Harbourfront and Toronto Islands

- Boat to Toronto Islands, Toronto City Airport, CN Tower, Harbour Square Park, Queens Quay


Toronto Harbour, facing Toronto Bay in Lake Ontario, is the natural harbour where you take the ferry to the City Islands (that offers the best views of the skyline), or the tours around the islands like we did. Along the harbourfront you find restaurants, like the large and popular Amsterdam BrewHouse where we dined in the evening, luxury hotels (like Westin Harbour Castle with its significant revovling restaurant), residential skyscrapers and small boat marinas. Amsterdam BrewHouse was named after the futuristic pedestrian bridge Amsterdam Bridge, that in turn is named after the Dutch capital, a city that has a similar bridge, but this one is named Toronto Bridge! CN Tower and Rogers Centre are very close to the harbour. As soon as you depart from the harbourfront with a ferry you will have amazing views of Toronto's skyline and tallest buildings. Several small parks, like the Music Garden, HTO Park and Little Norway Park are also situated along the harbourfront.
In the East part of Toronto, and some of the West, there are popular beaches, promenades and parks along Lake Ontario. The most popular beach is Woodbine Beach, just East of central Toronto.

Westin Harbour Castle with its significant revolving restaurant and now a bit grey 34-storey twin towers was a futuristic building when it was completed in 1975, then a Hilton. There is a skybridge above Queens Quay from the hotel. Many ferries departs from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, connected to the hotel. Here you find the Harbour Square Park.

Queens Quay West is a street that goes parallel to the harbour front, and features one of the few biking lanes in downtown Toronto. Ice Condominiums is one of the latest residential skyscraper projects at the harbourfront, built in 2014 and 2015. It consist of two glass towers, with 57 and 67 floors.

Toronto Islands is a chain of small islands in Lake Ontario, only some km from the harbourfront to downtown Toronto. Despite being so close to the busy core of Toronto, they are very tranquil and green, and almost no cars, restaurants or stores can be found. They used to be known as the Island of Hiawatha. It is considered the largest urban car-free community in North America. It is a popular picnic escape from the city for Torontonians, and home to private residences. The Centreville Amusement Park is a vintage children's amusement park on the islands. There are no road connections to Toronto Islands, only small ferries and private ships.

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is situated on one of the islands. It is much smaller then Pearson Airport and only allow propeller planes, no jet planes, due to the proximitiy to the tranquil islands. Since 2015 there is an underwater pedestrian tunnel to the airport.

 

Harbourfront 001 - towards L Tower Harbourfront 002 Harbourfront 003 Harbourfront 004 - Brookfield Place and L Tower Harbourfront 005 Harbourfront 006 - The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Harbourfront 007 - Queens Quay Harbourfront 008 Harbourfront 009 - The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Harbourfront 010 - Harbour Square Park Harbourfront 011 - Harbour Square Park Harbourfront 012 - Harbour Square Park Harbourfront 013 Harbourfront 014 Harbourfront 015 Harbourfront 016 Harbourfront 017 Harbourfront 018 Harbourfront 019 - Harbour Square Park Harbourfront 020 - One of few biking lanes Harbourfront 021 Harbourfront 022 Harbourfront 023 - Amsterdam Bridge Harbourfront 024 Harbourfront 025 Harbourfront 026 Harbourfront 027 Harbourfront 028 Harbourfront 029 Harbourfront 030 Harbourfront 031 Harbourfront 032 Harbourfront 033 Harbourfront 034 Harbourfront 035 - The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Harbourfront 036 Harbourfront 038 Harbourfront 037 - The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Harbourfront 039 - The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Harbourfront 042 - The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Harbourfront 040 - Toronto Star, known from Superman Harbourfront 041 - Sculpture at Toronto Star Harbourfront 043 - Pier 27 Sunset at the Harbourfront 001 - Royal York Sunset at the Harbourfront 002 - Pier 27 Sunset at the Harbourfront 003 Sunset at the Harbourfront 004 Sunset at the Harbourfront 005 - Pier 6 beaver tails Sunset at the Harbourfront 006 - Queens Quay Sunset at the Harbourfront 007 Sunset at the Harbourfront 008 Sunset at the Harbourfront 009 Sunset at the Harbourfront 010 - marina Sunset at the Harbourfront 011 Sunset at the Harbourfront 012 - Amsterdam Brewhouse Sunset at the Harbourfront 013 Sunset at the Harbourfront 014 Sunset at the Harbourfront 015 Sunset at the Harbourfront 016 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 001 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 002 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 003 - fire ship Toronto Islands from the tour boat 004 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 005 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 006 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 007 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 008 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 009 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 010 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 011 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 012 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 013 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 014 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 015 Toronto Islands from the tour boat 016 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 001 - CN Tower and residential buildings View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 002 - CN Tower View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 003 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 004 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 005 - Landing at - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 006 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 007 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 008 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 009 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 010 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 011 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 012 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 013 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 014 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 015 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 016 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 017 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 018 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 019 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 020 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 021 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 022 - Financial District View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 023 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 024 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 025 - Rogers Centre View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 026 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 027 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 028 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 029 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 030 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 031 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 032 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 033 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 034 - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 035 - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 036 - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and West Toronto View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 037 - Rogers Centre View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 038 - CN Tower View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 039 - First Canada Place View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 040 - Ice Condominiums View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 041 - Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 042 - many new skyscrapers View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 043 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 044 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 045 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 046 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 047 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 048 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 049 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 050 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 051 View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 052 - Amsterdam Brewhouse View of the Harbourfront the tour boat 053 - CN Tower, Radisson Hotel