Toronto

Currency

Ontario adds 13% HST at the till, so the shelf price is never the price. Restaurant tipping runs 15-20% and the card machine will suggest more. Cards work for everything, including the streetcars.

ATMs & cards

RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO and CIBC machines are on every corner downtown; the white-label ones in bars and shops charge several dollars extra. Decline the machine’s conversion offer.

Ontario adds 13% HST at the till, and the card machine will suggest a 20% tip on the taxed total.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

One of the safest big cities in North America, and comfortable to walk downtown at night. Ordinary care applies around the entertainment district at closing time and on the subway late. Winter is the actual hazard: −20°C with wind off the lake, and pavements that ice over — which is why the PATH exists.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Routine vaccinations up to date

Getting treated

Excellent, and expensive for visitors — there is no reciprocal arrangement with most countries, and an emergency admission runs to thousands of dollars. Travel insurance with a high medical limit is essential. In the Rockies, mountain rescue is coordinated by Parks Canada and is not billed, but the helicopter and hospital that follow are.

Wildlife and weather rather than illness. Carry bear spray on trails and know how to use it. Hypothermia is possible in any month at altitude, and snow closes passes well outside winter.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Eat by neighbourhood rather than by restaurant: Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown on the Danforth, Little India on Gerrard, Roncesvalles for Polish. Peameal bacon at St Lawrence Market is the local sandwich. The city has more good cheap food than any list can hold.

Getting around

• TTC — subway, streetcars and buses on a Presto card or contactless; the streetcars are slow and part of the city’s character
• UP Express — the airport train, 25 minutes to Union Station
• PATH — 30km of underground walkway downtown, which is how the city moves in February
• Walking — downtown is flat and gridded; the neighbourhoods worth seeing are spread along the subway lines
• Ferry — twelve minutes to the Toronto Islands, and the skyline view everyone photographs

Internet speed

Broadband here runs at 2.2× the global median of 128 Mbps. Mobile runs at 1.3× the global median of 110 Mbps.

Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured May 2026

Must-see

Things to do

• Go up the CN Tower, and walk the glass floor if you dare
• Take the ferry to the Islands and cycle round them
• Eat through Kensington Market on a Sunday
• See the Group of Seven at the AGO
• Catch a Blue Jays or Leafs game for the local religion
• Take the day trip to Niagara Falls

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Canadian English

• A one-dollar coinA loonieLOO-nee
• A two-dollar coinA toonieTOO-nee
• A knitted winter hatA toquetook
• The last item takenThe last one, sorry
• A rural cottageA cabin, or a chalet in the Rockies
• Right? / Agreed?Eh?ay
• Bear sprayBear spray — carry it, actually
• Washroom, not toiletWhere’s the washroom?

The language is English; the vocabulary occasionally is not.

Religion

Christian majority, and secular

Christian by heritage with a fast-growing share reporting no religion. Indigenous spiritual traditions are recognised, and their sites carry protocols worth respecting.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Queue properly, hold doors, and apologise reflexively — it really is the norm
• Tip 15-20% in restaurants and for taxis; staff wages assume it
• Carry bear spray on Rockies trails and know how to use it
• Take note of which province you are in — rules on alcohol, cannabis and driving differ

Don't

• Do not assume Canada is a variant of the United States; it lands badly
• Do not approach or feed wildlife, and never get between a bear and its cubs
• Do not underestimate distances — the Rockies are far bigger than the map suggests
• Do not litter or leave food out at a campsite; it is both a fine and a genuine danger