Vacation in Toronto, Canada

Last summer, we decided to try a change from the usual beach vacation. We typically can't wait to jump in the car and take the first trip to the beach, but we decided it was time for a change and headed north to Canada. Driving from North Jersey, the trip takes less than eight hours and of course one obvious place for a break is Niagara Falls. We actually spent a night is Niagara before moving on to Toronto.

Crossing in to Canada from Niagara Falls is trouble free as long as you have the proper documentation. The boarder crossing, Rainbow Bridge and the view of the falls are a beautiful entry to Canada and makes the drive feel like an adventure and a true vacation. The drive through the Canadian town of Niagara Falls is a real treat and you will probably want to make some time to stop, either on the way up or the way back.

On the hour and a half drive from the boarder to Toronto, the roads are wide and easy to drive with plenty of wineries along the way, another potential stop if you want to bring some wine along to the hotel.

Once in Toronto, we stayed at the Marriot Downtown Eaton Center. There are two Marriott's in Toronto. This Marriot is connected to the Eaton Center mall, which was fantastic. We went on a budget so didn't spend a lot of money at the mall, but it was great to have this so nearby, especially with teenagers. The Eaton Center is beautiful and has a wonderful place to eat called the Richtree Market Restaurant that we ate at several times. You can get anything you want in this place, hot foot, cold food, full dinners, snacks, salads, fruit, deserts, anything. The Marriot itself was great, really gorgeous and the pool was fabulous with a view of the city. The hotel offers easy access to anywhere you want to go by wither foot or by car. Wear comfy walking shoes to see the city as it's fairly spread out. We thought Toronto seemed to be built for giants. Everything is huge, big buildings, wide sidewalks, and wide streets. Toronto is relatively easy to drive around and park. We went in June and never experienced any traffic or parking problems.

Aside from the hotel and the Eaton Center, some of the other must see locations are the University of Toronto, Kensington Avenue and of course the Space Needle. You can dedicate a complete day to Kensington Avenue, the Market and surrounding areas. This area is a menagerie of new and used clothing stores as well as shops specializing in jewelry and accessories. Actually, many of the stores look like peoples houses and you can wander in and out without any real pressure form the sales people/owners. We found great deals here on items from all over the world. At the end of Kensington Avenue, is the market area, a wonderful place to eat and shop.

The Space Needle is a great attraction and the tour guides say everything in both French and English, so you really get the feeling you are in another country, even though everyone speaks English. We took a drive down to the areas known as The Beaches which was lovely, though the weather was still too cool to enjoy the sand. There is also the Toronto Zoo, the Toronto Blue Jays and the amazing Toronto skyline.

Toronto was a city I would definitely return to and the trip has convinced us to look at other areas in Canada for future vacations. Just be wary of the taxes in this country as they can be overwhelming and shocking if you aren't prepared. Canada has a kind of double tax. There's a GST "goods and services tax" which is a 6% federal tax. There is also a PST "provincial sales tax" of 8%. There are provisions for returning a portion of the GST to visitors, but it's complicated and requires a certain level of spending. Check out all of the websites ahead of time and plan your trip and budget. Canada is well worth the trip.