Toronto is a city with the warmest of welcomes

WE’RE zooming to the top of the impossibly tall CN Tower in downtown Toronto and we’re singing. Well, that’s one way of coping with a travelling companion’s fear of heights and this mind-blowing fact: in just 58 seconds, we’ll arrive at a revolving restaurant at 1,150ft which, in height terms, is a bit like being catapulted half-way up Croagh Patrick in under a minute.

If you have a fear of heights, it’s a big ask but you have to try to make it to the 360 Restaurant at least once in your lifetime.

The venue itself is an engineering miracle.

Then there’s the menu, packed with the very best food and wine that Ontario has to offer (try the pan-seared Atlantic salmon), but the real show-stopper is the view. Or should we say views.

Every 72 minutes, the restaurant does a complete revolution, offering diners a bird’s-eye view of Toronto’s city limits, its harbour, the Lake Ontario islands and the mosaic of neighbourhoods that have made the city famous as one of the most culturally diverse in the world.

Before we get back on terra firma, there are a few more airborne thrills in store.

After dinner, we sit on the ‘Glass Floor’, a see-through block of solid glass that looks down on the city hundreds of feet below.

In fact, we jump, dance and lie on that floor because a sign reads: “Don’t worry, it won’t break.”

It goes on to explain that the glass is extra-strong and can withstand the weight of 35 moose, though somehow that doesn’t seem like a whole lot of moose.

This, however, is child’s play compared to the other daredevil option- walking along the edge of the tower on the outside.

People actually pay CAN$195 (€133) for that thrill/bucket-list tick, and to gain the right to say they’ve been on the Guinness Book of Records’ “highest external walk on a building”.

This correspondent is much happier to enjoy the earth-bound record set by St Lawrence Market in the city’s oldest district.

National Geographic voted it best food market in 2012 and you can see why.

It’s home to more than 120 vendors and merchants, who sell everything from deli meats and cheeses to local wines (ice wine is a specialty) and coffee.

If you want to eat like a local, try a peameal bacon sandwich, made with grilled Canadian back bacon rolled in cornmeal.

The Carousel Bakery, which numbers Catherine Zeta-Jones among its customers, sells over 2,600 of the Toronto classic on a busy Saturday; that’s one sandwich every 15 seconds.

Though, you can’t take it home with you.

If you’re looking for a good souvenir/present, pick up a jar of Kozlik’s ‘Amazing Maple Mustard’. Canada really does cut the mustard: it produces almost 90% of the world’s mustard seeds.

When you’ve sampled all you can handle - though that might take some time - don’t miss the nearby cobble-stoned Distillery Historic District (www.thedistillerydistrict.com). The district, as its name suggests, used to be a distillery and now the Victorian-era red-bricks have been restored and transformed into designer boutiques, craft shops, art galleries and restaurants.

If you’re a fan of Mexican food, chef Olivier Le Calvez’s cuisine at the district’s El Catrin won’t disappoint, though it has to compete hard with the exceptional décor.

It took three Mexican artists almost 100 days to create the restaurant’s breathtaking mural, a floor-to-ceiling riot of colour.

Outside in the spacious patio, the tables are overhung with enormous, intricate chandeliers.

Toronto is a foodie paradise and you can sample just about any kind of cuisine here.

In this city of neighbourhoods, there are six Chinatowns, two Little Italys, a little Korea, a Little Tibet, a Greektown.

And more besides.

One in every two people living in Toronto was born outside Canada. The best way to get a sense of just what that feels like is to explore this bustling, vibrant melting pot by foot.

Don’t be overwhelmed, though. Ease yourself into the multicultural eclectic vibe by strolling down to Kensington Market.

Don’t take the name literally; yes, there are markets, but Kensington is a counter-cultural district where you’ll find everything from vintage shops, artists’ hubs, hipster hangouts and art galleries.

It’s bohemian, devoid of the big brands - the locals objected to the multinationals - and full of little surprises.

For instance, who’d expect to find Thai and Hungarian food at the same restaurant?

