Visitor Information

From North America

The best source for Toronto-specific information is Tourism Toronto (tel. 800/499-2514 from North America, or 416/203-2600; www.seetorontonow.com). The new website includes sections on accommodations, sights, shopping, and dining, plus up-to-the-minute events information. There's also a "Special Offers" section, which has package deals for hotels and attractions or shows.

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. 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) 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.