Visiting the CN Tower, Toronto, Canada

CN is believin’

The CN Tower in Toronto is one of the tallest towers in the world and Toronto’s most popular tourist attraction, so it goes without saying that when in Toronto, give it a visit. The CN Tower was completed in 1976. The name “CN” originally referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. The tower held the record for the world’s tallest free-standing structure for 32 years until 2007 when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa, Dubai and was the world’s tallest tower until 2009 when it was surpassed by the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China.

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Where is the CN Tower?

It can’t exactly be missed! Look up and you will see it from almost any place in the city.

The CN Tower is located between the Rogers Centre, Toronto’s sports dome and the Toronto Convention Centre. For being a huge big, can’t miss it place, finding the front door can be a bit confusing. If you have a buggy/pram or a wheelchair user, head to John Street on the south side of Front Street. Here you will find a set of stairs that takes you to the entrance of the CN Tower. To the right of those stairs is a wide ramp that leads to both the Rogers Centre and the CN Tower entrance. If you don’t need wheelchair access, then look out for the glass doors which lead to a lift to take you down to the CN Tower entrance. These doors are not well marked, so keep your eyes peeled.

Best time to visit

As you can imagine, it gets busy at peak times so, the best time to visit the CN Tower without crowds is either early in the morning, from 9 am to 11 am, or in the evening, after 5 pm. We visited first thing in the morning in winter and had no queues, plus there was space to look around during our visit.

Remember to also check the weather forecast. The tower can be hidden above the clouds and fog so no spectacular views of Toronto and its surrounding area. If you can’t see the top of the tower from the ground, it means you won’t see much from the top either!

What to see at CN Tower

First of all, you will be whisked up to the tower in one of the glass-windowed elevators. So you’ll either be amazed or scared! There are three visitor areas: the Glass Floor and Outdoor Observation Terrace, which are both located at 1,122 ft high, the Indoor Lookout Level located at 1,135 ft high, and the higher SkyPod 1,465 ft.

The glass floor has an area of 258 sq ft and can withstand a pressure of 4,100 kilopascals (595 psi). The floor’s glass units are 2.5 in thick, consisting of 1.0 in laminated glass. Stand here and look down the 1,122.0 ft below you, or maybe not.

The main draw here is the view, and you’ll certainly be stunned by the sight of the city below and the view out to Lake Ontario.

If you are really crazy, sorry, like a challenge then EdgeWalk is for you. It’s the world’s highest full circle hands-free walk on a 5 ft wide ledge encircling the top of the Tower, 1168ft above the ground.

Food

We didn’t eat at the CN Tower as we had just eaten breakfast at our hotel. On the ground level is Le Cafe which is a family eating area which serves fast food and snacks. More casual dining but with a view can be found at the VUE Bistro. If you are after something a little more formal, the CN Tower restaurant, 360 is for you. Serving paired wine and food menus alongside a spectacular view.

Tickets

Buy tickets online here

General Admission to the Tower (LookOut and Glass Floor levels):

Adult (13-64): $35.00 / $33 online;
Senior (65+): $30.00 / $28.00 online;
Child (4-12): $25.00 / $23.00 online;
Child (0-3): free;
Holders of Toronto City Pass: free.
SkyPod (a separate ticket required in addition to Tower Experience ticket to get to SkyPod level).

All Ages: $12.00
Visitors with reduced mobility: free entrance for visitors in wheelchairs who purchased the general admission ticket to the tower.
Tickets to Skypod level can be purchased online, at the Box Office or on the LookOut Level.