Searching for the best and most fun things to do in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood?
Yorkville is one of Toronto’s nicest and most chic neighbourhoods, and it’s actually also known as the “mink mile” of Toronto.
You’ll find a lot of designer boutiques, cool galleries, and fine dining restaurants in the Yorkville neighbourhood.
Here are some of the top things to do in the swanky Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto!
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More things to do in Yorkville
If you’re looking for more things to do in Yorkville, you might enjoy these posts:
- Searching for somewhere to eat? Visit one of Yorkville’s best restaurants.
- In need of caffeination? Stop into one of Yorkville’s best coffee shops.
- Looking for more things to do in the area? Check out the Annex neighbourhood.
- On the hunt for more cool Toronto neighbourhoods? Visit the cutest neighbourhoods in Toronto.
Best things to do in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood
Shop along Bloor Street
Bloor-Yorkville is known to be one of Toronto’s best shopping spots, whether you’re looking to shop from mid-range brands like Aritzia or Reformation or more luxury brands like Chanel or Gucci.
Even if you’re not in a shopping mood, it’s still a lot of fun to window shop and check out all the shops in the neighbourhood!
Fun fact: Bloor-Yorkville has also been home to Toronto Fashion Week in recent years.
Snap cute photos around Yorkville
Yorkville is full of cute and Instagrammable photo spots, whether it’s the historic buildings, pretty storefronts, or vintage and luxury cars.
Walk down both Yorkville Avenue and Cumberland Street from Avenue Road on the west and Bay Street on the east to scout out all the pretty photo spots.
It’s especially lovely to walk around during the spring and summer months when there are florals everywhere!
There’s also a really cute pedestrian alley called Old York Lane, perfect for snappin’ photos in.
Go ice cream hopping
Yorkville has a surprising number of ice cream and gelato shops in the neighbourhood.
Which makes it the perfect spot for a lil’ ice cream hopping tour!
Stop into Summer’s Ice Cream, S’cream Ice Cream + Coffee, Gemma Gelateria, and Nani’s Gelato, and be sure to bring a friend to share all the sugary goodness.
Sit on the Yorkville Rock
If you’re walking in the Yorkville neighbourhood, you might notice a strange and giant rock in the midst of all the buildings.
This massive billion-year-old rock was actually broken apart from the Canadian shield and reassembled again in Yorkville, and it weighs a whoppin’ 650 tons.
It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a scoop of ice cream from Summer’s or sip on a latte from Goldstruck.
The Yorkville Rock sits in the centre of the Village of Yorkville Park, which is a nice little urban oasis in the bustling neighbourhood.
LOCATION: 131 Cumberland St, Toronto, ON
Grocery shop at Eataly Toronto
Eataly is a popular Italian grocer with a location in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, and you’ll definitely want to dedicate some time to check it out.
They’ve got all kinds of local and imported groceries, and they even make their own fresh pastas that you can take home with you!
If you’re hungry, they’ve even got a few restaurant concepts within the grocery store, where you can enjoy freshly-made pizzas and pastas.
For dessert, they’ve got an awesome little gelato shop as well!
And if you’re a tiramisu fan, you’ll definitely want to grab a tray of it at Eataly – their tiramisu is absolutely amaze.
Visit Yorkville’s fine art galleries
Yorkville is home to a number of stunning fine art galleries, and you’ll find incredible artwork from emerging and world-renowned artists.
Best of all? They’re free to visit, so you can just pop in and enjoy the amazing works of art!
I really love the Taglialatella Galleries, which features works from Banksy, Kaws, and Andy Warhol.
Take in history at the Royal Ontario Museum
If you love museums, you absolutely need to pay a visit to the ROM.
The ROM is actually the largest museum in Canada, as well as one of the largest museums in North America, which is really cool!
You can see all kinds of incredible art, world culture, and natural history exhibits.
My favourite part of the ROM has always been the dinosaur exhibit – it’s just so cool to see!
You can buy your tickets to the ROM online ahead of time to make it easier.
There’s also a really fun themed 19+ event called ROM After Dark that happens every month, where you can enjoy live entertainment and food and drink at the ROM.
Tickets are $40 per person and include a free drink and coat check, and you can get discounted tickets if you’re a ROM Member!
