At Short Term Stay Toronto, we want to introduce you to Canada's busiest and most populated city. Toronto is, by far, the biggest and most diverse city in Canada. This is reflected in the various neighborhoods you can find around the city, which showcase a wide range of cultural, ethnic, and economic differences. Before you decide on the area best suited to your needs, you may want to read over the information below, though it's only a brief overview.

Harbourfront
Anyone looking for Toronto furnished apartments might want to give Harbourfront a look. It's an upscale neighborhood that has breathtaking views of Lake Ontario and the Toronto Islands, and is very centrally located close to the heart of the city. There are also many opportunities for shopping and dining. It is a neighborhood rich in culture and has plenty to offer in the way of recreation, which makes it one of the city's most popular tourist destinations. Also, thanks to its being situated along Lake Ontario, boating is very popular in this neighborhood. A recently revitalized waterfront area is where you'll also find the Toronto Harbourfront Centre which hosts more than 3,000 events each year in many disciplines such as dance, film, literature, theatre, music, and visual arts.

Queen Street West
Those looking for short term rentals in Toronto may want to take a close look at Queen West. It's a neighborhood full of restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries. In fact, Queen Street West houses the largest concentration of galleries in the entire city, and is generally considered to by the city's main district for art and design. With the neighborhood also being the home of Trinity-Bellwoods Park, it also offers the opportunity of spending a day with the family. In addition, there are plenty of cafes and bistros to visit for anyone who enjoys being around other people, as well as a very lively nightlife scene with many small venues featuring live music.

The Annex
The Annex is the area adjacent to the University of Toronto. As such, there is a feeling of youth in the neighborhood, with college students always coming and going from various places. There are all kinds of book, clothing, music, and antique stores to visit. The neighborhood also has a very active night scene, with the many bars and patios full of people from around the city. Many of these venues also offer live musical performances, and there's also lots of theaters, coffee shops, and art galleries geared toward the younger crowd.

Downtown Yonge
Those looking for furnished apartments in Toronto may want to consider the Downtown Yonge area. A neighborhood known around the world for its shopping, dining, and entertainment options, Downtown Yonge is home to huge shopping centers, many smaller shops, movie theaters, and live music facilities. Situated in the heart of this area is Yonge-Dundas Square, which is a popular place for concerts, theater presentations, and other community events. There are also a large number of bars, pubs, and restaurants in the area, making for a very active night scene.

Bloor - Yorkville
Those looking for short term rentals Toronto can check out Bloor-Yorkville. Home to the annual Toronto International Film Festival, Yorkville is a popular residential area geared mainly towards people with higher incomes. You will find many of the city's most expensive and elaborate condo buildings here as well. There are many upscale dining and shopping venues in this area, as well as many upscale antique, designer boutique, and fashion shops. The number of high-end designers you can find in the area (such as Tiffany, Chanel, and D&G) has earned Bloor-Yorkville the nickname "Mink Mile."

Theatre District
Toronto's Theatre District (sometimes referred to as the "Entertainment District") is home to a large concentration of performing arts theatres and concert halls. It's the area where you are most likely to see large, touring theatre productions. It is also the neighborhood where you are most likely to see festivals related to the theatre scene (for example, it is the neighborhood where the annual Shaw Festival takes place). This area is centered around King Street West, where you'll find the famous sidewalk area known as Canada's Walk of Fame (similar to Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame). You'll also find The CN Tower, Rogers Centre, and The Bell Lightbox located here. Also home to the Toronto Film Festival, if you're a fan of the performing arts, the Toronto's Theatre District is definitely an area you are going to want to check out.

Financial District
The heart of Toronto's business scene, the Financial District houses many banks, corporate headquarters, and law firms. Even more notable is what lies underneath the Financial District. Below the streets of the neighborhood is the PATH underground walkway. It's a virtual underground city that has over fifteen miles of interconnecting pathways that connect to around 50 buildings and subway stations. There are also over 1,000 shops, restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions located inside the PATH, making it one of the most popular areas in the city for both residents and tourists to visit.

York
If you are looking for a Toronto furnished apartment, and you want to be a bit outside the epicenter of town (yet still conveniently close) you might want to take a look at the York area. An ethnically diverse neighborhood, York has large black, Latin American, and Filipino populations. With such a rich diversity of people living there, the neighborhood is home to several festivals, including the Corso Italia festival. It was formerly its own separate city, but was amalgamated into the city of Toronto in 1998.

