When it’s too cold, wet or slushy to be outside, Toronto has plenty of indoor fun.
Museums and attractions
- Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario and more. See museum holiday programs.
- Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada near the CN Tower.
- CN Tower: views of the snowy city from above.
- Casa Loma: the castle is decorated for the holidays.
Shows
Christmas shows, the Nutcracker, family theatre and Christmas movie screenings.
Shopping and markets
- Indoor Christmas markets
- The Eaton Centre, linked to the PATH, downtown Toronto’s underground walkway.
Active indoor fun
Indoor climbing gyms, trampoline parks, bowling, escape rooms and indoor rinks are all good options.
Indoor activities by neighbourhood
- Downtown: the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Eaton Centre are all close together and linked by the PATH or short walks.
- Midtown: the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner Museum of ceramics and the Bata Shoe Museum are clustered around Bloor Street and Queen’s Park.
- West end: the Art Gallery of Ontario on Dundas Street and indoor food halls.
- North York: big malls, cinemas and indoor family entertainment centres.
- Scarborough: shopping centres and global food courts.
The PATH: downtown without going outside
Downtown Toronto’s PATH is an underground network of walkways linking office towers, shopping concourses, hotels and Union Station. On a freezing day you can walk from Union Station to the Eaton Centre almost entirely indoors, stopping for lunch and shopping along the way. Look for the colour-coded PATH signs.
Indoor activities for adults
- Museum late nights: some museums host evening events with drinks and music.
- Live theatre and concerts. Christmas shows
- Cooking classes. Christmas cooking classes
- Spa days at hotel spas.
- Food halls and market tours, like St. Lawrence Market.
Save money indoors
- Toronto Public Library programmes are free.
- The library’s Museum + Arts Pass (MAP) gives free admission to some attractions with a library card.
- Free gallery hours are offered at some galleries at set times.
Indoor winter activities: FAQ
What’s the best indoor thing to do in Toronto in winter? For families, Ripley’s Aquarium; for adults, the Royal Ontario Museum or the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Can you get around downtown Toronto without going outside? Partly. The PATH connects much of the Financial District and Union Station to the Eaton Centre area.
A cozy indoor day in Toronto
| Time | Plan |
|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | Royal Ontario Museum (open daily with holiday hours) |
| 12:30 p.m. | Lunch in Yorkville or the Annex |
| 2 p.m. | Take the subway to Union and walk to Ripley’s Aquarium |
| 4:30 p.m. | Up the CN Tower for sunset views over the snowy city |
| 6:30 p.m. | Dinner downtown, then a show or a movie |
Rainy-day ideas with kids
- Indoor playgrounds and trampoline parks in the suburbs.
- Library story times and craft sessions.
- Bowling and arcades.
- Museum family days during the holidays. Museum holiday programs
- A Christmas movie matinee. Christmas movie screenings
Check holiday hours before you go, especially from December 24 to 26 and on January 1. See what’s open on Christmas Day and what’s open on Boxing Day.
For little ones
See indoor Christmas activities for kids and Christmas with toddlers.
