10:00–11:15
Trips planned by Robin · Toronto, Canada
Toronto with Toddlers: An Unhurried 4-Day Itinerary.
Toronto with a 2 year old is a flat city with streetcars, a free farm and a ferry, and it eats dinner at the hour a toddler does. These four mid-September days, a Monday to a Thursday, go one big sight and one toddler stop each, with the nap taken on the harbourfront path, on the island lawns, on the walk up to the goats and on the streetcar west to High Park. Every dinner is seated at 18:00, and in Canada that reads as normal rather than early. Our own 2 year old rated the ferry above the glass floor and the ray tank above both, which tells you where the money should go.
Robin planned this trip forFirst visitToddler (age 2)Naps built inStreetcars and subwayRelaxed paceMid-SeptemberChange these assumptions →
Planned by Robin
4 days · 18 stops
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4-day Toronto itinerary at a glance
1CN Tower→Ripley's Aquarium of Canada→Carousel Bakery, St. Lawrence Market→Harbourfront Centre waterfront walk→Pizzeria Libretto
2Jack Layton Ferry Terminal→Centreville Amusement Park→Toronto Island lakeside picnic lunch→Franklin Children's Garden→Mildred's Temple Kitchen
3Distillery District→St. Lawrence Market wander→Riverdale Farm→Terroni
4Kensington Market→Rol San→Jamie Bell Adventure Playground, High Park→Early dinner near High Park
- Best for
- A first Toronto with a stroller. A tower, a ray tank, a ferry, a free farm, dim sum carts and one of the country's big playgrounds
- Car needed
- No, not once. The plan runs on feet, streetcars, the subway and the island ferry, so the car seat question never comes up
- Where to stay
- Downtown south of Queen Street, between Union Station and the ferry terminal, where days 1 and 2 start on foot
- Best months
- Late May to June and September. Warm days, cool nights, and the island quiet again after Labour Day
- Pace
- Relaxed. One big sight a day, then a park or a farm, with the nap on wheels, on water or on grass
- Robin recommends
- The day 4 reshuffle. Eat the Kensington Market stalls at 11:30, ride west while she naps, and let Rol San's carts be the 17:30 dinner instead of the lunch. The trip ends in Chinatown, 10 minutes from a downtown hotel, and nobody rides back east after the playground for a second helping of Tuesday's dinner.
Your 4-day route
All stops, numbered by day order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
Day 1 · Monday
Day 1: The glass floor, the rays and a zigzag to the market
Getting around: 5.1 km on foot (~64 min)
An easy first day close to the hotel: the CN Tower's glass floor in the morning while everyone's fresh, then Ripley's dim, slow-moving tanks are pure toddler magic, the long stroller stretch along the harbourfront afterward should do double duty as naptime, and dinner is real Toronto pizza in a room that welcomes little ones.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
↓100 m · ~2 min walk
11:30–13:00
2Ripley's Aquarium of Canada Nature
The slow-moving ray tank and dim, quiet galleries right next to the tower are perfect toddler pacing.
288 Bremner Blvd, Toronto · Website
↓1.7 km · ~22 min walk
13:15–14:15
3Carousel Bakery, St. Lawrence Market Eat
The original peameal bacon sandwich counter since 1969, a quick, iconic lunch on the way to the waterfront.
93 Front St E, Toronto
↓1.8 km · ~23 min walk
14:30–16:00
4Harbourfront Centre waterfront walk Walk
A flat, stroller-smooth path along the lake with buskers and boats to watch, timed to be naptime if the toddler drifts off.
235 Queens Quay W, Toronto
↓1.5 km · ~18 min walk
18:00–19:15
5Pizzeria Libretto Eat
Real Neapolitan-style pies in a casual, kid-welcoming room near the King West strip.
221 Ossington Ave, Toronto
Robin's tip. Two headline sights before lunch is one more than the rule allows, so pick. At this age the aquarium is the one she remembers, so treat the tower as a fast lap at 10:00, glass floor, one photo, down, or leave it for the grown-ups on a clear evening after dinner. The market is a 1.4 km push east of the aquarium and the waterfront walk is 1.4 km back west, which makes the afternoon a zigzag. This is a Monday, and the market's Monday trading has changed over the years, so check its own site the night before. If it is shut, lunch near the aquarium and start the harbourfront walk straight from the tower; the peameal moves to Wednesday's market stop, which then earns its place. Pizzeria Libretto has more than one room. The plan's pin sits 700 m from the tower, but the address it lists is Ossington Avenue, 4 km west, so check which one you are walking to before you set off with a tired child.
