Questions about Toronto

[sue and co]

Hi everyone,

I recently posted a question about visiting Toronto on the general community board and some wonderful posters were kind enough to give some answers but they also suggested that I post on here to get even more help.

We are in the UK (would be flying from London) and are looking at coming to Toronto for the first two weeks July - due to school, exams work our dates are reasonably fixed but could move by a couple of days forward or a week or two back. We are a family of five - me, DH, DS(19), twin DD's (16).

Firstly flights - it looks like our best options are either Air Transat or Air Canada, does anyone have any experience of either of these airlines and can give any clues as to whether one would be better than the other. Or are there any other airlines that may fly direct other than BA - who I don't want to use.

Secondly - as a family of five hotels tend to be impractical and I have found we could either rent an apartment privately (obviously it would be unknown so could be good/bad) or a three bedroom suite from the University. Has anyone any comments? It was suggested that we do a house swap but nobody would want to come where we are in the UK as we are not anywhere attractive to tourists.

Thirdly - when we eat out in the US we tend to use reasonably priced family chains such as Olive Garden, Applebees, Chillis etc Are there similar sorts of chains around Toronto and how do prices compare to the US?

Any other info you think would be helpful?


Thanks

Sue

 

[mollyseven]

Hello there.
I would love to house swap but we are about 1 hour from Toronto to the east and I also think "who would want to swap with us" haha
We have family in Amersham, Buckinghamshire and haven't visited in too long.
Toronto has the same sorts of restaurants you find in the u.s.
We have places called Kelsey's, East side mario's, Olive Garden, Boston Pizza....all of these you can look up their websites and see their menu.
Do you plan on just doing Toronto for your stay or do you think you will rent a car and go to Ottawa or Niagara Falls and that sort of thing?
If you stay at the University you can get all over toronto without a car, actually easier than having a car really. Then you can always rent one for day trips. It's also probably way more financially practical that a hotel.
I don't know about apartment rentals in the city but it's probably quite expensive.
Also, about flights, I think either Air Transat or Air Canada there is NO noticable difference anymore and I would go with the cheapest way. What about other "charter flights" like virgin or that sort of thing as they are usually the cheapest way to go.

Denise

 

[busyshrew]

I can only tell you about my own University rental experience - it was bare bones, dated furnishings (similar to any college dorm), but serviceable and safe. Your children might enjoy the experience.

You should have no problem with food. Toronto is big enough to have everything you want - if family chains are what you like, you will find plenty, and if you want local mom-and-pop ethnic food there is more than enough of that.

If you are really serious about your food, the Chowhound (Ontario/Toronto) board is quite active and you will get plenty of advice. Just tell people your location, your budget and any transportation limitations (subway only, car) and you'll get lots of answers.

July is a lovely time to visit!

 

[papertraveller]

Hi Sue,

I hope this helps just wee bit with your vacation planning.

First, I wouldn't discount hotels entirely. There are many of the major chain hotels in the core of the city which offer all kinds of deals. You'll find the major chains (Marriott, Westin, Fairmont, Holiday Inn, etc.) often put together packages with admission to theatre, museum and other events. The number of U.S. travellers the city is attracting is down from past years, and you may well find that they are quite willing to accommodate your family at a decent rate.

As a PP noted, the city offers a wealth of eating opportunities. Like many UK and European cities, it has a strong downtown life. Each neighbourhood offers unique dining, and much of it is affordable.

It is also very easy to get around. You should consider buying a daily or weekly transit pass (depending on your plans) and take the streetcars through the city to get a sense of the place. (We did this two years ago in Munich, when we gave DD, then 8 years old, carte blanche to plan our route for an entire morning. We had a grand tour!)

There are many sights to see: the CN tower, the Toronto Islands (a definite must, they're so unique), the Art Gallery of Ontario, the McMichael Museum if you have a car, Royal Ontario Museum, and more. For theatre, there will be many shows playing. But again if you have a car, you should consider Niagara-on-the-Lake's Shaw Festival (plus the falls, of course). Stratford is also most definitely worth the trip for world class theatre.

This is a great city to live in. I hope you find it's a wonderful place to visit too!

Best,

Paper

 

[roscoepc1]

hi everyone,

i recently posted a question about visiting toronto on the general community board and some wonderful posters were kind enough to give some answers but they also suggested that i post on here to get even more help.

