Toronto Regions Guide - attractions

Canada's own castle, Casa Loma, is today owned by the City of Toronto and draws plenty of interest standing in medieval splendour on its hilltop site. The castle was formerly the home of Canadian financier, Sir Henry Pellatt, who engaged the noted architect E J Lennox to help him realise a life-long dream of building a castle. Construction started in 1911 and it took 300 men nearly three years to complete the impressive Casa Loma. Inside visitors can see the magnificent decorated suites, secret passages, and 800ft (244m) long tunnel, while outside it is possible to stroll through the beautiful five-acre estate gardens. Self-guided audio tours are available and the castle is open every day.

Standing 1,815ft (553m) high, Toronoto's landmark CN Tower is the world's tallest building, a celebrated icon, an important telecommunications hub and the centre of tourism in Toronto. About two million people visit the tower each year to take in the panoramic view and enjoy all its attractions. The tower was built in 1976 by the company Canadian National, who undertook the project simply to prove the strength of Canadian industry and solve the city's communication problems. Since then tourist attractions and facilities have been added, and the revitalised tower opened to the public in 1998, proving a hit with locals and visitors alike. The tower has four look out levels. At the first at 1,122ft (342m) is an outdoor observation deck with a spectacular glass floor; somewhat higher at the next level is an indoor observation deck and the Horizon's café, offering light meals high in the sky; at the 1,150ft (351m) level is a revolving restaurant, which rotates once every 72 minutes, allowing a stunning view of the city below while dining on the award-winning fare; finally comes the top level, at a dizzying 1,465ft (447m), known as the Sky Pod. At the top of the CN Tower visitors stand on the world's highest public observation deck. The tower is situated in the heart of Toronto's entertainment district, on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

Pride of place in this large and varied museum is held by the golden mosaic ceiling inside the main entrance to the building in Queen's Park, Toronto. The ceiling is adorned with patterns and symbols representing cultures from around the world throughout the ages, and is made from cut squares of imported Venetian glass. The museum consists of three buildings housing 200,000 square feet (18,581 sq m) of galleries and exhibitions. The more than 40 galleries showcase art, archaeology and science exhibits. Among the most popular are dinosaurs, galleries of Chinese Art, a bat cave, a gem and gold room, exhibits about Ancient Egypt and Nubia, and the Samuel European Galleries.