Toronto is a great city to go to if you’re looking for something more exciting than the suburbs but not as frantic as New York City.  Toronto has it all. Good food, good theater, rich diversity, and even a nude beach.  Here’s how you can have a great weekend in the largest city in Canada.

Kensington Market (for the trendsetter). Hidden to the side of Toronto’s Chinatown is Kensington Market, a wonderful, Bohemian gem of a marketplace.  For the epicurean, you’ll find an array of fresh fruit markets and excellent coffee shops; for the shopaholic, you’ll find a bounty of eclectic, vintage boutiques and trendy shops lining the side streets and hidden in corners.  The shops are kind of a mesh between Los Angeles’ Melrose boutiques and the arbitrary clothing shops in Shanghai.  Whatever you find, you’ll love it because you’ll feel like you can’t find it anywhere else.  If you’re a trendsetter, this is your place.

Entertainment district (for the theater-lover). Liken to Broadway in New York, the Toronto entertainment district too has an array of hit musicals and plays.  In fact, it ranks behind New York and London as the next most theatrical city.  So if you find the tickets in the two other cities too hard to come by, head to Toronto for a night of Dirty Dancing.

Yorkville Glamour (for the shoppers). Yorkville hosts an array of high-end hotels and fashionable boutiques.  The “Rodeo Drive” of Toronto, Yorkville shopping boasts of Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Vera Wang, and the like.  Too expensive for the pocket book?  No problem.  The strip also has more down-to-earth shops like Banana Republic and Roots Canada for those of us who prefer to window shop Hermes Birkins.  If you’re looking for more shopping, check out the Downtown boutiques along Yonge Street as well as the Eaton Centre a comprehensive mall-experience.

Toronto Islands (and the nude beach). If you’re in town during good weather and you’re one to appreciate a day in the sun, visit the Toronto Islands.  A few bucks at the Toronto Island Ferry Terminal will get you a round trip ride from the mainland to the any of the Toronto Islands three piers on Hanlan’s Point, Centre Island, and Ward’s Island.  All three islands are actually connected, so I’d suggest going to Centre Island and renting a bike to ride around the entire island.  A few hours should get you around the island with occasional stops for photos, ice cream and the like.  Give yourself more time, of course, if you intend on sunbathing at the nude beach, or as the signs say, the “clothing optional beach.”  The beach is located along part of Hanlan’s Point and has a beautiful expanse of trees guarding it from the general trail.  It’s a very laid-back and relaxing beach with women and men of all ages tanning in the nude.

Yonge-Dundas Square (for the excitement). Here’s the Times Square of Toronto, except much cleaner and generally less crowded (unless there’s a huge event going on).  Large, flashing advertisements line the buildings surrounding the square and southwest to it is the Eaton Centre.  Be sure to check out the city’s timeline for events happening at Dundas Square when you’re in town.

Overall, it’s a great city to pay a visit. The downtown streets are remarkably clean for a city of its size and population, the public transportation is extensive and reliable, and the people are amiable and richly diverse.  Even if you’re not up for the shopping, eating or nude-beach sighting, you can still walk around to enjoy the scenery and perhaps even pick up on all the locations that Hollywood has filmed.  Yes, my friend, the filming of The Incredible Hulk and X-Men actually took place in Toronto.

Happy traveling!

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