Toronto/Entertainment and Financial Districts

The Entertainment and Financial Districts, along with Yonge-Dundas to the north, form the heart of Toronto's downtown. By day, the suits and powerbrokers of the Financial District drive the city's economy from their glass and steel towers. But as night comes, the towers empty and people pour into the Entertainment District to catch the show, see the game or party at the clubs. Whether it's day or night, many of Toronto's larger attractions are located here, so it's an essential part of any visit to Toronto.

Financial District
The Financial District is the economic powerhouse of Toronto. Dozens of towering glass, concrete and steel monoliths are a must-see for architecture enthusiasts. The district is actually quite compact and walkable, even in inclement weather. That's because of the "PATH" - 27 km (16 miles) of interconnecting passageways under the streets that feature more than 1,200 stores and services. Street entrances to the subterranean walkway are indicated with "PATH" signage.

Fashion District
The heart of Toronto's Fashion District is along Spadina Avenue from Front Street in the south to Queen Street in the north. However, hardly any garment manufacturing is done here today as garment industry work has long since left for cheaper places. Along Spadina, you can still see many graceful, multi-storey loft buildings that used to house garment manufacturing operations; buildings of this type also appear north of Queen Street to Sullivan Street at the southern end of Chinatown.

The Fashion District overlaps the Entertainment District along the east side of Spadina Avenue. The name "Fashion District" appears on a street sign at the south-west corner of Spadina Avenue and Richmond Street West beside the Fashion Building, a warehouse-loft.

Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre, formerly known as SkyDome, is a multi-purpose stadium, situated next to the CN Tower near the shores of Lake Ontario. It opened in 1989, and is home to the American League's Toronto Blue Jays, and was also home to the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts before that team moved to BMO Field in Harbourfront in 2016. While it is primarily a sports venue, it also hosts other large-scale events such as conventions, trade fairs, concerts, funfairs, and monster truck shows. The stadium was renamed following its purchase by Rogers in 2005, but locals prefer the original "SkyDome". The venue was noted for being the first stadium to have a fully-retractable motorized roof, as well as for the 348-room hotel attached to it, with 70 rooms overlooking the field. A popular venue for large scale rock concerts, the stadium is the largest indoor concert venue in Toronto; it has hosted many international acts including Metallica, Madonna, U2, Depeche Mode, The Rolling Stones, The Three Tenors, Radiohead, Simon & Garfunkel, Garth Brooks, Backstreet Boys, Roger Waters, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Limp Bizkit, Eminem, Janet Jackson, Avril Lavigne, Jonas Brothers and Cher. The stadium was a centrepiece of the 2015 Pan American Games as the site of the opening and closing ceremonies.

Public tours of the stadium are sometimes available.

By plane
The nearest airport to Toronto's financial district is the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which is located across a narrow channel from the foot of Bathurst Street in the Harbourfront district. The main commercial airline serving the airport is Porter, operating year-round flights to New York City, Chicago, Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax as well as winter flights to Mont-Tremblant. Air Canada Express also offers service to Montreal. Porter operates a free bus for its passengers between the airport and Union Station; alternately, you can take the 509 streetcar from Queen's Quay and Bathurst, a few blocks from the airport, to Union Station.

By train
Toronto's main railway station, Union Station sits at the foot of the financial district, on Front Street between York and Bay Streets. All commuter rail lines in the city run to and from Union Station and are run by Go Transit. Trains run all day on weekdays and weekends on the Lakeshore line from Hamilton in the west to Oshawa in the east. All the other lines run only at rush hour on weekdays. All intercity trains in Toronto run to Union Station and are operated by Via Rail. (Ontario Northland no longer runs Toronto-North Bay-Cochrane by rail.) For more information on intercity and commuter rail services to Toronto, see the Toronto city article.

By subway
The financial district is well served by subway line (Yonge-University-Spadina) with Queen, King, Union, St Andrew and Osgoode stations all lying in the district.