Traveling on different dates, or with kids? Robin rebuilds this plan around you.
Plan with Robin →Day 2 · Tuesday
Day 2: The ferry is the sight
Getting around: 910 m on foot (~11 min) · 2 short rides
Today is all about the water: the short ferry out to the Islands is an adventure in itself for a two-year-old, and Centreville's gentle rides and open lawns are exactly toddler-scale. Keep the pace slow, there's no reason to rush back before the late afternoon light.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
10:00–10:30
1Jack Layton Ferry Terminal Transit
A short, scenic 15-minute crossing with the skyline receding behind you, check the timetable, it runs frequently in September.
9 Queens Quay W, Toronto · Website
↓2.9 km · ~16 min by taxi or transit
10:45–11:30
2Centreville Amusement Park
Gentle vintage rides scaled exactly to a two-year-old, the little train and carousel are the hits.
9 Centre Island Park, Toronto
↓570 m · ~7 min walk
13:15–14:00
3Toronto Island lakeside picnic lunch Eat
Pick up sandwiches before the ferry and eat on the grass overlooking the lake, the island's slow pace is naptime-friendly.
↓340 m · ~4 min walk
14:15–15:45
4Franklin Children's Garden Nature
A quiet, shaded play garden on the island, flat and stroller-friendly, good for a slow wind-down or a nap on the walk there.
↓5.7 km · ~26 min by taxi or transit
18:00–19:15
5Mildred's Temple Kitchen Eat
Locally-sourced comfort food in Liberty Village, relaxed and genuinely good with kids.
85 Hanna Ave, Toronto
Robin's tip. This is the day the plan gets right. The crossing is 15 minutes, the stroller rolls on, and the skyline going away behind her is the best free thing in the city. Buy the picnic before you board, as the plan says. Centreville's season thins once Labour Day has passed and this is a Tuesday, so check its September days before you promise the little train; if it is closed, Franklin Children's Garden and the lawns are the whole afternoon and it is still the best day of the trip. Let her fall asleep on the walk from the rides to the picnic spot. Dinner is Mildred's Temple Kitchen in Liberty Village, 3.6 km west of the ferry terminal, which is a streetcar or a cab at 17:30 and not a walk.
Traveling on different dates, or with kids? Robin rebuilds this plan around you.
Plan with Robin →Day 3 · Wednesday
Day 3: Bricks, a market you have already seen, goats, and a dinner 3 km away
Getting around: 1.4 km on foot (~17 min) · 2 short rides
The cobblestones of the Distillery District are lovely for a wander (uneven but stroller-doable), and just up the road Riverdale Farm gives the toddler goats, chickens and open grass to run on. Grab peameal bacon at St. Lawrence Market on the way, it's the sandwich Toronto is famous for.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
10:00–11:45
1Distillery District Culture
Cobblestone (uneven but stroller-doable) lanes of Victorian brick warehouses, now galleries and craft shops, go before midday crowds.
55 Mill St, Toronto
↓1.4 km · ~17 min walk
12:00–13:00
2St. Lawrence Market wander Shopping
Browse the stalls for local cheese and produce, the Saturday farmers' market upstairs is worth a return trip if you're ever back on a weekend.
93 Front St E, Toronto
↓2.7 km · ~15 min by taxi or transit
13:30–15:15
3Riverdale Farm Nature
Free working farm with goats, cows and chickens on flat paths, exactly the hands-on toddler stop this trip needed, and the walk there can double as naptime.
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201 Winchester St, Toronto
↓3.6 km · ~19 min by taxi or transit
18:00–19:15
4Terroni Eat
Wood-fired Italian classics in a warm, bustling room, a satisfying easy dinner after a farm afternoon.
720 Queen St W, Toronto
St. Lawrence Market again, or straight to the goats
If you already had the peameal on MondaySkip the market return. Buy lunch at one of the bakery counters inside the Distillery, eat it on a bench in the lanes, and walk north to Riverdale Farm with the seat reclined. That walk is the nap, 25 minutes on flat sidewalks, and you reach the goats with the whole afternoon in hand and no doubling back.
If you missed the market because Monday was shut, and she is awake at noonKeep the 12:00 stop, but make it the sandwich rather than a browse. Carousel Bakery's counter is in the same building, so eat standing, let her have the bacon, and push north to the farm from there. The market at midday on a Wednesday is calm enough for a stroller between the stalls.
