Ultimate Guide to Free Things To Do in Toronto goingawesomeplaces.com My hometown of Toronto is one of the best cosmopolitan cities in the world because it’s truly a melting pot of cultures, styles, urban design, food, and diversity all-around. I’ve always characterized our city as one of many neighbourhoods, districts, and collectives and it’s the unique flavours of each one that make up the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). What I wanted to try to catalogue here are the best free things to do in Toronto and by that I mean it in the absolute $0. Whether you’re a cheapskate or just looking to do something on the weekend that won’t cost you anything, these are all incredible options that showcase some of the best sides of the metropolis. Toronto isn’t necessarily an expensive city to explore whether as a local or as a visitor and it shows with all of these free options to choose from. Let’s get to it! 59 Free Things to Do in Toronto In putting this compilation of the top free things to do in Toronto, we were overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things that could be on this list. we’ve narrowed it down to some of the best ones that balance the popular places with lesser-known ones that only locals know about. Keep in mind that this list only covers things and places that are completely free. For instance, somewhere like Centre Island is a great attraction in the city however the ferry is not free and so could not be included in this list. There are places that are free to enter but require paid parking and these are included because you can either find free parking nearby or can take advantage of public transit. These are typically places where you can walk in for free. Since this is a very long article, we’ve organized things into broader categories. They’re not perfect but we’ve tried to group places together as best as we can into logical sections. The table of contents above also facilities this by getting you to the places that interest you. This is meant to be a living and breathing list so it will be updated. For those from the city, we apologize if we left anything out. We’re also open to suggestions as well so feel free to contact us or leave a comment down below! Green Spaces 1/43 While Toronto is a large urban city, the city planners did a great job of creating green spaces throughout the entire GTA. Let’s start off with some of the best free-to-enter parks and gardens. 1. Edwards Gardens Arguably one of the best gardens in the city. Free tours are offered in the summer. On the grounds you’ll find numerous themed gardens, the Wilket Creek, many places to sit to enjoy the surroundings, and easy walking trails. There are many great photography spots here and a well-run garden shop and cafe. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Address: 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, ON M3C 1P2 Hours: Garden is open daily, from dawn until dusk. Reception – Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Weekends, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Garden Shop – Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Garden Cafe – Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Good to know: Wheelchair accessible. Access to the gardens is free but parking is paid through automated meter ($2.50 per hour). There is free neighbourhood parking in the surrounding neighbourhoods to walk in. Connected with Sunnybrook Park which is great for biking, picnicking, and bbq. TTC: Exit the Yonge Subway line at the Eglington station and take the 51, 54 or 162 bus to Lawrence Avenue. 2. High Park Toronto’s miniature equivalent to New York’s Central Park, this is the city’s largest public park. The urban green space features numerous outdoor activities. The highlights include a beautiful lakefront, off-leash dog park, the High Park Zoo, adventure playground, and hiking trails. What makes this a great free activity in the city is that it has easy public transit access with the TTC and free parking as well. The best time of the year to come here is during cherry blossom season between in late April and early May. Most of the Sakura cherry trees are located around Hillside Gardens and there are a few by the Duck Pond as well. 2/43 This is 99 acres of green wonderland! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Address: 1873 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M6R 2Z3 Hours: All-year round 24/7 Good to know: Wheelchair accessible. Available parking in the park is free. TTC: Get off at High Park Station on the subway, take bus 80 Queensway, streetcar 508 Lakeshore or streetcar 506 Carlton. 3. Allan Gardens Amidst the bustle of the city, there’s a green oasis that features a playground, off-leash dog parks and a beautiful greenhouse conservatory that is a must-visit. The centrepiece is a large Victorian cast-iron and glass dome that’s over 100 years old and inside is a garden which is open all year-round and contains tropical plants from all over the world. There’s much to see in the conservatory with 6 interconnected sections that cover different climates and plant types – The Palm House, The Cool Temperate House, The Tropical Landscape House, The Arid House, two tropical houses, and a children’s conservatory. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Address:160 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M5A 2E5 Hours: Garden is open daily, all year round Monday – Wednesday: noon to 7 p.m. Thursday – Sunday and Holidays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Good to know: Wheelchair accessible. There is limited parking onsite but you should be able to find street parking in the local neighbourhood. TTC: Subway to College Station, then eastbound Carlton Streetcar to Sherbourne Street. 3/43 4. Scarborough Bluffs Located on the east end of the GTA is a dramatic lakefront cliff aka bluffs that spans 15km and 11 parks. Locals call it “the Bluffs” and is the perfect east-end getaway that is a worthwhile trip. What makes it so interesting is how geologically diverse this stretch is. The most interesting are the exposed rocky white cliffs that are a small tease to what the White Cliffs of Dover. It doesn’t end there though as you have the marina and beaches that belong to Bluffer’s Park (most likely main entry point into the Bluffs) and many escarpment trails to explore. Enjoy the park from either up top or down below. The choice is yours. There’s really no shortage of places to explore here which is why it’ll warrant multiple visits because of all the new spots and lookouts you can discover. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Focusing on Bluffer’s Park. Address: 60 Bluffers Park Rd, Toronto, ON M1M 3W3 Hours: 24/7 Good to know: Wheelchair accessible in certain areas near marina. Be careful parking here. Read marina parking signs carefully and pay attention to what’s considered to be trailer parking. In the off-season parking is free but in the summer, meters are: Each half an hour: $1.50 Mon-Fri max. 5:00pm-9:00pm: $6 Sat/Sun/holidays max. 9:00am-8:00pm: $12 TTC: 175 Bluffer’s Park bus that runs between Kennedy Station and Bluffer’s Park Beach every 15 minutes during the daytime and early evening, on weekends and holidays. Very busy on summer weekends. Some parts of the bluffs and the cliff edges are quite dangerous due to erosion so it’s advised to follow warning signs. 5. Evergreen Brick Works 4/43 This is the ultimate in urban space design. Evergreen Brick Works is one of my favourite places to be in the city. I’m putting this in the green space category for what it represents but as a whole, there’s so much more to it. Opened in 2010, it is a truly a story of transformation with the space starting off as a century-old factory that produced the bricks that built Toronto to large-scale community environmental centre with leading edge green technologies and vibrant public space. Come here for awesome hike trails, skating rink, themed gardens, historic kilns, cafe, Evergreen Garden Market, Saturday Farmer’s Market, Sunday Artisanal Market, and special events such as Brewer’s Backyard, a beer festival. This is a sustainable park designed for the future. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Address: 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4W 3X8 Hours: The park is open 24/7 but there are different hours of operations for spaces such as the welcome centre and green market. The following are the hours of the welcome centre: Mon – Fri: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sat: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sun and holidays: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Good to know: Main complex is wheelchair accessible Free shuttle is available every 30–45 minutes from the parkette on Erindale Ave, east of Broadview Ave (just north of Broadview subway station). Parking is paid and there are no convenient local neighbourhoods to park nearby. Rates are: Each half an hour: $2.25 1 hour: $4 2 hours: $6 Full day: $8 TTC: 28 Bayview South bus from Davisville subway station. 6. Woodbine Beach If you’re looking for a beach day in the summer, Toronto’s largest beach in the Beaches neighbourhood.