North York
Anyone looking for a short term rental in Toronto will want to know more about North York. Situated on the north end of Toronto, North York is home to some of the richest and poorest areas in the entire city. It is also an area of great cultural diversity. The eastern half of the area is populated heavily with people of Chinese decent, while the western half is populated heavily by black Canadians. You can also find people of Arab, Latin American, and Korean decent throughout the neighborhood.

Yonge & Eglinton
This is a neighborhood that showcases a mix of commercial, retail and residential development. It's considered to be a part of North York, and has often been described as a "city within a city." There are many shops, restaurants, residential buildings, and commercial buildings in the neighborhood. Many of the restaurants in the area feature live musical performances, making this a popular destination for those who are into the night scene, and a very popular residential area for many of Toronto's young professionals.

Scarborough
Making up the eastern half of the city, Scarborough is one of Toronto's most popular destinations for new immigrants. As a result, Scarborough has a rich variety of cultures and ethnicities. It also borders along Lake Ontario, making for some beautiful views of the lake along the neighborhood's southern border. In addition to being considered the greenest part of the city of Toronto, Scarborough is where you will find some popular tourist attractions such as the Scarborough Bluffs and Rouge Park.

Etobicoke
Etobicoke is a good place for people seeking Toronto short term rentals. The population density in this Toronto neighborhood is the lowest in the city, which is probably due to the pattern of industrial expansion in the area. Many of Toronto's major freeways are routed through Etobicoke. Still, there are many parks and open fields in the area, making it a popular location for people who enjoy spending time outdoors.

At Short Term Stay Toronto, we want to help you work your way around the city. Toronto has an excellent public transportation system, good freeways for you to drive on, plenty of taxis for you to ride in, and a couple of airports that can take you to other cities.

Public Transportation
Someone looking for a furnished apartment in Toronto who wants to get around by public transportation has plenty of options. However, Toronto's public transportation system is extremely busy, coming in just behind New York City and Mexico City as the third-most used public transportation system in North America. Because of this, you should expect large crowds and occasional delays when using the system. It is run mainly by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which offers bus, subway, and streetcar services.

The TTC operates buses on over 140 routes. Fares are generally between $2.50 and $3. Although parts of the bus system run 24 hours a day, the routes at night are more limited and tend to differ from the routes during the day. Overall, bus routes take you all around the city and into the surrounding suburbs. Some of them even extend as far as Mississauga. Normal hours for operation are 5:00 AM to 1:30 AM, Monday through Saturday, and 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM on Sundays. There are also rush hour express routes that only operate during the busy traffic hours. The 24-hour services come from 190 series express buses.

There are three subway lines and one rapid transit line operated by the TTC. The three lines are the Yonge-University-Spadina line, the Bloor-Danforth line, and the Sheppard line. The rapid transit line is the Scarborough Rapid Transit line (SRT). The Yonge-University-Spadina line is the longest, extending from Finch to Downsview. The Bloor-Danforth line is the second-longest, going from Kipling to Kennedy before becoming the SRT from Kennedy to McCowan. The Sheppard line is the shortest, going from Sheppard/Yonge to Don Mills.

The TTC's streetcar system is one of the largest and most-used in the world. There are eleven routes around the city, with some of them connecting to subway routes. The Kingston Road and Lake Shore routes only operate during rush hours. Also, it is important to note that the streetcar routes often mix with regular traffic. Because of this, it is important to watch for oncoming traffic before getting on or off a streetcar.

Taxis
Anyone looking for furnished apartments Toronto who would rather travel by taxi has a number of different cab companies to choose from. Keep in mind, though, that prices can be a bit on the high side. In addition, some taxi routes have set prices (like going from Pearson International to a downtown location). Some of the taxi services you can choose from include:

• Royal Taxi Toronto
• Metro Cab Company Toronto
• Toronto City Cab
• Kingsboro Taxi Toronto
• Toronto Yellow Cab Company

Driving
Driving in Toronto can be a real hassle, as it is one of the busiest cities in the world for automobile traffic. It also has longer rush hour periods than you find in most cities, going from 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Because of this, anyone looking for a Toronto short term rental who wants to drive around the city needs to be cautious and take advantage of the city's freeway system.

Highway 401 (also called the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway) is the busiest highway in the world. It travels from Windsor all the way to the Quebec border. In Toronto, it passes along the northern part of the city, allowing travel both east and west. Highway 404, which is called the Don Valley Parkway (or DVP) as it passes through the city, is on the eastern side of the city, allowing travel for both north and south. The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), also called Highway 451, travels along Toronto's south, allowing travel both east and west. The section in the city itself is called the F.G. Gardiner Expressway.