If you missed the market because Monday was shut, and she is asleep when you leave the DistilleryDo not wake her for a sandwich. Walk north to the farm with the seat reclined and let the nap run; lunch is whatever you packed at the Distillery. The peameal moves to Thursday: the market is a 1 km push from the ferry terminal and trades from early morning on a weekday, so eat it as breakfast before the streetcar to Kensington.
Ask Robin to personalize this day →
Robin's tip. The Distillery's cobbles at 10:00 are fine with big wheels and empty lanes. The plan promises peameal at St. Lawrence Market today, but the 12:00 stop is a browse, and if Monday's market was open you already ate the sandwich there; the choice below sorts that out. The push north to Riverdale Farm is 2 km of flat sidewalk and is the nap, and the farm is free. Terroni is the problem. It has several rooms, the plan's pin is 2.8 km north-west of the farm and the address it lists is Queen Street West, further still, so the 18:00 seating means a ride with a tired child whichever one you booked. Canada will seat you at 17:30 without a second look, and the plan books nothing near the farm, so book Terroni early and take a cab up with her asleep on a lap, or ask Robin to repeat Monday's pizza near the hotel. Do not walk it; 2.8 km after a farm afternoon is where the day breaks.
Traveling on different dates, or with kids? Robin rebuilds this plan around you.
Plan with Robin →Day 4 · Thursday
Day 4: Kensington, dim sum carts and the big playground
Getting around: 310 m on foot (~4 min) · 1 short ride
A gentle last day: Kensington Market's colourful streets in the morning, dim sum for lunch, then High Park's playground for a proper run-around before the trip winds down over an early, relaxed dinner.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
10:00–11:30
1Kensington Market Walk
Wander the colourful, car-free lanes of vintage shops and food stalls, flat sidewalks, easy with a stroller, best before lunch crowds arrive.
↓310 m · ~4 min walk
12:00–13:00
2Rol San Eat
Classic Chinatown dim sum, cart-side and fast, a fun, hands-on lunch a toddler can pick at.
323 Spadina Ave, Toronto
↓6.3 km · ~28 min by taxi or transit
14:00–15:30
3Jamie Bell Adventure Playground, High Park
One of the city's best play structures, set right in High Park's greenery, a proper run-around to close out the trip.
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18:00–19:00
4Early dinner near High Park Eat
A relaxed, familiar farewell dinner near High Park before heading back, the patio is lovely if the weather holds.
85 Hanna Ave, Toronto
Robin's tip. Kensington to Rol San is 240 m, so the morning is one neighbourhood. Rol San to High Park is 4.8 km, and the ride west is the nap: seat reclined, snack sealed, off at the park. The last dinner is deliberately generic in the plan, because the address it carries is 85 Hanna Avenue, which is Mildred's Temple Kitchen, Tuesday's dinner, 3 km east of the playground in Liberty Village and not near High Park at all. If you are sleeping downtown it is on the way home and a room you already know, which counts for something with a 2 year old. If not, flip the day: market stalls for lunch at 11:30, playground at 13:30, and Rol San's carts at 17:30 as the farewell dinner. Ask Robin to make the swap.
Bucket-list foods in Toronto
Peameal bacon sandwich
Cornmeal-crusted back bacon in a soft bun from a market counter that has been at it since 1969. Tear off the bacon for the toddler and keep the bun for yourself.
On this trip: Carousel Bakery, St. Lawrence Market, day 1
Neapolitan pizza
A soft, blistered crust and a room that does not mind a 2 year old eating the middle first.
On this trip: Pizzeria Libretto, day 1
Dim sum from the cart
Point, take, eat. Steamed buns and dumplings arrive in small rounds a toddler can hold, and nothing waits for a menu. Better as the early dinner than the lunch if you take the day 4 swap.
On this trip: Rol San, day 4
A bakery lunch in the Distillery
Bread, pastries and a coffee from one of the counters inside the brick lanes, eaten on a bench, so the walk north to the farm starts fed and on time.
On this trip: Distillery District, day 3 choice point
Poutine
Fries, squeaky cheese curds and mild gravy: soft, salty and shareable, which makes it legitimate toddler food. It is not on this plan, so ask Robin to find you a lunch of it, or order a side wherever the menu has one.
