If you want to save money on multiple attractions in Toronto, then look no further than Toronto CityPASS. The first of its kind in North America to provide an attraction pass CityPASS can help you save money on attractions to 16 destinations, including New York, Chicago and Toronto. With a Toronto CityPASS, you can visit the city’s premier attraction, CN Tower, as well as Toronto Zoo, Royal Ontario Museum and more. Furthermore, you can purchase a Toronto CityPASS directly online and make reservations to attractions if necessary. Thus, without any further delay, learn how to easily use the Toronto CityPASS and what attractions you can see.
Toronto CityPASS
The Toronto CityPASS allows you to visit five major Toronto attractions of six options. While CN Tower is already included, you can choose four more attractions. But you don’t have to make your selections at the time of purchase. Once your order(s) is received, you’ll receive confirmation via email or text followed by your pass(es) in a separate correspondence. This second correspondence will contain a scannable pass(es). in addition to a link to make reservations if necessary. If you’re using an iPhone, you can add this scannable pass to your Apple Wallet. Each pass that you purchase is valid for nine consecutive days “starting and including the first day you visit an attraction”.
Use the My CityPASS App or MY CityPASS website
While you might find it easy to book reservations via the MY CityPASS website provided in the email, there’s also an app. The My CityPASS is available through Apple’s App Store or on Google Play for Android users. While instructions are easy to understand, CityPASS is also acclaimed for its Customer Care, available seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST.
Toronto CityPASS Attractions
Casa Loma
1 Austin Terrace
Toronto. ON M5R 1X8, Canada
416) 923-1171
www.casaloma.ca
Set upon a hill overlooking Toronto, Casa Loma is one of the only full-sized Gothic Revival castles in North America. That in itself, makes it a worthwhile consideration when using your Toronto CityPASS. Once the largest private residence in Canada upon its completion in 1914, it now serves as a city-owned museum. One of the most distinctive landmarks in Toronto, Casa Loma features 98 rooms, 21 fireplaces and a lush garden. However, you may also wish to visit one of the towers of Casa Loma. While you have elevator access as far as the third level, you can walk up a spiral staircase to either the Scottish or Norman tower. It is at the tower level where you can enjoy the best views of Toronto from the castle. Also onsite are horse stables, gift shop, Liberty Café and BlueBlood Steakhouse.
How to Get to Casa Loma
Just a few miles (3.7 km) from downtown Toronto, it only takes 15-20 minutes by car. In addition, you can take the Line 1 subway to the Dupont Station. From there, it’s about a half mile walk to reach Casa Loma. However, before you reach the castle, you’ll have to climb 110 steps of the Baldwin Steps from the street level at Davenport and Spadina roads. Of course, you can also use a ride share service like Uber or Lyft to drop you off near the main entrance.
Casa Loma in Movies and Television
Casa Loma has been a filming location for nearly 100 productions over the years. This includes popular movies like “X Men” (2000), “Cocktail” (1988), “Crimson Peak” (2015) and “Billy Madison” (1995). However, perhaps the most notable movies filmed here are “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Parts 1 and 2. (2010-2011). In these two films, Casa Loma is transformed into the famous Hogwarts Castle. If that’s not enough, Casa Loma was also portrayed as the Beast’s Castle in Disney’s 2017 remake of “Beauty and the Beast” starring Emma Watson.
Related: How to Get Around Downtown Toronto with Public Transportation
City Cruises Toronto
207 Queens Quay W.
Toronto, ON M5J 1A7, Canada
(416) 203-0178
www.cityexperiences.com/toronto/city-cruises
For some of the best views of the city skyline, you should include a one-hour harbor tour from City Experiences. Operating as City Cruises Toronto, you can enjoy a tour onboard the Oriole, a replica of a vintage steam ship commonly seen on the Great Lakes. During a 60-minute tour, you can see many Toronto attractions, most notably CN Tower. But not only will you see this landmark attraction, you’ll also see Rogers Centre, the Toronto Islands and much more. While onboard, you can purchase quick bites and drinks at the snack bar. Even though the peak summer months are over, City Cruises Toronto offers four cruises daily through October 31.
How to Get to Toronto City Cruises
Toronto City Cruises is easily accessible by public transportation, ride share or car. From Union Station you can take streetcar routes 509 or 510 and disembark in front of Harbourfront Centre. From there, it’s a brief walk to the Waterfront Trail to the City Cruises dock. Bear in mind that you might see other City Cruise ships on either side of this harbor. Therefore, if you’re looking for directs, set your GPS to the Goodman Pub and Kitchen, located next to the Oriole tour boat. If you’re driving, there are many paid parking lots near Harbourfront Centre.
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La Tour CN Tower
290 Brenner Blvd.
Toronto, ON M5V 3L9, Canada
(416) 868-6937
www.cntower.ca
Without a doubt the most visited and most recognizable Toronto attraction is La Tour CN Tower or simply CN Tower. What’s more, it’s so important it’s automatically included as one of your choices with a Toronto CityPASS. After all, you can enjoy spectacular views of Toronto and its surrounding areas from its main observation deck. What’s more, at 1,815 feet (553 meters) it’s the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere. However, if you want to go a bit higher, you can upgrade to the SkyPod observation deck for just CAD $10 plus tax. To put it another way, SkyPod is the highest observation deck in the Western Hemisphere and among the world’s highest.