Airports
There are two major airports in Toronto. The largest and busiest is the Toronto Pearson International Airport (also called Lester B. Pearson International Airport, or simply the Pearson Airport). The airport is the busiest in Canada, serving over thirty million passengers per year. It serves both domestic and international flights, with destinations in the United States, Europe, and Asia, among others. The biggest carrier operating out of the airport is Air Canada, which is also the biggest carrier in Canada.

The second major airport in the city is the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (sometimes referred to as the Toronto Island Airport). It handles both domestic and international flights, though it is more of a regional airport. The international flights are mostly to cities in the eastern United States, while domestic flights are mostly to eastern Canada.

Relaxing allows you to recharge. It is an important part of life, and Toronto offers many ways to relax and recharge.

Outdoor Activities:
Those looking for furnished apartments in Toronto who want to have some fun outdoors have a lot of options available to them. Head downtown and visit the CN Tower, the most iconic building in the city and one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Visitors to the tower can now take advantage of EdgeWalk, which is a hands-free walk around one of the tower's outside ledges. If you enjoy watching animals, head to Scarborough and visit the Toronto Zoo. Head west of Toronto's Chinatown and you can visit Kensington Market, known for its multi-national shops, restaurants, and bars. Hanlan's Point Beach in the Toronto Islands is a "clothing optional" beach for a day out in the sun. Horse racing fans can go to Etobicoke and visit the Woodbine Racetrack. Just west of downtown you can find Exhibition Place, where over 100 fairs and events take place each year. There's also Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory, where you'll find over 2000 tropical butterflies floating around in a beautiful rainforest setting. And for the kids, there's Centreville Amusement Park, with over 30 rides and attractions, and Fallsview Indoor Waterpark, with its three acres of family water fun opened all year round.

Sport for Spectators:
Sports fans looking for short term rentals Toronto are in luck, as Toronto hosts major hockey, baseball, basketball, and football teams. Of course, hockey is the most popular sport in Canada, and the sport is well-represented in Toronto. The city's downtown area houses the Hockey Hall of Fame. Also downtown is the Air Canada Centre, where you can watch the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs. If you are a basketball fan, the Air Canada Centre is also home to the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Baseball fans can visit the Rogers Centre downtown to watch MLB's Toronto Blue Jays. The Rogers Centre is also where football fans can head to watch the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Toronto Argonauts.

Arts & Culture:
Toronto is also home to a wide variety of art galleries, museums, and performing arts theatres, adding even more entertainment value for those seeking short term rentals in Toronto.

Toronto's art galleries and museums are showcases for incredible talent and trips into the past. Whether you are an art buff or a history buff, Toronto has plenty of options for you. Some of the more notable galleries and museums include:

• Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
• Toronto Police Museum
• Holocaust Centre of Toronto
• Gibson House Museum
• Scarborough Historical Museum
• Toronto Dominion Gallery of Inuit Art

As for performing arts fans, Toronto has a huge number of theatres around the city to choose from, making it easy to find a place to catch a show. Some of the theatres around the city include:

• Pantages Theatre Toronto
• Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
• Royal Alexandra Theatre
• Lower Ossington Theatre
• Theatre Passe Muraille
• Factory Theatre
• Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Dining:
Those seeking furnished apartments in Toronto who are looking for places to eat have a wide selection available to them. For American cuisine fans, Downtown West is home to both Bymark and Jump Cafe & Bar. Over at the Danforth is Lolita's Lust & The Chinchilla Lounge. Canadian cuisine fans can head to Downtown West and visit Canoe Restaurant & Bar and Woodlot Restaurant and Bakery. For French cuisine fans, C5 in Midtown is a very popular choice. There's also Globe Bistro in the Danforth, Auberge du Pommier in Uptown, and Jacques Bistro du Parc in Midtown. For Italian cuisine fans, Bar Mercurio in Midtown is a popular place to visit. There's also Mistura in Midtown and Trattoria Giancarlo in Downtown West.

Nightlife:
There is also a very active nightlife for those seeking furnished apartments Toronto to take advantage of. There are many bars, pubs, and night clubs to visit that will keep you entertained until the wee hours of the morning.

Bars, Taverns and Pubs:
In the Trinity-Bellwoods neighborhood you can find Sweaty Betty's for beers and a jukebox. The Mill Street Brew Pub in the Distillery District offers a large number of beers to choose from. Head over to Dufferin Grove and visit the Dakota Tavern for beer, wine, food, and even some live musical performances. Go to Leslieville and you can The Roy Public House and Ceili Cottage. Some other places you can visit include Brunswick House, Wheat Sheaf Tavern, Mill Street Brew Pub, and The Ben Wicks Restaurant & Pub.