Where to stay for this itinerary
Stay in Downtown south core and the waterfront if…
- you want the tower, the aquarium and the ferry terminal within a 15-minute push of the front door
- the harbourfront path as the nap walk from the hotel suits you
- Pizzeria Libretto's downtown room being 700 m from the tower saves you a ride on night 1
Stay in King West and Liberty Village if…
- Mildred's Temple Kitchen on foot on Tuesday, and again on Thursday if you keep it, matters more than the ferry on foot
- you would rather ride the streetcar to the sights than to the dinners
- you like a neighbourhood that goes quiet after 20:00
Stay in Old Town around St. Lawrence Market if…
- the market as breakfast on the days it trades appeals
- the Distillery and the walk up to Riverdale Farm start on foot
- the ferry terminal being 1 km away makes day 2 the easy one
Before you go
How do we get in from the airport without a car seat?
By train. The airport train to Union Station takes the car out of the question, the stroller rolls on and you are downtown where the plan starts. Uber's car seat product is effectively not offered in Canada, so do not count on it. Car seat law is provincial, and in every province we checked a taxi is exempt from the child restraint rule, which makes a cab without a seat legal and not safe. Ontario writes its own version, so if you must ride, bring your own seat or book a private family transfer that supplies one, with a day's notice.
Does a 2 year old need a ticket for anything?
Ask about the child fare at the first station; on much Canadian city transit a 2 year old rides free, and the streetcar is the attraction at this age anyway. Riverdale Farm is free, the parks and Kensington's lanes are free, and so is the island once you have paid the ferry. The tower, the aquarium and Centreville are the paid entries, and the tower is really for the grown-ups.
Is St. Lawrence Market open on day 1?
Check. Day 1 is a Monday, and the market's Monday hours have changed over the years, so look at its own site the night before rather than pushing 1.4 km east on a hope. If it is shut, ask Robin to lunch near the aquarium and start the waterfront walk from the tower, then make Wednesday's 12:00 market stop the peameal sandwich rather than a browse. The plan promises that sandwich on day 3; this is how it keeps the promise.
Can we take a toddler into a brewpub or a bar patio?
The rule of thumb from every province we checked: if it serves real food, kids are fine; if it is a bar, no. Ontario writes its own liquor rules, so read the door sign or ask when you book. None of this plan's four dinners is a bar, and all four sit at 18:00 in rooms that expect children.
Is an 18:00 dinner too early for Toronto?
No, and 17:30 would not be either. Canadians eat early; a 17:30 reservation is an ordinary booking, the kitchen is fully running and the room is quiet. This is the biggest structural advantage of Canada with a toddler over southern Europe, and it is why the day 3 and day 4 dinners can move earlier without anyone flinching.
What does mid-September weather need for a 2 year old?
Layers. Mid-September in Toronto is the turn of the season: warm afternoons are still possible, evenings cool fast, nights can drop toward 10, and some days rain. A fleece and a light shell in the stroller basket, a hat for the ferry deck, and sunscreen still, because the island lawns and the harbourfront have no shade at noon.
When is a cab the right call?
When the distance is short and legs are done: Tuesday's 3.6 km from the ferry terminal to Mildred's, Wednesday's 2.8 km from the farm to Terroni. No cab here can be assumed to carry a child seat, so a cab means the toddler on a lap, legal in the provinces we checked and not safe. For anything longer, stay on the streetcar, which has stroller space and is the ride she wanted anyway.
Will the playgrounds and parks take a stroller?
Yes. Canadian cities invest in playgrounds and they are everywhere, free and good. On this plan the ground is flat throughout: the harbourfront path, the island lawns and Franklin Children's Garden, the sidewalk up to Riverdale Farm, Kensington's lanes and High Park's paths. The only rough stretch is the Distillery's cobbles on Wednesday morning, which the plan admits are uneven and doable.
The toddler reality check
Toronto is good with a 2 year old: flat, on streetcars with stroller space, and it seats dinner at the hour she needs it. This plan mostly obeys the one big thing rule. Day 2 is the model: a ferry, a small ride park, a picnic and a garden, all on one island. Day 1 stacks the tower and the aquarium before lunch and then zigzags to a market that may not be trading on a Monday. Day 3 returns to the same market, promises a sandwich it does not schedule, and ends at Terroni 2.8 km from the farm. Day 4's dinner carries Mildred's Temple Kitchen's address, 3 km from High Park and already Tuesday's dinner, so the plan leaves it generic and the tip gives you the two fixes. Every dinner sits at 18:00, and Canada would take 17:30 without a raised eyebrow. Check Centreville's September calendar, and expect a post-Labour-Day week that is crisp in the evenings.
Do taxis in Toronto have car seats, and is a toddler on a lap legal?
