Toronto Walking Tours: 5 Routes on Foot
Distillery District and St. Lawrence Market
Start at the Distillery Historic District’s cobblestone lanes, free to walk any day, then head west toward St. Lawrence Market, open Tuesday through Sunday, for a lunch stop among the market’s produce and specialty food stalls. The two sit close enough together that the walk between them takes under 20 minutes.
Old Town and the Gooderham “Flatiron”
From the market, a short loop through Old Town passes Toronto’s First Post Office and the red-brick Gooderham Building at Wellington and Church, one of the city’s most photographed corners. Book a guided Old Town walking tour on GetYourGuide if you would rather have a guide narrate the history than read plaques.
Harbourfront, on foot, ferry optional
A waterfront path runs roughly 3 km along the harbour past the Toronto Music Garden and Sugar Beach; walk it as far as the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, and continue onto a City ferry to the Toronto Islands if you want to extend the route onto the water. Adult return fare is $9.57 CAD, and there is no bridge, so the ferry is the only way across.
Kensington Market
Kensington Market’s side streets run block after block of independent vintage shops, grocers, and street art; it rewards slow, aimless walking more than any planned route, and Pedestrian Sundays from May through October close several streets to cars entirely.
Chinatown and the university
A short walk connects Kensington into Chinatown along Spadina Avenue, and from there north into the University of Toronto’s St. George campus, where Gothic Revival quadrangles give way to the Victorian streets of the Annex.
Practical notes
Wear shoes that hold up over several kilometres; most of these routes run 3 to 5 km end to end. Carry water in summer, since shade is limited on the waterfront stretch. For a route indoors during winter, the PATH network’s 30 plus kilometres of underground walkways connect much of the financial district without stepping outside. For a tower-and-museum day instead of a walking day, see the Toronto sightseeing guide .
St. Lawrence Market on the way through
Since the Old Town route already passes it, plan the walk to arrive at St. Lawrence Market between Tuesday and Sunday rather than a Monday, when the South Market hall stays closed. Its stalls make a natural halfway lunch stop before continuing on toward the Distillery District.