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The city of Toronto seemingly comes alive after 5:00 pm. Trendy bars and restaurants start opening up, people make their way to outdoor patios and public spaces to relax, and the heavy traffic of the day starts to die down.
Whether you’re hoping to catch a live outdoor performance or you just want to people watch on a patio sipping your favorite beer – here are the 5 of the best things to do in Toronto after 5:00 pm!
If you are in the Yorkville area, check out our post on Yorkville After 5:00 pm.
Go on a Haunted Toronto Walking Tour
Toronto has a dark and interesting history with a lot of scary facts that you won’t learn about on a typical walking tour. The Haunted Toronto Walking Tours are the best way to learn about the city’s creepy history, its different ghost sightings, and its most popular local haunting spots.
This walking tour runs between April and December with the earliest tour starting at 8PM. Prices start at $21.75 per adult. The tour runs 90 minutes in length.
With the tour guides dressed up in hooded capes and carrying hanging lamp-posts, you won’t find a more spooky and unique experience in Toronto! Don’t forget to bring your appetite – the tour stops at the Mill Street Brewery as a halfway point where you can sample some beers and enjoy some tasty snacks.
Wander Around Ripley’s Aquarium
Right underneath the CN Tower is where you’ll find Toronto’s Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. Once you’re done admiring the world’s tallest tower you can make your way into one of North America’s most impressive aquariums!
This is a great place to visit if you’re traveling with kids but it’s still an amazing experience for couples and solo travelers. At the aquarium are more than 20,000 exotic sea and freshwater plants and fish that you can admire for hours while wandering through the incredible exhibits.
The best part about visiting Ripley’s after 5:00 pm? Tickets are cheaper and the aquarium isn’t nearly as busy – especially if you’re visiting during the week.
Ticket prices start at $30 for adults, though if you’re visiting after 7PM you can save $5 on a ticket that includes the shark exhibit. The aquarium is open until 11:00 pm, leaving you a lot of time to explore!
Get Breakfast for Dinner at Fran’s Restaurant
Wait – you can get breakfast for dinner in Toronto?
Believe it or not there are a number of different restaurants offering late night breakfast but there’s only one worth visiting.
Fran’s Restaurant is a family-owned and operated Toronto restaurant with three locations on Yonge Street. You can stop here anytime after 5:00 pm until 2:00 am for one of their all day breakfast plates. I recommend the “Canadian Benedict” that will fill you up with energy to keep you going for the rest of your night in Toronto!
This is a classic Toronto diner that’s been serving the area for more than 70 years! The service is great with quick turnaround time so you can enjoy your delicious meal and start exploring the city right away!
Expect to spend $10-$15 here per person for a breakfast plate with a drink and large portions.
Enjoy a Toronto Night Cruise
The best way to see the Toronto skyline is from the water. There are a number of different cruise lines offering late afternoon, early evening, and night cruises depending on your travel schedule.
Some of the tours even include a gourmet dinner and champagne so you can turn this into a romantic evening with your significant other!
From the harbor you’re able to enjoy a unique perspective of the Toronto skyline without having to worry about traffic or the crowds of people walking around.
Personally, I recommend going with Mariposa Cruises. They offer both cocktail and dinner cruises depending on your time and budget. The dinner cruise is an amazing experience with more than 3 hours of cruising!
Prices for tours start at $25 and you can expect to pay up to $100 for a fully catered, dinner cruise. Boats leave the docks every 30 minutes so there are plenty of options for timing, even if you have a tight travel schedule.
Go On An Instagram Mission Downtown
With the sun setting over the skyline and the city lights starting to turn on Toronto becomes even more picturesque after 5PM. The late afternoon and early evening are some of the best times to take photos of the city with the great lighting and smaller crowds.
Start at Dundas Square and make your way west into Chinatown and the Fashion District. The architecture and cityscapes in these neighborhoods are incredible and there are heaps of opportunities for amazing Instagram photos of Toronto.
It seems that around every corner you’ll catch glimpses of the CN Tower and the city lights give downtown Toronto a magical feel – something you don’t get during the day when it’s so busy and hectic.
If you’re having trouble deciding where to go, consider joining a walking tour that will when you to the best tourist spots. Along the way you’re bound to find dozens of things that catch your eye!
Guest Writer
Stefan P. | Stefan Round the World
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Haha breakfast for dinner sounds like something I would enjoy 🙂
And a dinner cruise to see Toronto from the water is definitely something I would do!
What a great idea for a site! A lot of places roll up the sidewalks after 5pm and nobody knows what to do. I have only been to Toronto once and we didn’t do much as we were there for a wedding but I will certainly refer to this post when I get back there.
Haunted Toronto Tour!! So gonna do that if I get to Toronto 😀 And CN Tower for Toronto seems like KL tower for Malaysia, follows you everywhere you go.
This was a very timely post. I was just telling my wife that we need to visit Canada. Never been. Thinking Toronto because we have friends there. Will definitely give these activities some consideration.
That Haunted Toronto tour sounds like a hoot. And I would love breakfast for dinner. A night cruise sounds heavenly too.
Toronto looks so beautiful. And like most of the cities, Toronto is also full of spooky facts. I would love to go for a Haunted Walking tour. I believe the best in a city can only be discovered by walking around the place. All the places that you have pointed out looks and sounds so interesting. I do have a question, why would they serve breakfast for dinner? Is it something special?
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