Originally Posted by
mvtm
The predefined hotel for the tour start would be the Chelsea hotel at Toronto. I don't really mind about the hotels, as the price was good and while location is good,everything is great. How is that area?
The Chelsea location is fine. The area in general is not spectacular but it's not bad. Directly north of the hotel is a building called Aura - fun fact; it's currently the tallest residential building in Canada. A few hundred metres away is Queen's Park which is the legislative building for the province of Ontario. You can
take tours there - worth checking out.
5 days in Toronto is a fair bit of time. You should figure out a few places to see then use the
TTC website to work out how to get there via public transit. Your alternatives will be Uber, taxis or renting a car.
Do go to
the islands though probably best not to go on Saturday or Sunday as they'll be very crowded especially if the weather is nice. I too recommend
Pacific Mall and
the Aga Khan Museum. The restaurant at Aga Khan is pretty good for lunch. Do try the food court in Pacific Mall (upstairs); it's small but the food is good at all of the stalls.
In downtown Toronto there's
the Hockey Hall of Fame. Hockey may or may not be your cup of tea but if you're interested in the game, a visit to the museum is worthwhile. Even if you're not into hockey, do go to Brookfield Place which is the building the Hall of Fame is in. You should admire the Galleria - it's worth seeing. The Marche restaurant is a nice place for a casual lunch or dinner, though it can get expensive if you don't watch out.
Hard to get to without a car -
the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. It's a centre devoted to the study of the Hindu faith. Like I said, hard to get there without a car and that's a shame because it's so worth seeing the architecture. The main hall upstairs is beyond stunning; it's so breathtakingly beautiful.
I assume your tour of Ottawa will include Parliament Hill. The tour of the building is free so make sure you get in there. I like just walking around the Hill too; not many people go to the back but I like to go. Across the bridge you'll find the
Canadian Museum of History (formerly the Canadian Museum of Civilization). That's a really good one to go to. Back in Ottawa you should walk through
the Byward Market and try taking
a tour of Rideau Hall which is the official residence of the Governor General. (The GG is the official representative of Her Majesty the Queen who is Head of State for Canada.)
Oops - gotta go now. Will try to drop this thread and post more later on.