Toronto + Ontario Offbeat: 6 Days
Six days is enough to run the full westward loop and still push far enough north for genuine wilderness, which is the whole reason to go past a long weekend. This version keeps Days 1 through 5 the same as the shorter builds (Toronto arrival, Niagara Falls, Hamilton-Elora, Stratford, Muskoka) and adds a sixth day pushing further north into Algonquin Provincial Park, the one stop on this whole list with no transit shortcut at all.
Book these before you go:
- A rental car for Days 3 through 6 (Hamilton-Elora and Algonquin have no transit substitute); check rates on Discover Cars
- Stratford Festival tickets for Day 4, since the strongest shows sell out weeks ahead
- The Algonquin day-use permit for Day 6; entry points cap out and the gate doesn’t sell same-day
| 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 |
| 6 | Algonquin Provincial Park | Day-use permit 15-20 CAD/vehicle |
Day 1: Downtown, Then Straight To Bed
Land, UP Express from Pearson into Union Station, 28 minutes, about 9.25 CAD tapped. Check into a hotel near Union; it’s your departure point for most of the week. Spend the afternoon on the CN Tower and St Lawrence Market if you land with time (skip the market on a Monday, the South Market building is shut). Keep it light, five travel-heavy days start tomorrow.
Day 2: Niagara Falls And Niagara-on-the-Lake
Budget the entire day, 1.5 to 2 hours each way by car or tour bus, closer to 2 to 2.5 hours by GO train with the WEGO bus connection at the other end. 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. Add Niagara-on-the-Lake for the afternoon if you have a car or a flexible tour.
Day 3: Hamilton’s Waterfalls, Then Elora Gorge
Rent a car for this one; neither stop has a real transit link from Toronto. Websters Falls and Tews Falls sit about 70km southwest, roughly an hour via the QEW, run by the Hamilton Conservation Authority (about 16 CAD per car, 8am to sunset). As of early 2026 the trail to the base of the falls and the gorge floor is closed, so plan on a top-down view rather than the classic bottom-of-the-falls shot. Continue to Elora, about 110km from Toronto, for the gorge and stone village; in tubing season (late June through early September) registration runs about 21.50 CAD per person, or 55.50 CAD with full equipment rental, plus a 1.3km walk each way between put-in and take-out.
Day 4: Stratford
About two hours by car, or 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. Spend the afternoon on the riverside parks and compact downtown before heading toward Muskoka territory, or back to Toronto if you’d rather stage from there.
Day 5: Muskoka
About three hours from Toronto by bus, under two by car. Ontario Northland runs four daily buses from Union Station’s bus terminal (14-24 CAD, roughly 2 hours 50 minutes) into Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, and Huntsville; the Ontario Northlander passenger train is returning to the same towns in 2026, worth checking before booking a bus seat instead. The steamship cruises are the actual point here: the R.M.S. Segwun out of Gravenhurst, the oldest operating steamship in North America, or the Lady Rosseau around Lake Rosseau out of Port Carling, both around 90 minutes. Stay overnight, this is the launch point for tomorrow.
Day 6: Algonquin Provincial Park
About 280km and just under three hours north by car from Muskoka or Toronto alike, and there’s no transit alternative here at all, this day requires the rental car. The Highway 60 corridor is the accessible stretch: 15 interpretive trails, the Algonquin Logging Museum, and a Visitor Centre with a viewing deck worth 30 minutes on its own. A day-use vehicle permit runs 15-20 CAD, covers everyone in the car up to 14 people, and needs to be booked online in advance (sales open 7am, up to 5 days ahead) since each entry point caps its own capacity. Canoe rentals sit at the Portage Store on Canoe Lake and the Opeongo Store further along. If you’re chasing moose, May and June are the actual window, when they come to the roadside for the leftover road salt, not deep summer.
Practical Notes
Tap PRESTO or contactless for 3.30 CAD per TTC ride in Toronto proper. For everything past Day 1, a rental car is close to mandatory; Hamilton-Elora and Algonquin have no meaningful transit substitute, and even Niagara, Stratford, and Muskoka work better on your own schedule once you’re stacking this many stops in one trip.
Expect the Highway 60 corridor and the falls both to feel genuinely crowded on summer weekends; book the Algonquin permit and, if you’re taking it, the GO train to Niagara, before you leave Toronto rather than same-day.
For a shorter version that stops at Muskoka, see the 5-day itinerary ; to add Prince Edward County on the way back, the 7-day itinerary closes the full loop. The full guide covers every stop in more depth.