Toronto has plenty to offer visitors, but if you can take the time to add a side trip, some pleasant excursions are definitely worth considering. Within just a 2-hour drive beyond the sprawling suburbs, you’ll find pretty scenery, quaint towns, superb theater, pastoral scenes, provincial parks, epic Bavarian festivals, and tempting culinary destinations. Here is a sampling of our favorite day trips from Toronto.

Four of the best-known destinations are the theater town of Stratford, the wine region of Niagara-on-the-Lake and the unparalleled Niagara Falls, the great outdoors of Muskoka Lakes and Algonquin Park, and the rich culinary bounty of Prince Edward County.

For information about the areas surrounding Toronto, including Kitchener-Waterloo and Elora & Fergus, contact Ontario Tourism (tel. 800/ONTARIO 800/668-2746; www.ontariotravel.net) or visit its travel information center in the Atrium on Bay (street level) at 20 Dundas St. W.—it's just across Dundas Street from the Sears store at the northern edge of the Eaton Centre. It's open daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm; hours are extended during the summer, often to 8pm.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.