Toronto + Ontario Offbeat: 5 Days
Five days is the point where cramming everything into day trips stops making sense and an overnight out of the city starts paying off. This version keeps the same westward run as the shorter itineraries (Niagara, then Hamilton-Elora, then Stratford) and closes with an overnight up in Muskoka, cottage country’s actual headline being the steamships, not the shopping.
Book these before you go:
- A GO Train plus WEGO combo ticket for Niagara; weekend departures fill up, book ahead rather than morning-of
- A rental car for Days 3 through 5; check rates on Discover Cars
- Stratford Festival tickets for Day 4, since the strongest shows sell out weeks ahead
| Day | Focus | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Downtown: CN Tower, St Lawrence Market | CN Tower from ~45 CAD adult |
| 2 | Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake | GO+WEGO 22-40 CAD |
| 3 | Hamilton’s waterfalls, then Elora Gorge | Hamilton ~16 CAD/car; Elora tubing 21.50-55.50 CAD |
| 4 | Stratford Festival | Tickets from ~10 CAD, average ~120 CAD |
| 5 | Muskoka steamship cruise, overnight | Cruise ~90 min; bus 14-24 CAD |
Day 1: Downtown, then straight to bed
Land, UP Express from Pearson into Union Station (28 minutes, about 9.25 CAD tapped), and check into a hotel within walking distance of Union, your departure point for three of the next four mornings. Spend the afternoon on the CN Tower and St Lawrence Market if you land early enough (skip the market on a Monday, the South Market building is closed). Keep the day light; four straight travel days start tomorrow.
Day 2: Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake
Budget the whole day. By car or tour bus it’s 1.5 to 2 hours each way, by GO train closer to 2 to 2.5 hours once the WEGO bus connection is factored in. A GO Train plus WEGO combo ticket runs 22 CAD on weekends up to 34-40 CAD for other packages, kids 12 and under free on the GO train. With a car or a flexible tour, add Niagara-on-the-Lake for the back half of the afternoon; on the train, treat the falls as the whole day.
Day 3: Hamilton’s waterfalls, then Elora Gorge
A rental car earns its keep today; neither stop has a real transit option from Toronto. Websters Falls and Tews Falls sit about 70km southwest, roughly an hour via the QEW (about 16 CAD per car, 8am to sunset, Hamilton Conservation Authority). One correction before you build a photo plan around it: as of early 2026 the trail to the base of the falls and the gorge floor is closed, so you’re viewing from the top only.
Push on to Elora, about 110km from Toronto, for the gorge and the stone village. In tubing season (late June through early September) registration alone runs about 21.50 CAD per person, or 55.50 CAD with full equipment rental, plus a 1.3km walk each way along the road between the put-in and take-out.
Day 4: Stratford
About two hours by car, or take VIA Rail directly, or a dedicated return bus for around 42 CAD. The 2026 Stratford Festival season runs April 21 through November 1, tickets to book ahead from about 10 CAD up into four figures (average near 120), Pay-What-You-Can performances back for 2026. The English namesake connection is real, right down to a genuine (much smaller) Avon River and its swans running through the Ontario town. Spend the afternoon on the riverside parks and the compact downtown, then head back toward Toronto, or push straight on toward Muskoka if you’re driving and want to shorten tomorrow’s trip.
Day 5: Muskoka, an overnight worth the extra planning
Muskoka runs about three hours from Toronto by bus, under two by car, and it’s the first stop on this list that genuinely rewards staying over rather than doing it as a day trip. Ontario Northland runs four buses daily from Union Station’s bus terminal (14-24 CAD, about 2 hours 50 minutes) into Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, and Huntsville; FlixBus covers the same route on a lighter schedule through mid-September 2026. Fresh for 2026: the Ontario Northlander passenger train is returning to the same three towns after years off the map, worth checking before you book a bus ticket instead.
The actual draw here is the steamship cruises . Gravenhurst runs the R.M.S. Segwun, the oldest operating steamship still working in North America, or the newer Wenonah II; Port Carling runs the Lady Rosseau around Lake Rosseau past the cottage architecture the area is known for. Most cruises run about 90 minutes, so pair one with a walk around whichever town you’re based in and call it a genuinely slower final day after four days of moving fast.
Getting around and staying put
Tap PRESTO or contactless for 3.30 CAD a TTC ride in the city on Day 1. A rental car is the simplest way to cover Days 2 through 5 as one continuous loop; if you’d rather stay car-free, the GO train covers Niagara, VIA Rail or the direct bus covers Stratford, and Ontario Northland’s bus covers Muskoka, but Hamilton and Elora become the one stop worth cutting entirely without a car.
Watch for “skip the line” ticket resellers near the CN Tower on Day 1 promising a shortcut at a markup; buy direct from the official site and pay less for the same line-free entry.
For a tighter version without the Muskoka overnight, see the 4-day itinerary ; for the full push into Algonquin, the 6-day itinerary builds directly on this one. The full guide has the complete list of day trips within reach of Toronto.