A Downtown Toronto Getaway is a Perfect Sendoff to Summer

Published August 26th, 2024

Photography by Steph Wallcraft

Summer officially ends on September 21st, but Canadians know Labour Day weekend is the real end of the summer. Once the kids are back in school, we’ll be donning sweaters and drinking pumpkin spice lattes in no time. If you want to revel in summer sunshine a little longer, consider a getaway to downtown Toronto. Late August is such an exciting time of year to visit Canada’s largest city!

My daughter and I did exactly this and had an absolute blast. Here are a few suggestions for planning your very own late summer escape to Toronto.

Choose your accommodation wisely

In Toronto, where you stay makes a big difference on how much you’ll enjoy your time in the city. Choosing a location that’s close to public transit and the attractions you’re planning to visit means you’ll spend less time commuting and more time exploring.

The Chelsea Hotel is one of the best-located accommodation options in Toronto. It’s a short one-block walk to Yonge and Dundas, which puts you within easy access of the Toronto Eaton Centre, many of the city’s top theatres, the big fun you’ll find at Little Canada, a wide variety of restaurants, and much more. From the Dundas subway station, it’s a short ride to the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, the Toronto waterfront and Toronto Island, and plenty more attractions.

We were invited by the Chelsea Hotel to experience an overnight stay in a recently renovated executive room with two double beds. (Disclosure: our room stay, parking, and two meals were provided by the hotel at no cost for our evaluation.)

Most rooms in the Chelsea have balconies, and ours directly overlooked the exciting hustle and bustle of Yonge Street from the 17th floor. The room had two all-important comfortable beds as well as helpful amenities such as a spacious desk, a fridge, a coffee maker, and lots of bathroom counter space.

The Chelsea is the largest hotel in Canada with 1,590 rooms available. But with plenty of front desk staff on hand helping guests, our check-in process went smoothly. We noticed some fun details for families with kids such as a dedicated check-in desk and a pool with a water slide that runs partially outside the building! After settling into our room, we headed straight back out to the Eaton Centre for some back-to-school shopping. The short walk back to the hotel with our shopping bags was a huge help.

Dinner and breakfast at the Elm Street Bar and Lounge

With our shopping list checked off, it was time to settle in at the Chelsea Hotel for the night and grab a bite to eat. The hotel’s Elm Street Bar and Lounge is a cozy space, making it a good spot for an intimate dinner or for winding down after a busy day in the city.

My daughter and I both have celiac disease, and the kitchen at the Elm Street handled it flawlessly. The dinner menu is clearly marked with options for various dietary restrictions, and the restaurant manager and a chef both visited our table to confirm that our orders could be prepared safely. It’s always a pleasure when we can enjoy a leisurely dinner with comfort and ease.

We returned to the Elm Street the next morning to fuel up for another busy day. Although the breakfast menu doesn’t have any gluten-free items specifically marked, our server was able to help us navigate it and select some safe options. 

Should I park or take transit when staying at the Chelsea Hotel?

There is a parking garage at the Chelsea Hotel, which we used during our stay. The convenience of parking right at the hotel is undeniable, but there are a couple of factors worth considering. One is that the parking garage is quite tight. We arrived in a two-row midsize SUV and just barely made it around some of the corners, so anything larger would likely not fit. Also, that midsize SUV was a Cadillac Lyriq, an electric vehicle. There are two parking spots for EVs in the garage, one with a Tesla wall charger and another with no charger. We parked in the spot without a charger, which was helpful in that it was close to the elevator and more spacious than most. But adding more charging stations is one area where the Chelsea could add a great deal of value to the $39-per-day parking costs.

Since traffic getting into downtown Toronto can be difficult to navigate and the hotel is easily accessible via public transit, consider leaving your car at a GO Transit station or taking the TTC.

Let’s go to the Ex

Once we checked out of the Chelsea, we capped off our downtown Toronto visit by heading to the Canadian National Exhibition. The Chelsea Hotel is the official accommodation partner of the CNE, which means you can bundle two general admission passes with your overnight stay.
You can also purchase other ticket types at the hotel’s concierge, which saves a lot of time since you don’t need to wait in line to buy tickets when you arrive.

Staying at the Chelsea also saves you money at other Toronto attractions. For example, you’ll receive 20% off tickets to Little Canada if you show your Chelsea Hotel key card upon arrival.

The CNE traditionally runs in the second half of August through Labour Day weekend. Torontonians have been celebrating the end of the summer at the CNE for more than 140 years! Though things do change little by little over time, the charm of the Ex is that it feels so consistent from one year to the next. It had been about five years since our last visit, but we made our way through all our favourite parts of the fair as though we’d never left. Riding the Polar Express? Check. Watching the Global Pet Foods Superdogs show? Check. Exploring the eclectic options in the Food Building and ordering a giant lemonade from a giant lemon? Check and check again!

With our play-all-day wristbands, we went on our favourite rides over and over as we stuffed our faces with popcorn and cotton candy. It was almost 10 hours later when we finally headed toward home, our hearts full of nostalgia blended with new late summer memories.

Downtown Toronto is an ideal late summer getaway

When you’re looking for one last blast of fun as summer days wind down, consider planning a trip to downtown Toronto. The city has an energy like no other, and annual events like the CNE make late August a fantastic time to enjoy an urban escape.