LOCATION: 100 Queens Park, Toronto, ON
Check out the Gardiner Museum
The Gardiner Museum is located right across the street from the ROM, and it’s also a really cool museum worth visiting.
The Gardiner Museum is all about clay and ceramic, and you’ll find an incredible international collection of pottery and ceramics spanning from Ancient Americas to Asian Porcelain.
There’s also a really nice restaurant on-site called Clay Restaurant, where they offer up a changing and internationally-inspired seasonal menu of dishes.
LOCATION: 111 Queens Park, Toronto, ON
Stop into the Bata Shoe Museum
If you’re a shoe lover, you absolutely need to stop into the Bata Shoe Museum.
You can explore over 4,500 years of footwear history through all kinds of shoes, from Chinese bound-foot shoes and ancient Egyptian sandals.
They even host some cool special exhibitions, like their current “In Bloom: Flowers and Footwear” exhibit and “Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting Edge Kicks” exhibit.
You can grab tickets to the Bata Shoe Museum online.
LOCATION: 327 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON
🎟 Buy tickets to the Bata Shoe Museum
Visit the Toronto Reference Library
The Toronto Reference Library is one of the nicest and most aesthetically-pleasing libraries in Toronto.
Spend some time here checking out a new read, or just snap some photos of the cool interior.
They even do some pretty cool programs at the Toronto Reference Library, like a staff-led tour where you can learn about the building history and architecture.
LOCATION: 789 Yonge St, Toronto, ON
Dine at one of Yorkville’s best restaurants
One of the best things about the Yorkville neighbourhood is all the incredible restaurants, no matter what time of cuisine you’re craving.
Indulge in upscale Chinese cuisine at MIMI, Korean and Western fusion at 156 Cumberland, or unique vegan dishes at Planta.
Yorkville is also home to four restaurants with one Michelin Star, all of which offer amazing tasting menus:
- Enigma Yorkville (European)
- Osteria Giulia (Italian)
- Alobar Yorkville (seafood and cocktails)
- Aburi Hana (Japanese)
If you’re looking for casual eats, I adore Mogouyan Hand Pulled Noodle for their Chinese hand-pulled noodles and Calii Love for their healthy poke bowls and smoothie bowls.
Explore art at the Yorkville Murals festival
This one’s for my fellow street art lovers: a festival dedicated entirely to street art and murals!
The festival has been going on for 5 years now, and you can see temporary murals and art installations along Yorkville Avenue.
It’s happening this year from August 26th to August 27th, and you can enjoy live painting, dance battles, an evening block party, and more!
You can also peep out some of the beautiful artwork now in the Yorkville neighbourhood.
I’ve also got a blog post all about the best street art and murals in Toronto if you can’t get enough!
Check out Bloor-Yorkville Icefest
If you’re looking for something to do in Yorkville during winter, you’ll definitely want to check out this fun annual event.
Yorkville gets decked out in all kinds of cool ice sculptures every February or March for the Bloor-Yorkville Icefest, and it’s a great excuse to get outside when it’s cold out.
You basically just walk along Bloor and peep out all the different ice sculptures along the way!
Afterwards, be sure to stop into one of Yorkville’s best coffee shops to warm up with a hot drink.
Best things to do in Yorkville Toronto:
- Shop along Bloor Street
- Snap cute photos around Yorkville
- Go ice cream hopping
- Sit on the Yorkville Rock
- Grocery shop at Eataly Toronto
- Visit Yorkville’s fine art galleries
- Take in history at the Royal Ontario Museum
- Check out the Gardiner Museum
- Stop into the Bata Shoe Museum
- Visit the Toronto Reference Library
- Dine at one of Yorkville’s best restaurants
- Explore art at the Yorkville Murals festival
- Check out Bloor-Yorkville Icefest
These were some of the best things to do in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto!
What are your favourite things to do in the Toronto Yorkville neighbourhood? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram!
More things to do in Yorkville
If you’re looking for more things to do in Yorkville, you might enjoy these posts:
- Searching for somewhere to eat? Visit one of Yorkville’s best restaurants.
- In need of caffeination? Stop into one of Yorkville’s best coffee shops.
- Looking for more things to do in the area? Check out the Annex neighbourhood.
- On the hunt for more cool Toronto neighbourhoods? Visit the cutest neighbourhoods in Toronto.
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