We ordered schnitzel and Thai green curry, though not together, at the wonderful Hungary Thai at 196 Augusta Avenue.

It’s hard not to be distracted by food; you can literally eat your way around the world in Toronto.

But it has so much more to offer. The fourth biggest city in North America is a financial capital, medical research centre, communications hub, film and TV location and, of course, a great tourist destination.

“It’s like New York, but built by the Swiss,” says our walking guide Mike (www.tourguys.ca), going on to explain that it’s probably much friendlier, more walkable and safer than the Big Apple.

That rings true as we hit the hip shopping zone Queen West, a 2km stretch of all the usual chains along with a great mix of Canadian brands, such as Roots, and indie boutiques.

For high-end fashion, head to the Bloor-Yorkville area which has been dubbed Toronto’s Fifth Avenue with good reason.

Whatever your budget, expect very attentive shop assistants bent on helping you to have a good day.

If the bustle of the city overwhelms, make your way to the wonderful Art Gallery of Ontario (www.ago.net) on Dundas Street West.

The gallery hosts rare masterpieces by Monet, van Gogh, Gaugin and many more to Toronto in an exhibition that runs until the end of the month.

Though, there is much home-grown talent to celebrate too. Works by the famous Group of Seven - influential Canadian landscape painters from 1919 to 1933 - are still a talking point among the many other works on show.

The more recent multimillion-dollar renovation of the gallery by Toronto architect Frank Gehry in 2008 is a work of art in itself.

Take some time to sit and watch the world go by in the Galleria Italia, a stunning gallery of wood and glass that runs for a whole block.

You’ll need a breather because there is so much to see and do in Toronto.

The best time to visit is between June and October when the weather is more clement.

During the often-severe winters, life moves partially underground into the city’s 30 kilometres of underground walkways that link shopping, services and entertainment.

Whenever you go, though, there will almost certainly be a festival in full-swing. The annual calendar is packed with fairs and celebrations of all descriptions, from street carnivals to Oktoberfest.

The most famous is probably the Toronto International Film Festival in September, when more than 300 films are shown at venues across the city.

If you’re travelling with children, don’t miss Ripley’s Aquarium near the CN Tower.

You can don a wetsuit and join the stingrays if you’re up for it, but it’s an experience just to sit and watch feeding time too.

Tickets are not cheap (entry for one adult and child is about €23) but when are you going to see seahorses and sharks up close again?

For bird life - and a fantastic view of the city - take a tour of the harbour (www.harbourtourstoronto.ca) and, if you have the time, stop off on one of the islands to picnic, rent a bike or swim on one of the sandy beaches on the island’s southern shore.

Coming ashore again, it’s striking to see a memorial in Island Park in Eireann Quay to the 38,000 Irish victims of the Famine who sought refuge here in 1847. At the time, they outnumbered the city’s population of 20,000 by nearly two to one.

A sobering statistic that has particular resonance during the current migrant crisis.

It’s make us feel all the more appreciative as we head downtown again for one last look at Tur-ron-o, as we’ve taken to calling it, just like the locals.

GETTING THERE

Air Transat offers return flights from Dublin to Toronto from €455pp. It operates four flights a week from Dublin from April to October. See www.airtransat.ie or call 00 800 872 672 83.

Shuttle service: The Union Pearson Express runs shuttles from Pearson International Airport to the city every 15 minutes (www.upexpress.com).

Where to stay: 

The Examiner stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton, a quiet retreat in the centre of the city’s financial, research and shopping districts. Family room (2 adults, 2 children) plus breakfast from CAN$389/€266). See www.torontodowntown. www.doubletree.com. For more package deals, see www.seetorontonow.com

Travel documents:

All visitors to Canada need an electronic travel authorisation (eTA), a document you can get online in a matter of minutes for CAN$7. See www.cic.gc.ca/english/

Some useful websites:

For travel in Ontario visit www.ontariotravel.net/uk or www.seetorontonow.com