Toronto Guide
Toronto
The Toronto Islands
Originally a sandbar peninsula, the Toronto Islands, arching around the city's harbour, were cut adrift from the mainland by a violent storm in 1858. First used as a summer retreat by the Mississauga Indians, the islands went through various incarnations during the twentieth century: they once hosted a baseball stadium, where slugger Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run, saw fun fairs featuring horses diving from the pier and even served as training base for the Norwegian Air Force during World War II. Today, this archipelago, roughly 6km long and totalling around 800 acres, seems worlds away from the bustle of downtown, a relaxing day-trip destination where visitors' cars are banned.
The city side of the archipelago is broken into a dozen tiny islets dotted with cottages, leisure facilities, gardens and clumps of wild woodland. The other side of the archipelago is a tad wilder and more windswept, consisting of one long sliver of land, which is somewhat arbitrarily divided into three "islands". From the east, these are Ward's Island, a quiet residential area with parkland and wilderness; Centre Island, the busiest and most developed of the three; and Hanlan's Point, which leads round to Toronto's pint-sized Toronto Island Airport. Hanlan's Point also holds the city's best sandy beach – though, as Lake Ontario is generally regarded as being too polluted for swimming, most visitors stick to sunbathing. Several hours are needed to explore the islands by bike, a full day if you are on foot.
Passenger ferries to the islands depart from the mainland ferry terminal, behind the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, between the foot of Yonge and Bay streets. Cyclists can take their bikes unless the ferry is jam-packed. In summer, bike hire is available on Centre Island from Island Bicycle Rental ( 
416/203–0009); you can also rent canoes and paddleboats, which allow you to paddle round the mini-lagoons to a couple of tiny wooded islets that are otherwise impossible to reach. A free and fairly frequent trackless train runs across the islands in summer; you can board the train at any point along its circuitous route. For eating, it's all fast– food except for the Rectory Café (Mon– Thurs 11am–6pm, Fri– Sun 11am–8pm; high season daily 10am–10pm; 416/203-2152), on Ward's Island, where they serve tasty snacks and light meals.