Old Town Toronto History Walking Tour
Toronto, Canada
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover how Toronto evolved from a small military town into a bustling metropolis. Your guide will share historical tales about murders, duels to the death, plagues, and other events that you might not have heard about before. Admire some Victorian architecture, learn about major figures who helped the city evolve, and develop a new appreciation for the city as you discover its sites on foot.
- Tips-based tour lets you decide how much the experience is worth at the end
- Learn about Toronto’s history and architecture in a less than a couple of hours
- Tour ends at St. Lawrence Market, where you can enjoy local specialties
- Get recommendations of where to eat from your guide
What's Included
- English-speaking Tour Guide
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Toronto Old City Hall60 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5H 2M3, Canada
Meet your guide on the front steps of Old City Hall by the war memorial. Please note this is not the address of a building, but the location of a monument in front of Old City hall.
End point
- St. Lawrence MarketToronto, ON M5E 1C3, Canada
This famous food market is considered one of the best in the world and is open Tuesdays to Saturdays. If you wish to visit the St Lawrence Market after the tour, check to make sure it is open on the day of the tour.
Operating hours.1:00 pm
Itinerary
1
Old City Hall
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Holy Trinity TO
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge-Dundas Square) (Pass By)
3
Mackenzie House
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Old Town (Pass By)
4
The Cathedral Church Of St. James
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
St. Lawrence Market
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour leaves on time. If you are late, the guide cannot wait.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.5
based on 126 reviews
Janet_D, Oct 2025
Learned some about the older part of Toronto, thanks! Our group stayed pretty closely together the whole tour, walking in sort of a line so people could pass. Wish our tour guide hadn’t insisting on hurrying across the street before we were all there and especially wish he hadn’t started speaking as soon as the first person was next to him, but had waited a few seconds more til we could all hear.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for joining our Old Town tour and for sharing your feedback. We are glad you enjoyed learning about Toronto’s early history, and we appreciate your note about group pacing and timing. Our guides aim to keep everyone together and able to hear clearly, and your comments help us make sure we continue improving that experience.
Shoba_R, Aug 2025
Our tour guide, Mike, was very entertaining and knowledgeable. A very comprehensive overview of downtown Toronto.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
We are so glad you enjoyed your walk with Mike. He is both entertaining and knowledgeable, and it is great to hear you found the overview of downtown Toronto so comprehensive. Thank you for joining us and for sharing your kind words.
Cassandra_N, Aug 2025
No one showed. They never warned us or called us. Just a money refund, that was it. Was looking forward to it.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
We are very sorry this happened. There was a last-minute scheduling issue, but it should have been followed up more quickly and thoroughly on our end. While situations like this are very rare, we know that does not lessen the disappointment of missing a tour you were looking forward to. You were refunded promptly, and we are taking steps with our team to ensure this is handled better in the future. We hope you will consider giving us another chance to show you the experience we are known for.
Pam_J, Aug 2025
Michael was a great tour guide. I was glad to get to know more about Toronto and see various sites. It was a good introduction to the city.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thanks, Pam! We’re glad you enjoyed exploring Old Town with Michael. It’s a great way to get to know Toronto’s history and hidden corners, and we hope the rest of your time in the city was just as fun.
Tammy_H, Aug 2025
Beautiful interesting buildings to learn the history behind. Our guide seemed to have a poor opinion of the United States, which shouldn’t be in his commentary.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thanks for joining our Old Town History Tour. Our guides tell Toronto’s story in their own words, and sometimes that means touching on moments when Canada and the U.S. weren’t exactly getting along — like now, with trade disputes and talk of Canada as a “51st state,” which understandably riles Canadians. That said, American visitors are and always will be our cherished friends and neighbours. We don’t skip the tough parts of history, but we also make sure our tours are fun and welcoming for everyone. Since no guide was mentioned by name, we’ll share your feedback with the whole team as a reminder to keep that balance.
Bernadette_A, Jul 2025
Mike, my tour guide was knowledgeable, willing to answer all my questions and more! I really enjoyed his positive outlook and love of Toronto. I learned a lot of information about the city in a short amount time.. It is a 5 star.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for the 5 stars. Mike will be happy to hear this. His passion for Toronto really shines and we're so glad you enjoyed the tour.
John_C, Jun 2025
David gave us a nice tour and history of Toronto. He was informative on the history of the city and well versed in its current neighborhoods and must sees. It was our first visit to Toronto and this tour gave us a good foundation.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thanks for your kind review, and for choosing to spend time with us here in Toronto!
Katalin_S, Jun 2025
Excellent tour, the guide was great and told us lots of information and fun facts. Time went quickly.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Cheers! Thanks for the review!
Assaf_A, Jun 2025
Had a lovely time on this walking tour. Learned a lot about Toronto’s architecture and history. The guide was friendly, funny and professional.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thanks for joining us and for the kind words. Always great to hear when a tour hits the sweet spot between fun and informative. We take pride in making Toronto’s stories come alive without putting anyone to sleep. Glad you had a good time!
Hayley_W, Jun 2025
I testing walking tour which was well guided by Kieran. Saw some sites we hadn't seen walking around on our own
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Kieran’s one of those guides who knows how to show you the stuff that hides in plain sight. Glad he helped you see a different side of the city. Hope the rest of your time in Toronto was just as rewarding.
