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Toronto out and about.

Nottingham, United...
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27 posts
104 reviews
73 helpful votes
Toronto out and about.
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I was just wondering what other towns or cities are near Toronto to explore no more than a couple of hours travelling time by public transport or guided tour. We are going to Niagra but would also like to see a little bit more if possible while we are there.

Toronto, Canada
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1. Re: Toronto out and about.
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Kingston is a beautiful small town to the east of Toronto. It is about 3 hrs drive to get there. If you want outdoors type activity and do not want to do long drives out of the city, there is the Waterfront Trail that runs along the lake Ontario's edge from Pickering to Oshawa. It is a gorgeous trail in the summer that you can bike or walk. It is one of the hidden secrets in the Toronto area, not many people here are aware of it. Pickering is the small town just east of Toronto.

The closest major city of interest would be Ottawa, about 4-5 hrs away and then Montreal, 5 -6 hrs away.

Toronto, Canada
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2. Re: Toronto out and about.
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When will you be travelling to Toronto?

Edited: 8 years ago
Nottingham, United...
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27 posts
104 reviews
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3. Re: Toronto out and about.
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We will be travelling on 2nd April so not sure what the weather will be like. We are not hiring a car so will be using public transport to get about.

Ontario, Canada
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for Merida
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4. Re: Toronto out and about.
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+1 for Kingston. Bus http://ca.megabus.com or train http://www.viarail.ca

SE Ontario
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5. Re: Toronto out and about.
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To be accurate, Kingston is actually a small city, and agree it's a good option.

http://tourism.kingstoncanada.com/en/index.asp

You could also consider Stratford, home to the Stratford festival - although it will not open until April 19th.

http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/

http://www.visitstratford.ca/

You say you are traveling on April 2nd - for how long in total will you be in the Toronto and southern Ontario area?

https://www.ontariotravel.net/en/home

Edited: 8 years ago
Toronto, Canada
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1,933 posts
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6. Re: Toronto out and about.
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Hello LollyB44,

It's important to know that Canada is a car culture and that our public transportation system between smaller towns (and even big cities) does not compare to that of the U.K. The country is huge and we do not have the population base to support a detailed and convenient transportation system such as yours. Without renting a car you will be relegated to mostly Canada's larger cities. The suggestions of Stratford, Kingston, Ottawa (our nation's capital city), and Montreal are top suggestions.

Kingston - which once was briefly the political centre of the "province of Canada" in the 1800s - holds a lot of Canadian history and has an interesting fort. From Kingston you can join a boat tour of the nearby Thousand Islands area (be careful that you are not choosing a tour that enters the U.S., unless you have proper papers)

http://www.visit1000islands.com/

http://www.1000islandscruises.ca/

Edited: 8 years ago
SE Ontario
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Note that the 1000 Island cruises that depart from Kingston do not stop at US points. Watch for the schedule - the cruises don't usually begin until mid-April at the earliest.

Nottingham, United...
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8. Re: Toronto out and about.
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We will only be there for four days but wasn't sure how long it would take to see the city itself. We didn't want to go all that way and just end up wandering around the city day after day and thought there may be other places near where we could hop on a bus or a train. I must admit I have to do more research as to what is in the city but I really wanted to make the most of our trip.

SE Ontario
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42,996 posts
16 reviews
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If you only have four days, and one of those is reserved for Niagara, then you really don't have time to go elsewhere. We recommend a minimum of 3-4 days for Toronto and a day for Niagara.

You need to start researching your Toronto stay - check the Top Questions (including trip reports) at the side of this page and the green info tabs at top of page. Also - if you want suggestions, please give us some idea of your interests- culture, foodies, sports, nature, etc. Note the beginning of April is still the end of winter here and some attractions, both in Niagara and the city, may not be available.

West Grey, Canada
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Agreed...keep your plans to Niagara Falls and Toronto.

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, 4th largest in North America after Mexico City, New York, & Los Angeles. You could spend an entire week in Toronto and still have plenty to see and do !

Best Regards

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