Clubs:
Take a trip downtown and you can visit Lula Lounge for Latin cuisine and live musical performances. Head to Kensington and you can visit El Mocambo for live musical performances. Visit Queen West and you can stop by The Rivoli for live musical performances and even live poetry readings. Some other clubs you can check out in Toronto include the Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, the Mod Club Theatre, Lee's Palace, the Drake Underground, and Hugh's Room.

Shopping:
If you're living in one of our short term rentals in Toronto and you enjoy shopping, you'll have a lot of options to choose from. Large malls, countless smaller shops, and major shopping areas are all a part of Toronto's shopping scene.

By far the biggest mall in Toronto is the Toronto Eaton Centre. With five levels and 330 stores to choose from, you can find almost anything here. There's also Fairview Mall in North York. It is not as big as the Eaton Centre, but there are still over 260 stores to choose from. You can also head over to the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Downsview, which has over 250 stores.

As for some of the smaller shops, anyone shopping in Toronto has to pay a visit to Honest Ed's in the Annex. In business for over 60 years, the discount store is one of the landmarks of Toronto's shopping scene. G.U.F.F. (Good Used Furniture Finds) in Leslieville is a good place to find used furniture. Head downtown and you can visit Peach Berserk, a fashion store specializing in silk separates, dresses, and coats.

If you are looking some of the major shopping areas around the city, you may want to pay a visit to Queen Street West. There are a huge number of fashion and design stores there. Yorkville also offers plenty of designer boutiques, outlet stores, and art galleries, though prices in this area tend to be on the high side.

As in most great cities, Toronto has many hospitals, schools, and places of worship. No matter where you go in the city, there are always places where you can find a hospital, school, or religious venue.

Hospitals:
Health is an important part of life, and those looking to rent furnished apartments Toronto will be happy to know that the city has a number of fine hospitals.

• Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
• The Scarborough Hospital
• Toronto General Hospital
• Trillium Health Centre
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
• Etobicoke General Hospital
• Humber River Regional Hospital
• North York General Hospital
• Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

Schools:
Education is also important for those looking for short term rentals Toronto, especially those with children who will be attending school. Toronto has a large number of high-quality schools to choose from starting at elementary and going all the way to college.

Elementary Schools:

• John T Tuck Elementary School
• Crescent Town Elementary School
• Stella Maris Elementary School
• Brooks Road Elementary School
• Pauline Johnson Elementary School
• Scarborough Village Elementary School
• Lorne Skuce Elementary School
• Agnes Mac Phail Elementary School
• Thorncliffe Park Elementary School
• Gladys Speers Elementary School

Middle Schools:

• Pierre Laporte Middle School
• Bristol Road Middle School
• Second Street Jr. Middle School
• Dave Leeder Middle School
• Donview Middle School
• Cosburn Middle School
• Islington Junior Middle School
• Beaumonde Heights Jr. Middle School
• Elms Junior Middle School
• Rockcliffe Middle School

High Schools:

• Futureskills High School
• D A Morrison Junior High School
• Lord Elgin High School
• Pickering High School
• Milliken Mills High School
• Oakville Trafalgar High School
• Newmarket High School
• Central Etobicoke High School

Colleges & Universities:

• University of Toronto
• The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
• York University
• Ryerson University
• Innis College
• George Brown College
• Canadian College of Business & Computers
• The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences
• Tyndale University College & Seminary

Places of Worship:

Faith is also an important part of many peoples' lives, so Toronto has a number of institutions where you can practice whatever religion you follow. There are churches for Christians, synagogues for Jews, and mosques and Islamic centers for Muslims.

Churches:

• Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
• Slavic Evangelical Baptist Church Toronto
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help Toronto
• St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church Toronto
• Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Toronto
• St. Peter's Estonian Lutheran Church Toronto
• New Hope Fellowship Toronto
• St. John's Presbyterian Church Toronto
• Manor Road United Church Toronto
• Emmanuel Howard Park United Church Toronto

Synagogues:

• Bnai Israel Synagogue Toronto
• Ahavas Isaac Synagogue Toronto
• Beth Tikvah Synagogue Toronto
• Beit Rayim Synagogue Toronto
• Beth Meyer Synagogue Toronto

Mosques & Islamic Centers:

• Imdadul Islam Centre Toronto
• Fatih Mosque Toronto
• Canadian Turkish Islamic Centre Toronto
• Woolner Mossollah
• Masjid Al Ansar Toronto