (Destination Toronto).

The Scarborough Bluffs stretch about 15km along the lake east of the Beaches and include 11 City parks, from Bluffer’s Park, with its Blue Flag beach, to Cathedral Bluffs, more than 90m above the water. Destination Toronto says the area is about 30 minutes from downtown by car and reachable by TTC, and warns that not all of Bluffer’s Beach is lifeguarded (Destination Toronto).

Spend the evening in Leslieville, east of the Don River, known for brunch spots, vintage stores and independent boutiques on Queen Street East; Destination Toronto suggests Queen station and the 501 streetcar east, or Coxwell station and the 22 bus south (Destination Toronto).

Day 7: how do you finish in High Park and get to the airport?

Spend the morning in 400-acre High Park and on Roncesvalles Avenue, reached by Line 2 or the 504 streetcar, then take UP Express from Bloor station, about five minutes’ walk outdoors from Dundas West subway, to Pearson. Trains run every 15 minutes, so leave a generous buffer before your flight.

Destination Toronto describes High Park as 400 acres of year-round walking trails, famous for its spring cherry blossoms, with family-friendly Roncesvalles and the Ukrainian restaurants of Bloor West Village nearby; the area is served by Line 2 stations from Jane to Dundas West and the 504 streetcar (Destination Toronto). UP Express adds that the park has trails, picnic areas and even a small zoo (UP Express), but the City of Toronto says the High Park Animal Display is closed from 13 October 2026 until spring 2027 while it rebuilds the access road.

UP Express Bloor station is near Dundas West subway, a walk of about five minutes outdoors along Bloor Street West and Dundas Street West (UP Express). With heavy luggage, it may be easier to collect bags from your hotel and ride from Union instead, where the train takes 28 minutes to Pearson and runs every 15 minutes (UP Express).

If your flight leaves in the evening, the morning in High Park and a late lunch on Roncesvalles fit comfortably. For an early flight, drop day 7’s park walk and use the spare time on day 6 instead; the Pearson transfer guide compares the train with a booked car.

What should you book ahead, and how do you adapt the week to the weather?

Book the GO+WEGO Niagara package, CN Tower and Casa Loma tickets once your dates are firm, and island ferry tickets online for the express line. In winter, swap the islands for the Bluffs or a second museum day and use the PATH; in summer, start outdoor days early and keep galleries for humid afternoons.

Winter needs real planning: January at Pearson averages a −8.9°C low and 8.8 days with a wind chill below −20 (ECCC), and the UK government warns that freezing rain and blizzards are frequent in many parts of Canada from November to April (FCDO). The PATH links dozens of buildings and five subway stations underground (Destination Toronto). In July, by contrast, Pearson averages 18.3 days with a humidex of 30 or more.

For bookings, Niagara City Cruises advises booking as early as possible because some tickets sell out (Niagara City Cruises), and the AGO asks visitors to book free First Wednesday tickets in advance (AGO). Casa Loma sells date-specific tickets online (Casa Loma). Keep Niagara for a day with a decent forecast, and swap it with day 6 if needed.

Guided options help most on the Niagara day if you would rather not juggle GO trains and WEGO buses. Compare what is actually included: attraction tickets, the boat trip, pickup point, time at the falls and the cancellation window in case of storms. GetYourGuide vs Viator vs Klook explains the platforms.