A flying visit to Toronto is dreamy on new aircraft

Toronto’s fabulous highs and lows aboard the lovely new Dreamliner plane.

If you love North America, but have done New York and want another idea for a long weekend, check out Toronto.

An easy seven hours from the UK and accessible on British Airways lovely new Dreamliner plane, this city has it all amazing food from all parts of the globe, some excellent shopping, historic sights and friendly locals.

I travelled there recently and was incredibly impressed how it has changed in the past decade since I last visited.

Even more skyscrapers and shopping malls have emerged, and the ‘under-ground city’ has to be seen to be believed.

This entire city below ground level allows the citizens to escape the heat of summer and the bitter cold of winter you can do absolutely everything without ever having to face the elements.

Between the buses, trams and underground, it’s an easy city to get around, which is just as well as it is a huge, spread-out metropolis, with six million inhabitants in the city and environs.

If there’s one over-riding characteristic of Toronto it is its diversity. This may be the world’s most global city, with 50% of the population born outside of Canada.

Some 130 languages and dialects are spoken in the city and it publishes information for its residents in no less than 30 languages!

To find the essence of Toronto’s past and present, there are some experiences that you just have to take in:

Take the ferry to the Toronto Islands for a day in the parks and on the beaches an oasis of calm away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Catch live music at one of Toronto’s music venues such as the Horseshoe Tavern (where the Rolling Stones have played many surprise concerts), The Rex (for live jazz) or the iconic Massey Hall.

Wander the eclectic Kensington Market for vintage finds, organic coffee, tacos, Jamaican patties, gourmet cheese shops, green grocers and Indian spices.

Ride the 501 Red Rocket streetcar along Queen Street from The Beaches in the east to the west end, through the heart of downtown and passing through the interesting neighbourhoods of Leslieville, Riverside, Queen West, Parkdale and Roncesvalles along the way.

Taste a peameal bacon sandwich (with honey mustard) and a butter tart at the 200-year-old St. Lawrence Market voted the best indoor market in the world by National Geographic.

Experience the highs and lows of Toronto from the CN Tower’s Skypod observation deck at 447 metres (135 stories) up, down to the underground PATH system connecting downtown’s office towers with over 1,200 shops and restaurants.

Visit the Art Gallery of Ontario’s premier collections of Canadian art.

Get lost in the crowds of Yonge-Dundas Square (Toronto’s ‘Times Square’).

Cheer on the Toronto Maple Leafs at an Air Canada Centre hockey game.

Eat your way around the world without leaving Toronto in Little Italy, Little Portugal, Greektown, Chinatown, Koreatown, and Little India, just to name a few.

I stayed at the lovely Fairmont Royal York Hotel, once the tallest building in the British Commonwealth. The hotel is located in the heart of downtown, across from Union Station and connected to the Underground City.

Boasting an excellent restaurant called Epic and a lovely Library Bar, the hotel has pretty much everything one could want, with a pool, gym, and oodles of charm dating back to its inception in 1929.

We went on a walking tour and, once hungry and foot-sore, stopped off in the wonderful Distillery District.

Home to many of the city’s hottest designer boutiques, cafes, artisan shops, art galleries, performance venues and award-winning restaurants, the Distillery District is very much the place to be.

The pedestrian-only village features more than 70 ground-floor cultural and retail establishments in the restored red-brick, Victorian-era buildings of the renowned Gooderham & Worts whiskey distillery.

We stopped in at the Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill (see purespirits.ca).

Unfortunately, when my fellow journalists and I dropped in, there was a power cut so all we could have was cold food.

Luckily, I love oysters! Great venue though and I’m sure if you get there when the leccy is on you’ll get great hot food!

While still in super-trendy-mode we then went to visit the bohemian neighbourhood of West Queen West. Unique restaurants, boutiques and a diverse collection of galleries make this a must-see.

One last recommendation has to be the restaurant called Spice Route at 499 King St W (spiceroute.ca) fabulous authentic Indo-Chinese cuisine.

British Airways flies 16 times-a-week direct between London Heathrow and Toronto Pearson International Airport. The route is operated by a mix of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Reasons to try a Dreamliner

The 787 has the largest windows of any commercial aircraft, enabling customers to enjoy the view even if they don’t have a window seat.

Electronic dimmer blinds feature on every window with five graduated settings.

Fully adjustable colour mood lighting to reflect the time of day.

Cleaner cabin air.

Noise levels are reduced through the use of quieter air conditioning, quieter engines and advanced vibration isolation.

New technology counters the effects of turbulence, offering customers a smoother ride.

Large overhead bins offer increased storage space.

Bathrooms feature automatic hands-free flushing toilets and washbasins with automatic water release.

For travel in October British Airways offers three nights at the four-and-a-half star Fairmont Royal York Hotel, from £729 per person, based on two people sharing, room only, including return flights from London Heathrow, including all fees and charges. For reservations visit ba.com or call 0844 493 0758.

Return fares, including all taxes, fees and charges, start from £518 in World Traveller, £950 in World Traveller Plus and £2,617 in Club World and £3,957 in First, and are available to book online at ba.com and direct through British Airways reservations on 0844 493 0787.