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Follow from Your Phone: Hour by Hour Toronto Sunday Itinerary

DayHop · September 8, 2026

Follow from Your Phone: Hour by Hour Toronto Sunday Itinerary

Sunday morning inside St. Lawrence Market

Spend your Sunday morning at St. Lawrence Market, catch the 13-minute ferry from Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to Centre Island for the afternoon, then close the day in the Distillery District. That’s the full plan. Total cost runs $40 to $70 per adult including food, ferry tickets, and transit, and you can start it whenever you wake up.

TL;DR:

  • Parking at the Green P lot near St. Lawrence Market fills by 9:45 a.m. on sunny Sundays, so arrive early or use transit to avoid searching for a spot.
  • Ferry tickets to the Toronto Islands cost about $10 for adults, with boat schedules shifting seasonally, so check live updates before planning your return.
  • To accommodate rain, replace the islands with indoor attractions like the Royal Ontario Museum or CN Tower, especially if weather forecasts turn unfavorable.
  • Shorter, family-focused plans suggest starting earlier at the market, taking the ferry before noon, and returning by 4 p.m. to avoid nap-time disruptions.
  • The Distillery District has cobblestone paths that challenge strollers, especially lightweight umbrellas, making a jogger stroller preferable if you want a smoother visit.
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Complete timed Sunday itinerary you can follow now

Here’s the full day, hour by hour, with parking, transit legs, and costs built in.

8:30 to 10:30 a.m.: St. Lawrence Market. The market at 93 Front Street East opens at 9 a.m. on Sunday for the antique market upstairs (it’s closed for the main food market Mondays, so check ahead if you’re combining a Sunday and Monday trip). Park at the Green P lot on The Esplanade or the lot under 25 Lower Jarvis Street. Expect $4 to $6 per hour, and arrive before 9:15 a.m. if you want a parking spot without circling twice. Head straight for Carousel Bakery and order a peameal bacon sandwich. It runs about $9 and the line moves fast before 10 a.m., then backs up past 11. Budget $15 to $25 per person for breakfast here.

10:45 to 11:15 a.m.: Walk or streetcar to the ferry terminal. Jack Layton Ferry Terminal sits at 9 Queens Quay West, about a 20-minute walk from the market along Yonge Street to Queens Quay, or a 10-minute ride on the 509 Harbourfront streetcar from Union Station. If you’re pushing a stroller, the streetcar is the easier call. The sidewalk along Queens Quay is flat and paved the whole way.

11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Toronto Islands. The ferry crossing to Centre Island takes about 13 minutes, and the terminal also runs boats to Ward’s Island and Hanlan’s Point, though schedules shift by season, so check the live board before you plan your return time. Round trip tickets run roughly $10 for adults and less for kids, and you buy them at the terminal or ahead of time online.

Once you’re on Centre Island, bike rentals are available near the pier for around $10 to $12 an hour, a decent way to cover more ground than walking allows. If you’ve got young kids, skip the bikes and head to Centreville Amusement Park instead. It’s stroller-friendly, the paths are paved, and washrooms are plentiful near the main pier. Pack a lunch and eat at one of the picnic areas along the boardwalk. There’s a small snack bar on the island too, but it can be busy and more expensive compared to bringing your own food.

Packed lunch at a Toronto Islands picnic

3:30 p.m.: Ferry back. Give yourself the return trip plus a buffer. Lines for the return ferry get long on sunny Sundays, especially the 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. departures, so don’t cut it close if you have dinner plans.

4:00 p.m.: Quick freshen-up. If you drove, you’re back near your car by now. If not, the streetcar retraces your morning route.

4:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Distillery District. It’s a 10-minute drive or a 15-minute streetcar ride (504 King) from the ferry terminal. Fair warning: the whole district is cobblestone, which makes stroller wheels bounce and rattle. If you’ve got a jogging stroller with bigger wheels, you’ll manage fine. If you’ve got a lightweight umbrella stroller, expect a workout. Arrive before 5 p.m. for photos with softer light and thinner crowds; after 6 p.m. on a nice Sunday, the main square fills with people waiting for restaurant tables.

