11 Cheap and Cheerful Winter Activities in Toronto

Cost: Starting at $10 to rent skates for a two-hour block
Where: The Bentway Trail

In Toronto, you can skate downtown with the skyscrapers towering over you and even under major overpasses.

The Bentway Trail is transformed into a unique 220-metre figure-8 skate trail running under the Gardiner Expressway overpass. There’s no admission charge. Stop by on Thursdays for free skate rentals and on Mondays for free hot chocolate.

Get your street art on

Cost: Free
Where: Augusta Avenue and Rush Lane

Graffiti Alley may be something you think of during the summer months, but here’s why it’s a true gem in the city come winter. It’s far less busy, so getting the perfect Instagram shot in front of one of the murals is much easier.

Meander the back alleys along Queen Street West and see some of the city’s best street art. It’s like a free exhibit showcasing immense talent.

Grab a hot chocolate or gingerbread latte from the nearby Jimmy’s Coffee (a Toronto fave located on Portland Avenue) to keep those fingers warm from all your photo snapping.

Skate by the lights of City Hall

Cost: Starting at $10 to rent skates for a two-hour block
Where: Nathan Phillips Square

Nathan Phillips Square is the city's most iconic skating spot. You can skate in front of City Hall and grab a hot cocoa afterwards.

Plus, you can snap a photo of the “Toronto” sign. Bring your own skates, rent a pair, or stop by on Saturday nights between 4–7 p.m. for free skate rentals. 

Winter hike ’til your heart’s content in Rouge Park

Cost: Free
Where: Rouge National Urban Park

Rouge National Urban Park is a true Toronto gem, no matter what season you visit.

The park encompasses farmland, camping grounds, a lakeshore, and Indigenous sites woven through trails for hiking and dog walking.

The park's 15 trails offer a variety of landscapes, distances and intensity levels for every hiker, including a few wheelchair-accessible options. (There is no winter maintenance, however, which may limit seasonal access.)

ALSO SEE: 5 Amazing Ways To Explore Rouge National Urban Park This Winter

Dive into the Don Valley wilderness at Evergreen Brick Works

Cost: Free
Where: Evergreen Brick Works

For those looking for something less intense than a traditional hike but still want to get out into the wilderness, the Brick Works offers a balance of park space, outdoor art, and wooded trails.

The free skating rink is a beautiful must-see, along with the Saturday farmers’ market.

ALSO SEE: 3 Amazing Ways to Explore Evergreen Brick Works This Winter

Warm up in a tropical paradise

Cost: Free
Where: Allan Gardens

Toronto’s only downtown botanical garden at Allan Gardens is the perfect spot to warm up and get a blast of the tropics (all while still seeing a snowy winter wonderland outside the glass walls).

The landmark has been in the city since 1858 and is home to some of the most exotic plants in Toronto.

While its eye-catching Palm House is currently closed for restoration, the conservatory’s Arid House, full of cacti, sand and desert plants, remains open to visitors.

The Orchid and Bromeliad House and the Temperate Show House, home to a pond of lively koi, also remain open.

Head here on a weekday if you want a quieter experience. Or, tuck in when it’s blustery outside to enjoy the view of winter from inside a lovely tropical paradise.

First Wednesday Nights at the AGO

Cost: Free
Where: Art Gallery of Ontario

What’s better than seeing some great art exhibits at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)? Getting to do it for free!

Every first Wednesday of the month, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., the museum is open free of charge for visitors to check out its galleries and special exhibits. Even better, art lovers ages 14 to 25 can get a free annual pass.

The collections showcase over 95,000 pieces of work, including Canadian art, modern and contemporary, European art, Indigenous art, photography collections and much more.

Or, you might like: 5 Amazing Nights Out at Toronto’s Cultural Hotspots

Winterlicious for everyone

Cost: 2024 prices started at $20 per three-course prix fixe meals (2025 prices TBA)
Where: Over 200 restaurants around Toronto

From January 31 to February 13, 2025, you can dive into some of the all-time best eats in Toronto at reasonable prices.

It’s an opportunity for locals and visitors to eat incredible food at upscale, trendy and hip restaurants around the city made by some of the top-notch chefs Toronto has on hand.

Prices vary from restaurant to restaurant, but all restaurants participating in Winterlicious offer prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus which are often half the price of a regular meal.

ALSO SEE: Don't Miss Out: Toronto Restaurants to Book for Winterlicious

Calling all art and design lovers

Cost: Most exhibits are free
Where: Throughout the downtown core

The DesignTO Festival (formerly the Toronto Design Offsite Festival) will return to city streets inside and outside from January 24 to February 2, 2025.

With over 100 exhibits, many of which are free, it’s a chance for art lovers to see the design scene in the heart of downtown.

Highlighting art, design, culture, and more, this festival is an inspiring light in the middle of winter (and can help you get over those post-holiday blues in January).

Catch a seriously Canadian sugar high

Cost: Free
Where: Sugar Beach

Unlike in warmer parts of the world, March still means winter in Toronto—but we don’t let that get us down.

For a dose of something sweet, Torontonians hit up the iconic Sugar Beach Sugar Shack for a fest that celebrates a popular Canadian export—maple syrup!—with games, live music, tastings, and more.

It returns to the Waterfront on March 8 & 9, 2025.

ALSO SEE: Photo Safari: 9 Amazing Winter Views Along the Waterfront