Where to stay · Local feel

Most local neighbourhoods in Toronto

Where to stay in Toronto to feel like a resident — the neighbourhoods with genuine local life, independent restaurants, and the fewest tourists.

AllBudgetLocal feelNightlifeFamiliesWalkabilityMost central

Top pick for local feel

Kensington Market & Chinatown

Pedestrian Sundays, vintage shops, cheap pho on Spadina — Toronto's most multicultural and most affordable neighbourhood for food.

Kensington Market — colourful Victorian houses with painted murals on Augusta Avenue

Kensington Market & Chinatown

Top pick

Pedestrian Sundays, vintage shops, cheap pho on Spadina — Toronto's most multicultural and most affordable neighbourhood for food.

9/10

Walk

7/10

Price

9/10

Local

7/10

Central

The Annex Toronto — Victorian brick houses along a tree-lined residential street

The Annex

Good

University of Toronto's neighbourhood — Victorian houses, bookshops, Bloor Street cafes and the original Honest Ed's site.

10/10

Walk

6/10

Price

8/10

Local

8/10

Central

Distillery District — Victorian brick warehouses with cobblestone street and string lights

Distillery District

Trade-off

Cobblestoned Victorian industrial complex of brick warehouses — galleries, restaurants and the city's top Christmas Market.

9/10

Walk

5/10

Price

5/10

Local

8/10

Central

Yorkville Toronto — ROM crystal facade lit at night with Bloor Street traffic

Yorkville / Bloor-Yonge

Trade-off

Toronto's luxury quarter — Bloor Street West's "Mink Mile," the ROM, Yorkville restaurants and TIFF's celebrity hotels.

10/10

Walk

2/10

Price

4/10

Local

9/10

Central

Downtown Toronto — CN Tower and Financial District skyline above Harbourfront

Downtown / Financial District

Trade-off

The tourist core — CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium, Rogers Centre, Harbourfront and Union Station all within a 15-minute walk.

10/10

Walk

3/10

Price

3/10

Local

10/10

Central

Know where to stay — now find when to go.

Best time to visit Toronto →