7:00 p.m.: Dinner. King West is a five-minute drive or a short streetcar ride from the Distillery District, with a wider range of casual spots than the Distillery itself, where restaurants lean toward the pricier end. If you drove, street parking on side streets like Adelaide or Richmond gets easier to find after 7 p.m.

Rain plan: If the forecast turns, swap the islands block for the Royal Ontario Museum (100 Queens Park) or the CN Tower (290 Bremner Boulevard), both a short subway or streetcar ride from downtown. Keep the market morning and Distillery evening as-is. The middle block is the only one weather actually threatens.

Backup indoor options if the whole day needs a rain rework:

  • Royal Ontario Museum, open Sunday, general admission around $28 for adults
  • CN Tower, open Sunday, LookOut level tickets around $43 for adults
  • Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, a five-minute walk from the CN Tower
  • Eaton Centre, if you need an hour of free, dry wandering with kids

Three Sunday templates for different kinds of groups

The plan above works well for most visitors, but not every Sunday needs the islands as the centrepiece. Here are three shorter templates, each with three or four stops, built around a different priority.

  1. Family template. Start earlier, around 9 a.m., at the market to beat the crowds with kids in tow. Take the 10 a.m. ferry to Centre Island rather than Ward’s. Centre Island has flatter paths and more accessible washrooms, which matters more than it sounds like when you’re managing a toddler and a diaper bag. Spend the whole afternoon at Centreville, budget $35 to $45 per child for unlimited ride passes, and eat cheap at the on-island snack bar or bring sandwiches. Head home by 4 p.m. before nap-time meltdowns start.

  2. Foodie and markets template. Skip the early market rush and aim for an 11 a.m. brunch instead, either at St. Lawrence Market or, if it happens to be the last Sunday of the month between May and October, swap to Kensington Market for Pedestrian Sundays, when the streets close to cars and vendor stalls spill onto the road. Kensington is about a 15-minute walk from Spadina station or a short ride on the 510 streetcar. Look for dim sum on Baldwin Street or a second peameal bacon sandwich if the first one wasn’t enough. Spend the afternoon wandering the vintage shops and food stalls, then head to the Distillery District for dinner. No ferry, no islands, all neighbourhood.

  3. Outdoors and islands template. For readers who want more activity and less amusement park, start at High Park instead of the market. If you’re visiting during the brief cherry blossom bloom, which typically lasts about a week, arrive by 8 a.m. to beat both the crowds and the tour groups that show up by mid-morning. Walk the trails, then head downtown by early afternoon for the islands. Rent bikes on Centre Island, ride out toward Ward’s Island for the quieter beach, and swim if the weather cooperates. This template skips Centreville entirely and trades it for more open space and fewer lineups.

Getting around Toronto on a Sunday

Sunday transit runs on a lighter schedule than weekdays, which cuts both ways: fewer crowds, but longer waits between streetcars on some routes. If you’re making four or five stops, a TTC day pass often beats paying per ride, and Toronto’s own tourism guidance recommends checking transit passes before the weekend rather than figuring it out on the fly.

From Union Station to Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, budget 15 to 20 minutes on foot or about 10 minutes on the 509 Harbourfront streetcar. Both routes are flat and stroller-friendly.

Ferry fact: The crossing to Centre Island takes about 13 minutes, but schedules shift by season and by destination (Centre, Ward’s, or Hanlan’s), so check the live board at the terminal or online before you commit to a return time.

If you’re driving:

  • The Green P lot near St. Lawrence Market fills by mid-morning on sunny Sundays; arrive before 9:15 a.m. if you want street-level parking.
  • Lots near the ferry terminal on Queens Quay fill faster than you’d expect once the islands get busy after 11 a.m.
  • Distillery District parking is easiest to find after 6 p.m., once the lunch crowd clears out.
  • Washroom access is solid at the market, the ferry terminal, and Centre Island’s main pier, but thinner on Ward’s Island, so plan accordingly if you have kids.

