Hotel Name : HI Hostel Toronto
Location : Downtown
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We stayed at Hi Hostel Toronto and got so many great perks, discounts on tours and attractions.. and not forgetting to mention FREE FULL BREAKFAST every morning at the Hostel’s very own Music hole- The Cavern! Clean and modern bathrooms, comfy beds and a perfect walking distances to the CN Tower, Eaton Center, street cars (trams), restaurants and so much more. Hi Hostel provides luggage storage if you’re catching a later flight. The Cavern downstairs has live bands almost every night and the Hostel provides a lot of free tours daily. Check out their huge schedule on the wall for all upcoming events for the week!
DAY 1
Toronto Island Park
[insert arrival island video here]
Toronto Island Park consists of 15 islands that are all connected by bridges and walkways. Center Island is the biggest and is 5km long from Wards Island to Hanlan Point. Catch the Ferry from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal downtown Toronto and choose 1 of 3 different arrival ports: Wards Island, Center Island and Hanlan’s Point.
Check out our Video below to see what we got up to and to see Justin’s favourite part about swimming in Canada!
[ insert video of random clippings on the island – swings, bike rides, tight rope, swimming in water ]
FUN FACT : No vehicles are permitted on any of the Islands unless they are owned by the City of Toronto (Paramedics, Parks and Recreation, etc.) All roads are paved so bicycles and small scooters are very popular.
DAY 2
City Maps by Day / Secret Bars at Night
The Toronto Sightseeing City Bus picked us up just a block away from our Hostel. You are provided with an informative map and free headphones to listen to the commentary touring through the city highlights. The bus pass is good for 2 days from the time of purchase and includes a FREE Cruise of the Toronto Islands and yes, they serve alcohol on the boat 😉
Click here for the tour map, schedule and additional info: https://www.citysightseeingtoronto.com/
PRO TIP: Travelling in a big city like Toronto can be over whelming, so take advantage of the Hop on/Hop off tour buses in cities like this to get your surroundings, learn the local ways and stay on top of your trip! (Who likes to miss cool spots like below?)
The CN Tower used to be the tallest free standing structure in the World at 1,815 ft, until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai surpassed it in 2007 with a whopping 2,722 ft! So now, the CN Tower holds the title of having the World’s highest Wine Cellar, which is located in the 360 Restaurant on top of the CN Tower and beats a tall building record any day!
PRO TIP: Be careful if you go to the Washroom — your seat may not be where you left it! The 360 Restaurant on top of the CN Tower has a revolving view of downtown Toronto throughout your whole meal.
There are endless things to see and do at the base of the CN Tower. Catch a MLB Blue Jays game at the Rogers Center, visit the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Aquarium, enjoy a local brew at the Steam Whistle, buy some Jays Swag, catch the hop on hop off bus, enjoy local talent or walk down to the Harbourfront. The Harbourfront is where you will find lots of food trucks, locals performing on stages, waterfront restaurants, and also where you will catch your FREE Island Cruise with your Hop on / Hop off Bus ticket!
Hidden and Secret Bars are becoming more popular for those seeking something out of the ordinary. You can Google these in various places across the Globe. Some of the “Hidden/Secret Bars” are in places you would least expect- a high-end Hotel, through a back ally with a Red light on top of a door, or behind another bar.
[insert picture of one of the secret bars]
One that caught our attention was called Escobar. Once you find the bar, you need to know the password inorder to get in! How did we find the password? Its all part of the fun! Justin and I had a ball running around downtown Toronto finding these intriguing watering holes.op
HERE’S PROOF :
DAY 3 – Canada Day
Jays Game and Banksy
The Toronto Blue Jays vs. Detroit Tigers marks the first and last Major League Baseball game for this couple haha! Luckily it was only $30/ticket. The opening was very moving and the atmosphere was awesome, but the game itself was a total snooze fest– literally! I guess you can say I’m a true Canadian and love my Hockey… mainly Brad Marchand, but Hockey too.
Banksy is an anonymous street artist based out of England. He developed a unique stencil technique to combine his dark humour of political views with graffiti. We were so lucky to have stumbled across this art exhibition… it was the biggest in the world to have all of his most famous collections in one spot.
[insert pictures of Banksy’s collection]