Toronto - Get Around

Toronto is bordered on the south end by Lake Ontario. The city sprawls on all fronts from the downtown core, with many streets so long and straight they'd make a Roman town planner weep with joy.

The key to embracing Toronto is its great public transit system. Many residents don't have to own a car – quite shocking for North America.

Bay Street is where the Toronto Stock Exchange is located downtown. To the west is trendy Queen Street West, the college life of the Annex, and the patios of Little Italy. The lively Village area is found in the north, along with the high-end shops and boutiques of Bloor Street and Yorkville. Find the flair and restaurants of Greektown in the Danforth area and Toronto's Beach community at its east side.

Toronto's subway is the quickest and preferred way for locals to get around. The four main subway lines are all part of one zone, transporting you to most parts of the central area. It can be busy during rush hour.

There are lots of taxis in Toronto, and they'll get you where you want to go in a hurry, including the airport. A 10-20% tip is common.

Toronto's plentiful buses have got the Greater Toronto Area covered. When the subway stops they keep going.

Toronto is exceptionally clean for a big city – the fifth largest in North America – so walking is a joy, weather permitting. In winter the way to get around downtown and stay warm against the heaps of snow outside is by taking the PATH. It's a network of 27km of underground walkways that meander past hundreds of shops, businesses and medical clinics.

Toronto has a number of routes handled by streetcars. It's one of the only cities in North America that uses them.

You can get Single Trip transportation tickets or a Day Pass. One ticket is valid for all public transport, except for the Go Trains that take commuters out to the suburbs. You can also purchase a weekly GTA Pass for access to metro Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton and York – including the GO Trains this time.

Take a visit to where modern Toronto began in 1793 at Fort York – this is a colonial British fortification that still exists. The Distillery Historic District was once the British Empire's largest maker of spirits. Raise your glass to the 1832 complex, which is now dedicated to the arts and culture.

Toronto Transit Commission website.