We are in the uk (would be flying from london) and are looking at coming to toronto for the first two weeks july - due to school, exams work our dates are reasonably fixed but could move by a couple of days forward or a week or two back. We are a family of five - me, dh, ds(19), twin dd's (16).

Firstly flights - it looks like our best options are either air transat or air canada, does anyone have any experience of either of these airlines and can give any clues as to whether one would be better than the other. Or are there any other airlines that may fly direct other than ba - who i don't want to use.

i'm surprised those seem to be the only choices for you. Toronto is a huge international airport...british air or lingus doesn't fly there? I'd look into it.

secondly - as a family of five hotels tend to be impractical and i have found we could either rent an apartment privately (obviously it would be unknown so could be good/bad) or a three bedroom suite from the university. Has anyone any comments? It was suggested that we do a house swap but nobody would want to come where we are in the uk as we are not anywhere attractive to tourists.

apartment renting is based on executive prices in toronto, i would think you find it more expensive that a "suites" hotel....quality hotels have a "suites" version...i would think a two bedroom would not be too exhorbitant, considering it is a major city. Less than an apartment, anyways. i would definitely consider university housing...right on transit lines, simple, basic, but definitely usable.

thirdly - when we eat out in the us we tend to use reasonably priced family chains such as olive garden, applebees, chillis etc are there similar sorts of chains around toronto and how do prices compare to the us?

we do have olive garden....our faves otherwise are crabby joe's, montana's, and kelsey's. Another neat choice is rainforest cafe. Pretty sure they all have websites. Toronto also is a huge "foodie" city, there are unending choices, and as it's a multi-cultural city, you can find everything from ethiopian to chinese, british to mongolian. "honest ed" used to have a huge restaurant complex downtown that was really cool, but i haven't been there for years, so not sure if it's still there. i find most restaurants are comperable to u.s. Prices, as our dollar is pretty strong right now.

any other info you think would be helpful?

the first week of july there is an international fireworks festival on the harbour. Canada dry is the sponsor. I can't remember if it's the cd festival of fire, or the cd symphony of fire...try googling.
There are tons of museums etc, canada's wonderland, ontario place, toronto island, major league baseball, concerts, and all kinds of cultural festivals etc...thanks

sue

hth!!

 

[roscoepc1]

Oh! I forgot Black Creek Pioneer Village, and Casa Loma..both really neat!

 

[roscoepc1]

Just out of curiousity, I punched in your dates on Travelocity.ca, from London to Toronto...I got a choice of 17 airlines. Everything from Air Canada, US Air, British Air, to Air Israel! Differing prices and times, of course, but choice, none the less.....

Being a nosy butt now, lol..but here's another search...GREAT prices!

http://www.cheapoair.com/Default.as...fs=0&dd=07-01-2010&rd=07-15-2010&tt=ROUNDTRIP

 

[ferris198]

Olive Garden hasn't been around for years.

 

[monkeyknuckler]

Tip of the Day: If you're walking around Toronto, watch out for cars; running people over seems to be on the rise.

 

[momlee4]

The teens might like Canada's Wonderland, an amusement park. If you're going to the Niagara Falls area, Great Wolf Lodge has an amazing indoor waterpark and they accomodate up to 6 in a room, or you can get larger suites.

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

http://www.seetorontonow.com/

The Residence Inn by Marriott gets great Trip Advisor ratings - very large rooms & family friendly, also very centrally located.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g155019-d647813-Reviews-Residence_Inn_Toronto_Downtown_Entertainment_District-Torontntario.html

The CN Tower & Harbourfront are fun, catching a Blue Jays baseball game would be fun too. Casa Loma is not downtown but worth a short drive. Ontario Science Centre - again not right downtown but worth the drive - and the shopping that IS downtown is diverse. Eaton Centre (mall) has tons of stores including a Disney store!

Niagara Falls is a must see if you can arrange transportation!

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

The teens might like Canada's Wonderland, an amusement park. If you're going to the Niagara Falls area, Great Wolf Lodge has an amazing indoor waterpark and they accomodate up to 6 in a room, or you can get larger suites.

Canada's Wonderland is in Vaughan, if you go to Vaughan make sure to check out Vaughan Mills Mall!!

http://vaughanmills.shopping.ca/cambridge/jsp/index_flash.jsp?mallid=vgm

http://www.canadaswonderland.com/#actions

 

[sue and co]

Thanks everyone lots of food for thought.