By streetcar
Many streetcar lines run through or terminate in the financial district. The 504 King line runs along King street, through the centre of the neighbourhood, The 501 Queen line runs along Queen street at the north end of the district and the 502 Downtowner and 503 Kingston Rd lines terminate in the district.

The subway, streetcar lines and buses are run by the TTC and a TTC fare includes transfers between both modes to complete a single trip.

By car
Most of the major highways passing through Toronto pass through the downtown core at some point.


 * From the DVP: follow the DVP south towards Front Street - the southernmost exit brings you into downtown.
 * From the Gardiner Expressway: exit at Spadina, next to the CN Tower.
 * From the 401: follow the 401 until you reach the Don Valley Parkway (just east of Leslie Street), then exit onto the DVP southbound, and follow until you reach Front Street.

Parking in the area is very expensive, and there are always traffic jams late at night. When driving on King St, note that King St has been designated as a transit priority corridor in this area and all cars must make a right turn at most signaled intersections (turning left or going straight are not allowed) at all times.

By bike or foot
The easiest way to find downtown Toronto is to locate the CN Tower, and head towards it. Although many people bike in Toronto, others consider it to be a very dangerous city to bike in, and accidents are frequent. Stick to less travelled roads, and be aware of people and vehicles around you.

See

 * Since 1993, the Hockey Hall of Fame has been housed in the former Toronto head office of the Bank of Montreal. Completed in 1885, the building has two fine monumental facades with an impressive entrance bay between them. It continued in use as a bank until 1982, when it closed.
 * Since 1993, the Hockey Hall of Fame has been housed in the former Toronto head office of the Bank of Montreal. Completed in 1885, the building has two fine monumental facades with an impressive entrance bay between them. It continued in use as a bank until 1982, when it closed.

Small parks and public squares
There are several downtown parks and squares nestled between tall buildings that are pleasing to look at or convenient for a rest.



Tours

 * Take a historic walking tour of the area. Muddy York Walking Tours, offers "Toronto History: the 20th Century" and "History of Downtown Street Names" tours that cover the downtown area.

Eat
There are restaurants in attractive row of older buildings along King St W at John St opposite the TIFF Bell Lightbox. There are many restaurants in nearby districts such as Chinatown and the Fashion District along Queen Street West.

Budget

 * The underground PATH has many food courts for budget meals.
 * Try the many hot dog stands, also known as "Street Meat," located sporadically around the downtown area of the city. These vendors are conveniently located just outside of subway stations, big buildings, malls and clubs. Prices range from $1 to $4, and most stands offer hot dogs, veggie dogs, sausages, and cold drinks.
 * The underground PATH has many food courts for budget meals.
 * Try the many hot dog stands, also known as "Street Meat," located sporadically around the downtown area of the city. These vendors are conveniently located just outside of subway stations, big buildings, malls and clubs. Prices range from $1 to $4, and most stands offer hot dogs, veggie dogs, sausages, and cold drinks.
 * Try the many hot dog stands, also known as "Street Meat," located sporadically around the downtown area of the city. These vendors are conveniently located just outside of subway stations, big buildings, malls and clubs. Prices range from $1 to $4, and most stands offer hot dogs, veggie dogs, sausages, and cold drinks.

Drink

 * The Entertainment District (Clubland) has North America's highest density of clubs, restaurants and bars. Dance clubs are located mostly along Richmond and Adelaide Streets, but there are some on the side streets. The clubs don't generally last very long. In many places, every year a new club opens in the same location with a new name.

Go next
Here are a list of neighbouring downtown districts, most of which are within walking distance:
 * Downtown East: St Lawrence Market, Distillery District.
 * Kensington-Chinatown: Kensington Market, Chinatown, Art Gallery of Ontario.
 * Harbourfront: Harbourfront Park, harbour tours, Toronto Islands.
 * Yonge-Dundas: City Hall, Eaton Centre, Yonge-Dundas Square.