Toronto Distillery Walk
Toronto
5.2 km · 73 min · 8 stops$6.99
Toronto Audio Walking Tours
Self-guided, narrated walks through Toronto. Buy a tour once, download it, and let the story play at each stop while you walk at your own pace.
Tours from $6.49
5.0 on Google Play
What to expect on a Toronto audio walking tour
A Toronto audio walking tour gives you a choice between the red brick charm of the Distillery District and waterfront, or the glass and steel energy of Downtown under the CN Tower. Both routes are flat, easy walking, and pack in a lot of the city's history and skyline in under an hour and a half.
The Distillery and Waterfront route runs about 5.2 kilometers and 73 minutes, starting at St. Lawrence Market and passing St. James Cathedral and Berczy Park. You'll reach the Gooderham Building before stepping into the cobblestone lanes of the Distillery District, then continue through Corktown Common and Sherbourne Common down to the lakeside stretch of Sugar Beach.
The Downtown route covers about 4.3 kilometers and 61 minutes, starting at Nathan Phillips Square and Old City Hall before pushing through the crowds at Yonge-Dundas Square and the Eaton Centre. From there the narration takes you past St. Michael's Cathedral and into the Financial District, ending near Union Station with the CN Tower rising overhead.
The two routes barely overlap, so between them you get Toronto's Victorian warehouse past and its modern skyline in one visit. Give yourself a couple of hours if you want to do both, with time to stop for a coffee somewhere along St. Lawrence Market or the Distillery District.
Where to walk in Toronto
A few of the stops you will pass, and why they are worth slowing down for.
St. Lawrence Market
St. Lawrence Market is a food lover's walking destination, a historic covered market hall packed with vendors selling everything from peameal bacon sandwiches to fresh produce and baked goods. Wandering the aisles is a sensory experience of sizzling grills, colorful stalls, and the chatter of vendors calling out to shoppers. Just outside, the surrounding streets are lined with handsome heritage buildings, including St. James Cathedral and the leafy, fountain filled Berczy Park with its whimsical dog statues. It is one of the most flavorful ways to spend a morning walking in Toronto.
Distillery District
The Distillery District is a pedestrian only maze of red brick Victorian industrial buildings, once a whisky distillery and now filled with galleries, boutiques, and cafes. Cobblestone lanes and old iron pipes still visible on the buildings give the whole area a distinct, atmospheric character unlike anywhere else in the city. There are no cars to worry about, so you can wander freely and duck into whichever shop or courtyard catches your eye. It has a romantic, almost storybook feel that photographs beautifully at any time of year.
Toronto Waterfront and Sugar Beach
Toronto's waterfront trail runs along Lake Ontario past Sherbourne Common and Sugar Beach, a small urban beach known for its pink umbrellas and imported sand right in the shadow of the city's condo towers. Walking here you get open lake views, sailboats bobbing in the harbor, and a steady stream of cyclists and joggers sharing the path. It is a modern, well designed stretch of public space that shows off how the city has reconnected with its lakeshore in recent years. On a warm day it feels more like a resort than a downtown neighborhood.
Nathan Phillips Square
Nathan Phillips Square is the civic heart of Toronto, framed by the curved towers of City Hall and home to the giant TORONTO sign that has become one of the city's most photographed spots. Walking across the square you will find reflecting pools that turn into a skating rink in winter, fountains in summer, and a constant flow of locals and tourists posing for photos. Just beside it, Old City Hall's clock tower adds a Victorian counterpoint to the modern architecture. It is a lively, open space that captures Toronto's mix of old and new.
Kensington Market
Kensington Market is one of Toronto's most colorful neighborhoods to walk through, a bohemian jumble of vintage shops, street murals, and food stalls representing cuisines from around the world. The narrow streets are closed to cars on select days, filling with musicians, cyclists, and shoppers browsing racks of secondhand clothes set up right on the sidewalk. Brightly painted houses and layers of graffiti art give every corner a different look and feel. It is unpolished in the best way, and one of the most rewarding neighborhoods in the city for aimless wandering.
Toronto audio tours
Each tour is a mapped route with narration at every stop. Buy it once and it is yours to keep, no subscription.
Start your Toronto audio tour in three steps
No group to keep up with and no departure time. Get set up in a couple of minutes and walk whenever suits you.
- 1
Get the app
Download Walk With Me free on iPhone or Android, then open the audio tours for your city.
- 2
Pick your tour
Choose a Toronto tour, sample the free intro and first stops, then unlock the whole route with a one-time purchase.
- 3
Press play and walk
Head to the first stop and start walking. The narration triggers by GPS as you arrive, and it works offline once downloaded.