I will look in to some of those hotels, it may be that a suite or two rooms won;t be as expensive as I first thought.

I did find other airlines but most of them were indirect (air transat, air canada and british airways seemed to be the only non stop flights) and due to a slight disability that is not really an option for me but I will look again using that site.

We would have a car as my disability means my walking is limited which leads me to another question - is the UK disabled parking badge 'blue badge' accepted in Canada? It used to be in the US until a couple of years ago and now it isn't and you have to apply for a temporary US badge which isn't expensive but is a pain to have to do. Also is there much disabled parking in Toronto?

Finally as far as I can make out from your government website we would not need visa's for a short holiday trip - we all have full UK passports, can anyone confirm or otherwise?

thanks again for all your help it is appreciated.

Sue

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The Residence Inn by Marriott gets great Trip Advisor ratings - very large rooms & family friendly, also very centrally located.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g155019-d647813-Reviews-Residence_Inn_Toronto_Downtown_Entertainment_District-Torontntario.html

I will second DearDaisy's recommendation. We just recently stayed at the Residence Inn Downtown and highly recommend it (if you check out TripAdvisor, my review is posted there....I think its still the most recent post, my screenname there is Hockeymuther).

HUGE rooms, full kitchens in each and every suite (so if you get totally tired of restaurant food, you can make a homecooked meal yourself......they have all the pots, pans and utensils you'll need, and even a dishwasher for the cleanup). There's an amazing buffet breakfast every morning, a buffet manager's reception every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening (so those nights, you don't even have to buy dinner if you don't want to), a pool, a hot tub, and a fitness centre.

The location is superb....walk to Union Station, the Air Canada Centre, the CN Tower, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Rogers Centre, and even the Eaton Centre for some shopping (this one is a longer walk, but still doable.....we did a couple of weeks ago, and January's temps are much more unbearable than July!!). You'd be very close to the Toronto Islands and to Ontario Place. There are several chain restaurants very close by.....Swiss Chalet, East Side Marios, Jack Astors, etc.

Has anyone suggested the Medieval Times dinner and show? Its a great time as well, and often tickets can be obtained quite reasonably if you sign up on their website. If you check out TripAdvisor, you can see my review there from August 2009.....hopefully that will help!.

Do try and visit Niagara Falls while you're in Ontario. Spend a couple of days there if you can. So much to see and do!! It would be a shame to miss it while you're here.

 

[YukiPhnx]

If someone from the general board hasn't already brought it up, I HIGHLY recommend buying a Toronto CityPass.

For only $59 CAD per aged 12+ person, you get admission to these 5 major attractions:
CN tower (downtown)
Toronto Zoo (upper west end)
Casa Loma (downtown)
Royal Ontario Museum (downtown)
Ontario Science Centre (uptown)

It's good for 9 days from the day of your purchase. It more than pays for itself with visits to two of those attractions. They are all easily accessible on the TTC (transit system).

Here's the website for more details
http://www.citypass.com/city/toronto.html

Even though I'm a native, I once spent my Christmas break using the pass and it was GREAT!

 

[Salinger]

Sue, not sure on the parking pass; I think the answer is probably somewhere in here: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/app.shtml If not, there's probably a "contact us" link that you can use to ask. The Traveller permit they mention seems to be directed at Canadians travelling elsewhere, not visitors coming here.

There are plenty of accessible parking spaces in Toronto. That won't be a problem.

As for visas, that I can answer with 100% certainty. No, UK residents do not need a visa to visit Canada.

I live in the downtown core of Toronto. If there's anything you'd like checked out, just say.

 

[sue and co]

Thanks.

We had been told about the citypass and will definitely get it.

I emailed the contact us link for the government site and they have confirmed that our permit will be valid.

I'm glad we don;t need visas as that is one less thing to worry about.

Another quick question, I understand the legal age to drink is 19, DS is 19 about four weeks before we travel so I guess he will need to take photo ID (driving licence or passport) everywhere we go if he wants to have a beer with dinner?

 

[YukiPhnx]

Yes, with a valid ID or passport, he should have no problem getting a drink.

I don't think he'll be carded much though. It's typically girls that get carded because we look younger.