If it seems like you read something like this, maybe only a year ago, it is because you did. In 2024, A and I went to Toronto, my first time in Canada’s largest city. We visited family, but I was also able to take some time to see a bit of the place. And wow, Toronto is awesome. (This did not come as a surprise to me, given how diverse of a city it is, how much of a good food city it is, and how truly wonderful Canada is as a whole.)

I wandered through the ethnic and cultural hub of Kensington Market, explored the Royal Ontario Museum, and had an incredible day downtown seeing the Hockey Hall of Fame. But there is so much I didn’t get to do.

So it is a good thing that A truly loves her family and wants to see them as often as possible, and they tolerate me enough to be ok with me tagging along. So it’s another week in a great city in a terrific country!

All that being said, what does this look like as far as The Royal Tour is concerned? What can you expect to see here? I’m so glad you asked.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of Destination Toronto, this trip I am coming armed with their Toronto VIP pass, and I intend to make as much use of it as my schedule allows. As I did with a similar pass from the fine folks in Victoria, BC last year, I am organizing my time in order of preference based on what the week ends up looking like in terms of familial obligations. (These obligations are actually wonderful things I’m excited for, so perhaps we shall call them familial pleasures.)

Top Priorities

Two sights I didn’t get to last time jump out most to me, and I will devote part of a day to each. First is the CN Tower. Yes, I’ve seen it (you can’t be in Toronto and not see the tallest building, as it is visible from basically everywhere). But I didn’t get to actually experience it and to go up to the observation deck. So that’s happening for sure.

Second is Casa Loma, a 1914 castle/mansion. You all know I love historical buildings, especially so when they are beautiful like this. You may recall reading about Victoria’s Craigdarroch Castle on this very website. This one seems similar, but maybe even more so. Yes, please!

With the CN Tower being right downtown and Casa Loma being a bit outside of the center, I hope to combine each with a second activity to make full days of it. Casa Loma is a stop on a VIP-pass included city tour via hop on/hop off bus, so I might do that circuit after. Or hit the Bata Shoe Museum, because that sounds unique. And when downtown at the CN tower, I intend to visit Arcadia Earth, because wow it looks awesome. Or the aquarium. Or both.

Secondary Priorities

If I have another free day, I might spend that on the hop on/hop off bus if I didn’t get to it yet, or visit Little Canada for a tour of the entire country in miniature. (Do you remember Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg? It seems similar.) Or the shoe museum, if that didn’t happen. There is so much!

You might be wondering how these things will go together to form cohesive articles. That’s a good question, and one I currently don’t have an answer to. With such diverse experiences, they might not, and I might write about them as individual attractions. Or the feelings I get from them might lead to natural themes. It’s part of the fun of exploration, although not having as detailed of an article plan makes me a bit nervous.

One thing that is for sure: I want to write about current views of Canada about the US. We’ve all seen social media posts from those angry with current policies, and images of grocery shelves with US products left untouched. I want to see if these things are cherry-picked or seem to reflect larger attitudes. And yes, I realize that all I will truly be able to share is anecdotal from my own experience and conversations (I like talking to strangers, especially in Canada), but it’s something.

Finally, after a second week in Toronto, I hope I’ll finally feel comfortable to write a full Ultimate Guide to the city, one that talks about all aspects of visiting that I will have experienced.

So that’s the basic plan. As always, articles won’t come out for months after I return, so you’ll have to stay tuned for those. But feel free to follow me on Bluesky for updates and photos!