Chinatown, Toronto

Advantages: Good food, excellent shopping prospects in all areas
Disadvantages: Can be smelly in summer - different cultural values may dispense with Western-style manners

Chinatown is one of those places that everyone thinks they know so well and when they get there, boy are they surprised! Even Asian travelers will find this amalgum of cultures quite interesting, if not a bit off-putting. There are many reasons to visit Chinatown in Toronto - and believe it or not, Toronto actually has three Chinatowns - but the main one is along Spadina Avenue between Queen Street on the south and College Street on the north. The ...
...third is in the northeast of the city in a district known as Agincourt's Dragon Centre Mall. The downtown Chinatown is one of the oldest in North America and is a mix of peoples from all over Asia - Chinese, Japanese, Korean, South East Asian, and the restaurants and shops reflect this diversity. I have heard wealthier Asian Canadians who have all moved out to the suburbs talk about Chinatown as a dirty place populated by newly-arrived boat people ... Read review

Advantages: Bustling centre with delicious aromas and lots of shops!
Disadvantages: Can be v busy and smelly in the middle of summer - as you'd expect!

Chinatown centres along Spadina Avenue from Queen St West to College St. There are LOADS of restaurants, shops, food markets, all fascinating in their own sense to see. For example, squid-like creature in a butcher shop, fruit I've never even seen at the market, raw spices all sitting out instead of processed and neatly presented in jars, and lots of bargains! There are various clothes shops all with general tourist trappings - Toronto T-shirts, ...
...anywhere else!! Then there are the touristy things like chinese clothing, jade jewellery etc. that I personally love! As I did all my xmas shopping in Toronto this year, I bought plenty of toiletries, clothes, slippers and jewellery in Chinatown that were so much cheaper than anywhere else and a bit different to the presents I would buy back home! I can't recommend one particular restaurant - you'll know what I mean when you go there. For recommendations, ... Read review

Advantages: cheap, regular, daily, film for journey
Disadvantages: lots of people on bus, can only go at certain times

...I spent three months in the lovely city of Toronto, and wanted to see nearby niagara falls. I hunted around to find the cheapest way of travelling between the two and found that I could use the daily bus from Chinatown in Greater Toronto to the Casino in Niagara for only $5 return. The bus was absoultely packed, but it was comfortable and a film was even provided for the two hour journey. It allows you to spend the whole day in Niagra and see the sights for the cost of approx £2 GBP!... Read review

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Advantages: International, Bohemian and Ultra Cool
Disadvantages: Sometimes crowded

...Toronto is an amazing city with such a diverse range of cultures and peoples all overlapping and intermingling. Kensington Market is a fantastic example of the thriving bohemian lifestyle that cities such as London and New York struggle to preserve and yet is so alive and well in Toronto. Bordered on the east by Chinatown, the north by the beginnings of Little Italy, and a few blocks to the south by the trendy Queen street district, Kensington draws people from all across the city to shop, socialize, mingle and breathe in the city atmosphere. Being so centrally located, getting to it is very easy, and the Spadina streetcar comes along every minute or two to whisk you to and from the subway. Kensington as an area was first a residential zone with many of the houses being built in the 1880s to house Scottish and Irish immigrant... Read review

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Advantages: Easy access to the Path and the CN Tower
Disadvantages: Not the cheapest joint in town!

...(0.5 mile) - can be accessed entirely underground via the Path. Harbourfront Centre - 0.8 km (0.5 mile) Toronto City Hall - 0.8 km (0.5 mile) Lake Ontario - 0.8 km (0.5 mile) Toronto Island Ferry Terminal - 0.8 km (0.5 mile) St. Lawrence Market - 0.8 km (0.5 mile) University of Toronto - 1.6 km (1 mile) Chinatown - 1.5 km (1 mile) Canadian National Exhibition - 2.5 km (1.5 miles) Royal Ontario Museum - 2.5 km (1.5 miles) MY OPINION: I have stayed in this hotel several times and I think it is a fantastic place. I do think that the choice of dining and amount of dining areas is a little limited for the size of the hotel. However there are restaurants nearby to which you can go should you wish. The service is really good and the standard of cleanliness and decoration is excellent. However, it is not a cheap stay... Read review

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