Victorian warehouses have been remade as artists’ studios, boutiques and restaurants in the buzzy, pedestrian-only downtown Distillery District. It’s also home to a working brewery, Mill Street, and the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The overall look is industrial chic – all brick and cobblestone – and attracts wedding parties and Instagrammers alike.

A 10-minute ferry ride across the harbour brings you to the Toronto Islands, a 325-hectare playground connected by boardwalks and bridges. Centre Island is the main attraction, known for its old-timey amusement park and petting zoo. Rental canoes and bikes, English-style gardens, quaint cottages and a famously haunted lighthouse add to the charm.

Elton John’s glittering platforms, the Dalai Lama’s sandals and Marilyn Monroe’s red stilettos are just a few standouts at the jewel-box Bata Shoe Museum, one of Toronto’s more curious attractions. The core exhibition tells the stories behind 4,500 years of footwear, from French chestnut-crushing clogs to Afghani riding heels.

Seek out only-in-Toronto items like Carousel Bakery’s peameal bacon sandwich at St. Lawrence Market. Within the Toronto attraction you’ll find South Market with its 120 food vendors, plus cooking classes at Market Kitchen; St. Lawrence Hall for retail shops; and North Market for a Saturday farmers’ market and Sunday flea market.

Toronto’s most recognisable landmark knows how to draw the crowds. CN Tower offers multiple observation decks; a revolving restaurant with an award-winning wine cellar; and, for daredevils, the outdoor EdgeWalk experience in which you don overalls, clip yourself to a rope and walk around the tower’s exterior, 356 metres in the air.

In the heart of the city, High Park features 161 hectares of gardens, wilderness and attractions including a zoo. Activities include swimming, tennis and, in winter, skating on Grenadier Pond. Enjoy cherry blossom groves in spring and outdoor Shakespeare performances in summer. The Nature Centre offers year-round walks and events.

This hip neighbourhood counts Toronto’s highest concentration of indie art galleries – and a dedicated Graffiti Alley full of murals. West Queen West is also full of trend-setting restaurants, and vintage and concept shops. Take a breather in Trinity Bellwoods Park among drum circles and picnicking families.

Casa Loma was the dream of financier Sir Henry Pellatt – completed in 1914 but relinquished 10 years later as he faced bankruptcy. It has a beautiful hilltop setting, with battlements, lavish gardens and interiors. The 98 rooms are dripping with chandeliers, armour, oil paintings and plush furniture. Look out for hidden passageways.

The Art Gallery of Ontario has a sweeping 95,000-strong collection – from indigenous artists to European Old Masters – and a glass facade by Toronto native Frank Gehry. Another blockbuster is the Royal Ontario Museum for dinosaurs, mummies and cedar totem poles.

If you travel to Toronto for sightseeing, you can’t skip the famous falls. The Niagara Falls are a 90-minute drive from the city: stop off at a winery or two along the way, and explore the verdant town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The mighty Horseshoe Falls await at the end of your trip, where some 2.8 million litres of water smash into the pool below every second.