Things To Know Before Moving to Toronto

Living in Toronto is an amazing experience like no other. The melting pot of cultures, languages, and food distinguishes it from many other cities in Canada and the U.S. On top of that, Toronto offers an abundance of arts and culture…and it’s the home of the 2019 NBA Champions, the Toronto Raptors! It’s very easy to get around in Toronto due to its first-class public transportation system. All of this makes Toronto an enticing place to move to or even visit. Read below to find out about all that Toronto has to offer.

Public Transit in Toronto

As with moving to any city, understanding how to move about and travel is going to be confusing to start, but also is extremely important if you don’t plan on driving. If you are hoping to find your home in Toronto, and especially in the heart of it, you should learn the routes of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). Visiting and living in Toronto will be a lot easier for you once you’ve become comfortable traveling by transit. The Toronto Transit Commission has a system that reaches the boundaries of the city and interconnects with Go Transit (the transit service for the Greater Toronto Area) and VIA Rail (train service across Canada). Payment for the TTC is by cash, TTC tickets, tokens, Presto card or Presto tickets.

Getting To Know Toronto Neighborhoods

Toronto is known for its diverse neighbourhoods. If you want a good Chinese food dinner, head to Chinatown at Dundas Street East and Spadina Avenue. Have a craving for moussaka? Head to Danforth Avenue between Broadview and Pape Avenues to the neigbhourhood called “The Danforth”. Also known as “Greektown” for the abundance of Greek restaurants and patios, the area hosts the street festival, Taste of the Danforth, in the summer. If you’re like me and love a good Chicken Tikka dish, check out Little India on Gerrard Street East between Highfield Road and Coxwell Avenue. If pasta is your thing, you won’t want to miss a visit to Little Italy on College Street between Ossington Avenue and Bathurst Street.

Toronto’s Exciting Attractions

Whether you are visiting or moving to Toronto, you’ll want to visit Toronto’s famous attractions. Be sure to go up the CN Tower to see phenomenal views of the city and Lake Ontario and if you can, stay for lunch at the revolving 360 Restaurant. If you are an art lover, you’ll want to visit the Frank-Gehry-designed Art Gallery of Ontario on Dundas Street West. Baseball lovers will want to catch a Toronto Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre, which was the first stadium in the world to have a fully retractable, motorized roof. For an exhilarating experience, take the family to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada where you can walk underneath seven species of sharks in the Dangerous Lagoon. The CF Toronto Eaton Centre is the place to go for a shopping spree. With 235 stores, the shopping mall has the largest amount of annual visitors of any mall in North America.

Prepare for the Seasons

Whether you are moving to Toronto for a long period or are simply visiting, understand that there are four seasons in Toronto. Spring is very short: from mid-April to early June, with the occasional heavy rainfall. Summer can be hot, reaching temperatures as high as 35C-40C although summer weather typically begins at the end of June and runs until mid-September. A short autumn occurs from the end of September to mid-November and provides glorious fall colour along walks in High Park, Edwards Gardens or Rosetta McClain Gardens. If you have never experienced winter before, you’ll get plenty of that in Toronto from November to the end of March/early April. Be prepared for delays on the subway, winter driving, and having to walk through piles of snow. Of course, there is a lot to enjoy from the different weather – variety makes life interesting, right?

Toronto is a dynamic city, full of exciting attractions, great shopping, diverse cuisine, and cultures. Regardless of whether you plan on visiting or moving to Toronto, you will undoubtedly enjoy yourself in Canada’s largest city.