Wondering when the best time to visit Toronto is?
I’ve lived in Toronto all my life, and it’s my absolute favourite city in the whole world.
I love traveling and exploring new places, but nothing beats coming back home to Toronto.
While I may be biased in thinking Toronto is great to year-round, there are definitely more and less popular times to visit the city, as well as weather to take into consideration.
Here’s my guide on the best times to visit Toronto, as told by a local.
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Hotels in Toronto
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay while you’re in Toronto, these are some great options:
- Annex Hotel: a contemporary 3-star hotel in the Annex with bright and airy rooms.
- Yorkville Royal Sonesta: this chic 4-star hotel in the Yorkville neighbourhood offers up stunning views of the skyline.
- Bisha Hotel: a cool 4-star hotel in the Entertainment District with a swanky rooftop restaurant and pool offering up CN Tower views.
- Radisson Blu: a modern 4-star hotel along the Harbourfront with a rooftop pool and a close-up view of the CN Tower.
- Broadview Hotel: a historical 4-star hotel in Toronto’s east end, housed in a Victorian-era building with elegantly modern rooms.
- Fairmont Royal York: a luxurious 5-star hotel right by Union Station, newly renovated but still retaining most of its original features. The Queen is known to stay here!
You can also check out my post on the best boutique hotels in Toronto if you’re looking for a more unique stay!
Plan your Toronto trip
If you’re planning a trip to Toronto, you might find these posts helpful:
- Looking for the best things to do? Check out these fun Toronto activities or free things to do, visit the cutest Toronto neighbourhoods, or eat at one of the best Toronto restaurants.
- Searching for where to stay? Stay at one of the best boutique hotels in Toronto.
- Wondering if Toronto is safe? Here’s how to stay safe in Toronto.
- Planning out your outfits? Check out my post on what to wear in Toronto.
If you’re looking for fun local tours and activities in Toronto, try these ones out:
- Downtown Toronto bike tour: explore the best of downtown Toronto via bike on a guided 3.5 hour tour, which takes you through Chinatown, City Hall, and the Entertainment District.
- Distillery District segway tour: zip through the Distillery District on a guided 1-hour segway tour and learn about the history behind this super cute historical neighbourhood.
- Kensington Market food tour: taste your way through one of Toronto’s most diverse neighbourhoods on this 2.5 hour tour.
When is the best time to visit Toronto?
The nice thing about Toronto is that we experience all four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall.
Of course, visiting during each season has its pros and cons, so it really depends on the types of activities and things you’re looking to do while you visit Toronto.
May through October are probably the best times to visit Toronto, with the milder weather and more things going on in the city.
Toronto definitely gets busy with tourists from June to September, with events like Pride, Caribana, and TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival).
So if you’re looking to avoid the tourists while still enjoying decent weather, May and October are both great months to visit – especially as these are the shoulder season months!
Winter in Toronto
Winter in Toronto is typically from late November through early March, though the worst of it is usually in January and February.
Yes, winter is the longest season here in Toronto, and it can be a little miserable with the cold.
It can get quite cold during the winter months in Toronto, ranging anywhere from 5 degrees celsius to as low as -20 degrees celsius.
The sun also sets earlier during the winter months, which means shorter days, but there are plenty of fun winter activities and things to do in Toronto that don’t require sunlight.
Winter is off-season in Toronto, so if you’re looking to travel on a budget to Toronto, it’s the best time to visit!
Spring in Toronto
Things start to warm up during spring in Toronto (around 5 to 10 degrees celsius), but it also gets quite rainy.
Even with the showers, there are plenty of fun rainy day activities in Toronto for you to do!
Spring in Toronto usually lasts from late March through early June, so it’s quite short.
Since spring is the shoulder season, flights and hotels in Toronto are a bit cheaper compared to peak season during the summer.
There are plenty of fun things to do in Toronto during spring, like renting a Toronto Bike Share and riding along Toronto’s best bike trails!
Summer in Toronto
Of course, summer is the busiest time of year to visit Toronto, with all the festivals and events happening in the city.
Summer in Toronto is typically from late June through early to mid-September, and the weather is usually anywhere from 15 to 25 degrees celsius.
As it is peak season during summer, flights and hotels in Toronto will be the most expensive during this time!
You can find tons of fun things to do in Toronto during summer, including visiting the best Toronto ice cream spots, having picnics at local Toronto parks, and checking out cute summer photo spots.
Fall in Toronto
Fall in Toronto usually lasts from late September through early November, so it’s a pretty short season.
The weather is usually between 5 to 15 degrees during fall in Toronto, and sometimes we get lucky with fall heat waves!
Since fall is also a shoulder season, flights and hotels in Toronto are a bit cheaper compared to peak season during the summer.
There are plenty of fun things to do in Toronto during fall, like checking out fall foliage or even visiting cute fall photo spots!
Best months to visit Toronto
Here’s a little breakdown of what it’s like to visit Toronto during each month!
Toronto in January
January is definitely the coldest month out of the year, and winters in Toronto can feel as cold as -20 degrees celsius.
