Getaways

Cosmopolitan Toronto offers a warm Canadian welcome. More than 100 languages are spoken in this energetic, melting-pot city. In August, the cultural scene is in full swing, with everything from outdoor concerts to dance, theater and jazz (www.torontotourism.com).

SEE: The view from the CN Tower, the world's tallest free-standing building, is impressive; on a clear day you can see Niagara Falls and Lake Ontario. Enjoy a glass of vino in the CN's 360 Restaurant, which boasts the world's highest wine cellar, while you plan what's next. Popular neighborhoods, including Queens Quay, Roncesvalles and the Distillery District, with its Victorian factories reborn as restaurants, galleries and the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, will yield a taste of true Toronto.

STAY: The Drake Hotel (www.thedrakehotel.ca), an 1890 institution re-created as a "hotbed of culture" for the 21st century, is a favorite among travelers as well as locals. If you want something more boutique, enjoy sleek, contemporary digs at the centrally located SoHo Metropolitan Hotel (www.metropolitan.com).

DINE: Toronto has 7,000 restaurants to choose from. In Roncesvalles, try the casual Freshwood Grill (www.the freshwoodgrill.com), with dishes made from local, seasonal ingredients. Toronto's Chinatown, one of the largest in North America, offers dim sum all day at Bright Pearl Seafood Restaurant (www.brightpearlseafood.com). And if a picnic in one of the glorious local parks appeals to you, head first to St. Lawrence Market (www.stlawrencemarket.com), where more than 50 vendors sell delicacies from as many countries.

SHOP: All sorts of items unique to Toronto can be found at in the Queen Street West neighborhood, with its various galleries and artisans. Preloved has remodeled, updated vintage clothing. The Paper Place offers a trove of handmade Japanese paper. Roncesvalles Avenue has worthwhile antiques shops. If the summer heat makes you glow, stop at Soap Scope for homemade organic soaps, foot scrubs and other cooling lotions and potions.

INSIDER'S TIP: Not far from CN Tower, the Artists' Gardens (www.harbourfrontcentre.com) feature more than 20 outdoor gardens designed by local landscape designers and artists to reflect Toronto's rich cultural palette.