Best neighbourhoods to stay in Toronto for your city escape

Canada is home to some of the most exciting and vibrant cities, with its largest being Toronto. Toronto is a culturally diverse and modern metropolitan city, famous for being a hub for food, arts, architecture, diversity, culture and entertainment.

The best way to make sure you make the most of your time is to search for furnished Toronto apartments, set up a base in the neighbourhood of your choice and start exploring. With plenty to see and do, and each neighbourhood offering culture and culinary experiences, choosing where to stay in Toronto depends on what type of experience you want.

Queen St West and Chinatown

Known for the famous Kensington Market, this vibrant and dynamic, cool, multicultural neighbourhood is full of life, character and activities. In its earlier days, it was home to Jewish immigrants that worked as shopkeepers, helping the Kensington Market to be recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada.

With so much to explore, it is a perfect base if you're into vintage shopping, viewing street art at Graffiti Alley, and finding über-cool hipster coffee shops in the city.

Not to mention, there’s an amazing selection of places to eat, with a mixture of cultures and cuisines, with eateries selling tasty dishes from all around the world. As well as an abundance of bars to enjoy specialty drinks and everything from rooftop to underground to live music bars, it's worth spending your time taking everything in.

Downtown Toronto

Located in Old Toronto District is the central business district of the city, which is home to the largest concentration of skyscrapers in the country. What is often described as the heart and soul of the city, this neighbourhood is the perfect place to experience the real Canadian culture.

As well as being home to the city’s most picturesque heritage sites, Downtown Toronto is the perfect place to indulge your palate and is home to 150 bars. As well as a shopping hub with more than 600 retail stores including Toronto's most famous fashion street Bloor Street.

Another notable attraction in the area, St Lawrence Market, a foodie destination in operation since 1803, given the title Best in the World by National Geographic.

Yorkville

Established in 1830, the former hippie neighbourhood is home to one of the country’s most exclusive shopping districts. The Mink Mile, a shopper’s paradise, the street is lined with luxury brands and outlets. Located in midtown, it is easily accessible by both subway and car.

Yorkville is also home to cultural attractions such as art galleries and museums. Most notably the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada’s largest museum. It was originally five separate museums, so it covers a diverse range of subjects. With over six million objects and 40 galleries, it features everything from world cultures to art, archaeology to natural history.

Entertainment District

The Entertainment District houses some of the best theatres and performing art centres in the country. Many Broadway and East End plays performing first runs here, making the Entertainment District one of the most famous neighbourhoods in Toronto.

As well as the live entertainment and nightlife, there is a great selection of places to eat, as well as an abundance of bars to have a drink. With everything from rooftop, underground clubs to live music venues, it's worth spending the time to catch dinner and a show.

Other things to see include the CN tower which until recently was the tallest tower in the western hemisphere, enjoy the 360 dining experience or if you’re up for a little danger, walk the edgewalk. As well as the Hockey Hall of Fame where you can learn about the players, see the large collection of hockey memorabilia and practice your skills with a virtual game.

Toronto Harbourfront

Some of the most beautiful sights of the city are down by the waterfront, stretching from the Rouge River in the east to the Etobicoke Creek in the west, the waterfront allows for 28 miles of walking along Lake Ontario. While here, book yourself a boat tour of the lake to see an entirely different but undoubtedly spectacular view of the waterfront and the city’s skyline.

Just down from the harbourfront is The Distillery District. It gets the name from its days as the base of the Gooderham & Worts whisky distillery, which was the largest distillery in the world in the 1860s. The Distillery District has since been turned into a foodies dream with cafes, restaurants as well as a hub for studios and shops.

Photo: Nadine Shaabana Unsplash