Take a trip to St. Lawrence Market in Old town where hundreds of speciality merchants and vendors await you: National Geographic recently ranked it the number one food market in the world! Endless fun awaits you and your family at Canada’s Wonderland and the Toronto Zoo.

As with other global cities, individualizing your Toronto vacation is key to a successful visit. Depending on the season, explore the city by bike: Toronto’s BIXI bike share system is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 30 minutes at a time. Biking through the city is a wonderfully romantic way to find your way around.

Toronto is sometimes called “the city of neighborhoods” due to having 140 officially recognized individual communities. Experience Toronto’s major urban regeneration by strolling through any one of these neighborhoods. At least 74 of the city’s neighborhoods are Business Improvement Areas- partnerships between the City and commercial property owners and tenants designed to revitalize local businesses.

The City of Toronto Special Events Office celebrates more than 30 annual festivals and events. Lace up and take a spin around Nathan Phillips Square’s famous outdoor skating rink in the iconic City Hall. Foodies should plan a Toronto vacation during either Summerlicious or Winterlicious- the city’s two most anticipated culinary celebrations. For two weeks, delicious three-course prix fixe menus are served at hundreds of Toronto restaurants, making it a great way to dine and explore the city.

Other popular attractions include the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a Hindu temple made from over 24, 000 pieces of marble and stone and the Chinese Cultural Center of Greater Toronto that seats a 626-seat proscenium circus. Experience Toronto’s disctinctively cosmopolitan feel by catching a performance here.

Plan a picnic in one of Toronto’s 1,600 public parks or take a walk along the city’s hundreds of miles of trails. City parks also include beaches, gardens, conservatories and ice rinks. Toronto’s nickname “the city within a park,” exists for good reason. Its extensive parkland and ravine system are perfect for those who enjoy interspersing urban hubbub with greenery.

Located just offshore from the city center are the Toronto Islands, a chain of small islands full of attractions for you and your family. The islands comprise the largest urban, car-free community in North America and offer an escape from downtown Toronto with scenic views of Lake Ontario. Take the ferry over and visit the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, Franklin Children’s Garden, and Centreville Amusement Park, or just lay on the beach and sunbathe.