Sarang_P, Apr 2025
Very good content we learnt a lot about Toronto from this walk. Also saw some lovely churches during the walk
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thanks for walking with us and for the kind review. Glad to hear you learned a lot and took in some of Toronto’s beautiful churches along the way. There’s a lot of history hiding in plain sight here and it’s always a pleasure to help uncover it.
Jennifer_m, Oct 2024
This was a great tour. Interesting facts about the city. Easy stroll and great tour guide. It was just around 2 hours and a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Penelope_G, Oct 2024
Tour guide didn’t show up. Big disappointment.
We were really looking forward to this and was one of the primary reasons for traveling to Toronto
Please send me a refund.
Ronald_C, Oct 2024
Nothing against the tour or guide, we were about 10 minutes late finding anyplace that resembled the meeting place and could not find anyone with a sign or banner wondering where we were. We found a few old remnants of ‘old town’ besides City Hall across the park we thought was the meeting place on our way to China Town, UofT and the ROM. So it goes. Thanks for the possibility. I’d ensure the meeting place is intuitively obvious even to Oregonians lost in a Metropolis of High Rise Construction like New Old Town Toronto. Maybe next time. Thanks.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thanks for the note and for taking the time to share your experience, even if things didn’t quite connect this time around. I’m sorry we missed you. Sounds like you ended up on your own version of the tour, which, to be fair, still hits some great spots. That meeting point has worked well in the past, but with all the construction lately, I can absolutely see how it could feel more like a scavenger hunt than a welcome mat. I’ll take another look at our instructions and see how we can make it more foolproof for visitors, even those freshly dropped in from Oregon. Hope we get the chance to guide you properly next time.
The construction situation around Old City Hall and the meeting point under the clock tower by the war memorial is much better now and easy to find.
Lindly_D, Oct 2024
I am a resident of Toronto and found the guide to be very knowledgeable and engaging. Highly recommended.
Andrea_M, Sep 2024
Seeing all the architecture within downtown. And learning the connection to Casa Loma and old city hall.
John_F, Sep 2024
Our guide was excellent Because of the construction going on in Toronto the noise was a serious challenge but she did really well firstly to concentrate and make what she was saying interesting but also to be heard. She very knowledgeable and had a very approachable manner
David_C, Sep 2024
Seeing the printing press at work, hearing stories about old Toronto.Michelle was very engaging, and shared some great history. I learned a lot.
Johnnie_B, Sep 2024
Enjoyed the seldom told stories of Toronto history. Also nice that the tour ended at the St Lawerence Market so we could have lunch after our walk.
Susan_F, Sep 2024
Winnie was a great tour guide. Very informative and knowledgeable. Charismatic and energetic. She was great fun and also made sure we all stayed together
Christina_L, Sep 2024
Jennifer our tour guide on 9/1/2024 was fabulous. Very knowledgeable and explained all the sights very clearly. Very friendly. We all enjoyed our walk. I highly recommend this walk tour and having Jennifer as your guide is a big plus!! Nassau County, NY
AnaMaria_M, Aug 2024
Very knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating guide. We enjoyed very much the tour, our 3 children (teenagers) were engaged and liked it. We definitely recomend this tour.
Steve_P, Aug 2024
Very interesting and entertaining also highly recommended Anna is an excellent tour guide great day oit
Sharia_S, Aug 2024
This was my first time in Toronto! I had amazing time and my tour guide was very knowledgeable! Highly recommend !!
Beatrice_B, Jul 2024
Mike was a really knowledgeable and fun tour guide! He could answer any question and really gave us a great understanding of the History of Toronto and Canada!
Chidinma_O, Jul 2024
Ulysses was a kind tour guide who seemed very knowledgeable about Toronto. He was there early to sign everyone in. Warning that this tour involves a lot of walking.
Tricia_M, Jul 2024
His storytelling was impactful. And it generated engagement from the group. I especially liked the discussion on the Scottish man, Mr. MacKenzie, the first Mayor of Toronto. He was described as a very tenacious man. Determined and unwavering in his pursuit of reformation of the colonial-styled governance of the day.
Also notable, but left me wanting more details, was the contribution of the Chinese immigrants in Canada.
I enjoyed the Storytelling Tour, even though the duration was longer because of our questions and contributions.
The atmosphere was humid so I drank a lot of water. The washroom facilities at the Church were in clean condition.
I recommend wearing a hat or using an umbrella during the summer months.
Sebastian_L, Jul 2024
Lots of useful information and a bit of a history lesson concerning Toronto. Our tour guide had an excellent knowledge.
Selina_D, Jul 2024
Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining walking tour of Toronto. Animated tour guide and loved hearing about the history and cultural transformation of the city. Would definitely recommend.
Karen_M, Jul 2024
The tour guide was excellent, very informative, and a female from Poland, I believe who spoke multiple languages, and took us to the highlights of Toronto Old City, including cathedrals, St. James and St Micheals, and a black music museum Friars Tavern, Toronto's Time Square, Historical Farmers St Lawence Market, Parks, Statues, Fountains, Mackenzie House which was the First Toronto Mayors Home with the original printing Press. We started at the historic old city hall. I wish I could remember her name. She did an excellent job. She knew more about Toronto than a local!
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