Since January is off-season in Toronto, you’ll likely find great flight and hotel deals.
There isn’t too much going on in the city during January, but the annual Toronto Light Festival lights up the Distillery District every January!
To warm up, you can also do some café hopping and hit up some of Toronto’s best and most Instagrammable coffee shops.
Kensington Market is one of Toronto’s cutest neighbourhoods, and it’s the perfect spot to go café hopping – especially since everything is so close together!
Toronto in February
It’s still cold in Toronto during February, but definitely not as bad as January.
February is the month of love, and there are many romantic things to do in Toronto for Valentine’s Day!
Winterlicious typically happens in February, which is an annual food festival where participating restaurants offer prix-fixe menus.
It’s a great opportunity to enjoy meals at restaurants that are typically more on the expensive side!
February is also when the annual IceFest happens in Bloor-Yorkville, where the neighbourhood gets filled with fun ice sculptures.
Toronto in March
March in Toronto is still quite cold and dry, so you’ll want to bring along a winter jacket or parka.
March is when the One of a Kind Spring Show happens, which is an annual makers market featuring local artisans from across Canada.
There’s also a One of a Kind Winter Show, which happens in November!
Toronto in April
April is the official start of spring in Toronto, which means it’s the rainiest time to visit.
The weather can still be pretty chilly in Toronto during April, and there’s even the occasional snow on a random day.
You can pretty much get away with wearing a medium-weight jacket, or multiple layers like a denim jacket over a thick sweater.
The Toronto Blue Jays have their home opener every April at the Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto!
Toronto in May
There’s still chilly spring weather in Toronto during the month of May, but at least it’s less rainy than April.
You’ll find pretty spring flowers around Toronto, which brings excitement for the warmer months!
Since it’s not too cold out and the city is less busy than summer, it’s the perfect time to check out street art in Toronto.
Toronto in June
With the warmer weather in June, it’s also the start of peak visiting season in Toronto.
The city comes to life with outdoor patios and summer festivals, and the vibe is super nice!
Toronto is known for its plethora of unique and different neighbourhoods, and if you’re looking to explore before things get too busy, June is the perfect time.
Kensington Market and Distillery District are both adorable neighbourhoods in Toronto to visit!
Toronto in July
July is definitely one of my favourite months in Toronto because of the lovely weather and hustle and bustle of city life and activities.
It does get as hot as 30 degrees celsius some days, which ain’t very fun, but can be tolerated for the most part.
Summerlicious, which is the opposite of February’s Winterlicious, also happens in July – you can enjoy prix-fixe menus at participating restaurants, on their patios!
The Harbourfront and Toronto Islands are super fun to visit during the summer months, especially with all the fun water activities!
Toronto in August
August is just as busy as July in terms of festivals and city life.
Things do start to slow down towards the end of the month, especially as people get ready for back-to-school season.
Toronto in September
September is known as TIFF month, and it’s the best time to go celebrity spotting if that’s your thing.
It’s also fun to watch films that are part of the Toronto International Film Festival, if you can manage to snag tickets!
Toronto weather in September is typically pretty warm, and you’ll see people sporting shorts and dresses all throughout the month.
It’s still a great time to visit patios in Toronto!
Toronto in October
Since fall is my fave season, October is one of my favourite months in Toronto.
The weather may be chillier, but I love layering fall outfits and checking out the gorgeous fall foliage around Toronto.
It also tends to rain quite a bit in October, so if you’re hoping to check out fall foliage, do it sooner than later!
Toronto in November
November is when it starts to get chillier in Toronto, and the city starts to prepare for the holiday season.
Sometimes we get lucky with random heatwaves in November, but it’s not very often.
You can check out festive events in Toronto throughout the month, such as the One of a Kind Winter Show (an annual makers market that also happens in March).
Toronto in December
Though it is cold in Toronto during December, there are so many fun and festive events and activities going on, so it’s still a great time to visit!
If you can handle the cold, you can visit outdoor markets and festivals like the Distillery Winter Village (an annual holiday event formerly known as the Toronto Christmas Market) or Cavalcade of Lights (an annual tree lighting ceremony at Nathan Phillips Square, where City Hall is).
This was my guide on the best time to visit Toronto, as told by a local!
Have you visited Toronto before? When did you visit, and how did you like it? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram!
If you’re planning a trip to Toronto, be sure to check out my posts on the most fun things to do in Toronto (including free things) and what to wear in Toronto.
If you’re looking for fun tours and activities to try in Toronto, check out this Kensington Market food tour!
Plan your Toronto trip
If you’re planning a trip to Toronto, you might find these posts helpful:
- Looking for the best things to do? Check out these fun Toronto activities or free things to do.
- Hunting for places to eat? Visit one of the best Toronto restaurants.
- Searching for where to stay? Stay at one of the best boutique hotels in Toronto.
- Wondering if Toronto is safe? Here’s how to stay safe in Toronto.
- Planning out your outfits? Check out my post on what to wear in Toronto.
Be sure to keep up with me on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest if you aren’t already!
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