Travel Guide: Toronto, ON

Toronto’s downtown harbourfront is a picturesque area to explore, if your cat is fine with some people and noise! The harbourfront has a view of Lake Ontario, Toronto Island and the Billy Bishop Airport. Sunset is particularly spectacular as you can see the sun setting on the horizon.

The Fort York harbour front area has some urban parks, with a view of the downtown skyline. It is a nice place to bike from the downtown area as there is a bike trail that goes along the water front. There are festivals held here in the summer so make sure to check before heading over with your cat!

High Park is a massive park within the city of Toronto, kind of like Central Park of New York! It even has an open zoo (free and you can bring your cat there), a lake, many trails, and an offleash dog area (please avoid this if you are with your cat)! In the fall, the trees are beautiful with shades of yellow and orange, and in the spring, there are cherry blossoms, which makes it a very popular destination for locals!

Berczy Park is a very small park within the downtown core, BUT, I had to include this because there are cats represented here! The fountain has dog statues located around the fountain, but if you look carefully you will see a cat standing around too! And there is another cat on a utility box nearby. See if you can find the cats!

Rouge National Urban Park located east of Scarborough, near the Toronto Zoo, is a large network of trails and forests. In September and October, you can see the Salmon Run (when salmon swim up the river)!

Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area is located near Oakville and Milton, and there is an entry fee of $9.75 as of July 2022. It is particularly beautiful in the fall when you can overlook the forest turning shades of yellow, orange, and red.

The Conservation Halton annual pass includes 9 parks in total, and costs $75 per person as of July 2022.

Mount Nemo Conservation Area is located near Oakville and Milton, and there is an entry fee of $9.75 as of July 2022. We visited in the winter and there were some neat rock formations, and a nice easy hike overall.

The Conservation Halton annual pass includes 9 parks in total, and costs $75 per person as of July 2022.

The Hendrie Valley Sanctuary is located in Burlington. It includes trails with a long boardwalk (perfect for cats), and lots of birds to look at! Entry is free, however there is paid parking as of July 2022.

Bruce Peninsula National Park located near Tobermory, is about a 4h drive from Toronto. You would probably stay overnight at Owen Sound or Tobermory. This park is extremely busy in summer and the gates will close if the parking is full. Try to go in Spring or Fall! The hike to The Grotto is absolutely worth going! There are rocky cliffs and caves, and the most beautiful turquoise blue waters.

Niagara Falls is about a 1.5h drive from Toronto, and is a classic for all tourists and even locals. The falls itself is spectacular, but for more of a hiking experience, head over to the Niagara Glen area. Niagara-on-the-Lake is also worth checking out as a cute little town that most people skip when heading to Niagara Falls.

If you’re looking for a pet friendly hotel right in the center of downtown Toronto, Hilton Toronto is highly recommended! We stayed in an upgraded “executive suite” and had the most luxurious experience. It is located just a few steps away from Osgood TTC station, and the iconic Nathan Phillips Square.

Link: Hilton Toronto

We stayed at the Hilton Toronto Airport before our morning flight. It was nice to not have to worry about the Toronto traffic. They offer pet friendly rooms and even provide a pet bed for your dog or cat.

The hotel offers a free shuttle bus service to the airport every 15-30 minutes (depending on time of day).

Link: Hilton Toronto Airport

This hotel was great! It was pet friendly with nice big windows, and the beds were in a separate room from the living area. This was important at the time as Teddy would often run around during the night. This isn’t an important consideration as he is older and sleeps through the night.

Link: St Catherines – Four Points by Sheraton

We stayed at this Airbnb while exploring the Tobermory area (about 1hr drive from the airbnb). This Airbnb is very spacious and pet friendly! We loved that it is a detached little home that felt like it was just ours’.

Link: The Knotty Anchor