Other CN Tower Attractions
CN Tower offers three dining options most notably the revolving 360 Restaurant, which makes a full rotation every 72 minutes. However, if you just want a few things to grab and go, Vue Bistros and Le Café offers several great food and drink items. Also on the main observation level is a gift shop where you can receive a 10 percent discount from your purchases by presenting your Toronto CityPASS. Last but certainly not the least, is EdgeWalk just two levels above the main observation deck. If you’re a thrill seeker, you might want to try this out. In more detail, you’ll experience the world’s highest hands free external walk on a building.
How to Get to La Tour CN Tower
CN Tower is in a very lively section of Toronto, with major hotels and other leading attractions. Union Station is about a 10-minute walk, making it relatively easy to reach with public transportation. In addition, there are many paid parking lots within walking distance and a ride share can drop you off very close to the entrance. CN Tower is also close to Rogers Centre, the home ballpark for the Toronto Blue Jays and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. While neither are included with your Toronto CityPASS, these attractions may also be of interest to you.
Related: Toronto Day Trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queens Park
Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada
(416) 586-8000
www.rom.on.ca/en
If you’re traveling with children, one top attraction to see with your Toronto CityPASS is the Royal Ontario Museum. With easy access from the subway, the Royal Ontario Museum is not only a natural history museum, but also an art and culture museum. As the largest museum and most visited museum in Canada, ROM offers multiple highlights. For instance, you’ll want to see the dinosaur collection, including a Tyrannosaurs rex. On the other hand, there are many other exhibits to see, such as the Chinese and Egyptian art and interactive galleries for children. In addition, ROM holds the world’s largest fossil collection from the Burgess Shale and Light of the Desert, world’s largest cerussite gem.
How to Get to the Royal Ontario Museum
ROM is a short walk from the Museum Station subway station, just north of Queens Park. As for public parking, there are many paid lots, particularly along Bloor Street. Of course, a ride share service can drop you off very close to the main entrance. You can easily spot the Royal Ontario Museum by its distinctive architectural design known as the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.
Ontario Science Center
770 Don Mills Road
North York, ON M3C 1T3, Canada
(416) 696-1000
www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
The Ontario Science Center and Toronto Zoo are the furthest attractions from downtown Toronto. However, both attractions are well worth your consideration when using your Toronto CityPASS. Of the two, the Ontario Science Center is closer at 6.8 miles or 11 km from the heart of the city. Regardless, this incredible family friendly attraction offers a day full of things to see and do.For example, there is a planetarium and a live rain forest. Then there is alos a Kidspark and the must-see Space Center. In all, the Science Center features over 500 interactive exhibits, including the world’s largest outdoor hydraulic-powered pipe organ.
How to Get to Ontario Science Center
While the easiest way to get to the Ontario Science Center is by car or ride share, you do have public transportation options. On the other hand, getting there with public transportation is trickier than Toronto CityPASS attractions in the downtown area. Moreover, you’ll have to make at least one connecting bus to complete your journey. For example, if you’re starting from Union Station, you can take subway Line 1 and transfer to Line 2 at the Bloor-Yonge station. From there, Line 2 can take you as far as the Pape subway station. But at Pape, you can then take the 925 Don Mills Express bus to the Science Center. Try using Google Maps or other great navigation apps like Moovit or Waze.
Toronto Zoo
2000 Meadowvale Road
Toronto, ON M1B 5K7, Canada
(416) 392-5900
www.torontozoo.com/
Despite its distance from downtown at over 20 miles or over 35 km, the Toronto Zoo is a great way to spend the day. Not only is it the largest zoo in Canada, it’s among the world’s best. Set in the Scarborough district of Toronto, the zoo is home to over 5,000 animals representing more than 500 species. This includes lions, tigers, polar bears, giraffes and even red panda bears. Also at the zoo are gift shops, restaurants and many special events. Because the zoo is enormous, covering 710 acres, you can take advantage of the Zoomobile, to get you from place to another. However, please note that the Zoomobile is CAD $9 for the day and CAD $30 for four guests.
How to Get to the Toronto Zoo
It’s a fairly straightforward drive if you’re traveling by car. It can take about 35-45 minutes to get to the zoo but you have to bear in mind there can be heavy traffic during the commute hours. All you would have to do is set Google Maps, Waze or other navigational app to the zoo and follow the directions. As for public transportation, it’s actually easier to reach the zoo than the Ontario Science Center. That’s because you can catch a direct bus 85A from the Sheppard-Yonge station to Toronto Zoo. Additionally, there are other bus route options but 85A is the easiest.
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About the Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012-2019. More than 900 stories still appear in syndication across over 20 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University in 2012. Randy has nearly 25 years of experience in the transportation industry.