Events that change your Sunday plans

Toronto’s calendar gets crowded in late summer, and a few recurring events are worth checking before you lock in a route.

  • The Canadian National Exhibition and the Canadian International Air Show run over Labour Day weekend, and the air show typically flies in a midday window, roughly noon to 3:40 p.m., when crossing the waterfront between Harbourfront and Exhibition Place slows considerably. If your Sunday falls during this weekend, avoid the west waterfront during that window or shift your islands trip to the morning.
  • Festivals like the Dragon Festival and BuskerFest pop up on various Sundays through the year, and event calendars list specific dates and locations well in advance. Some, like Ashkenaz, are downtown; others land as far out as North York, so confirm the venue before you build travel time around it.
  • Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market run the last Sunday of the month from May through October. Streets close to cars, vendor stalls multiply, and the neighbourhood gets considerably more foot traffic than a typical Sunday. Good for browsing, less good if you’re trying to move through quickly with a stroller.

Checking an event calendar before you leave the house on Thursday night saves you from finding out the hard way that your parking lot is now a festival footprint.

Neighbourhood swaps if you want a different Sunday

If one of the anchor stops above doesn’t fit your group, here are quick substitutions.

  • Kensington Market: About a 15-minute walk from Spadina station. Narrow lanes, tight sidewalks, and vintage shops packed close together. Good for browsing, tough for a double stroller. Try the empanadas on Augusta Avenue or the dumplings on Baldwin Street.
  • Distillery District: Already in the main plan, but worth noting again for cobblestone. Arrive before 5 p.m. for better light and thinner crowds, and park at the Green P lot on Mill Street rather than circling for street parking.
  • Harbourfront and Queens Quay: A flat, paved boardwalk running from the ferry terminal west toward HTO Park. Good sunset spot in summer, and it’s a direct 10 to 15-minute streetcar ride from Union Station if you want a low-key close to the day instead of the Distillery.

How DayHop turns this plan into your plan

Say the forecast flips Saturday night and Sunday looks like rain. Instead of scrapping the whole day, DayHop swaps the islands block for the Royal Ontario Museum and re-times your meals around the new route, so you’re not standing in the rain at the ferry terminal wondering what to do next.

Two DayHop Stories go deeper than this article can:

Pro Tip: Set your filters for “family,” “stroller-friendly,” and “weather-flexible” before you start building a plan. It narrows the suggestions to routes that actually work with a stroller on cobblestone or gravel, instead of routes that look good on paper.

One honest caveat before you go

The Green P lot on The Esplanade near St. Lawrence Market fills by 9:45 a.m. most sunny Sundays, earlier during the antique market upstairs. If you’re not there by 9:15, plan on the Lower Jarvis Street lot instead, or take transit and skip the parking search entirely. I’d also say the on-island snack bar at Centreville is skippable. The lines get long by early afternoon and the food is nothing you couldn’t pack yourself for a third of the price. Bring a picnic, save the money for the Distillery District dinner instead.

— Mugendi

Build this exact plan with the DayHop app

A digital planning tool can quickly turn a plan like this into a route on your phone, saving you from cross-referencing multiple websites late at night. Input basic trip details, and it creates an itinerary with timing for the market, ferry, and islands, adjusting quickly if the forecast changes.

Dayhop

You still get the same anchors covered in this piece, St. Lawrence Market, the islands, the Distillery District, but the planner fills in timing gaps and swaps stops automatically if a lot fills up or a festival closes a street. Build this Sunday itinerary and get step-by-step transit and parking directions at Dayhop, then save it for next weekend too.

Where to confirm times before you leave

Double-check these before Sunday morning, since ferry schedules and event dates shift seasonally.

Sources

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