Toronto, situated on Lake Ontario's northwestern shore, is Canada's largest city. For travellers arriving on cheap flights to Toronto, it's a city of sights, smells and flavours. The Chinese, Greek, Indian, Irish, Brazilian, Polish and Portuguese communities, to name just some of the groups who have made the city their home give Toronto its profusion of flavours.
Toronto is a thriving town. The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on Queen West is a glittering world-class space. The Art Gallery of Ontario near Chinatown has been transformed by Frank Gehry. The Royal Ontario Museum in Yorkeville has a newish Daniel Libeskind-designed wing. The Gardiner Museum, across from the Royal Ontario Museum, is Canada's only ceramics museum. The Distillery District is the name given to the old Gooderham and Worts Distillery. Its Victorian red-brick buildings and warehouses have been given a new lease on life and are now artist studios, galleries, boutiques, cafes and brasseries.
When Toronto gets too busy, Dundas Square or the Beaches are great places to catch a breather. The Toronto Islands are just a ten-minute ferry journey from the Harbourfront.
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Its location in southern Canada and its closeness to Lake Ontario ensures that Toronto's climate is milder than lots of other parts of the country. Summers are warm and humid, while winters are cold with some snow. Rain falls year round. Temperatures during the first half of the year hover between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. In the winter, the average daytime temperature is about freezing, but snowfall of more than 10cm is not usual.
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Peak Season:
June to August is high season when most visitors arrive on cheap flights to Toronto. Events taking place during these months are the Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana) Festival, Canada Day celebrations (July 1), Toronto Jazz Festival and the Beaches International Jazz Festival. Toronto is also busy in the autumn months. The Toronto International Film Festival takes place in September, while leaf-peepers descend on the Toronto region to enjoy the "fall foliage". In February, the WinterCity Festival is on.
Off Season:
Late November to January (the weeks following New Year's Eve and before WinterCity) is, in general, off season.
Shoulder Season:
February and May are shoulder season months.
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Car-rental with companies such as Avis, Budget and Hertz is available at Toronto Pearson International. Licensed taxis and limousines are available too. Taxi fares downtown cost between $40 and $50.
There are several options as far as public transport is concerned. The Toronto Transit Commission offers bus and subway service to downtown, GO Transit operates bus and train service to downtown and Toronto's suburbs, Mississauga Transit offers bus service within Mississauga, Brampton Transit bus service within Brampton and Pacific Western Airport Express is an airport-to-downtown service. Tickets on the airport express bus cost about $20 one way.
From Toronto City Centre Airport, there is TCCA 1 - a passenger and vehicle ferry - that travels across the 121-metre-wide Western Channel every 15 minutes during airport opening hours. The journey is also the world's shortest ferry ride.
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It's not necessary to rent a car to get around Toronto, the public transport system is excellent and includes subway, buses and streetcars. A single fare costs about $3, but remember to get a transfer when you buy your ticket.
Go Transit links Toronto with the Greater Toronto Area (Halton, Peel, York, Durham, Hamilton and into Simcoe, Dufferin, and Wellington Counties).
Cycling is a great way to experience Toronto. There are lots of clearly marked bike paths.
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- The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious international film festivals attracting film makers, industry professionals, media and lovers of film from around the world. There are about 20 programmes in which films from more than 50 countries are screened.
- Hockey is a religion in Canada. The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in downtown Toronto. It has the largest collection of hockey memorabilia in the world, where you can view hockey films, stop the shots of all-time greats Wayne Gretzky and get close to the impressive Stanley Cup.
- There are free public stargazing activities at the York University Observatory on Wednesday nights (9pm-11pm).
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Toronto Pearson International Airport(YYZ) (website: www.gtaa.com) The airport is located 27km northwest of downtown Toronto.
Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ) (website: www.torontoport.com) The airport is located on the Toronto Islands.
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