Do not expect a car seat in any cab, and Uber's car seat option is effectively not offered in Canada. Car seat law is provincial; in every province we checked, taxis are exempt from the child restraint rule, so a toddler on a lap is legal and, as every safety body says, not safe: it is the same crash physics as any car. Ontario writes its own version, so treat a cab as the fallback, bring your own seat if you will ride often, and keep this plan on the streetcars, the subway and the ferry, which is what it was built for.
Will restaurants have high chairs?
Yes, reliably. This is North America: any sit-down room that serves families, which is nearly all of them outside fine dining, has high chairs and usually boosters too, and staff bring one before you ask. Hotel breakfasts and food courts, assume yes. The only places to check are tiny counters and tasting-menu rooms. Carousel Bakery is a market counter, so eat standing there; Pizzeria Libretto, Mildred's Temple Kitchen, Terroni and Rol San are ordinary rooms and will have one.
How do Toronto restaurants take a 2 year old, and does 18:00 work?
Warm and unremarkable. Kids' menus are the norm, crayons are common, nobody minds a toddler. Canadians eat early, so a 17:30 booking is a normal reservation with the kitchen fully running and the room quiet, and 18:00 is well inside that. A toddler melting down at the table gets sympathy rather than stares. The only rooms to avoid are proper bars, which each province treats differently and which have no place on this plan.
How does the stroller cope with the parks, the ferry and the streetcar?
Well. Canadian cities build playgrounds everywhere and they are free and good; transit has designated stroller space; the plan's ground is flat from the harbourfront to High Park. The stroller rolls onto the ferry and onto the island paths, and Franklin Children's Garden and Jamie Bell Adventure Playground are the two purpose-built stops. The Distillery's cobbles are the only rough patch, and the walk from the Distillery up to Riverdale Farm is 2 km of sidewalk that doubles as the nap.
What is mid-September like for a 2 year old?
Turning. Toronto in mid-September still has warm afternoons, but the evenings cool quickly, nights can drop toward 10 and some days rain. Layers morning and evening, a light jacket for the ferry deck, a shell in the stroller basket. Post-Labour-Day crowds thin, which is why the island on a Tuesday is so quiet.
How do locals treat toddlers in public?
Warmly and casually. Canada is an easy toddler audience: servers chat to the kid, strangers hold doors for strollers, transit has stroller space, museums and markets expect children. A melting-down 2 year old in a restaurant gets sympathy, not stares. This is a country that builds its public space assuming kids are in it, and Riverdale Farm being free in the middle of the city is that idea made concrete.
How much of this plan is free?
A good deal of it. Riverdale Farm, Kensington Market, High Park and its playground, Franklin Children's Garden, the harbourfront walk and the Distillery lanes cost nothing. The ferry, the tower, the aquarium and Centreville are the paid entries, and on much Canadian city transit a 2 year old rides free, so the streetcar rides that are half the fun of this trip cost the grown-ups only.
Raising kids in Canada: fun facts
- Canada runs a real 10-dollar-a-day childcare programme; by 2026 six jurisdictions had hit the set fee, and even the laggards cut fees hugely, with Ontario cities around 22 dollars a day.
- Parental leave runs 12 or 18 months, which explains all the year-old babies on weekday trails and ferries.
- Poutine is legitimate toddler food: fries, squeaky cheese curds and mild gravy, soft, salty and shareable.
- Forest schools and outdoor preschools are booming, and the Scandinavian idea that there is no bad weather, only bad clothing, is mainstream, so expect rain-suited toddlers in muddy parks whatever the sky does.
3 days
Have 3 days?
Fold the Distillery into day 1
Do the aquarium at opening, lunch at a bakery counter in the Distillery, and walk up to Riverdale Farm as the nap. The tower becomes an evening lap for one grown-up while the other does bedtime, and Wednesday disappears.
Keep the ferry day whole
Whatever gets cut, day 2 stays. The crossing, the little train if Centreville is running, the picnic and Franklin Children's Garden are the day a 2 year old remembers, and they are all on one island.
5-6 days
Have 5-6 days?
Add a museum as the rain day
The plan has no indoor morning past the aquarium, so ask Robin for a museum with a lift and a changing room. Pair it with a slow afternoon in High Park proper, not just the playground, and eat near the hotel.
Stretch across a Saturday for the farmers' market
The plan itself notes that the Saturday farmers' market upstairs at St. Lawrence Market is worth a return on a weekend. Give that morning to the market, the afternoon to the harbourfront, and ask Robin to book a 17:30 dinner with a high chair in the notes.
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