Visitor Information

From North America

The best source for Toronto-specific information is Tourism Toronto, 207 Queens Quay W., Suite 590, Toronto, ON M5J 1A7 (tel. 800/499-2514 from North America, or 416/203-2600; www.torontotourism.com). Call before you leave and ask for the free information package, which includes sections on accommodations, sights, and dining. Better yet, visit the website, which provides all of the above plus up-to-the-minute events information.

For information about traveling in the province of Ontario, contact Tourism Ontario (tel. 800/ONTARIO; www.ontariotravel.net), or visit its information center in the Atrium on Bay (street level) at 20 Dundas St. W. -- it's just across Dundas from the Sears store at the northern edge of the Eaton Centre. (The Atrium's mailing address is 595 Bay St., but since the information booth is on the south side of the complex, they use a different street address for the same building.) It's open daily from 8:30am to 5pm; hours are extended during the summer, often to 8pm.

Canadian consulates in the United States do not provide tourist information.

From Abroad

The following consulates can provide information or refer you to the appropriate offices. Consult Tourism Toronto for general information. For a list of Canadian consular offices around the world, visit www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/world/embassies/cra-en.asp.

U.K. and Ireland: The Canadian High Commission, MacDonald House, 1 Grosvenor Sq., London W1X 0AB (tel. 0207/258-6600; fax 0207/258-6333).

Australia: The Canadian High Commission, Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra, ACT 2600 (tel. 02/6273-3844), or the Consulate General of Canada, Level 5, Quay West, 111 Harrington St., Sydney, NSW 2000 (tel. 02/9364-3000). The consulate general also has offices in Melbourne and Perth.

New Zealand: The Canadian High Commission, 61 Molesworth St., third floor, Thorndon, Wellington (tel. 04/473-9577).

South Africa: The Canadian High Commission, 1103 Arcadia St., Hatfield 0083, Pretoria (tel. 012/422-3000). The commission also has offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Toronto Print & Online Media

Toronto has four daily newspapers: the Globe and Mail (www.globeandmail.com), the National Post (www.nationalpost.com), the Toronto Star (www.thestar.com), and the Toronto Sun (www.torontosun.com). All have local listings, but the best are in the Star, which lists events, concerts, theater performances, and first-run films.

Even better bets are the free weeklies Now (www.nowtoronto.com) and Eye (www.eyeweekly.com), both published on Thursday and available in news boxes and at cafes and shops around town. Xtra! (www.xtra.ca) is another weekly freebie; it lists events, seminars, and performances, particularly those of interest to the gay and lesbian community. A free annual directory called The Pink Pages targets Torontonians, but out-of-towners will find the information about gay- and lesbian-friendly restaurants, bars, and other businesses quite useful. It's available at shops, restaurants, and bars along Church Street.

Where Toronto (www.where.ca/toronto) is a glossy monthly magazine that lists events, attractions, restaurants, and shops; it's available free at most hotels in the city and at some restaurants in the Theater District. Toronto Life (www.torontolife.com) is an award-winning lifestyle magazine that has excellent listings of kids' events, theater, speeches, and art exhibitions; the April issue contains a dining guide. Fashion magazine (formerly Toronto Life Fashion) will be of interest to serious shoppers.

Toronto.com (www.toronto.com), operated by the Toronto Star, offers extensive restaurant reviews, events listings, and feature articles. A couple of other great sources for local goings-on and news: the Torontoist blog (www.torontoist.com) and blogTO (www.blogto.com). If you love to shop, check out SweetSpot (www.sweetspot.ca) and for its extensive Toronto coverage of local designers and boutiques. The Gridskipper blog (www.gridskipper.com) covers some Toronto news, too.

BlogTO produces some of my favorite local maps: You can pick them up for free at shops and restaurants around town. At press time, they have produced maps for West Queen West, Leslieville, Parkdale, and Little Italy. Where Toronto also prints good neighborhood maps in the magazine. Online, take a look at Maporama (www.maporama.com) for details on getting from point A to B.

Telephones

To call Toronto from the U.S.:

Canada and the U.S. use the same area-code system. Simply dial 1, the Toronto area code (416 or 647), and the number.

To call Toronto from other countries:

1. Dial the international access code: 00 from the U.K., Ireland, or New Zealand; or 0011 from Australia.

2. Dial the country code 1.

3. Dial the city code 416 or 647 and then the number.

To make international calls: To make international calls from Toronto, first dial 00 and then the country code (U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64). Next you dial the area code and number. However, if you are calling the U.S. from Toronto, you need only to dial 1 and then the area code and phone number.

For directory assistance: Dial 411 if you're looking for a phone number; online, visit www.canada411.com.

For operator assistance: If you need operator assistance in making a call, dial 0.

Toll-free numbers: Numbers beginning with 800 or 866 are toll-free within Canada and the U.S. However, calling an 800 number from other countries is not toll-free. In fact, it costs the same as an overseas call.

Internet/E-Mail

Without your own Computer -- To find cybercafes in your destination check www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com. If you're having trouble finding a cybercafe, head to the streets around the University of Toronto, especially Bloor Street West between St. George Street and Bathurst.

Most major airports have Internet kiosks that provide basic Web access for a per-minute fee that's usually higher than cybercafe prices. Check out copy shops like FedEx Kinko's, which offers computer stations with fully loaded software (as well as Wi-Fi).