Toronto/Yonge-Dundas

Yonge-Dundas is the very heart of downtown Toronto&mdash;in more ways than one. After all, the major arterials of Yonge Street and Dundas St meet here, and the resulting intersection may be the city's busiest (at least for pedestrians). Virtually every visitor to Toronto passes through here at some point.

Yet more than just the physical heart, the Yonge-Dundas area also represents the commercial and political heart of the city. Shop at the Eaton Center and relax at Dundas Square; take in a show at the Mirvish Theatre, or visit two magnificent City Halls (one classic, one modern).

There may be crowds, but they're all here for a reason. The heart of Toronto holds an important place in the hearts of Torontonians and visitors alike.

By subway
Subway Line runs under Yonge Street from Front St to North York, with stations at Queen St, Dundas St, College St, and Wellesley St. The Dundas station puts you in the middle of the district with connections to the Eaton Centre and Dundas Square.

Being U-shaped, Line also runs under University Avenue along the western edge of the district. The district is served by two stations: Osgoode (at Queen St) and St Patrick (at Dundas St).

Subway line 1 is also called the Yonge-University line.

Subway line (also called the Bloor-Danforth line) stops just north of the district at the intersection of Yonge St and Bloor St.

By streetcar

 * The 501 Queen streetcar line runs along Queen Street at the south end of the district.
 * The 505 Dundas streetcar line runs along Dundas Street passing through Dundas Square somewhat resembling Times Square. You can take the westbound 505 streetcar to Chinatown.
 * The 506 Carlton streetcar line runs along Carlton Street on the east side of Yonge Street and College Street on the West. You can take the westbound 506 streetcar to Little Italy and High Park.

Shopping malls
Here is a listing of some large stores and shopping centres listing them from south to north:

Downtown Yonge
Downtown Yonge is the shopping/restaurant area along Yonge Street from Richmond St in the south and to Bloor St in the north. (Officially, "Downtown Yonge" ends just 2 blocks north of College St at Grosvenor and Alexander Streets, but from a visitor's point of view, it continues seamlessly to Bloor St.) There are many small shops and restaurants mostly lining the sidewalks along Yonge St.
 * From Richmond St to Dundas St, there are small shops and restaurants lining the east side of the street opposite the Bay and the Eaton Centre on the west side.
 * Dundas St north to Gerrard St, is a favourite of Torontonians looking for bargains despite being a little rundown and sleazy (with strip clubs and porn shops both being part of the ambience).
 * From College St to Bloor Street there are dozens of small shops, including several used book stores, comics stores, used record stores, dollar stores and just about everything else you can imagine. Although the stock may be a little run down, the area is safe, clean, busy and popular day and night.

Go next
Here is a list of adjacent districts:
 * Downtown East: Church-Wellesley Village, Cabbagetown.
 * Entertainment and Financial Districts: CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium, Roy Thomson Hall, Union Station.
 * Kensington-Chinatown: Kensington Market, Chinatown, Art Gallery of Ontario.
 * Yorkville and the Annex: Royal Ontario Museum, University of Toronto, Yorkville.