10 Guided All-Ages Toronto Cycling and Walking Tours

From foodie trips on foot to guided ghost walks to cycling adventures on the Toronto Islands, there’s something suited for guests at every age and stage.

As the fourth largest city in North America, there’s a lot of ground to cover during a visit to Toronto. If you’re planning individual or group trips, hitting all the highlights might feel challenging—but it doesn’t have to be! Finding your footing in “the 6ix” can be a breeze by adding a walking and cycling tour to the itinerary.

Cycling

Heart of Toronto Downtown Cycling Tour

Get a lay of the land with this “super intro” cycling tour of downtown Toronto. Led by a local, the 3.5-hour ride visits the city’s essentials: Historic landmarks (Union Station, Fairmont Royal York Hotel), architectural wonders (Flatiron building, Ontario College of Art and Design), cultural institutions (Art Gallery of Ontario, Entertainment District), major attractions (CN Tower, Hockey Hall of Fame, Rogers Centre), food hubs (St. Lawrence Market, Chinatown, Kensington Market), snapshot-worthy sites (Harbourfront, Lake Ontario), and more. Toronto Bicycle Tours & Events can host groups of five to 60+ people at a time.

Toronto Islands Cycling Tour

Escape the crowds and see Toronto’s tranquil side on a cycling tour of Toronto Islands—a cluster of 15 small islands with unbeatable views of the city and Lake Ontario. This quaint cottage enclave is the largest car-free community in North America, making it ideal for cycling the 5-km long peninsula and stopping at sandy beaches along the way. This tour is available year round and can be combined with the Heart of Toronto Downtown cycling tour.

Toronto Bicycle Tours & Events offers a Twilight Islands Tour, whereby guests can experience the islands after dusk—taking in a beautiful sunset and idyllic views of the illuminated Toronto skyline.

Walking

Old Town Toronto Walking Tour

Old Town Toronto has a storied history: Dating back to 1793, this historic neighbourhood is where early settlers lived, worked, traded, socialized, and even plotted rebellions and uprisings. It’s also where the first Parliament buildings of Upper Canada stood from 1797 to 1813. Today, this vibrant neighbourhood and retail district in Toronto’s downtown core is filled with Victorian industrial architecture, hidden culinary gems, boutiques, and gorgeous green spaces. Esteemed historian Bruce Bell leads guided walks along the original 10 blocks that started Toronto and bring 200 years of history to life through informative, obscure, and humorous stories. Stops can include St. Lawrence Market, the Omni King Edward Hotel, the Distillery District, and more. Private tours and school groups of up to 100 students can be arranged.

Classic Distillery District Walking Tour

A top-rated tour, this 1-hour walking excursion with Go Tours Canada tells the unique story of the Gooderham and Worts Distillery—a cluster of historic buildings dating back to 1832 and once the site of the largest liquor distillery in the British Empire. Today, the dilapidated factories have been restored into a pedestrian-only village of trendy artisan shops, designer boutiques, art galleries, theatres, and restaurants to be explored on foot. Wandering the cobblestone streets and alleys, Go Tours Canada will take guests to the best-hidden Distillery District spots and photo locations. A fully accessible route can be arranged upon request.

Graffiti Tour

This is the first and original graffiti tour in Toronto and it’s especially popular with school groups, corporate events, and arts organizations seeking a unique experience

This two-hour walking tour with the Tour Guys leads guests through the alleys and laneways around Queen Street West to uncover the history of graffiti and the subculture surrounding it. The tour can also be extended to visit Kensington Market, a quirky bohemian neighbourhood filled with international cafes, restaurants, and a mixed bag of shops—a popular option for tours ending around lunch or dinner time.

For 19 years+: Prohibition and Whisky History Walking Tour

This 1.5-hour walking tour with Go Tours Canada transports guests back to the Prohibition days when alcohol was outlawed in various parts of Canada and the United States. Get the backstory about the rise of the temperance movement and Prohibition, as well as how legal loopholes allowed Canada’s alcohol industry to thrive. During that time, Toronto’s Gooderham and Worts distillery supplied millions of gallons of booze to both countries. The tour concludes with a beginner-level whisky tasting in the Distillery District.

Food tours

The St. Lawrence Market Food Tour

Rated one of the world’s top food markets, the 200-year-old St. Lawrence Market is a hot spot for uncovering Toronto’s unique history and food traditions. The Culinary Adventure Co. leads guided tours of the expansive building, which features over 120 merchants and farmers, and arranges tastings of some uniquely Canadian dishes (maple sugar, Montreal-style bagels, peameal bacon, local Ontario cheeses, butter tarts). The company can arrange group tours as small as two to as large as 600+ guests. 

Toronto’s Ultimate Chocolate Tour

Exploring several downtown neighbourhoods (King West, Queen West, and Kensington Market) on foot, Tasty Tours takes guests to the city’s best chocolate hot spots, including SOMA Chocolate—one of the few artisan chocolatiers in Toronto that scratch-makes chocolate from imported cacao beans. Tasty Tours can organize private tours for all types of groups.

Learn the art and history of bean-to-bar chocolate-making at Toronto's Ultimate Chocolate Tour, as well sample chocolatey treats unique to Toronto, such as the Toffle™—a cross between a chocolate truffle and butter tart.

Kensington Market International Food Tour

Take a tasting tour of the whimsical Kensington Market—a multi-cultural neighbourhood of Victorian houses and alleyways filled with quirky vintage clothing stores, specialty grocers, quirky shops, and a mix of global cuisine. Over two hours, savour some of Toronto’s tastiest dishes—Jamaican patties in coco bread, Tibetan momos (dumplings), bannock, smoked trout sandwich in a bagel, and more—while learning about the history of this neighbourhood that’s been declared a National Historic Site of Canada. This tour by Chopsticks and Forks can customize private tours for groups of eight to 80 people.

For the strong hearts:

The Original Haunted Walk of Toronto

The Haunted Walk of Toronto explores Toronto’s supernatural side: Over 75 minutes, listen to spine-tingling ghost stories from the earliest days of the city, including haunted theatres, unsolved mysteries, and the terrifying encounters at notoriously haunted Mackenzie House. Tours take place in the evening by lantern light and are guided by local storytellers, dramatists, and amateur historians. Private tours for groups can be arranged.

Planning Assistance

There are more Toronto walking and cycling tours ideally suited for groups and FIT tours, including ones that venture into surrounding lively neighbourhoods. Contact Destination Toronto for itinerary development assistance and register for our newsletter to stay up to date about what’s new and happening in the city.